Consumer Safety Complaints

Incident date: Jan 25, 2022

I originally filed a complaint regarding my vehicle wiring harness issue which has been recalled recently. It is stated "no fix is available" at this time. My Atlas has been at the dealer for 57 days as of today. SMITH VW let me know that they have received a wiring harness to replace in my vehicle.... but WHY if the recall specifically states " NO FIX is available". Is another defective wiring h... Read more

Incident date: Feb 19, 2022

Problem started initially with random safety alarms and lights going off. Then alerts that door was open, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems were not available. Then windows would roll down, for no reason. This happened within the first 2,000 miles of driving. Then on February 19, 2021 after multiple alarms going off, the car initiated the emergency brake while I was driving in a parking lot.... Read more

Incident date: Feb 19, 2022

Problem started initially with random safety alarms and lights going off. Then alerts that door was open, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems were not available. Then windows would roll down, for no reason. This happened within the first 2,000 miles of driving. Then on February 19, 2021 after multiple alarms going off, the car initiated the emergency brake while I was driving in a parking lot.... Read more

Incident date: Feb 19, 2022

Problem started initially with random safety alarms and lights going off. Then alerts that door was open, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems were not available. Then windows would roll down, for no reason. This happened within the first 2,000 miles of driving. Then on February 19, 2021 after multiple alarms going off, the car initiated the emergency brake while I was driving in a parking lot.... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2022

The vehicle slams the breaks while breaking, it is very violent and hurts my back when it does it. This would be the second time this same part had been replaced when it finally gets replaced. I have several close encounters with people almost rear ending me due to the sudden stops

Incident date: Mar 16, 2022

The vehicle slams the breaks while breaking, it is very violent and hurts my back when it does it. This would be the second time this same part had been replaced when it finally gets replaced. I have several close encounters with people almost rear ending me due to the sudden stops

Incident date: Mar 16, 2022

The vehicle slams the breaks while breaking, it is very violent and hurts my back when it does it. This would be the second time this same part had been replaced when it finally gets replaced. I have several close encounters with people almost rear ending me due to the sudden stops

Incident date: Jan 4, 2022

While sitting in a drive thru the car completely turned off while in drive as I was waiting to move up in line. Then when I went to start the car the next day, the dashboard lit up and all of the windows started going up and down out of now where. After speaking with a service rep about the issue I was informed that it was a door harness issue which is a huge safety risk because it is tied to th... Read more

Incident date: Jan 4, 2022

While sitting in a drive thru the car completely turned off while in drive as I was waiting to move up in line. Then when I went to start the car the next day, the dashboard lit up and all of the windows started going up and down out of now where. After speaking with a service rep about the issue I was informed that it was a door harness issue which is a huge safety risk because it is tied to th... Read more

Incident date: Jan 4, 2022

While sitting in a drive thru the car completely turned off while in drive as I was waiting to move up in line. Then when I went to start the car the next day, the dashboard lit up and all of the windows started going up and down out of now where. After speaking with a service rep about the issue I was informed that it was a door harness issue which is a huge safety risk because it is tied to th... Read more

Incident date: Mar 23, 2022

The reverse illumination AT NIGHT is non-existant and this puts our safety and the safety of others at risk. When we called the dealership they told us we would be wasting our time to bring the car in, they knew of the problem and said it was a defect in the design and they could not fix it. We were put in contact with the VW Customer Service and spoke with Region Case Manager Kenneth Swantek and ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2022

VW issued a recall (20E064000) for the transmission failing to engage though VW is claiming vehicles within the year range specified and with the exact same problem are not included in the recall. A quick search on complaints on Safercar.gov will show VW is not actually fixing this issue but pushing customers along saying they are not covered. This is a huge safety issue that VW is skirting around... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2022

VW issued a recall (20E064000) for the transmission failing to engage though VW is claiming vehicles within the year range specified and with the exact same problem are not included in the recall. A quick search on complaints on Safercar.gov will show VW is not actually fixing this issue but pushing customers along saying they are not covered. This is a huge safety issue that VW is skirting around... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2016

My car only has 43K miles, I had issues when it was 10K miles, where the key will not turn to start the engine, it gets stuck, and sometimes it gets stuck with the steering wheel. The issue was reproducible when I brought it in to the VW dealership near me. The service rep told me it is very common for this model (bug) but they don't know why. They quoted me $1200 to get the LOCK|BOLT|CYLINDE... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2016

My car only has 43K miles, I had issues when it was 10K miles, where the key will not turn to start the engine, it gets stuck, and sometimes it gets stuck with the steering wheel. The issue was reproducible when I brought it in to the VW dealership near me. The service rep told me it is very common for this model (bug) but they don't know why. They quoted me $1200 to get the LOCK|BOLT|CYLINDE... Read more

Incident date: Feb 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the contact heard an abnormal sound in the steering wheel as if a spring had broken. The contact stated that once she parked and restarted her vehicle, there was no electrical function on the steering wheel. The contact stated that the buttons, horn, and air bag had become in... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2022

At 48k miles, fuel efficiency began to significantly drop. At next start up, engine would not turn over and EPC light came on. I waited 30 minutes, unlocked the steering wheel and was able to start the vehicle and EPC light turned off. I took it into Volkswagen dealership to have it looked over and they could not duplicate the issue nor find cause for lower fuel efficiency. The issue with fuel per... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2022

At 48k miles, fuel efficiency began to significantly drop. At next start up, engine would not turn over and EPC light came on. I waited 30 minutes, unlocked the steering wheel and was able to start the vehicle and EPC light turned off. I took it into Volkswagen dealership to have it looked over and they could not duplicate the issue nor find cause for lower fuel efficiency. The issue with fuel per... Read more

Incident date: Mar 12, 2022

At 48k miles, fuel efficiency began to significantly drop. At next start up, engine would not turn over and EPC light came on. I waited 30 minutes, unlocked the steering wheel and was able to start the vehicle and EPC light turned off. I took it into Volkswagen dealership to have it looked over and they could not duplicate the issue nor find cause for lower fuel efficiency. The issue with fuel per... Read more

Incident date: Dec 2, 2021

I had a routine oil change, the Manager asked me if I had been having any issues because an error code showed up in the inspection. I said I hadn't, so he said it must have been nothing. I drove across town, when all of the sudden alarms and warning messages started going off in my car (pictures attached). Additionally, my car unexpectedly had the emergency brake come on while I was driving thr... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2022

I want to record my experience with my 2020 VW Atlas. I have experienced the Front Collision alerts and the braking when nothing was in my path. This might have caused an accident as the braking would be similar to a driver stopping short. The vehicle was never brought to a complete stop but felt like the car was not in the driver's control as it slowed. The forward collision light did illu... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2022

I want to record my experience with my 2020 VW Atlas. I have experienced the Front Collision alerts and the braking when nothing was in my path. This might have caused an accident as the braking would be similar to a driver stopping short. The vehicle was never brought to a complete stop but felt like the car was not in the driver's control as it slowed. The forward collision light did illu... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2022

I want to record my experience with my 2020 VW Atlas. I have experienced the Front Collision alerts and the braking when nothing was in my path. This might have caused an accident as the braking would be similar to a driver stopping short. The vehicle was never brought to a complete stop but felt like the car was not in the driver's control as it slowed. The forward collision light did illu... Read more

Incident date: Feb 8, 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH on local streets, the accelerator pedal was slightly released however, the vehicle immediately stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the destination safely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed and was informed that an unstated wiring harness needed... Read more

Incident date: Mar 14, 2022

My windows keep rolling down, parking break engages when going slow and I’m being told that there is currently not a fix for this. Websites and recalls say this could effect air bags. I’m concerned that this will lead to an accident/cause a safety concern so would like this well documented that I reached out.

Incident date: Mar 16, 2022

When I started the car an alert came on the said the door there was a driver door contact switch error. When I was trying to back up the emergency brake came on. The door was closed. There was an electric parking break error. Also a start stop error. When trying to go forward the parking brake kept coming on. I was going 10 mph and the e brake engaged and would not let me out unless I turned off t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2022

When I started the car an alert came on the said the door there was a driver door contact switch error. When I was trying to back up the emergency brake came on. The door was closed. There was an electric parking break error. Also a start stop error. When trying to go forward the parking brake kept coming on. I was going 10 mph and the e brake engaged and would not let me out unless I turned off t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 16, 2022

When I started the car an alert came on the said the door there was a driver door contact switch error. When I was trying to back up the emergency brake came on. The door was closed. There was an electric parking break error. Also a start stop error. When trying to go forward the parking brake kept coming on. I was going 10 mph and the e brake engaged and would not let me out unless I turned off t... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2020

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Since the initial failure, the failure occurred intermittently and the vehicle would restart soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable t... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2020

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Since the initial failure, the failure occurred intermittently and the vehicle would restart soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable t... Read more

Incident date: May 1, 2020

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Since the initial failure, the failure occurred intermittently and the vehicle would restart soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 21, 2022

I purchased this car brand new Oct 2016. Since then I have experienced multiple sensor failures year after year… At first we thought this was a one time failure but as more and more issues came our concerns grew. I have changed out the radio, 3 speed sensors, and now am having more issues with different symptoms. For example my epc light is no and my check engine is on along with the other ty... Read more

Incident date: Mar 21, 2022

I purchased this car brand new Oct 2016. Since then I have experienced multiple sensor failures year after year… At first we thought this was a one time failure but as more and more issues came our concerns grew. I have changed out the radio, 3 speed sensors, and now am having more issues with different symptoms. For example my epc light is no and my check engine is on along with the other ty... Read more

Incident date: Mar 21, 2022

I purchased this car brand new Oct 2016. Since then I have experienced multiple sensor failures year after year… At first we thought this was a one time failure but as more and more issues came our concerns grew. I have changed out the radio, 3 speed sensors, and now am having more issues with different symptoms. For example my epc light is no and my check engine is on along with the other ty... Read more

Incident date: Jun 30, 2021

Windows roll down by themselves. Parking brake applies itself without warning. Multiple warning lights saying parking brake error, start stop error, hill assist error, window sensor code, and constant dinging. Hill assist will come on even when not on a hill jarring you at higher speeds. Airbags deployed late during no fault Accident. The flaws in the vehicle didn’t cause the car accident, yet... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jun 30, 2021

Windows roll down by themselves. Parking brake applies itself without warning. Multiple warning lights saying parking brake error, start stop error, hill assist error, window sensor code, and constant dinging. Hill assist will come on even when not on a hill jarring you at higher speeds. Airbags deployed late during no fault Accident. The flaws in the vehicle didn’t cause the car accident, yet... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jun 30, 2021

Windows roll down by themselves. Parking brake applies itself without warning. Multiple warning lights saying parking brake error, start stop error, hill assist error, window sensor code, and constant dinging. Hill assist will come on even when not on a hill jarring you at higher speeds. Airbags deployed late during no fault Accident. The flaws in the vehicle didn’t cause the car accident, yet... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 21, 2021

Vehicle applies emergency braking without warning when no objects are in front of it. This has happened on the highway and at lower speeds. Car will stop in the middle of the road and i have had a number of close calls with people nearly hitting me. I have taken it to my dealer that i leased it from and a dealer in South Carolina while on vacation and spoken to VW customer service directly but the... Read more

Incident date: Aug 21, 2021

Vehicle applies emergency braking without warning when no objects are in front of it. This has happened on the highway and at lower speeds. Car will stop in the middle of the road and i have had a number of close calls with people nearly hitting me. I have taken it to my dealer that i leased it from and a dealer in South Carolina while on vacation and spoken to VW customer service directly but the... Read more

Incident date: Feb 20, 2022

Since the purchase of this vehicle in 2019 I have complained that it was not shifting gears properly and upon first acceleration the Atlas would feel jumpy or hesitate. When slowing down even at 5 or 10 mph the vehicle would stay in 3rd gear. In June 2020 I had it documented, VW tech tested vehicle and stated performing to manufacturer's specs. It stayed like this and I took to another dealer in A... Read more

Incident date: Oct 7, 2021

Windows- The drivers side window and back passenger windows rolled down while I was driving down the highway. I was going approximately 75MPH at the time. This happened on 2 separate occasions. My vehicle has braked extremely hard on numerous occasions. Two of those times I was traveling on Interstate 40 going at approx 65MPH. I have had taken my vehicle in for a "software update" on my cruise... Read more

Incident date: Oct 7, 2021

Windows- The drivers side window and back passenger windows rolled down while I was driving down the highway. I was going approximately 75MPH at the time. This happened on 2 separate occasions. My vehicle has braked extremely hard on numerous occasions. Two of those times I was traveling on Interstate 40 going at approx 65MPH. I have had taken my vehicle in for a "software update" on my cruise... Read more

Incident date: Oct 7, 2021

Windows- The drivers side window and back passenger windows rolled down while I was driving down the highway. I was going approximately 75MPH at the time. This happened on 2 separate occasions. My vehicle has braked extremely hard on numerous occasions. Two of those times I was traveling on Interstate 40 going at approx 65MPH. I have had taken my vehicle in for a "software update" on my cruise... Read more

Incident date: May 15, 2021

The steering wheel shakes uncontrollably when braking going past 50mph. Took it in to VW dealership several times and they didn’t know the cause of the shaking. They said the rotors and the brakes were still good.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2022

My vehicle is experiencing the door wiring harness issue that is leading to an airbag warning light coming on. As of now, my VIN is not included in the recently announced VW recall, however I am experiencing the exact issue that is being recalled. This was diagnosed by my local dealer a few months ago and I am still waiting on the part. After reading the recall, I no longer feel safe driving th... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2021

We've had our Atlas since 5/2020. Since then, we've had multiple issues similar to what I have seen reported on VW's upcoming recall. I am not sure how VW intends to identify which VIN's are an issue, but ours should probably be included. Here's a list of issues... 1) Emergency braking goes off when backing up, even though there is no risk. 2) Emergency braking goes off at the end of a decline... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2021

We've had our Atlas since 5/2020. Since then, we've had multiple issues similar to what I have seen reported on VW's upcoming recall. I am not sure how VW intends to identify which VIN's are an issue, but ours should probably be included. Here's a list of issues... 1) Emergency braking goes off when backing up, even though there is no risk. 2) Emergency braking goes off at the end of a decline... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2021

We've had our Atlas since 5/2020. Since then, we've had multiple issues similar to what I have seen reported on VW's upcoming recall. I am not sure how VW intends to identify which VIN's are an issue, but ours should probably be included. Here's a list of issues... 1) Emergency braking goes off when backing up, even though there is no risk. 2) Emergency braking goes off at the end of a decline... Read more

Incident date: Feb 25, 2022

On four occasions, (at a stop light/intersection, in a car line, in a drive thru, and in a parking lot), the engine has shut off while driving. All four times, I have been in Drive and the car will stall and a "start engine manually" message pops up. Each time, I had to completely stop, put the car in park, restart the engine, and put it back in Drive. This has definitely put myself and the sa... Read more

Incident date: Feb 25, 2022

On four occasions, (at a stop light/intersection, in a car line, in a drive thru, and in a parking lot), the engine has shut off while driving. All four times, I have been in Drive and the car will stall and a "start engine manually" message pops up. Each time, I had to completely stop, put the car in park, restart the engine, and put it back in Drive. This has definitely put myself and the sa... Read more