RoadVitals

2025 Volkswagen Atlas Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
49
Latest Sep 25, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
13
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Electrical1725.4%
  • Engine710.4%
  • Brakes57.5%
  • Visibility34.5%
  • Exterior lighting23.0%
  • Steering23.0%
  • Suspension23.0%
  • Other / unspecified11.5%
  • Tires & wheels11.5%
  • Transmission11.5%
  • Seat belts11.5%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

17
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Even after the most recent recall “update” has been completed, my reverse cameras freeze. Infotainment system crashed and goes black. Infotainment system had been issue ever since buying car. Has to be hard reset every other week to make functions work. Dealer says “no issues”.

NHTSA ID 11766844 · filed Sep 25, 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 · filed Aug 18, 2026
All 17 reports naming electrical →

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

13
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Even after the most recent recall “update” has been completed, my reverse cameras freeze. Infotainment system crashed and goes black. Infotainment system had been issue ever since buying car. Has to be hard reset every other week to make functions work. Dealer says “no issues”.

NHTSA ID 11766844 · filed Sep 25, 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 · filed Aug 20, 2026
All 13 reports naming driver assistance →

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

12
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Car would not shift back into drive after dropping child off at school. Multiple warning lights came on about hill assist. Needed towed. Ended up needing a new transmission due to what the dealer said was a mechanical defect.

NHTSA ID 11766845 · filed Sep 25, 2026

While driving my 2025 Volkswagen Atlas the vehicle unexpectedly shifted itself into neutral without any action from the driver. I was driving with my daughter when this occurred. After the vehicle shifted into neutral, it would no longer shift back into drive, and I was unable to continue driving normally. This resulted in an unexpected loss of propulsion while the vehicle was being operated on the road. the vehicle had to be stopped and requires dealership inspection. I am concerned this is a serious transmission or electronic transmission -control safety defect because the vehicle can unexpectedly lose drive power while moving. The Vehicle was towed to VW car dealership in Clarksville Tn, where I reported the incident to the service employee at the desk. I would hope that the NHTSA document the unexpected shift to neutral and loss of ability to select Drive.

NHTSA ID 11755559 · filed Aug 7, 2026
All 12 reports naming powertrain (other) →

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

7
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Sep 14, 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 · filed Aug 18, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

5
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Sep 24, 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 · filed Sep 14, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Windshield cracked a singular crack from the top to the bottom of windshield after lifting car with spare tire jack.

NHTSA ID 11752001 · filed Jul 22, 2026

The windshield has a cracking and/or popping sound in cold temperatures. The car was 2 weeks old with less than 1709 miles on it in 12/2025. Took back to dealership for service check. They confirmed the sound, but verified the windshield was safe and properly installed. They made sure seals were in all proper places on the windshield. The dealership stated all new cars make these types of sounds in cold weather. The vehicle now has 4250 miles and in cold temperatures still makes these same sounds. There currently are no cracks anywhere on windshield. There were no warnings signs or indications other than temperature change. The sounds are very unsettling, and it seems very unsafe. I have had many new cars/SUV's and have never experienced this with a windshield. I truly feel this is something that should be investigated given if the car was ever in an accident, I don't see how the windshield would not be compromised given cold temperatures are having an impact on its strength.

NHTSA ID 11713509 · filed Jan 26, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Exterior lighting

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Aug 18, 2026

Ever since the 2nd day I owned the car which I purchased on [XXX], the interior lighting, sunroof button and roadside assistance button operate themselves when it's colder then 40 degrees outside, the lights blink, the sunroof button doesn't work and the roadside assistance gets called repeatedly. All this is very distracting while driving, especially in the evening time. I have video recorded it and also opened a ticket with volkswagon and also have shown the issue in person to the service manager Ian and antwerpan volkswagon in pasadena, md. They said they contacted volkswagon but have not heard back. So in the meantime I'm having to deal with this. The representative at the shop advised me to "cover the light with something" so it doesn't bother me at night. Unbelievable!! I am beginning to become very distressed!! This is a brand new car that I've owned for 2 months with no remedy and rude help from volkswagon dealer. I have videos of a few issues and a call to service at volkswagon but this page will not let me include my videos. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11637040 · filed Jan 20, 2025

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

STEERING WHEEL RACK

NHTSA ID 11690594 · filed Sep 30, 2025

This is a 7 day old vehicle. Twice in the past two days the steering wheel locked up when steering into a turn, forcing me to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing. It also happened once when in reverse, backing out of a parking lot. Error/failure codes pop up for a few seconds when this happens and then they go away. It was fast but I think they said, brake maneuver failure, steering failure, hill assist failure, front assist failure. The 3rd time the check engine light also came on but went away after re-starting. Given it is a brand new car I thought it was a fluke but after the third steering failure almost causing me to crash into a tree I stopped the vehicle and it is being towed to the dealership. This is very dangerous and I was very lucky a car didn't crash into me when I slammed on my brakes to miss the tree. It scared my children and has left me very anxious about driving this car. I know that of this happens it a busy intersection it WILL cause an accident. Please help me return this car for a new car WITHOUT such a serious safety flaw. What a disappointment.

