2018 Volkswagen Atlas Steering Problems

Dealer sold flood damaged 2020 Atlas 98k miles as safe vehicle. Found severe rust corrosion on steering column that could break while driving causing loss of control crash death. Also found 7 areas of toxic mold inside causing allergic reaction and breathing problems. Mold in seats, carpet, AC system. Dealer refused to repair and forced trade for overpriced 2023 Explorer with high loan. Vehicle unsafe - life threatening defect hidden by dealer. Steering and body structure compromised by flood water. Have photos of corrosion and mold as evidence. Vehicle available for inspection. Injury: Allergic reaction - skin rash, breathing difficulty, cough from toxic mold exposure. Senior driver [XXX] old. No crash yet but steering corrosion could cause fatal crash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11753639

Incident

Jun 30, 2026

The vehicle intermittently displays a “Steering lock faulty, stop!” warning and fails to start. When this occurs, the vehicle cannot be operated at all. This issue has occurred multiple times within a short period and has persisted despite prior repair attempts by authorized Volkswagen dealerships. The failure of the steering lock system prevents the vehicle from starting, creating a safety concern as the vehicle may become unexpectedly inoperable and leave the driver stranded. The repeated nature of this issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11728119

Incident

Dec 27, 2025

The power steering control module failed while the vehicle was traveling at highway speeds. When the failure occurred, the power steering completely cut out. It is extremely difficult to maneuver the vehicle without power steering. My wife would not have been strong enough to safely maneuver the vehicle if she found herself in a situation where she needed to make even a minor evasive maneuver. Had there been more traffic on the road she could have caused an accident since her ability to steer was severely impacted. An orange warning light first came on. VW says to safely drive the vehicle to be inspected. In our case, the red power steering warning light came on less than 10 min later, well before we could make it to a technician to have it inspected. At the exact same time the red light illuminated, the vehicle's power steering system completely failed. A VW dealership has inspected the vehicle and found the steering control module to be defective. The only repair is to fully replace the steering rack which includes the steering control module in one piece. The part is back-ordered for several months which indicates that VW is unable to keep up with the supply required to fix this issue.

NHTSA ID

11672951

Incident

Jul 9, 2025

The rack and pinion failed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to move and maneuver. According to the service advisor, it is known that if the Rack and Pinion is immersed in water due to floods, that causes the electronics of the system to fail. This causes the steering wheel to become very stiff and it is very hard to maneuver the car. Rain is very common in all parts of the world, including in Puerto Rico, and it is not safe to be driving a car that could 'lock' the steering wheel in any random occasion after a pouring rain event.

NHTSA ID

11619900

Incident

Oct 7, 2024

While driving down the road the vehicle automatically shuts off without power brakes or power steering. Must come to a complete stop put the vehicle into park and the vehicle will then restart. Has happened twice in one week.

NHTSA ID

11594143

Incident

Jun 12, 2024

Vehicle displays “Brake booster faulty” and all warning lights trigger. Vehicle auto brakes itself and stops with little ability to steer. No warning/fault codes were stored when brought into the repair shop to address the issue and they could not duplicate it. It is an intermittent problem but looking at online forums it is NOT ISOLATED AND IS DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID

11557596

Incident

Nov 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated regarding the passenger’s side air bags. The steering wheel button functionality was inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel failure was repaired under an unknown recall campaign; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11516710

Incident

Apr 12, 2019

Mileage

120,000 mi

Front steering knuckles fractured on the vehicle while driving, causing me to lose control of the vehicle. Other Volkswagen Atlas' have been recalled for this same issue, but not my specific model. If this is a problem for similar vehicles, people will be at risk of serious injury or death if not fixed immediately. I currently am on a military assignment in Germany and am having difficulty working with the dealers here to confirm the issue. Luckily I was in a parking lot when my steering knuckles failed and was able to park the vehicle safely. There were no warning indicators on the vehicle before I lost control. The vehicle did have a few symptoms of failing steering knuckles, like grinding and shaking sounds.

NHTSA ID

11507746

Incident

Feb 9, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approxi8mately 25 -30 mph the vehicle's brakes suddenly activate causing the vehicle to suddenly stop. The contact stated a warning light stating a failure with the brakes would illuminate. The contact would be able to continue operating the vehicle as normal. The vehicle had not been taken to a certified mechanic or dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,880.

