43 of the 2,991 complaints filed about the Volkswagen Atlas are about the body and structure — 1% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2021.
43
Complaints
1%
Share of all complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
STRUCTURE:BODY
Hood latch release cable broke after using under normal circumstances.
NHTSA complaint #11755775 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Dealer sold flood damaged 2020 Atlas 98k miles as safe vehicle. Found severe rust corrosion on steering column that could break while driving causing loss of control crash death. Also found 7 areas of toxic mold inside causing allergic reaction and breathing problems. Mold in seats, carpet, AC system. Dealer refused to repair and forced trade for overpriced 2023 Explorer with high loan. Vehicle unsafe - life threatening defect hidden by dealer. Steering and body structure compromised by flood water. Have photos of corrosion and mold as evidence. Vehicle available for inspection. Injury: Allergic reaction - skin rash, breathing difficulty, cough from toxic mold exposure. Senior driver [XXX] old. No crash yet but steering corrosion could cause fatal crash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11753639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Several times before I got the car stalled in the car wash which I thought that could no be important however yesterday Sunday 12, driving on I4 by Tampa bay in Florida when traffic was stocked and slow suddenly the car went off, so I geared neutral and started again. Then happened twice in total three times.
NHTSA complaint #11750086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Hood release cable either lost tension, broke, or came loose from the clamp in the junction box and cannot open the hood. I was stopped on the side of the road, unable to open the hood. I and my family were put in excessive danger on the side of the road as I could not correct the issue without waiting for a tow truck because I could not open the hood. Dealer, as well as multiple shops in my area have confirmed this is a consistent issue with the VW Atals. There was no warning or I would have replaced it when it was under warranty. My VW atlas only has 44,000 miles on it but not in the 5 year warranty period.
NHTSA complaint #11743559 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
All the airbags in the car deployed from a minor impact; it is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11741017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
The hood release latch cable on my 2021 VW Atlas snapped, making it impossible to access the engine compartment. This happened as I was at the store to change the battery in my vehicle. I had to jump start the vehicle twice earlier that day, as the battery was wearing out. Because the hood would not open, I was unable to change the battery. Luckily, the vehicle started, so I could drive it home, but otherwise I would have been stranded with no way to start the vehicle as I would not have been able to open the hood and access the engine or battery. This is a serious safety concern. It should never happen on any vehicle, but certainly not on a vehicle that is only a few years old.
NHTSA complaint #11738815 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
I was casually checking my fluid levels when I opened the hood and there was a loud pop upon pulling the hood release lever. Numerous complaints online led me to believe that this was the hood release cable coming undone which now means I have no access to my battery and all components of the vehicle under the hood.
NHTSA complaint #11737443 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
The hood latch release mechanism inside the vehicle cab broke when I was trying to open the hood to add coolant. I cannot open the hood at this point without a repair persons assistance. When I investigated this online I discovered that there are thousands of people experiencing the same issue with the car. It can become dangerous for a person if there is a failed battery and the person cannot access the engine compartment. It is also preventing me from adding the needed coolant and could be a concern for a person who needs routine maintenance on the car. This is clearly a factory defect that can have significant impacts on consumers.
NHTSA complaint #11736253 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
The hood latch cable snapped preventing the hood from being opened in the event of an engine fire. The dealer stated this is a common issue with this make and model vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11735490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
The hood release latch cable snapped, which makes it impossible to open the hood for an emergency or maintenance. The cable is a poor design that is prone to breaking, and from looking online is an extremely common occurrence for the Atlas. It also costs $500-$800 to repair for each occurrence and the vehicle is a safety concern until repaired due to the risk of not being able to open the hood in the event of an emergency.
NHTSA complaint #11735047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
I own a 2021 VW Atlas. My daughter owns a 2020 VW Atlas. Both vehicles have had a nonfunctioning hood latch. What this means is you cannot under any circumstances open your hood. So, if you need to do any of the multitude of under hood services you cannot. I had to wait weeks for my VW dealer to get it in to make the repair. After speaking with my service advisor at my VW dealership, it turns out this is a frequent problem for VW Atlas owners. A casual search online shows many incidents of the hood latch system failures. This should most certainly be a recall, fully covered by VW. This occurrence does not appear to be random or unusual, so it is clearly a (part or component) design flaw.
NHTSA complaint #11733533 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
ON DIFFERENT OCCASION THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR HINGE WILL LOCK AND NOT ALLOW THE DOOR TO CLOSE COMPLETELY. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AND THE DOOR WILL OPEN AND I HAVE TO HOLD IT "CLOSED" WHILE DRIVING. CURRENTLY MY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN WHEN I UNLOCK THE DOORS I HAVE TO CLIMB THROUGH THE PASSENGERS SIDE OR THE BACK SEAT IN ORDER TO OPEN MY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS- MY DOOR NOT CLOSING ALL THE WAY. IT IS A HAZARD WHEN DRIVING AND SUDDENLY MY VEHICLE DOES A DRASTIC STOP ASKING I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK BECAUSE IT ASSUMES I OPENED THE DOOR MANUALLY.
NHTSA complaint #11724247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
The temperature was about 1 degree this morning at my home. My vehicle was parked outside. The driver's side door will not latch closed. The visible part of the latch mechanism is not frozen. I have not not gotten the vehicle to a dealer yet because I do not know how to get it there with a door that won't latch closed. I am hoping that when it warms up the door will start working properly again but this is not acceptable or safe.
NHTSA complaint #11712060 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Battery died, needed to jump battery. Hood latch cable snapped when pulling hood lever.
NHTSA complaint #11675240 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
I bought a 2024 Atlas in March 2024. It now has 16K miles on it and it has been meticulously maintained and cared for in that time. In May 2024, my husband and I were driving down the interstate and out of nowhere, the passenger side front door popped open by itself! We took it immediately to the dealership, where they looked at it and said they couldn't recreate the problem or identify what had caused it. We chalked it up to a fluke and moved on. Today (February 21, 2025) it happened again! It was the exact same door, and the exact same scenario occurred: there was a beep, then I could hear air coming in through the door, and it was ajar. This is a HUGE safety issue and I am terrified to continue driving this car, as I have two children and I refuse to put them in danger because of this car malfunctioning. Additionally, in the 11 months I've had this car, this will be the fifth time it is in the shop. It had to go just two weeks ago because it was leaking oil, and now it's also telling me it's low on coolant so I'm afraid that's leaking too. I am at a loss. My main concern is that the door is opening, while the vehicle is in motion, traveling at a high rate of speed, and that poses a huge safety risk not only to the individuals in my car, but all of the other cars near mine as well.
NHTSA complaint #11644133 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud grinding and squeaking sound coming from the vehicle. There was an abnormal sound of rushing water underneath the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11640888 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
The vehicle was giving a false alert about my driver's door being opened. The door was infact closed properly. During this time when i was driving when i came to a slowed or complete stop the car put the emgergency/parking brake on. This happened twice in seven days. I took the car to the dealership to look at it and it appears to be a known defect that the door latch can freeze and cause this malfunction. The car has not been in an accident and is less than 5 years old. The repair is $1000. This abrupt braking was hazardous as it cause the car to stop short, my family could have been rear-ended.
NHTSA complaint #11632608 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Frontal detection sensors randomly go off usually while sitting stationary at traffic lights or stop signs, when there are no cars around the vicinity of my vehicle. Screen displays false detections and alerts with annoying beeps making you think something is going to collide with you. Dealership says there's an internal TSB on this problem, but they don't know how to fix it.
NHTSA complaint #11626910 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
I had just completed filling my car with gas and was still parked at the gas pump. The gas cap had been replaced and I got back into the car and started it. I thought that the engine had fully started, but when I shifted into drive, the engine sputtered a little. I put it back in park, and attempted to start the car again. There was a huge bang under the hood and a puff of smoke. Upon opening the hood, the cover over the intake manifold had exploded into pieces. There was enough force that one of the shards of plastic dented the hood from the underside. Luckily nothing caught fire, but I fear that it could have. I had the car towed to a repair shop, and they confirmed that at minimum, the intake manifold needs replacing, but really couldn't guess as to the cause of the failure at this point. They are the only people who have had an official look at the vehicle. It would be available for inspection by someone else. My engine had been running fine with no warning signs in sound or performance. I am someone who keeps up with regular car maintenance. I did have a check engine light on back in late spring that indicated (I'm looking around to see if I still have the print out) a minor issue with the gas cap seal, but the light cleared itself before my appointment at the dealership to have them investigate it and the technician told me that in the absence of other issues (noise or performance) it should be fine to drive. I read a few other accounts online of owners having the same issue with their VW vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11624599 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Driver side rear quartet panel window cracking and disintegrating from inside the vehicle after 400 miles since new. No impact or other damage prior to crack formation.
NHTSA complaint #11607928 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.