Complaint volume
465 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2019 Volkswagen Atlas Complaints
465 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas, grouped by component category.
465 Total complaints
7 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
9 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are air bags, forward collision avoidance, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 7 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 9 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 137 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 20,914 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to air bags, forward collision avoidance, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2019 Volkswagen Atlas?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2019 Volkswagen Atlas
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas complaints?
7 Crash
0 Fire
9 Injury
0 Fatality
7 Towed
4 Medical attention
What are the most common 2019 Volkswagen Atlas complaint categories?
AIR BAGS 111
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 36
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28
SERVICE BRAKES 26
STEERING 21
ENGINE 19
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 12
POWER TRAIN 12
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8
465 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the passenger’s seat air bag would display a deactivated message stating, that the "Air Bag Off" on the instrument panel while the seat was occupied. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage 39,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 39,000 |
| Dec 2023 | AIR BAGS | I would like to file a complaint against VW for the outstanding recall. This recall was issued in March, it is now mid-December, and they still do not have a remedy available! 9 months is way too long to have a dangerous recall to be open (airbag issue) with no date for a remedy. Manufacturers should not be allowed to take this long to come up with a remedy! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown part in the front passenger's side seat was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 48,000 |
| Dec 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | AIR BAGS | I have a recall on my car that has no fix and they ask us to not let anyone sit in the passenger seat. I don't see how this is a very safe approach to the fix. If this is the case I think all these cars should be taken off the road and not driven. I have a husband that has been in an accident on the passenger side and almost passed away. I refuse to put him in a car that is not to par with air bags. These cars should be deemed unsafe and taken off the road. This is not the first recall that I have had to deal with and I think it is crazy to have a car that my husband can ride in the front seat. The first recall was back in March now this one which started in May | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the RECALL repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | On Saturday, November 18, 2023, at approximately 2100 hrs. my wife was returning home from a volunteer event traveling N/B SR-269 near MM 15.7 when she encountered an elk crossing the roadway in front of her. She subsequently hit the elk with the left front of our 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SEL. The impact collapsed the hood, grill, front bumper, and left fender. The driver and passenger door, left fender, and windshield were also severely damaged. The entire front windshield was shattered and collapsed into the front passenger compartment. What did not happen was the activation of the front and side airbags. I believe the impact was sufficient for the system to deploy and it appears to me that the passenger airbag system failed in this collision. Failure of the airbag system is potentially life-threatening. The vehicle is currently in a towing company impound yard waiting for inspection from our insurance adjuster. Accident Location: SR-269 MM 15.7 Ravalli County, Montana | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | POWER TRAIN | MY Volkswagen atlas Transmission appears to be making a grinding, screeching or squealing noise when accelerating at low speeds. Sounds to me like a bad torque converter but its not a normal noise. It also seems to not accelerate when this noise happens and if it stops when I pull into traffic I'll get hit. I took it to a dealer in NJ, said he has had others complain and that there is nothing they can do. My car is till under warranty, but they refuse to fix it. Its not safe!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a second dealer, Volkswagen of Wesley Chapel (26500 Silver Maple Pkwy, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544) where the air bag warning light was reset several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,000 |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | Unable to drive our family car due to the ongoing passenger airbag recall. VW has yet to come up with a resolution, but it is not safe for us to drive it with someone in the passenger seat. This problem is very frustrating and the delay in a solution should be unacceptable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The passenger air bag system is failing, the suggested fix is to not have a passenger ride in that seat. But since we have 4 kids in car seats in the back and only have one car we have no choice but for one of us to Always ride in that seat and risk injury. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the air bag warning light would remain illuminated while operating the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 85,000 |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not yet available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the air bag warning light had remained illuminated while operating the vehicle. The failure mileage was 18,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,000 |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The message "Passenger Air Bag Off" was displayed. The local dealer was contacted and advised the contact that the passenger’s side seat needed to remain unoccupied while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The contact stated it's has now been 11 months since this recall was announced, and the unable to operate the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,000 |