NHTSA ID

11473288

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

Mileage

66,880 mi

I tried to merge to the left lane on the highway I-55 S (Chicago, IL), but the steering wheel was out of control and cannot be operated functionally all of sudden, which hit on the right side curb. There was no ice or water on the road. The weather is clear.

NHTSA ID

11449051

Incident

Jan 25, 2022

TWO WEEKS AGO, OUR 2018 ATLAS DISPLAYED FAULTY STEERING LOCK. VEHICLE WAS DISABLED AND TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. AFTER $1,300 IN REPAIRS WITH NEW STEERING MODULE, THE VEHICLE DISPLAYS THIS AGAIN, AND WON'T MOVE. VEHICLE IS AT DEALERSHIP AGAIN AND IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IF THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WON'T STEER AND IS GOING INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ID

11403098

Incident

Mar 14, 2021

ATLAS IS ON ITS 3RD BATTERY IN 30,000 MILES. WHEN THE BATTERY FAILS IT WILL DIE IN AN INTERSECTION DURING AUTO START STOP. AFTER BOOSTING ELECTRONIC STEERING, BRAKES, ADAPTIVE LIGHTING, REGULAR LIGHTING, BLINKERS ALL FAIL AND OFTEN LIMITS TO 15 MPH

NHTSA ID

11386089

Incident

Jan 2, 2021

Mileage

30,000 mi

I'VE HAD SCARY PROBLEMS WITH BRAKE ASSIST AND LANE ASSIST. WITH LANE ASSIST THE VEHICLE HAS MADE SUDDEN VIOLENT TURNS TO STAY IN A LANE. SOMETIMES IF THERE'S A GAP IN THE ROAD LINES (SUCH AS A TURN LANE) LANE ASSIST CAN BE UNPREDICTABLE. ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL WORKS FINE BUT I'VE HAD SEVERAL INSTANCES WHEN TRAFFIC AHEAD STOPPED ABRUPTLY WHERE IT WOULDN'T HAVE STOPPED IN TIME TO AVOID A COLLISION.

NHTSA ID

11343663

Incident

Jan 1, 2020

Mileage

25,000 mi

CAR WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY, TURNED CAR ON AND LIGHTS INDICATED LOW VOLTAGE AND TURNED CAR OFF. TURNED CAR BACK ON SO CAR COULD CHARGE BATTERY BUT A/C WASN'T WORKING AND POWER STEERING WASN'T WORKING SO PUT IN REVERSE TO SEE IF IT WAS A FAULT AND START DRIVING AND EVERYTHING DIED INSTANTLY AND CAR HAD TO BE TOWED FROM SPOT.

NHTSA ID

11341089

Incident

Jul 15, 2020

Mileage

30,000 mi

ON MANY OCCASIONS, THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM AND BLIND SPOT DETECTION SYSTEMS HAVE ENGAGED AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES. MOST RECENTLY, THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGED WHEN SAFELY MERGING WITH PROPER SIGNALING FROM THE RIGHT LANE, WHICH WAS ENDING, TO THE NEXT TO THE LEFT LANE WHEN THE ONLY VEHICLE IN THE VICINITY WAS FULLY IN THE LEFT TURN LANE. THERE WAS ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN OUR VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE BEHIND TO AVOID A REAR END COLLISION BUT THE HARD BRAKING WAS UNNECESSARY AND COULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE OR MORE SERIOUS INJURIES THAN THOSE SUSTAINED BY THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER CAUSED BY THE SEATBELT LOCKING ON THE COLLARBONE AND CHEST BECAUSE OF THE SUDDEN APPLICATION OF BRAKES. ANOTHER RECENT INCIDENT WAS ON THE FREEWAY WHEN SAFELY CHANGING LANES WITH PROPER SIGNALING FROM THE FAR LEFT LANE TO THE CENTER LANE AND THE BLIND SPOT DETECTION SYSTEM PREVENTED CHANGING LANES WHEN THE CLOSEST TO THE RIGHT VEHICLE WAS IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE, ONE LANE FURTHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE INTO. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED WHILE CHANGING LANES TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH DEBRIS OR ANOTHER VEHICLE, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE OR INJURIES.

NHTSA ID

11300603

Incident

Jan 20, 2020

Mileage

49,800 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BEFORE 3,000 MILES. CYLINDER 2 MISFIRE. DEALERSHIP FIXED IT ON THE 3RD TRY AFTER GETTING VW INVOLVED. IT WAS A FAULTY GAS TANK, LEAKING FUEL INTO THE LINES. THEY REPLACED THE TANK AND THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. LANE ASSIST FEATURE SEVERELY MALFUNCTIONS SINCE DAY 1 OF OWNING THIS CAR. NEARLY EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT, THE VEHICLE STEERS ITSELF INTO MEDIANS, INTO CURVES OR INTERSECTIONS, INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, ALWAYS WHILE I'M ACTIVELY DRIVING STRAIGHT. I CONTACTED VW; THEY RECOMMENDED HAVING THE SYSTEM INSPECTED. DEALERSHIP COULD FIND NO PROBLEMS WITH IT, STATING IT WAS JUST A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR. I WILL NOT JUST TURN THAT FEATURE OFF WHEN I'M PAYING FOR IT. I ASKED VW TO BUY THE VEHICLE BACK, AS IT HAS INCREASINGLY BECOME MORE DANGEROUS FOR MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN. THEY DENIED MY REQUEST. I HAVE CONTACTED THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU IN HOPES OF GETTING A MORE SENSIBLE OUTCOME, BUT VW HAS ONLY OFFERED TO SETTLE MY CONCERNS FOR $2,500, WHICH IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.

NHTSA ID

11210708

Incident

May 29, 2019

Mileage

9,900 mi

AT AROUND 40-50 MILES AN HOUR THE LANE ASSIST WILL PERIODICALLY JERK THE STEERING WHEEL TO ONE SIDE WHEN THERE IS A BREAK IN THE LINES PAINTED ON THE ROAD. I HAVE HAD THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP OVER 8 TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO DU[PLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THEREFORE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY TELL ME TO EITHER TURN THE LANE ASSIST OFF (BUT I PAID EXTRA FOR THE CAPABILITY) OR GET USED TO IT BECAUSE THAT CAR IS WORKING WITHIN THE MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS.

NHTSA ID

11180353

Incident

Aug 1, 2018

Mileage

30,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS SE WITH TECHNOLOGU IN THE LEFT LANE OF A TWO LANE ROAD (EACH WAY), THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY AND FORCIBLY PULLED TO THE RIGHT. UPON THIS CHANGE IN DIRECTION I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT TO CORRECT THE CHANGE IN DIRECTION AND TO AVOID HITTING A VEHICLE IN THE RIGHT LANE. THIS OCCURRED WHILE USING THE 'LANE ASSIST' FUNCTION WHICH I HAVE USED EVER SINCE OWNING THE CAR (4 MONTHS). THAT BEING SAID, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE VEHICLE CORRECT THE STEERING WHILE DRIVING WITH LAB ASSIST ON AND I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH A FORCEFUL CHANGE IN DIRECTION.

NHTSA ID

11151144

Incident

Nov 12, 2018

Mileage

2,400 mi

BATTERY ISSUE- THE START/STOP FEATURE DRAINS THE BATTERY. A 2018 ATLAS BATTERY DIED WHILE THE CAR WAS ON AT AN INTERSECTION. WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WAITING TO TURN AND THE CAR SHUT DOWN. IT CAUSE EVERYTHING TO TRY OFF AND STEERING AND BRAKING WERE IMPOSSIBLE. IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE AT VW AND THERE IS NO RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11141527

Incident

Oct 18, 2018

Mileage

15,000 mi

NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION AT TAKE OFF; PASSENGER DRIVER SIDE AND DRIVER SIDE DOOR WEATHERING SEAL COMING OFF; NOISE COMING FROM STEERING WHEN TURNING SOUNDS LIKE UPPER SUSPENSION MOUNT FAULTY.