NHTSA ID 11629531 · filed Dec 8, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Suspension

Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Front axle bolt on passenger side loosed and the entire wheel can move over one inch from side to side

NHTSA ID 11729488 · filed Apr 6, 2026

Wednesday (02/18/2026), while driving to work, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road at a red light. It would not move at all. I had to call roadside assistance, and the vehicle was ultimately towed. Being stranded in the middle of an intersection with traffic approaching at speed was not only humiliating — it was life-threatening. Vehicles were coming from behind, and I narrowly avoided what could have been a serious accident. Suddenly, my dashboard started showing all sorts or error and warning message. It showed ESC (Electronic Stability Control) error, Hill start assist error, Maneuver braking function currently not available, error start/stop, Rear traffic alert is currently not available, Transmission error etc. To make matters worse, the tow truck took approximately 1.5 hours to arrive, leaving me exposed at a busy junction the entire time. This incident caused significant mental distress and professional consequences, as I was unable to reach my office and had to formally explain my absence with supporting documentation. This level of unreliability from a new vehicle is simply unacceptable. It has not even been a year since I purchased this vehicle, and I have experienced repeated issues from the very beginning. This situation is extremely frustrating and completely unacceptable for a brand-new vehicle. Beyond these serious safety incidents, I have faced ongoing issues with the infotainment system since purchase. I was repeatedly told it was a software issue and that it had been fixed, yet the problem continues to persist.

NHTSA ID 11721314 · filed Mar 1, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Other / unspecified

Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

Front axle bolt on passenger side loosed and the entire wheel can move over one inch from side to side

NHTSA ID 11729488 · filed Apr 6, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

tire size 245/60/R18/105T car was purchased new in 2025, after 4750 miles of driving i reported having 5 flat tires . It appears to me that these tires are soft ( maybe for sales purposes ) but are not correct for vechicle weight and class plus perhaps Flordia heat and temperatures . each time a screw or nail was found . i can understand 1 or 2 but 5 in only driving limited miles as I am retired I asked to get a partial refund so I could purchase a better tires and they are not responding or telling me to contact the tire company. Its not the tires per say but the selection VW has made to sell their cars

NHTSA ID 11731477 · filed Apr 15, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Transmission

Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact was unable to move to the side of the road and called the Police. The Police helped to push the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission control module needed to be updated. The transmission control module was updated; however, several weeks later, while the vehicle was at the dealer for a maintenance check, the contact was informed that there was an oil leak. The dealer found engine oil inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ID 11721428 · filed Mar 2, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Seat belts

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I am writing to formally escalate a serious safety concern regarding my 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, purchased in March 2025 from Prestige Volkswagen in Turnersville, NJ. The middle row left seatbelt has demonstrated an intermittent failure on multiple occasions over the past month. Specifically: At times, the seatbelt will not latch At other times, it appears to click, but can then be pulled out without pressing the release button This issue has been personally experienced by myself, my husband, and my mother, on separate occasions. Because the failure is intermittent, it does not occur every time the seatbelt is used — which is exactly what makes this defect concerning. I brought the vehicle to Prestige Volkswagen Turnersville, where the service department and service manager stated they cannot replace the seatbelt unless they can duplicate the problem. Their assessment consisted of manually tugging on the buckle until it appeared to function properly. I explained that testing a stationary seatbelt in a service bay is not equivalent to real-world forces during a motor vehicle collision, and that an intermittent failure of a federally required safety restraint presents a significant risk of injury should the buckle disengage during an accident. Despite this, the dealership has refused to replace the seatbelt assembly. I also opened a Volkswagen Customer Care case, which was escalated to a manager Aaron. I was informed that after speaking with the dealership, Volkswagen would not authorize replacement because the issue could not be duplicated. I am requesting Volkswagen of America’s direct assistance in resolving this safety concern. A seatbelt that fails intermittently is not operating as designed, regardless of whether the defect can be reproduced on demand. I respectfully request authorization to replace the affected seatbelt assembly under warranty to ensure the safety of all passengers.

NHTSA ID 11707868 · filed Dec 30, 2025

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .