Complaint volume
433 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
433 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas, grouped by component category.
433 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 47
AIR BAGS 37
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 33
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 11
STRUCTURE 11
433 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The viechle appears to be having a very common issue of the Hood Latch being broken or snapping. I was left stranded with my car with a dead battery unable to access the battery to jump it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle stalled on highway while driving. Vehicle stalled on secondary highway while driving. Check engine light came on and vehicle inspection revealed fuel level sensor A circuit range performance. Mechanical fuel pump failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | When coming to a stop, the car RMP's fluctuate up and down, jerk/jolt, and stall while still in drive. The only way to restart the vehicle is to put it into park and then hit start. Sometimes, vehicle status indicates a start/stop error, but no check engine light would come on. I have a huge safety concern about this because the vehicle is in motion when it stalls, and the only way to restart is to put it in park. This causes the flow of traffic to stop abruptly, increasing the outcome of an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while approaching a stop light, the brakes failed upon depression of the brake pedal, and the vehicle rolled to a stop. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the ABS was replaced; however, the failure recurred soon after the repair. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was advised to file a claim with the manufacturer. The manufacturer denied the claim but offered her a buy back. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 22,000 |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1. STEERING MAKING NOISE DURING TURN/REVERVSE/ FORWARD/PARKING ETC.. DEALERS TRIEDD TO FIX IT BUT NOT SUCESS. 2. ERROR: START / STOP ENGINE AT CERTAIN SITUATION AND STALLING WHILE DRIVING. INCIDENT ON VARIOUS DATE | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | I have several issues. My main concern is when turning on an incline (hill or mountain), my vehicles rpm's rev up and I am unable to stop it for several seconds. Sometimes, it will clunk and the rpms will go back to normal after sever seconds but most times the vehicle just jerks and the rpms come back down. I drive through a street with a 4 way stop very often and the issue happens every time. Secondly, i am not sure if its my steering or my brakes but when i come to a stop there is a clicking noise at my pedal and it makes it a little tougher to stop the vehicle. I can be at a full stop and if i push my brake pedal down more, it will click multiple times. I have also noticed this jerk/click when i make a sharp left turns such as in a parking lot. My vehicle jerks a bit while it clicks and i am concerned something will brake while i am turning or stopping and my wheels wont stop. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | AIR BAGS | Air bag error, recommendation PODS wiring be replaced, active recall is listed but this vehicle is not included | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Air is not working properly last year in August 2022 I has air pump replaced has not even been a year and same problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ENGINE | Vehicle will shut off completely while in motion without any warning. It’s a danger when vehicles are behind you and not paying attention that can cause an accident. It’s done it multiple times. I’ve had what they “thought” was the issue fixed but the check engine light came came back on three weeks later. The auto start/stop button works when it wants to. It’s at the dealership now (day 3) hopefully they will find the issue. Not to mention I’ve only had it for 6 months now | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | AIR BAGS | Sitting in a parking spot and receive an airbag error and now the airbag light is on. Did not hit anything. This should not happen and should be fixed at dealer cost. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | Passenger airbag light coming on and off. VIN is not associated with the widespread VW recall but it is affecting my 2021.5 VW Atlas currently. Decided to look it up and saw the recall however my VIN currently isn’t listed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |