2023 Volkswagen Atlas Powertrain (other) Problems

I own a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, purchased new in March 2023. The vehicle has experienced two incidents of sudden loss of propulsion. The first incident occurred around June 2026 while stopped near a roundabout entrance. The vehicle became inoperable and required multiple restart attempts over approximately 4–5 minutes before normal operation resumed. I do not recall whether any unusual noise occurred during this first incident. The second incident occurred on [XXX], at approximately [XXX], while driving at approximately 20–35 mph and entering an intersection in Madison, Alabama. The vehicle suddenly lost propulsion, and pressing the accelerator produced no response. The vehicle continued coasting forward due to momentum. The dashboard remained illuminated, and the transmission remained in Drive (D). When I attempted to restart the vehicle, the system instructed me to shift into Park (P). During the restart attempt, I heard an abnormal grinding or ratcheting noise. After following the restart instructions, the vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The unexpected loss of propulsion while entering an intersection created a serious risk of collision with surrounding traffic. Fortunately, no collision or injuries occurred. The vehicle was brought to Hiley Volkswagen of Huntsville on [XXX]. The dealership reported finding no fault codes and has not identified the cause of the problem. No repairs have been performed to my knowledge. The vehicle remains at the dealership, and the dealer has indicated that it is working to open a technical assistance case with Volkswagen. The failed component is UNKNOWN. The incidents occurred approximately four months apart, making the problem difficult to reproduce during short test drives. I am concerned that this sudden loss of propulsion could happen again while driving and potentially cause a serious collision. I am requesting that this safety concern be investigated. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11772960

Incident

Oct 15, 2026

On July 13, I was driving on the I-75 Business Loop access ramp near Bloomfield Hills with my entire family in the vehicle when the EPC warning light came on. The vehicle went into limp mode and subsequently shut down. I was able to pull the vehicle onto the shoulder of the access ramp before it stopped completely. With my entire family in the vehicle, being stranded on the shoulder of I-75 created a very unsafe and concerning situation. After allowing the vehicle to rest for several minutes, I was able to restart it and drive it home. I then arranged for the vehicle to be towed from my home to Mike Savoie Volkswagen for diagnosis and repair. The vehicle had already experienced a similar EPC-related failure previously and had been repaired by Mike Savoie Volkswagen. Following this July 13 incident, the vehicle remained at the dealership for further repairs and was returned to me on July 24. A copy of the repair documentation is attached.

NHTSA ID

11758866

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

On July 7, I was driving the vehicle with my son in the car when the EPC warning light suddenly came on. The vehicle immediately went into limp mode and subsequently shut down. I was able to maneuver the vehicle off the main roadway and onto the grass; however, this left my son and me in an unsafe situation on the side of the road. After allowing the vehicle to sit for several minutes, I was able to restart it and drive it a short distance to a nearby parking lot. I then arranged for the vehicle to be towed to Mike Savoie Volkswagen for diagnosis and repair. The repairs were completed, and the vehicle was returned to me by Mike Savoie Volkswagen on July 13. A copy of the repair documentation is attached.

NHTSA ID

11758862

Incident

Jul 7, 2026

Current mileage: 55,000 miles, and the warranty expired at 50,000 miles. Shortly after the expiration, a bunch of warning alerts started to pop up, along with a solid yellow check engine light. I had the error codes read, and it came back as, “P2402 SAE: EVAP System Leak Detection Pump Control Circuit: High." In order for any work to be performed, VW demands a $212 diagnostic fee in order to even determine what is wrong with the vehicle. If the EVAP pump is found to be bad as the code suggests, it would cost anywhere between $700-900 to fix. So, I took to Google to figure out what is going on. There are pages and pages of documentation from other VW drivers who have the exact same issue. So, why has it not been listed as a safety recall yet? That's what I want to know. Many VW drivers reported that they were given a warranty extension for this KNOWN issue, so I thought...that's all it would take for me to be happy. So, I called the same dealership back and was told that my vehicle is ineligible for the warranty extension even though I am experiencing the exact same issue of the people who were given the warranty extension. Many other VW customers have reported this known issue as well because VW is aware of the issue but is not doing anything about it. As far as I know, the car runs fine, but the alerts and check engine light are there every time I start up the car and never go away. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others is put at risk every time I drive. When I get into my car, several alerts go off. Very distracting and dangerous. When I go to back out of my driveway, the backup camera works for a few seconds and then blacks out and goes back to the main screen and starts beeping new alerts. Very dangerous. As I am driving, all of the alerts are going off again, thus distracting me behind the wheel. With the codes present, it will not allow me to use remote start on either my key FOB or in the app.

NHTSA ID

11720742

Incident

Feb 1, 2026

The car engine shuts off while driving at slow speeds ... many times while parked at a red light. The instrument cluster displays 'Please restart the engine'. The shutoff happens while the vehicle is in Drive mode. It is very dangerous and the VW dealership is not acknowledging the issue in spite of several online reports of it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/191339898236209/posts/1665305790839605/ https://www.vwatlasforum.com/threads/atlas-shutting-itself-off.3005/page-2

NHTSA ID

11681247

Incident

Aug 15, 2025

The steering vibrates during all driving activities, including accelerating, braking, and turning. At certain speeds, the vibration extends to the entire vehicle, making it feel unstable. There were no warning lights or prior indicators before the issue first appeared in mid-2024. This steering malfunction poses a significant safety risk to me and others on the road. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by a dealer, but it has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11642098

Incident

Jun 12, 2024

Car stalls in reverse and random stalls driving at low speeds. They deemed carbon canister and N80 Valve. Replaced twice and only at 41k miles.

NHTSA ID

11609081

Incident

Jul 20, 2024

At approximately 8500 miles the car started randomly stalling, maybe once or twice a week. Now at 9600 miles it stalls every time we drive the car. This is not the Start/Stop system as we deactivate that when we get in the car. Typically, the car is warm, the AC is on, we have idled with the car in park then place the car in gear to drive and it dies. The dealer claims they cannot duplicate the problem. Also, the throttle is very non-linear. One time you push the throttle a little and the car takes off slamming you back in the seat. The next time you can push the throttle halfway down before the car responds then it just slowly accelerates. This problem has not been brought to the attention of the dealer yet but will upon the next appointment. This is very dangerous as other drivers are expecting you to move but you have to put the car in park and restart it. This could get someone killed.

NHTSA ID

11600426

Incident

Jun 25, 2024