2019 Volkswagen Atlas Owner Complaints

Vehicle would stall out of no where every time I would accelerate or put into reverse. Sometimes when I turned into intersections it would stall out. There was no check engine light until over a week later stating evap system charcoal canister. This has happened multiple times, even after being replaced it goes bad again. It’s dangerous when I stall in the middle of traffic especially with having my children with me. I lose all power to the vehicle when it stalls

NHTSA ID

11766670

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

The steering wheel does a lot of shaking when turning or on any bumps/holes on the road/highway. The car tremors as the steering wheel shakes. Noisy tremors. And the wheels feel as if they wobble. This has recently been diagnosed at a independent mechanic but can be inspected if necessary. The dealer has not seen the car nor is insurance or police involved been yet. No warnings other than all the tremors and noise from the car. Not sure when they first started.

NHTSA ID

11766517

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

Vehicle’s error stop sensor is no longer working: vehicle manages to just completely shut off mid traffic. Also, fuel tank failure. We put gas in it, but it doesn’t show the correct gas level in it. And we’re putting gas in it every day in order to think we have enough gas.

NHTSA ID

11765457

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

The plastic seat-release and folding handles on both sides of the second-row seats completely fractured, crumbled, and fell apart under ordinary hand pressure while attempting to fold the seats to install and access child safety restraint systems. This component failure exposes sharp plastic shards, which caused physical scratches/cuts to the operator, and physically restricts rapid or predictable access to the rear rows containing child car seats.Furthermore, the vehicle experiences structural electronic malfunctions where the central infotainment display and the backup-camera screen completely black out unexpectedly while operating, creating sudden blind spots.These defects exist simultaneously alongside two active, unrepaired manufacturer safety recalls on this vehicle: Recall 69FB (NHTSA 23V215) for a Passenger Occupant Detection System airbag malfunction, and Recall 45J6 (NHTSA 22V815) for a Tire Pressure Monitoring System software defect that fails to alert the operator to a sudden loss of pressure in all four tires.The combination of shattered child restraint access handles, erratic backup camera failures, and active unresolved safety software recalls creates an ongoing, extreme liability and safety hazard for occupants and young children. The broken physical components have been fully retained and the defects are available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11765447

Incident

Sep 18, 2026

The car began to make a clacking or popping sound in the steering rack area. Mostly at slow speeds, when turning. The car began exhibiting a steering wobble at very slow speeds, but felt loose at higher speeds. Initially I believed it might be a worn tie rod, but upon inspection I found the entire steering rack to be loose from the subframe. There is a recall bulletin for a corroded bolt that may break loose from the rack/subframe, but currently it is not showing for my vin. I believe that this exact issue is effecting my vehicle and would like for the steering rack for my vin to be included and to be repaired under the recall.

NHTSA ID

11765298

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

May 2026 The entire steering rack assembly required replacement by the Volkswagen dealer. The vehicle was purchased from new in 2019. I’m the original owner of the vehicle, do mostly highway driving, and I have always serviced the vehicle appropriately. This was an expensive repair and seems rather unusual. I was notified that there are many complaints from owners for this type of problem.

NHTSA ID

11764912

Incident

May 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced under a recall, the dealer discovered that the front passenger's side stabilizer bar end links were missing. The contact associated the failure with Volkswagen Service Action Code: 40R1 (Front Stabilizer Coupling Rod); however, the dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered because the VIN was not included in the service action. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that prior to the dealer's assessment, the vehicle made an abnormal clicking sound while driving and making sharp turns. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that the front stabilizer bar was missing on the passenger's side and there were open holes. The manufacturer, Volkswagen, was notified of the failure by phone and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ID

11764009

Incident

Sep 10, 2026

Mileage

83,000 mi

No accidents light just turn on saying airbag error light came on. no airbag was deployed.

NHTSA ID

11761071

Incident

Aug 30, 2026

My air bag light came on and said I have code b121400. It indicates that the passenger occupant seat sensor is not communicating/working. I see this issue was identified as a recall for similar vehicles but did not include my car. NHTSA ID: 22v815000

NHTSA ID

11760976

Incident

Aug 30, 2026

My vehicle is having a catalytic converter problem. I see that there was a recall on my exact make model and year but my vehicle is not on the list. This part is failing long before it should. There is a 0420 code.

NHTSA ID

11757846

Incident

Aug 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, the driver's side of the vehicle was leaning. The failure had occurred while the contact and minor children were on vacation and were traveling. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a detached coil spring. The contact was informed that the coil spring was fractured in half. Additionally, a piece of the detached coil spring was sitting next to the driver's rear tire. The contact was informed that all the coil springs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

NHTSA ID

11757719

Incident

Aug 14, 2026

Mileage

148,000 mi

Engine/Fuel injectors causing SUV to cut off at intersections or backing up in road causing a safety risk of getting hit and I know because it has happened to me.

NHTSA ID

11757598

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

The airbag error light in the vehicle came on. I took it to the dealership where the vehicle was purchased. They are charging $300.+ per hour to repair the issue. The vehicle has never been in an accident. The airbag has never been deployed.

NHTSA ID

11754957

Incident

Jul 20, 2026

The infotainment display in this vehicle intermittently fails to power on, most often at startup. When this occurs, the screen remains dark while audio and physical controls continue to function. The vehicle sometimes must be restarted, and the display does not always return. When the display is dark, the rearview camera image is unavailable. This defect first occurred approximately three weeks after the vehicle was purchased as a manufacturer Certified Pre-Owned vehicle, and it remains unresolved. The most recent occurrence was yesterday, Jul 25 2026. At least 15 video recordings document the failure between October 2024 and the present, along with complete service records. On multiple occasions the display and rearview camera were already non-functional from vehicle startup, and the vehicle was subsequently reversed without a rear camera image because no camera-equipped alternative was available. On more than one of these occasions, this resulted in a near-miss with another vehicle or object. The dealer has confirmed and reproduced the underlying fault on more than one occasion. In October 2024, a stored fault code was found in the infotainment control module and the module was replaced under manufacturer warranty; the display failure continued unchanged afterward. In May 2026, the wiring harness between the control module and the display was replaced under manufacturer warranty after the manufacturer diagnosed an internal failure in the harness; the manufacturer's own repair record states the repair was tested and verified over a 3-mile road test, and the failure recurred within weeks. The vehicle and its service history are available for inspection upon request. The manufacturer has been notified in writing that this defect presents a safety issue due to loss of rearview camera function, and has not directly addressed that concern in its written responses.

NHTSA ID

11752918

Incident

Jul 25, 2026

I was stopped at a drive thru window and as I reached out to get my food, the window rose up by itself. As I drove home over the next ten minutes, the locks locked and unlocked by themselves and the windows rolled down and up by themselves. Warning lights came on and then went off, including "Fault: Electronic parking brake," and "Error:Airbag." The dash screen went off for a few seconds and then came back on.

NHTSA ID

11752193

Incident

Jul 21, 2026

Struts but were told it's either stabilizer or steering rod

NHTSA ID

11750880

Incident

May 4, 2026

Vehicle has been to VW at least 10 times for same issue since 2021. Stalls at low speeds like in traffic or driving around neighborhood, and while decelerating from higher speeds causing a dangerous safety issue. Several components replaced some like the fuel evap canister and purge valve numerous times. Symptoms clear up for days or weeks at a time and than return. VW has been unable to correct this or or find cause, has had an “engineer” from VW look at it and cannot correct cause, only symptoms which than return. Evap canister and purge valve replaced numerous times, fuel tank and pump replaced, computer system flashed, nothing fixes the problem completely. Transmission was just replaced at less than 63k miles and failed again within 6 months second replacement just completed for transmission, VW had my truck from 4/30/2026 until 6/10/2026 and was unable to correct the stalling sputtering issue, and transmission continues to shift gears extremely hard at lows speed. The stalling issue is absolutely ridiculous that no solution can be found and the extended warranty VW provided because they can’t fix this runs out on the 31st of this month. I was only able to fix load 10!images of my work orders I have several kore if I can provide them somehow please let me know

NHTSA ID

11749975

Incident

Nov 1, 2021

Hello, The auto start stop function on my vehicle has malfunctioned. The vehicle will turn off when coming to a stop and I am not accelerating (making turns). The vehicle also would not remote start. This happens even when the auto start/stop function is off. When taken to my local Volkswagen for diagnosis, they stated a new battery was needed and that I also had a gas tank issue ( stated that is was collapsing and that it was an issue with a lot of those models). I got a new battery and the issue was fixed for about a week and then it started doing the same thing again. Currently the auto start stop error appears at turn on along with the EPC (orange) light, remote start does not work, and will turn of when coming to a stop. This puts me and others at risk because the vehicle will have to placed in park and started again when making slow turns. Impacting drivers behind me because they are unaware of a sudden stop. The gas tank is a safety risk because according to Volkswagen mechanics the fuel tank can collapse and cause gas to leak in the street creating a fire hazard. This is also an issue because at times while filling the tank with gas, the pump will stop as if full, but it isnt. These issues have been confirmed with Volkswagen Savannah/AutoNation Volkswagen Savannah. The first warning light about the issue happened in January of 2026, in which the check engine light came on and the auto start stopped functioning. Thank you

NHTSA ID

11749786

Incident

Jan 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the rear driver’s side of the vehicle. While the contact's wife was driving, the contact entered the rear back seat of the vehicle, where the sound was more pronounced. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact inspected and hit the rear driver’s side coil spring, which made the same abnormal clicking sound. The contact verified that there was no abnormal sound coming from the rear passenger’s side coil spring. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V904000 (Suspension), which the contact related to the failure. Both the dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,800.

NHTSA ID

11748444

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

Mileage

70,800 mi

XXX as my husband, child and myself drove from [XXX] to [XXX] our SUNROOF exploded. We heard a loud boom noise sounded like a balloon exploded. My little one started crying looked around and the sunroof shattered into tiny pieces. I called VW Customer Care according to them the agent she said she didn't see a recall but had heard somewhere that it's common. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11747498

Incident

Jun 29, 2026

I am reporting a potential safety defect involving the airbag system of my Volkswagen Atlas vehicle. At approximately 65,000 miles, my vehicle displayed the warning message: “Error: Airbag, Faulty airbag.” Because an airbag malfunction creates a serious safety concern, I contacted my local Volkswagen dealer on September 23, 2025 to ask whether there was an active recall related to this issue. I was informed that there was no pending recall for my vehicle. I later contacted Volkswagen Customer Care because I was concerned about using this vehicle as a family vehicle for my two elementary school children. The Volkswagen representative informed me that there was an airbag recall affecting certain vehicles of same year/model and that an extended warranty/coverage was associated with that recall. However, when I contacted the Volkswagen dealership again, I was told that my vehicle was not covered because there was no recall and my vehicle was outside the warranty period. I am concerned that a known airbag-related safety issue may exist in vehicles of the same model, but my vehicle is excluded from the recall or extended coverage even though it is experiencing the same safety-related warning. I am also concerned about the inconsistent information provided by Volkswagen Customer Care and the dealership. I request that NHTSA review whether this airbag fault represents a broader safety defect and whether my vehicle should be included in any recall or safety campaign.

NHTSA ID

11747210

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

Multiple occurrences where forward collision warning goes off with no vehicles Incident 1. 5/15/2026 Road: Highway I-94 Weather: Clear and sunny Condition: Cruise control on, light traffic, nearest vehicle at least 4 cars in front, 2 vehicles behind and to the right (fast lane), driving in the middle left lane. Forward collision warning went off and took cruise control off. No vehicles stopping in front of me. Incident 2. 6/3/2026 Road: Urban side streets Weather: Clear and sunny Condition: Coasting towards a roundabout approximately 200' from the intersection, no vehicle in front, no vehicle behind, no animals, people or objects on the road. Forward Collision Warning went off under no threat of collsion. Incident 3: 6/14/2026 Road: 2 lane urban road. Weather: Dusk, clear, no rain, Condition: paved road, no animals, no vehicle in front, vehicle behind, approaching an intersection, coasting (light was yellow) towards intersection. , evening dusk, clear no rain, no precipitate, clear roads. Fwd. Collision warning went off, going straight.

NHTSA ID

11744272

Incident

Jun 14, 2026

The air conditioning drain tube clogged and leaked into the air bag control module and caused an entire electrical failure in my car with air bag sensors, braking, windows rolling down, doors locking and unlocking automatically while driving, etc as well as the carpet getting mold.

NHTSA ID

11743656

Incident

Jun 5, 2026

The contact owns 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while his wife was driving 45 MPH, she heard a clunking noise coming from the rear vehicle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear coil springs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired as the rear coil springs are being repaired as of today. The contact related to the failure NHTSA Campaign Number:18V904000 (SUSPENSION); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000.

NHTSA ID

11742042

Incident

May 31, 2026

Mileage

89,000 mi

When the lane assist is active the vehicle will launch the car into other lanes without any reason or warning. This has been an ongoing issue since we bought the car. When driving I have been launched into the the next lane over. At a stop light I have had the vehicle jump into the other lane. We have told the dealer about the issue and have been told it will be fixed with a recall. I don't see there is an active recall. The lane assist is more dangerous than it is helpful. It is a feature we paid for and cannot even use. My wife was driving the car on 5/26 during the rain and she told me the car would not stay in the center lane and kept moving her back and forth from one lane to the next creating a very dangerous situation.

NHTSA ID

11740618

Incident

May 26, 2026