370 of the
2,991 complaints filed about the Volkswagen Atlas
are about the airbag system —
12% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2019.
The airbag error light in the vehicle came on. I took it to the dealership where the vehicle was purchased. They are charging $300.+ per hour to repair the issue. The vehicle has never been in an accident. The airbag has never been deployed.
NHTSA complaint #11754957 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a potential safety defect involving the airbag system of my Volkswagen Atlas vehicle. At approximately 65,000 miles, my vehicle displayed the warning message: “Error: Airbag, Faulty airbag.” Because an airbag malfunction creates a serious safety concern, I contacted my local Volkswagen dealer on September 23, 2025 to ask whether there was an active recall related to this issue. I was informed that there was no pending recall for my vehicle. I later contacted Volkswagen Customer Care because I was concerned about using this vehicle as a family vehicle for my two elementary school children. The Volkswagen representative informed me that there was an airbag recall affecting certain vehicles of same year/model and that an extended warranty/coverage was associated with that recall. However, when I contacted the Volkswagen dealership again, I was told that my vehicle was not covered because there was no recall and my vehicle was outside the warranty period. I am concerned that a known airbag-related safety issue may exist in vehicles of the same model, but my vehicle is excluded from the recall or extended coverage even though it is experiencing the same safety-related warning. I am also concerned about the inconsistent information provided by Volkswagen Customer Care and the dealership. I request that NHTSA review whether this airbag fault represents a broader safety defect and whether my vehicle should be included in any recall or safety campaign.
NHTSA complaint #11747210 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My wife was driving the car to go get food. While she was out she called me and asked me to look at the car when she gets home because she smelled a strange smell in the care. Approximately five minutes after that call she called me again panicking that the side curtain airbags had deployed while she was driving home. She said she was not in an accident and just driving straight down the road. She also did not hit any potholes as there are none on the street where she was driving. She told me that the airbags deployed slowly and that the drivers side deployed seconds before the passengers side. The front seatbelts also locked and the car shut down on its own. She said that there were no lights on in the dash and other than the smell, there was no indication that anything was wrong. The car is currently at the dealer being checked out. The police were not called. I was able to drive the car home from the road when I met my wife on the side of the road. It is a safety risk because once the airbags deployed, she was not able to see out of the side windows and the car shut down which could have caused a car accident.
NHTSA complaint #11745335 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The front passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) sensor wiring has failed in my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. This failure has disabled the passenger airbag, significantly increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash. VW has advised not to allow any passengers to ride in the front passenger seat until vehicles with this error are repaired. Despite this being the same defect addressed in an existing recall, my VIN was excluded from that campaign. I have already paid $205 for diagnosis. The dealer repair estimate is $704.36, for a total out-of-pocket cost to me of $909.36. This unresolved safety issue leaves my family exposed to unnecessary risk despite the manufacturer’s awareness of the defect. I would like assistance in obtaining a full repair at no cost to me, either through an extension of the existing recall or a goodwill repair.
NHTSA complaint #11744658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The air conditioning drain tube clogged and leaked into the air bag control module and caused an entire electrical failure in my car with air bag sensors, braking, windows rolling down, doors locking and unlocking automatically while driving, etc as well as the carpet getting mold.
NHTSA complaint #11743656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ever since I bought this vehicle, it stalls randomly. Apparently this is a major issue with this car and complaints are all over the Internet by owners. I have a child and I am afraid to drive the car. I have bought the car to get fixed and it is still stalling. It appears that thousands of people have the same issue as some sort of canister needs to be replaced but even shortly after it is replaced, my vehicle stalls along with everyone else’s. Also, my info entertainment center has issues and my airbag has an error code right now. From what I am reading, this vehicle is a major hazard and is very dangerous to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11739751 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My daughter hit a deer while she was on the interstate, so she had her cruise control set at 72 mph, the deer came up out of the left/median ditch (she was in the left lane at the time). There was no warning as she did not see it at all, so there was an immediate, intense impact, enough where the hood of the car ended up opening up and smashing and coming to rest against the windshield. The Front end of the Atlas was HEAVILY damaged and NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED at all! The vehicle's seatbelt did lock up and keep her from slamming into the steering column and windshield and the vehicle's Front Assist Braking system did engage after the impact to slow her down and actually tried pulling her to the side of the road, although, that could be a flaw as well as it assumed that she was in the right lane of the road to begin with, so it pulled her to stop in the middle of the right lane of the Interstate. Thankfully it was late enough in the evening and no other traffic so she was able to figure that out in her post accident confusion and was able to get the car further off the road and call for help. The Atlas had to be towed from the scene. Prior to this incident there has been no issues with any warning lights coming on and we have had all past recalls taken care of through the VW Dealership we bought our VW from, so we assume that they were taken care of properly.
NHTSA complaint #11739147 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the emergency brake engaged without warning. All the warning lights were illuminated. The windows went up and down without application. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Volkswagen South Towne Service and Parts Department: 11000 Frontage Rd, South Jordan, UT 84095, where it was diagnosed that the driver door module had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who informed there was no warranty coverage and no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
NHTSA complaint #11738050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The passenger airbag ‘off’ light remains on even when a passenger is sitting in the passenger front seat. This remains on even after I’ve taken it in for a different component for the airbag that was recalled.
NHTSA complaint #11733601 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,843.
NHTSA complaint #11733504 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, when veering towards the left or right with the vehicle, the vehicle would turn in the opposite direction the steering wheel was being directed. The contact would have to turn the steering wheel in the desired direction to straighten the vehicle and turn it towards the intended direction. The lane assist would cause the vehicle to misread the direction of the road and turn the vehicle in the opposite direction. The failure had become progressively worse and more persistent. The contact stated that while driving past a driveway, the Lane Assist determined there was a curb near the vehicle, aggressively turning the vehicle towards the curb, causing the vehicle to crash into the mailbox near the driveway. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The mailbox was damaged. The contact stated that they received bruises to their hands from attempting to correct the direction of the vehicle, and no medical attention was needed. The police were contacted, and a police report was made; however, the contact was waiting for the police report identification number. After the incident, the contact learned that their vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags), which explains that the air bags may fail to deploy. The remedy for the recall had not been completed before the incident occurred. The dealer was informed of the failure; however, the contact had not heard back from the department that they needed to speak with. The manufacturer was contacted; however, a complaint was not filed. The contact was advised to call back to file with the correct department, which was closed at the time. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
NHTSA complaint #11727979 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The week of February 23, 2026, the airbag warning light has come on in my dashboard advising that there is something wrong with my airbags. It has barely been 6-7 months (in August 2025 ) that my VW Atlas was serviced due to a recall specifically for the airbags and now an alert on my dash for this safety hazard is appearing again. I called my local dealer who told me as the recall was already serviced, there is nothing they can do as far as honoring it and I would need to pay. Prior to the recall I didn’t have an alert and now after it’s been apparently fixed my vehicle has this alert. This is extremely dangerous as if involved in accident could cause needless deaths if the airbags are not properly working or malfunction and VW is not taking responsibility !!
NHTSA complaint #11721286 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The airbag occupancy detectors on the passenger side are faulty. I noticed that other similar models of the VW Atlas are having this issue and it has an active recall, but my particular model has not.
NHTSA complaint #11719140 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Dangerous car cyput off in full engagement. Brakes grinding squealing an unfamiliar sounds. The engine has major rust in air intake valves the epc code shut car down in full engagement and you can not restart unless u put extra gas in. TE car was replaced with new seats new body new rugs an the color has been repainted. The screws in bolts are not lined up an junkyard parts under carriage of car. Unfortunately I didn't see all this when I fiancee it in May a machine showed me this an I bought a used lemon from Tampa Enterprise car sales in May 2025.645 a month in payment to ally banks. Car in shop more then on road anit has never ever been serviced as it was told to me as a pre certified car.they lied to me an restore almost everything in this car the dealership even questioned me about color coating comestic missing ve design on plated door. I need help
NHTSA complaint #11715678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle went in for service on the airbags. The dealer has been sent the incorrect OEM part 5 times from Volkswagen parts dealers.Volkswagen Cstomer Care sent email confirmation that the part is correct, dealer is stating part is not correct. The part delivered is a different part number than what is on the packaging. The vehicle has been in the shop since 12/8/2025. The invoice for the part the first time it was ordered is dated 12/29/2025.
NHTSA complaint #11714335 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a failure by Volkswagen Group of America to provide a safe and timely remedy for Safety Recall 23V-215. Per the manufacturer's notice, the front passenger seat is unsafe for use until repaired. I physically surrendered my vehicle to Merced VW on Dec 29, 2025, due to this grounding safety risk. However, both the dealership and VW Corporate (Case #07228209) have refused to provide a comparable 7-passenger loaner or a direct-bill rental, despite this being my family's primary transportation for three children. VW Corporate has denied reimbursement, citing a '3-hour' labor time, while ignoring the actual grounding period caused by parts backorders. I am currently forced to pay out-of-pocket for a rental to ensure my family's safety because the manufacturer has failed to provide the mandated no-charge remedy or safe alternative transportation.
NHTSA complaint #11708019 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.