Complaint volume
444 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
2021 Volkswagen Atlas Complaints
444 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas, grouped by component category.
444 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
1 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 exterior lighting, air bags, 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 8 crash reports, 1 fire report, 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 36 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 21,554 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to exterior lighting, air bags, 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 2021 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.
2021 Volkswagen Atlas
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas complaints?
8 Crash
1 Fire
9 Injury
0 Fatality
10 Towed
6 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Volkswagen Atlas complaint categories?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 49
AIR BAGS 38
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 35
ENGINE 28
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 25
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 25
SERVICE BRAKES 22
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 13
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 12
STRUCTURE 12
444 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle stalled and shut off 5 times while driving in past month. Took it to VW Dealership. They said low voltage on battery could make the stop/start feature not able to restart car. They also stated fuel injector #3 error was showing on diagnostic machine. After replacing battery, spark plugs, and gasket ($2300), dealership says that fuel injector error still showing and would cost $1400 to replace. They said it is recommended and my car shutting off is fixed with battery replacement. 24 hours after picking up from dealership, car shut off AGAIN. I have read on forums this is a known issue and many have resolved issue with evap cannister (charcoal) replacement. This is a big safety issue and VW needs to remedy issue as a recall | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2021 volkswagon Atlas, needed new oil pan after few months due to major oil leak. had to pay out of pocket for rental 1 week. Wipers came flying off on driver's side hitting side window scratching car. Dealership said nothing wrong (my dad tightened bolts they were loose) heater in back started making horrible noise, said nothing was wrong. Needed new breaks, rotors numerous times. When backing up makes horrible noise, to this day. 10/7/23 driving down road at 28 mph my car stalled out. Did this numerous times w/in 3 weeks, brought to dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong. Kept happening brought it back. They change emission module & oil. Car started sounding like a tractor. Brought it to different dealership. Going down road at 45 mph with 4 kids in car. Car stalls out. No steering no breaks. Super scary. Car keeps stalling out, going down road at 58mph car stalls out, no steering no breaks again everything locks up. 18 wheeler behind me, 3 kids in car. Brought to another dealership, they stated never heard of car stalling out before. They stated other dealership put wrong oil in, they did another oil change and said my car was safe to drive. Car still kept stalling out almost every time I slowed down or came to a stop, or even when starting it before leaving had to restart numerous times. Fast forward car been in shop since 2/1/24. Said metal shavings in oil filter now needs new motor & theres bearings missing. (they told me car was safe to drive) we asked about safety issue, they said what safety issue? Whycar keeps stalling? Said never heard of this issue with the cars before. they want 9k for a rebuilt motor w/ way more miles than my car has now, Ive been in rental for 3 weeks out of pocket pay. Dealership can't promise me this will fix car. Car is a death trap and I have precious cargo, I don't feel safe driving it. Research says lots of people having same issues. VW Rep says never heard of this. Called lawyers yup its a common lawsuit, lemon car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Car shuts off randomly when slowing down. Changed out the charcoal canister and purge valve and it is still doing it | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | AIR BAGS | The airbag:error light and message came on. All other models of 2021 VW Atlas were recalled for this issue last year but for some reason our model was not. However, ours started having the same air bag issue, but it has not been recalled yet so the dealership will not cover the repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My 2021 VW Atlas SE died at a drive thru again. And when I took my foot off the break, it didn’t start back up. I completely panicked. At start up initially I disable the start/stop as usual. At this stop sign, my engine completely shut off, dash said to manually start. I tried to pull off but my car just jolted as if I had the park break on. I hit the start button but nothing. I had to put it in park then start again. But I had to wait for traffic to pass and it killed again on me. I put it in park again, start button then was able to pull away. This happens randomly every few weeks with no warning. Pulling into a car wash, bank atm, drive thru, etc... I've taken it to multiple VW dealers who tell me that if they can't get it to recreate the issue, there's nothing they can do. But it's random and unpredictable. They told my wife to whip out her phone and try to get a video of when it happens again. Again, not possible. I printed off dozens of threads of other VW Atlas customers experiencing this exact issue but they told me they can't go off of crap I find on the internet. I called all 6 VW dealers within an hour away and NONE of them have ever heard of this happening which I find highly unlikely. I've chatted in with VW care team and they gave me the exact same thing, no repairs until they can recreate it. This is a huge safety issue. You think you'd be more worried about the liability issues here if you were VW. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving my 2021 Volkswagen Atlas on a Friday evening that has under 55,000 miles and it stopped on me while I was driving. I have NEVER had any problems with this vehicle. This was a HUGE safety issue, as my vehicle stopped at a light while in motion at an intersection and it would not go forward. I attempted to turn my vehicle off and back on, then put the vehicle into park, drive, and reverse and it would not go into any gear and made this loud noise. I had to place my foot on the brakes so the vehicle would not roll until the tow company arrived all while in the middle of the intersection. My vehicle was towed to the Sutherlin Volkswagen of Lithia Springs Georgia on [XXX] and was told by an advisor on [XXX] that my Cv Axle Spline Malfunction causing Cv Axle to back out of the transmission housing, and to repair this will cost me $1355 since I'm now out of the warranty. I have been without a vehicle since 1-8-2024 so I reserved a rental for 1 week paying $255. The dealer states the parts will take a few days to come so I will be down another week and with no vehicle and I can't afford to pay for another and pay for repairs. I'm filing an official compliant because this was a safety hazard that could have ended multi car collision. My vehicle had no warning lights. I also took my vehicle to the dealer on the regular for the oil change and multi-point inspection as preventatives measures with received indication that my cv axle needed replacement. I have included the analysis estimate received from the dealer and rental bill I paid for. I look forward to hearing from you in regard to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Since purchasing the car new, my brakes squeal and make a grinding noise. They don’t stop well and the noise doesn’t stop until I drive the car for a while. This happens every time I drive my vehicle. I have taken it to VW service and they say that it is normal for those kinds of brakes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | The breaks are very loud- squeaky and grinding. Have had them checked several times and break pads are in good condition. Additionally after the car is idle for several hours, it’ll be a loud gurgle when breaks are applied the first few “stops”. Additionally, when driving in cold weather the rear the stability assist light on the dash will engage. It will flash on and off so to be uncertain if the traction control is engaged on possible slippery roads | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | ENGINE | Head gasket failure. Dealership is going to replace the entire head (s) to fix the problem. An unknown amount of coolant fluid has leaked into the engine block. Untreated, the problem could have lead to engine failure while traveling at interstate speeds. VW of Lake Charles currently has my vehicle while the repairs take place. I noticed the coolant level was around minimum level on the overflow tank twice in the last 1-1.5 years. About 10 days ago, the coolant level dropped low enough for the sensor to go off, warning lights came on and the digital display stated low coolant. I also found dry coolant under the engine on the bottom of the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | LED strip on front left headlight went out at around 60K miles when we purchased the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | A few weeks after we purchased the vehicle from the dealership, the brakes started making loud metallic noises and grinding. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where they replaced the brakes and then the issue occurred again just a few weeks after that repair. We continue to take the car back to the dealership and they now just keep telling us that there are no issues. I called Volkswagen directly and they sided with the dealer. At this point I have a vehicle that keeps having the same persistent issue. I did my own research and found that there are several other Atlas owners that are encountering the same issue in 2021+ models. This is a known issue and Volkswagen refuses to do anything about it. I have 2 kids and have do not feel confident in my cars brakes when they are in there. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I had the door wiring harness repaired in May 2022 as part of the VW Atlas safety recall. The replacement part is now failing and causing the same dangerous conditions (windows going up and down sporadically, parking brake engaging) but because the recall was repaired once on my car, VW will not pay for a second replacement part and wants to charge $1000 for the repair which in my opinion should still be part of the original recall as a defective design. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated after starting the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic advised the contact that there was a recall related to the failure, NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags). The VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 51,000 |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | This Atlas has been stalling the last 2 weeks. It happens when going very slow like 5 mph or less. The car turns off and says turn on manually. You have to throw it in park and start the car. I looked online and it is a known problem with this vehicle, many complaints stating the charcoal canister or n80 valve was the issue. I took my car to the dealer and they did a software update and said they couldn't get the car to stall after that. It has stalled again after the software update for me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | LED daytime running lights went out a few weeks ago at the same time, then yesterday both headlights went out at the same time as well. There have been no damages or wrecks in my vehicle and I am the only owner. There are no warning lights and according to the MyVW app, everything is fine. I cannot see well while driving at night anymore and this will cost me $2,000 to replace at only 60,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The Day Running Light LED strip of both headlights stopped working at around 55,000 miles. The fix for this includes replacing the whole unit which comes to around $2k for both headlight units. It seems unreasonable to have to replace both units at around every 55,000 miles. Many people might not have the funds and this could also lead to people buying third party headlights that might be installed incorrectly since it isn’t just a lightbulb and people might also not find a need to replace it at all which could lead to a safety issue. In conclusion it’s unreasonable to have to pay $2k every 55,000 miles to replace both headlight units. These LED strips also can’t just be replaced as they’re incased in the unit and can’t be changed out like you would be able to with a regular lightbulb. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | When the car is just started a horrible braking/grinding noise when trying to stop The brakes eventually stop grinding and starts making a screeching noise when coming to a stop It does feel safe at all Dealer states this is normal It is not normal for any car This happens daily | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | I opened my hood while parked in my driveway to use the fuse puller tool in the engine fuse compartment as my infotainment screen was out and i wanted to check the fuse under the dash. There is a slight incline in my driveway but not much. I left my hood up while i used the tool and switched a fuse under the dash to check my infotainment screen. When i went back to put the fuse tool in the engine compartment and closed my hood i heard a low clang. I didn't think much of it and went back to close the fuse box under the dash. Then i noticed the hood release latch was not sitting flush to the vehicle and was pointing at a 90 angle up. I tried to push back into position but there is no hold and now my hood is locked. There is no way to open the hood with the under dash latch broken. My car has about 56,000 miles on it and I am scared to drive my vehicle not knowing if the hood will fly up at any moment. I called the dealer and because my car is out of warranty at 50k miles they refuse to fix the hood latching mechanism unless i pay out of pocket. I am scared to drive my 2 yr old vehicle because of all the little issues coming up right outside my warranty. No warnings or messages came up before the issue happened and I am not sure what will happen if I need to get into my engine compartment. This seems like a big safety issue and i am going to be left with correcting on my own before driving the vehicle again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Driver window is going down on its own. I was told by Faulkner VW mechanics. When this happens to hold the window botton down for 10 secs and up for 10 secs to reset it. Does not work. Still has neen doing it after my service date which was 10202023 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I told faulkner that my truck often feels like the auto on/off switch is activated when its deactivated. Meaning, if im in bumper to bumper traffic. Stop, go, slow down the suv acts as if uts going to stall. Which I have to push the gas peddle harder to give it momentum to go. Issue is if ur behind someone and you have to do this. You could hit them because it jolts forward pretty hard. The tech told me VW is aware of the issue and currently there isnt a fix. Had i known this was an issue upfront. I would have never purchased the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | I leased my VW ATLAS in Feb. 2021. Since then the vehicle has been in for service many times because the brakes squeak, grind and gurgle. They even had to replace the whole front end braking system in spring of 2022. Even with the replacement, the brakes are yet again squeaking, grinding and gurgling. The service department at VW has acknowledged that this is a problem with many Atlases and does not seem to care and has told me that they just make that noise and that the brakes are functional and pose no safety risk. This I am weary of. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | ENGINE | My error start/stop keeps coming on and off on my vehicle, and it randomly dies on my while driving. It has died about 10 times by now in a week and a half. I have to put the car in park, then crank it again. I have contacted my dealership, but they state they can’t get it in until December. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |