2025 Volkswagen Atlas

Vehicle: 2025 Volkswagen Atlas R-Line Incident Description: While driving on the freeway in rainy conditions through a construction zone, I applied the brakes to slow down. The brake pedal suddenly went soft, lost hydraulic pressure, and sank toward the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop or slow down properly, creating an extreme safety hazard and a feeling of sliding without braking power. Approximately three hours later, the vehicle was stopped on a downward-inclined driveway to let out a passenger. With my foot held firmly down on the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to maintain hydraulic holding pressure. The primary braking system failed to hold the vehicle still, causing the SUV to roll forward against the foot brake and violently and loudly slam into the transmission parking pawl as the electronic parking brake was cycling. The vehicle is currently unsafe to operate due to an intermittent, severe loss of primary hydraulic braking pressure, mirroring known master cylinder and brake booster failures in this vehicle platform. No warning lights illuminated on the dashboard during either failure.

NHTSA ID

11766580

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

The vehicle has approximately 15,000 miles and it’s less than two years old. It has a pretty significant oil leak from the oil inlet tube. This leak was appearing from the rear differential despite starting at the turbo. I took the car to two different dealerships and after 3 visits and multiple hours of time, a dealership found a TSB related to my issue (212602). The oil leak is a known defect and VW does not authorize any repair or fix. I have contacted VW customer service multiple times using multiple methods and have not gotten a resolution. I have owned many vehicles from many different manufacturers and the customer service from VW customer care has been abysmal. I have all of the records and notes and attempts to remedy.

NHTSA ID

11764206

Incident

Aug 19, 2026

Grinding plus vibration when you turn the wheels slightly and brake hard. Could be a stuck or dragging caliper, uneven pad wear, or a bent dust shield rubbing the rotor. Might be bolts that weren’t tightened right on the brake and suspension parts.

NHTSA ID

11764205

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

I am submitting a formal complaint regarding a defective vehicle I purchased new, a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, on April 7, 2025. Since the time of purchase, the vehicle has experienced persistent and significant issues with the infotainment system that substantially impair its usability, safety, and value. The infotainment system repeatedly disconnects from both wired and wireless connections to my cellphone. When the system disconnects, it does not reconnect at all during the drive. This results in loss of GPS navigation and hands-free phone functionality, creating a safety concern. I have made extensive efforts to have this issue resolved. The vehicle has been taken to two authorized dealerships on ten separate occasions for service on the following dates: June 11, 2025 October 20–21, 2025 October 27–29, 2025 November 17–21, 2025 December 17–18, 2025 February 9, 2026 April 21–23, 2026 June 29-30, 2026 July 28, 2026 August 24-25, 2026 I have also contacted Volkswagen customer care regarding these issues; however, the matter remains unresolved despite my good-faith efforts to address it through authorized service channels. A case number with Volkswagen is available upon request. Multiple service representatives have verbally acknowledged that the infotainment issue is affecting other drivers and has been a known issue for years. This information was never disclosed by any sales representative at the time of purchase. I believe this represents a misleading and potentially predatory sales practice. Had I been informed of these known and ongoing issues, I would not have purchased this vehicle. Despite these repeated repair attempts, the issue remains unresolved, with the latest disruption occurring on September 3, 2026.

NHTSA ID

11762596

Incident

Apr 14, 2025

While driving my vehicle it stopped in traffic and would not drive. I got a transmission failure alert followed by warnings after. Vehicle was stuck in neutral without options to drive or reverse. Extremely dangerous occurrence while driving. Police assisted because this caused a dangerous situation on the road. I made a video of all alerts on vehicle. VW Service states since they can’t reproduce it or have a code they cannot do anything. I also called VW support to open case. This occurred on XXX. Police report was also filed in [XXX] since it was stopped in traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11762131

Incident

Aug 27, 2026

TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS UP ON DASH RANDOMLY AND THE TRACTION CONTROL STOPS WORKING, HEADS UP DISPLAY BECOMES UNABLE TO OPERATE NORMALLY. LANE DEPATURE STOPS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND SEVERAL OTHER LIGHTS BEGIN TO DISPLAY. EXTREMLY DANGEROUS

NHTSA ID

11758303

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

I have had several malfunctions in the past year with my brand new 2025 atlas. It started 6 months into my lease when it threw 7 different lights while driving down the street. I stopped at a light and put the car in park. After that it would not go back in drive. I had to get pushed out of the road with all my kids in the car. And have it towed to the dealership. They stated it just needed an update. After that everything started failing. The sunroof motor had to be replaced. The inside dome lights had to be replaced. The window motor had to be replaced. The infotainment system has repeatedly failed, been replaced and still fails. It has been a total nightmare

NHTSA ID

11757649

Incident

Feb 10, 2026

Failure of brake booster and master cylinder. Failure caused breaks to malfunction, not allowing the vehicle to break appropriately. To break, you had to step on the break very hard, break pedal did not have usual pressure. No leakage visible on the ground outside of the car. When starting the car (usually you must press on breaks) it was already obvious something was wrong. After starting the car got a warning light about break malfunction and was alerted to contact my local dealership. The car was taken to a Volkswagen dealership and is currently being repaired. It was inspected by a technician in the service department and we are waiting on replacement parts. I am still waiting on a full invoice report from the dealership. The car is less than a year old and has around 7,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11756552

Incident

Aug 12, 2026

Brake rotor resurfacing

Repair or Replace Information

Oil leak from Cylinder Head Cover; Customer states MIL-on, Transmission warning light on, harsh shifting; Coolant leak from the cylinder head gasket, Low coolant level, Visible coolant leak, or Coolant warning message in instrument cluster; Customer states no start condition; Customer states no start condition; Customer states wind noise and or water ingress; Customer states there is a noise when pressing the brake pedal; Customer states there is a leak from the front of the vehicle

Oil leak from Cylinder Head Cover; Customer states MIL-on, Transmission warning light on, harsh shifting; Coolant leak from the cylinder head gasket, Low coolant level, Visible coolant leak, or Coolant warning message in instrument cluster; Customer states no start condition; Customer states no start condition; Customer states wind noise and or water ingress; Customer states there is a noise when pressing the brake pedal; Customer states there is a leak from the front of the vehicle

Battery Checking Procedure before replacement

Warranty Alignment Worksheet