| Oct 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | At red light the auto stop start won't turn the car back on. The battery drains in less than 5 minutes and needs a jump. Or sometimes it won't "auto start" and I have to move the selector to Park and push the start button. This also happens when the engine is off, but the accessories are on. Just listening to the radio for 5 minutes seems to drain the battery and the car won't start and needs a jump. After a jump, the battery does charge back up when driven and holds its charge. I now try to remember to disable the auto stop start as this behavior is unacceptable. I recently had a new battery put in, and a new BCM and ECM, and this problem still happens. The car is at the dealer now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The digital instrument cluster does not work, and the vehicle is not drivable due to safety features failing and an inability to know the vehicle's speed. The instrument cluster does not display speed, vehicle status, or safety information. The dealership cannot identify why this has happened. In addition, the car's electronics are failing, such as blinkers not working and the rear lights and safety features not working. The vehicle is not drivable, and the part is unavailable for an unknown period to fix the digital instrument cluster. VW refuses to resolve the failure of their electronics and wants to charge us $1700 to fix their problem with their electronics. We cannot safely use the car for an unknown period and are harmed by its broken manufacturing process. VW should fix this safety issue and warn other consumers about this safety issue. As I am sure you can appreciate, I rely on my car for transport, and apart from the inconvenience, this problem may also cause me to incur additional costs. I ask you to investigate this safety issue and ask VW fix the problem at their own cost. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was driving on the freeway on 10/13/2023, it was raining and I was startled by an alarm and a flashing warning on my dash stating brake booster failure, the abs light went on and I was concerned because I recently had by brakes done at the Volkswagen dealership in Brooklyn Center Minnesota on 10/4/2023. I was afraid of not being able to brake and I pulled over and put my car in park and I received a park assist failure warning on my dash as well as the park assist light turned on by the shifter. I shut my car off and called Volkswagen in Brooklyn Center. I was assured that my brakes wouldn’t stop working and the service tech was unaware why the red light near my shifter for the park assist would turn on by itself. The dealership was about to close and I was told that I could maybe be squeezed in on that following Monday and eventually was scheduled. I restarted my car and received another error for the electronic stabilization control. I called back the dealership and was able to catch the tech before he left and I was concerned about driving it. I was told, you are basically driving a 1985 Volkswagen, be aware you don’t have the safety features. My car was reviewed on 10/24/2023, I was provided with a rental car and was told the problem was the abs electronic braking module that this is known to go out at my mileage. I do see that others have had this issue and there was a recall, but I was told my VIN number was not included. Prior to this I did report driving in a mall parking lot and I had an alarm go off for a collision warning and my car suddenly braked on it’s own and no vehicle was around me. I have also been in slow traffic and periodically had the collision warning go off and the vehicle was a good distance in front of me. I was told that that can happen with the sensors. I’ve also been driving in the winter and I’ve gotten the warning look that it’s safe to move alarm alot when I’m stopped in traffic, I’m guessing that it’s due to ice near the sensor. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My '19' Atlas had given me several issues after 2 years. The engine light has illuminated several times. Im not sure if is just being reset or if the problem is actually being fixed. At any rate, I have continuously complained about smelling coolant since Feb 21. Only to bring vehicle in, have the coolant topped off, and hear it's nothing's wrong. It has been checked and inspected and yet there has been no headway of the originating of the issue. The dealer has changed the canister & head gasket a few times (even speculated water pump issues). It was said the problem had been fixed. That statement couldn't be more INACCURATE a few weeks ago I was told I needed a new head/spark plugs and the block was warp and I would not be able to drive it until it was repaired (a $5k job). My vehicle is 4 years old it is well kept and is always in for scheduled/routine maintenance. I was told this is a known issue. Had I been told this before buying, I would of reconsidered my purchase. Why isn't this a manufacturers recall? Or the buyer isn't informed. The manufacturer should be mandated to use reliable materials for this vehicle. For a vehicle to fail at 70k is insane. I am utterly disgusted. In addition, the collision display randomly comes on while driving and vehicle often halts unexpectedly. Unsafe if driving on the road with other vehicles. I have brought it to the dealers attention several times unsure if it has been annotated but I am always told bring it back if it does it again. And no solution has been given. This has been a problem well over a year and a half. AGAIN this should be a recall issue. I love this vehicle and want to keep it but these experiences will definitely detour me from future purchases of the VW brand. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | Vehicle has had a call some match 2023. There still is no remedy for repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STEERING | Vehicle steering wheel shakes when turning hard to the left or right. Sounds like tires are getting stuck on vehicle, but dealership has confirmed that it is an issue with the steering rack. Issue started in April 2023 and after first steering rack replacement, issue persists. Now steering rack software is being updated and possibly parts replaced again. Car is not operating safely. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |