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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Jul 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Within a week of our purchase of a brand new atlas, we started hearing squeaking and grinding noises with the front brakes. I’ve taken it into multiple dealerships for them to inspect and ensure the safety, and I’ll have given me the same spiel, that the brakes are working just fine. The grinding noise is clearly beyond normal and I’m concerned for my family safety. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The brakes make a deep grinding sound every 4000-8000 miles. A typical sound of failing brakes. When I took the vehicle into the dealership they let me know they have a defective brake pad system. When they changed the compound in 2019/2020 this has been an issue. The pads are showing in good acceptable range. However when driving the vehicle you do not know if it is safe or not unless you take the vehicle in to make sure l. Again every 4000-8000 miles. I do not see how they are able to sell you a car with a known issue and not disclose this. This should be covered or recalled. It absolutely is a safety issue when you cannot tell if your brakes are working properly! They are telling me they see 4-5 people a week with the same issue. How is this not being recalled! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the front passenger’s side air bags warning light was blinking off and on. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not including in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 51,000 |
| May 2023 | ENGINE | Our vehicle has an auto start/stop function. At least a dozen times since we've owned the vehicle, the engine does not RESTART after a stop at a traffic light or in stop go traffic. The vehicle must be placed in park and the engine must be restarted. An error displays on the dash that says "please start engine manually" with the graphic for the start/stop system. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE CAR BASICALLY STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND NEEDS TO BE RESET. I have brought this in to two separate dealers for diagnostics and least 3 times. The dealers say they cannot replicate the issue and there is no error recorded to the OBD-II computer so they cannot diagnose. In online forums, this appears to be a common problem and dealerships refuse to diagnose or fix. It is extremely unsafe and NHSTA should investigate. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The ac on driver side went out. I seen online where a recall was in the process. I want to know if this is true before I have to pay all this money out of pocket. I don’t understand how this can happen when the car is practically brand new not even two years old yet. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Got Error: Start-Stop | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated causing the vehicle to suddenly stop in the middle of the road. The contact indicated that during the failure, no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the system to be activated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure occurred a second time. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,300. The dealer installed a new door ajar switch and safety harness service but not replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | 11,300 |
| Apr 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the message "Passenger Air Bag Off" was displayed. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) which she related to the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,614. | Crash: No Fire: No | 48,614 |
| Mar 2023 | AIR BAGS | I purchased new fully loaded VW Atlas for around 50K in March 2021. I choose VW Atlas 4 wheel drive due to brand name and thought my family will be safer in it. On Sun - 03/26/23 afternoon my wife was driving locally with my two kids in the back on local road and all of sudden all side airbags deployed without any reason. My wife and kids got very scarred as airbags deployed all of sudden for no reason. The car got out of control a little and right side tires scratched against the curb before she stopped and everyone go out of vehicle. She drove the car straight to VW Dealership in Sioux City so we can have them look at this once they open on Monday. On Monday 03/27/23 I called VW customer care and gave them all this detail. They asked me to take the car to dealership so they can look at it which I had already done. On 03/29/23 Dealership called and said according to VW Product manager there was an impact and airbags deployed because of this and I have to get the car fixed myself. My wife was going at 35-40 miles and the tires rubbed the curb after airbags deployed all of sudden. VW also has a recall for 2020 and 2021 Atlas as their airbags are going off unexpectedly. My Atlas is 2021.5 model but it is too much of coincide and may be VW needs to add 2021.5 models to recall. The VW service manager showed me another blue Atlas with tire bent inside due to impact and the airbag was not deployed but their product specialist says my car rubbing the curb caused the airbag to deploy. There is no impact anywhere on the body, not even a hair line scratch besides tires rubbing curb. My family does not feel safe in this car anymore. I am glad that this did not happen on highway or sudden malfunction like this on highway could have caused collision impacting mine and other families. I am hoping that VW will step up, take responsibility and do the right by customers instead of giving me run around. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | We just purchased a certified pre-owned vehicle from the dealership. Since we've had the vehicle, it produces a loud squeaking sound when braking. We took it to a brake shop and were advised the rear brakes get so hot and are glazed over and need to replace the rotors. When I look online I see this is a common problem for this vehicle and that the manufacturer has done nothing to get it fixed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | I was sitting at a stop light and the car just SHUT OFF and would not re-start. It was very dangerous. The start/ stop system was enabled as it always is - since it defaults to this feature when you start the vehicle. The electronics starting glitching when the car shut off. This is not the 1st time the car would not start, it has happened 3x over the course of 3 weeks. When we try to jump start the vehicle it has taken up to 30 minutes to sit on charge to get the car to turn over. We have had the battery tested and charged at VW all test come back that it is a good battery. Seems that the start/stop system is faulty and drains the battery. I have spoke to VW and booked an appointment to have the look at this issue. Something is Seriously wrong with this vehicle and start/stop system. I have read many posts that I'm not alone with VW Atlas leaving families in dangerous situations because the car just shuts off and won't re-start. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15 MPH, she had turned the air conditioner on and felt that hot air was blowing out. The contact stopped at a traffic signal turned the vehicle off and on again and noticed that the air conditioner was now blowing cool air. The contact had begun to smell a burning rubber smell and noticed that smoke was being emitted from under the hood on the driver's side. The contact stated that when she stopped at another traffic signal all of the dash alarms began to flash and she heard warning chimes sound as well. The contact pulled over into a parking lot and turned the vehicle off. The contact stepped out of the vehicle when she saw black and white smoke coming from under the hood, then flames burst out from under the hood. The contact stated that the entire front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames with water. The contact stated that the heat and flames melted the front tires. The fire department wrote a report. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated that the vehicle was declared a total loss by her insurance provider. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. | Crash: No Fire: Yes Towed | 30,000 |
| Mar 2023 | AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was hit from behind and slammed into the car in front of me while stopped at a light. The collision totaled my Atlas at 95% The air bags did not deploy nor did their give a warning for the collision. The damage was so severe that the inner frame of the vehicle is beyond repair. Recent warranty repairs were done to this vehicle prior to the accident one set to the dash electronics in the .ast 4 months. This car remains at the body shop awaiting INS settlement for the car | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Engine cuts off at slow speeds or at a stop. Engine failure requires placing vehicle in park and restarting. This occurs at least once per day. Display notes that vehicle requires manual restart. Took to dealer and they advised nothing was wrong. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |