89 of the
746 complaints about the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas are about the
driver-assist systems — 12% of everything
reported for this model year.
Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before
5,772 miles.
B
89
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
Exactly what failed
Automatic Emergency Braking
5258.4%
Adaptive Cruise Control
1516.9%
Warnings
1011.2%
Warning
44.5%
Assist
33.4%
Forward Collision Avoidance
22.2%
Warnings
22.2%
Rearview System Braking
11.1%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance across every Volkswagen Atlas year
I own a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas with approximately 61,000 miles. After a software update prompted by the vehicle, saying it will be done in 3 parts.the infotainment screen began malfunctioning the following day. Initially, the screen would repeatedly go black, restart, work for a short period of time, and then go black again. This issue continued for almost three weeks. The screen is now completely black and no longer turns on. I contacted a Volkswagen dealership about the issue and was informed that I would be charged approximately $220 for diagnostic work before determining the cause of the problem.i haven't brought it in yet as I'm waiting to be paid as I'm sure they would need payment The problem began shortly after the vehicle's software update, and I am concerned that the update may have caused or contributed to the infotainment system failure. I am reporting this issue because I believe other 2021 Volkswagen Atlas owners may be experiencing similar infotainment system failures. I would like NHTSA to investigate whether this is a widespread defect and whether a safety-related recall or other corrective action is necessary. As it's safely concern I cannot see back up camera or any safety features.
NHTSA complaint #11752448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Clinton, NY
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The electric board goes black frequently. Also, my backup camera and assistive device for backup doesn’t work. It starts and stops after a second. Posing a big problem with backing up because I have neck injury and can’t adequately see.
NHTSA complaint #11746984 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Clinton, NY
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
The electric board goes black frequently. Also, my backup camera and assistive device for backup doesn’t work. It starts and stops after a second. Posing a big problem with backing up because I have neck injury and can’t adequately see.
NHTSA complaint #11746984 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Arbuckle, CA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The right driver side daylight light is out, the SOS response system warning light is on, tire pressure loss detected light is but tires are fine and no loss in pressure, cruise control doesn’t always work and deactivates.
NHTSA complaint #11740726 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ellensburg, WA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
When I went to start my vehicle on 6/26/25, I noticed that the instrument cluster was stating an error: "COMPASS IS NOT AVAILABLE". The vehicle continues to go through an entire list of items not available. including the radio and infotainment system, navigation. I should also mention that the dash also was showing that the outside camera was not available to me. I live in a small town and shopping is very limited and I drive 32 miles for decent groceries and clothes for my family, and I rely on that radio for company, sometimes, and for weather and traffic so if I don't have these items I could get stranded in the middle of the desert. No one has looked at the car yet for this problem. I have no clue how this happened.
NHTSA complaint #11669836 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Oak Island, NC
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Upon starting the car All of the above warning lights came on the dashboard and did not function. Power steering,l and all adas did not function. Took to dealer and sensor was replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11654600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Oak Island, NC
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Upon starting the car All of the above warning lights came on the dashboard and did not function. Power steering,l and all adas did not function. Took to dealer and sensor was replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11654600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Oak Island, NC
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Upon starting car All ADAS functions did not work. Warning lights came on. Did not work for several days. Took to dealership and they found a sensor in tire to be faulty
NHTSA complaint #11654604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Upon starting car All ADAS functions did not work. Warning lights came on. Did not work for several days. Took to dealership and they found a sensor in tire to be faulty
NHTSA complaint #11654604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11640792 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
after heavy rain, the forward looking radar will start stop working with no warning, cause AEB and forward warning not functioning, greatly increase risk of collision. the problem is consistent with heavy rain, but dealer refuse to do any repair because it didn't happen normally. the problem appeared on 03/31/2024, 06/30/2024, 08/18/2024 every time there is a heavy rain, with picture as proof.
NHTSA complaint #11614576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Chadds Ford, PA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
after heavy rain, the forward looking radar will start stop working with no warning, cause AEB and forward warning not functioning, greatly increase risk of collision. the problem is consistent with heavy rain, but dealer refuse to do any repair because it didn't happen normally. the problem appeared on 03/31/2024, 06/30/2024, 08/18/2024 every time there is a heavy rain, with picture as proof.
NHTSA complaint #11614576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX] my 2021 Volkswagen Atlas cut off on [XXX] at the red light and I was almost rear ended multiple times until a kind gentleman moved my car out of the intersection. It has been parked in my driveway since because the battery won't hold a charge. I had the battery tested but the machine read that something is draining the battery even without keys being in the car ignition switch. The windows goes up and down by themselves without the power being engaged. The car is surging and all of these things are included on a recall list for Volkswagen which I will include in this complaint but Volkswagen specifically Kurt O from VW Social Media said that won't do anything to help. I truly believe they are picking and choosing whose VIN number to repair and the rest are left to their own vices. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11605970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicle while driving on the highway at 65-70mph had the automatic emergency brake system engage. We came to a complete stop and if the highway was not empty could have resulted in a traumatic incident for my family and I. I called Volkswagen and they do not have a fix for this issue. This is our only vehicle and we are not comfortable driving it. It could happen again and could be worse than the first time.
NHTSA complaint #11603547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving on surface streets at approximately 25mi/hr when the car suddenly breaked on its own all lights in the dash turned red and the car made an alarm sound. This lasted a few seconds but the cars behind me had to break in order not to rear end me. The sudden break felt like I got hit by another car
NHTSA complaint #11586989 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The forward collision warning activated out of the blue and the automatic emergency braking was applied for no reason. Was driving to go pick up daughter from school on March 11, 2024 at approximately 11:50 AM. Driving on neighborhood road with speed limit of 40 mph. Driving at 40 mph with no other vehicles anywhere near me in front, behind, or in opposing lane. All of a sudden the front collision warning light on dash popped up and the emergency brakes applied for no reason! This caused the vehicle to seize up and come to a screeching halt. Luckily there were no vehicles behind me that could have rear-ended me, and there were no other vehicles coming from opposing direction that I would might have slid into. There was NO reason why this should have happened. There were NO vehicles anywhere in the vicinity. No leaves falling, no debris in the roadway, nothing. No inclement weather, it was sunny and dry but cold approximatley 40 F. Inspected front of vehicle afterwards and there was nothing obstructing the sensors or cameras on front end.
NHTSA complaint #11576616 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Component Malfunction: Emergency Braking system (EBS) engaged without warning systems alerting inside the car cockpit at a speed of 50 MPH on a high speed 4’ lane street. The car would not move forward and disengage the EBS until the ignition was turned off and appeared to reset the car. The driver was able to drive to the next driveway and inspect the car and review the site on the street where the car suddenly engaged the EBS. There was no visible evidence of debris or obstacles in the path of travel. Safety: The sudden stop physically jolted the driver, causing muscle soreness for several days. There were no cars in the area at the time, if there had been, the car would have created a major accident due sudden stop in traffic and potential physical damage to the driver. The sudden stop did impact the drivers shoulders and back muscles for several days of soreness. Dealership confirmation / Inspection: The issue was reported to the dealership and the next day was driven to the dealership (at the request of the dealership service team). The dealership is currently inspecting the vehicle. No other inspections occurred outside the owners visual inspection of the wheel wheels and brakes immediately after the EBS incident Prior warning lights / related incidents: There was warning lamps that lasted for about a mile of driving approximately a week before this incident and the car sensors have suddenly gone off in the past without any cars in the vicinity. The car has also been having wire harness issues in the drivers door that result in unresponsive or opposite operation of the window switch on the drivers side door.
NHTSA complaint #11566739 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Oakland, CA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
MY BRAKE WARNING COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME WHILE DRIVING, ADAPTIVE ACC WARNING LIGHT COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME LETTING ME KNOW I NEED TO STOP USING IT, FRONT SENSORS COMES ON WHILE DRIVING LETTING ME KNOW I'M TO CLOSE TO AN OBJECT WHILE DRIVING AND THERE'S NO VEHICLE THERE OR CLOSE TO MY SUV. THIS HAS HAPPEN ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND BEEN TAKEN TO VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, (VW OF OAKLAND), AND WAS TOLD THEY CAN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM . LAST DATE THIS HAPPEN WAS 01/03/24, I HAVE VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT ON MY CELL PHONE.
NHTSA complaint #11563449 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Oakland, CA
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
MY BRAKE WARNING COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME WHILE DRIVING, ADAPTIVE ACC WARNING LIGHT COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME LETTING ME KNOW I NEED TO STOP USING IT, FRONT SENSORS COMES ON WHILE DRIVING LETTING ME KNOW I'M TO CLOSE TO AN OBJECT WHILE DRIVING AND THERE'S NO VEHICLE THERE OR CLOSE TO MY SUV. THIS HAS HAPPEN ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND BEEN TAKEN TO VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, (VW OF OAKLAND), AND WAS TOLD THEY CAN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM . LAST DATE THIS HAPPEN WAS 01/03/24, I HAVE VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT ON MY CELL PHONE.
NHTSA complaint #11563449 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hammond, WI
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The gps in the vehicle navigation shows an inaccurate location of the vehicle, which causes problems for adaptive cruise, and vehicle safety notifications on the dash. Incorrect speed limit indicators occur as a result, and vehicle navigation is rendered useless. It looks ridiculous to all passengers as the vehicle will show on GPS somewhere it isn’t, even driving through fields where there are now roads. Problem is intermittent and can last for days or minutes at a time. Known problem on the 2021 as well as more recent models of the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11561118 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 11,300 milesAmarillo, TX
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated causing the vehicle to suddenly stop in the middle of the road. The contact indicated that during the failure, no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the system to be activated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure occurred a second time. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,300. The dealer installed a new door ajar switch and safety harness service but not replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11517619 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated causing the vehicle to suddenly stop in the middle of the road. The contact indicated that during the failure, no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the system to be activated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure occurred a second time. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,300. The dealer installed a new door ajar switch and safety harness service but not replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11517619 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Chapin, SCCrash
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was hit from behind and slammed into the car in front of me while stopped at a light. The collision totaled my Atlas at 95% The air bags did not deploy nor did their give a warning for the collision. The damage was so severe that the inner frame of the vehicle is beyond repair. Recent warranty repairs were done to this vehicle prior to the accident one set to the dash electronics in the .ast 4 months. This car remains at the body shop awaiting INS settlement for the car
NHTSA complaint #11509635 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kenosha, WI
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
As part of the existing recall on my vehicle, I am noticing serious mechanical issues ranging from the parking brake engaging when approaching a stop, the rear window rolling down (it's 0 degrees out), failure of Adaptive Cruise Control and a host of other electrical issues. The dealer is unable to see the car for 3 weeks and despite acknowledging my problems are consistent with the recall and have no loaner available for me in the meantime. VW Care informed me that my only recourse is to "call around" until I find one that can help me sooner. They will not offer to reimburse for a rental vehicle. This is unacceptable, the problem is not the dealer but a mechanical issue and VW needs to recognize that if their dealerships can't help because of workload then they need to support their customers.
NHTSA complaint #11499127 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kenosha, WI
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
As part of the existing recall on my vehicle, I am noticing serious mechanical issues ranging from the parking brake engaging when approaching a stop, the rear window rolling down (it's 0 degrees out), failure of Adaptive Cruise Control and a host of other electrical issues. The dealer is unable to see the car for 3 weeks and despite acknowledging my problems are consistent with the recall and have no loaner available for me in the meantime. VW Care informed me that my only recourse is to "call around" until I find one that can help me sooner. They will not offer to reimburse for a rental vehicle. This is unacceptable, the problem is not the dealer but a mechanical issue and VW needs to recognize that if their dealerships can't help because of workload then they need to support their customers.
NHTSA complaint #11499127 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hoboken, NJ
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
While driving in a city, the emergency parking brake would switch on everytime i slowed down or came to a stop. Multiple other warnings happened such as lane assistance unavailable. And one of my windows would roll down part way.
NHTSA complaint #11495172 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We have an open case with Volkswagen, but the remedy part is on back order, in the meantime we have to use this unsafe car. The dealership where car was purchased from is not providing a loaner/rental despite being told by our Volkswagen care team specialist that he is obligated to. The car emergency brake comes on at every stop(I’m shook at every stop, knots in my stomach every single stop I make, stop sign, trying to park, red lights), driver side front and back windows open spontaneously, non stop beeping(anxiety inducing) when car is parked idle, driver side window doesn’t open manually pressing the button, CAR DOES NOT LOCK On driver door, like not at all, alarm will go on sometimes when opening, but it is never locked posing a serious threat, anyone can open my door if I am stoped at a light, or idling in car. Car can be stolen at any point, I feel unsafe and very distressed.
NHTSA complaint #11494076 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 31,000 milesStockton, NY
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the message "Apply Brakes" displayed and the vehicle abruptly stopped. During the failure, there were no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the Forward Collision Avoidance safety feature to be activated. In addition, the contact indicated that while driving the vehicle, safety messages would be displayed that included the cruise control and parking sensors unavailable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that the failure was related to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags); which included a wiring harness repair however, the parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was 31,000.
NHTSA complaint #11470181 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VW Atlas 2021 is having issues with the driver side harness which there is an active recall without repair for. Car started to show error messages related to parking brake, air bag functionality, windows roll up and down, parking brake has engaged while driving in early April. Multiple dealers contacted and no loaner vehicle or repairs identified or offered. Car feels completely unsafe to drive due to random braking and error messages.
NHTSA complaint #11466760 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Islip Terrace, NY
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Car will brake unexpectedly while driving which almost caused me to have several accidents while approaching traffic lights. Windows also open unexpectedly. All dashboard lights turn on while driving. Not very safe to drive at all.
NHTSA complaint #11465854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.