Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Brought car last March with 23000 miles on it has had vibration in steering at highway speeds randomly gotten worse over time currently have 36000 miles and it's very dangerous when you hit a bump on the highway took it to dealer they said the steering rack is worn out
Steering wheel shakes at speeds over 65 mph, I had multiple repairs in 4 years and each time it is only a year fix. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
After starting vehicle the steering wheel locked up. It would allow you to drive forward and reverse but would not allow the steering wheel to turn. Prior to failure my wife and I noticed sometimes while driving down the interstate or highway it was difficult to turn steering wheel. Although random it was concerning checked power steering fluid and belts all looked good. Yesterday had to have vehicle towed due to faulty steering wheel.
For steering: There is a grinding noise that happens each time I turn my wheel when turning into a parking spot or making a non wide turn. It happens every single time that I do it. For Automatic Emergency Braking: It turns on while I am in the middle of driving constantly.
Steering wheel vibrates when going 55mph and over. Tired have been balanced and aligned I bought new tires and rims and got them balanced and aligned as well spent a lot of money and it’s still an issue. Vehicle pulls to the left, even with an alignment done. Taken to multiple shops they “can’t find the issue” .. my brakes grind, squeak, but again they said they are perfectly fine. My touchscreen turns off randomly for days won’t turn on nothing works on it and because of that I can’t put it in ECO mode , use navigation, or any other features and because VW couldn’t replicate the same issue they can’t fix it despite my many videos I showed them. I have only had the car since Feb 26,2024 and put more money into this than I’d like.
The breaks are very loud- squeaky and grinding. Have had them checked several times and break pads are in good condition. Additionally after the car is idle for several hours, it’ll be a loud gurgle when breaks are applied the first few “stops”. Additionally, when driving in cold weather the rear the stability assist light on the dash will engage. It will flash on and off so to be uncertain if the traction control is engaged on possible slippery roads
1. STEERING MAKING NOISE DURING TURN/REVERVSE/ FORWARD/PARKING ETC.. DEALERS TRIEDD TO FIX IT BUT NOT SUCESS. 2. ERROR: START / STOP ENGINE AT CERTAIN SITUATION AND STALLING WHILE DRIVING. INCIDENT ON VARIOUS DATE
I have several issues. My main concern is when turning on an incline (hill or mountain), my vehicles rpm's rev up and I am unable to stop it for several seconds. Sometimes, it will clunk and the rpms will go back to normal after sever seconds but most times the vehicle just jerks and the rpms come back down. I drive through a street with a 4 way stop very often and the issue happens every time. Secondly, i am not sure if its my steering or my brakes but when i come to a stop there is a clicking noise at my pedal and it makes it a little tougher to stop the vehicle. I can be at a full stop and if i push my brake pedal down more, it will click multiple times. I have also noticed this jerk/click when i make a sharp left turns such as in a parking lot. My vehicle jerks a bit while it clicks and i am concerned something will brake while i am turning or stopping and my wheels wont stop.
The EPC light came on and caused the vehicle to stop working, steering, brakes, sped, were affected immediately as I was on the interstate.car was basically limping. I dropped car off at dealer and they said it was misfiring due to bags gas. Car has 8000 miles and was only 9 months old. Repairs cost over $2000 and they said it was not covered under warranty as the fuel injector was damaged after what they said is bad gas. It is a know issue the fuel injectors are bad with the VW atlas. The government needs to stop VW from selling vehicles in the states and needs to recall the atlas for safety issues as this caused me to almost crash my car due to a faulty fuel injector!
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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