NHTSA ID

11140524

Incident

Oct 2, 2018

Mileage

135 mi

AT AROUND 60 TO 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE HAS A SLIGHT VIBRATION WHICH SHAKES THE CAR AND THE STEERING WHEEL. ALONG WITH VIBRATION THERE IS A SLIGHT FLUTTERING NOISE AT THE SAME TIME. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS THREE DIFFERENT TIMES BUT THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THIS IS JUST HIGHWAY NOISE. I TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT THIS VIBRATION AND NOISE IS ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF HIGHWAY SURFACE. I BROUGHT THE NEW ON NOVEMBER 27, 2017 AND DROVE IT HOME FROM CINCINNATI OH TO MY HOME IN NEWARK OH ABOUT 150 MILES. I NOTICED THE VIBRATION AND NOISE ON THE TRIP HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND NOTIFIED THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS NEW CAR. THIS CAR 18 MILES ON THE ODOMETER WHEN I TOOK DELIVERY ON NOVEMBER 27, 2017. I HAD MOVED TO MICHIGAN IN JUNE 2018 HAD TAKEN TO WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN HAD TWICE TRIED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AND EACH TIME CLAIMED IT WAS REPAIRED SATISFACTORY. THE FIRST TIJE I TOOK IT TO WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE CLAIMED I HAD HIT A POT HOLE. I TOLD HIM IT WAS THAT WAY WHEN I PURCHASE THE CAR. THEY BALANCE ALL WHEELS AND CLAIMED IT WAS REPAIRED. I TOOK BACK AGAIN AND THEY DID A "FORCED" BALANCE AND REPLACE TWO FRONT TIRES AND SAID IT WAS REPAIRED. I CONTACTED WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE MANAGER AND HE ADMITTED HE ALSO HEARD AND SEEN THE VIBRATION IN THE CAR BUT CLAIMED IT WAS DUE TO ROAD CONDITIONS, NOT THE CAR. I AM CONCERN THERE COULD BE A SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR MAYBE WITH THE STEERING AND OR WHEELS.

NHTSA ID

11120865

Incident

Nov 27, 2017

Mileage

17 mi

DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY WITH LANE ASSIST ON, THE WHEEL BEGAN TO PULL TOWARDS THE CENTER LINE AS ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS APPROACHING FROM THE OPPOSITE LANE. THIS HAPPENED 2 DIFFERENT TIMES DURING THIS PARTICULAR DRIVE.

NHTSA ID

11101434

Incident

Jun 1, 2018

Mileage

1,500 mi

THE DRIVER SIDE, FRONT WHEEL SUSPENSION SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE DUE LOUD VIBRATION NOISES, RATTLING NOISES, AND REPEATED STEERING ISSUES. THE STEERING WHEEL VIOLENTLY JERKS TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT AND PULLS THE CAR OUT OF THE DESIRED DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. THE VW ATLAS IS AT THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR A THIRD TIME SINCE DATE OF PIRCHASE (FEB 2018) FOR THE SAME STEERING ISSUES AND NOISE ISSUES. THE 'AUTO-BRAKING' SYSTEM THAT'S DESIGNED TO PREVENT REAR END COLLISSIONS HAS MALFUNCTIONED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. BOTH MALFUNCTIONS WERE WHEN PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT WITH A DOWNGRADED SLOPE TOWARD THE STREET. ON BOTH OCCASIONS, AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT TO MERGE INTO MOVING TRAFFIC, THE ELECTRONIC BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGED AS THE CAR WAS MOVING DOWN THE SLOPED PARKING LOT EXIT LEAVING THE VW ATLAS FROZEN IN PLACE AS STREET TRAFFIC WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING. I HAD TO PUT THE VW ATLAS IN 'PARK' AND BACK IN 'DRIVE' IN ORDER TO RELEASE THE ELECTRONIC BREAK SYSTEM. THIS AUTO-BREAKING FEATURE HAS CREATED TO SAFETY SITUATIONS WHERE MY VW ATLAS WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE WITH MOVING TRAFFIC, NEARLY CAUSING ACCIDENTS IN BOTH SITUATIONS.

NHTSA ID

11098970

Incident

May 24, 2018

Mileage

1,700 mi

LANE ASSIST HAS JERKED CAR TOWARDS ONCOMING TRAFFIC ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS, MAKING IT A USELESS AND DANGEROUS FEATURE. ADVERSE WEATHER AND INADEQUATE ROAD LINES/MARKINGS EXASPERATE THE ISSUE, BUT I HAVE HAD INSTANCES WHERE NEITHER OF THESE CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT AND LANE ASSIST STILL JERKED THE CAR INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. IN ORDER TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT WHILE USING THIS FEATURE, ONE MUST KEEP AHOLD OF THE STEERING WHEEL MUCH STRONGER THAN WHAT IS TYPICAL, OTHERWISE IT WILL PULL OUT OF YOUR HAND. WHEN IT HAS OCCURRED, I HAD TO ACTIVELY FIGHT AGAINST THE PULL. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON CITY STREETS AS WELL AS ON THE HIGHWAY. I KEEP THIS FEATURE TURNED OFF DUE TO THE RISK THAT IT POSES WHILE LEFT ON.

NHTSA ID

11081172

Incident

Oct 26, 2017

Mileage

1,000 mi