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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | VW Atlas 2021 is having issues with the driver side harness which there is an active recall without repair for. Car started to show error messages related to parking brake, air bag functionality, windows roll up and down, parking brake has engaged while driving in early April. Multiple dealers contacted and no loaner vehicle or repairs identified or offered. Car feels completely unsafe to drive due to random braking and error messages. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | This vehicle will suddenly just stop driving, including highway speeds. There is no rhyme or reason why this happens. Volkswagen of America refuses to assist, along with Volkswagen of Boise, Idaho refuses to look at the vehicle. After several attempts to have them diagnose the vehicle they refuse as the Service Manager has “banned” us from coming there. The Service Manager and General Manager are racist since we were from California. We now have a vehicle that does not operate due to a recall and cannot service at the local authorized dealership. The next closest dealership is approximately 160 miles away. Many of my neighbors from California has said the same issue, and sold their vehicles just because they could not service the vehicle at Boise Volkswagen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Car will brake unexpectedly while driving which almost caused me to have several accidents while approaching traffic lights. Windows also open unexpectedly. All dashboard lights turn on while driving. Not very safe to drive at all. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | SEATS | I am reporting a design defect in the VW Atlas second row bench. There is no sensor or warning for the driver when the bench seat is not secure. When the car came to a stop from a low speed, the bench fell forward with enough force to fracture my child's leg who was sitting secure in a child's car seat. We reported the design problem to the manufacturer. The vehicle manufacturer inspected the vehicle for a manufacturing defect, not a design defect. When asked to pursue an inspection on design defect, the manufacturer noted they would and did not. This problem is replicable. Our concern is that the car does not alert the driver that the bench is not secure. Our incident could have been avoided if there was a driver warning. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | BROUGHT TO DEALER ON 3/04/2022 ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WAS COMING ON AND OFF AT TIME AND HILL START ASSIST ERROR, DRIVERS DOOR MODULE WIRE HARNESS HAS SHORTED OUT AND PARTS ARE ON BACK ORDER. POWER SEAT MOVING BY ITSELF. DRIVER SIDE REAR WINDOW GOING DOWN BY ITSELF. REMOTE START NOT WORKING. EMERGENCY BRAKE NOT WORKING AND APPLYING ITSELF WHILE DRIVING. ISSUE STILL HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The auto stop start, stops requiring restarting of vehicle. When at a stoplight and removing foot from the brake to proceed, all the warning lights and sound notification along start. This is a huge distraction and dangerous driving condition. The start/ stop totally turning off the vehicle at stop lights and not restarting the engine is a collision hazard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | PARKING BRAKE | The emergency brake randomly turns on when starting the Atlas, the brakes will automatically brake at very low speeds, the windows randomly role down and/or will not be able to roll up, the car shuts off randomly after coming to a stop (I need to push the start button to start it again), the Atlas will begin to drift after shutting off. The Atlas currently has a recall for "Front Door Wiring Harness". I took it to the dealer and they did diagnose this. I do not feel comfortable with my wife driving the car with my kids. There is currently not a "remedy". Volkswagen would not provide a replacement and/or rental while waiting for a "remedy". | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 19,000 |
| May 2022 | SEATS | The captain seats lurches forward at a high speed without any warning as well as without any precipitating event. This has occurred three times, once with the driver side captain seat and two times with the passenger seat. The indicator on the top of the seat was down before each event so the assumption was the seat was securely locked in position. A child was in a car seat on the passenger side captain seat during the last unlatching event resulting in the child hitting the back of the passenger seat knocking her front teeth loose and bruising her nose (pic attached). The driver stopped in traffic and put the car in park to get out and assist the child as this was the only way to get the seat back in position. The car is to be inspected by the dealer today. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| May 2022 | AIR BAGS,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing electrical issues. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the warning messages "Automatic Start/Stop Is Not Available", " Lane Assist Is Not Currently Available”, “Faulty Electronic parking Brake" "Door Is Ajar Fault" and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the front driver's side window was inoperative and the rear driver's side window would continuously roll up and down independently while driving. Additionally, the contact stated while coming to a stop, between 1-2 MPH, the parking brake would engage independently, causing the vehicle to jolt. The contact had to disengage the parking brake each time. Additionally, the contact stated that the front driver's side door lock chime reminder would engage while driving with the door locked. The local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to not drive the vehicle. However, the manufacturer provided no assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,150. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,150 |
| May 2022 | WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | Vehicle’s electronic emergency brake system engaged while driving at low speed, below 15mph. Loud scraping sound repetitively heard from driver side tire. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | While the vehicle is in motion, the warning buzzer keeps dinging saying the engine is running. The red flashing light (in the door) flashes. Keep getting the warning triangle for the door harness problem. Also keep getting ERROR:START/STOP. My parking park has also engaged a couple of times while in motion. This is dangerous and needs immediate attention. This happens every day. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 notices come up on dash. “Attention:vehicle is on”, “error: driver door contact switch” & then “fault: electric brake. The car beeps like crazy, driver side windows roll down on their own about 4 inches (rear and front). E brake has come on while driving. Left mirror blinker does not work. This is started happening intermittently only when turning car on - turning it off and back on helped at first, then less often now even less often however it does happen randomly when I am driving or stopped at a stop sign/stop light. Have owned the Vehicle for only around 6 months, with 5k on odometer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3/2/22 - radio randomly displayed "Loading...." 3/5/22 - message displayed about driver door contact switch 3/12/22 - message displayed saying "Fault: Electronic parking brake". Another message was displayed saying "Attention: The engine is running". About 8 hours later, I was approaching a red light, when I put on the brake to slow down the parking brake self engaged causing me to come to a sudden stop. The car behind me almost rear-ended me. Twenty minutes later I tried to roll down the driver's window. It would not roll down, then the back driver's window started rolling down, then the front driver's window rolled down, then both windows was going up and down. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Sometime in Dec 2021, i have started experiencing issues with the car where the driver side back window rolls down warning messages popup saying driver side door fault etc with the check engine light coming on. What is concerning is when the vehicle is going at slow speeds (<5mph), the electronic parking brake engages automatically making the vehicle come to a sudden stop with jerks. Weird thing is, the problem is present on some days and some days the vehicle is completely normal without any warnings, sounds etc. Took the vehicle in for an oil change and routine maintenance and was told this is a known issue and there is a recall on it, bit no fix available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | My vehicle is engaging the parking brake, uncontrolled window movement, and giving engine light on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ENGINE | Today I was making a left and mid roll to go, the engine turned off. I was in the middle of the 1st lane. I had to park my car and restart it. Thank god there was not a car coming, I would've been hit. I also had cars behind me. I had my car scheduled to go in tomorrow, 4/16/22, to check on lights that go on and off starting on, 4/12/22. It is the yellow priority 2 light with the front assist light, which was not turned on this morning. These lights have gone on before and I have taken my car in for it and was told nothing was wrong. This is the 3rd time my car has turned off while driving. I have taken it in for this problem as well and was told nothing was wrong. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR AND DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE IT ANYMORE. I left a message for the service manager. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The remedy to my recall is not being performed within a reasonable time. I was in the road with my one year old and I was scared to get on the highway I was afraid someone would rear end us as the vehicle stops and turns on the check engine light and a warning light on my dash. I was driving and when I was coming to a stop the vehicle stops on it on and doesn’t give the person behind me enough time to break. I would honestly see if there is something that can been done as o don’t feel safe in my vehicle but I can’t afford to rent a car in the mean time it is my only transportation my son has a doctors appt @ 130 today and I’m afraid for his life and to drive there. I would really appreciate any help that you can offer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Hello. I have approx 12000 miles on my vehicle. Vehicle last week gave numerous warning lights and would not start. After leaving it a few hours I was able to start it but the engine light was on and warning that ABS was not active. Took it to the dealership who said there is a recall with no fix for a door wiring harness. Today, while driving the car, it came to a compete stop on the roadway and would not allow me to turn it back on. I drove the car back home and it would continuously stop and I would have to restart. I almost got into two accidents. There needs to be a more serious recall as someone is going to get hurt. Dealership says there is still no fix. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while placing a child in the driver’s side rear seat of the vehicle the doors locked independently. The contact stated that the key fob and manual key was inoperable while attempting to unlock the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was notified of a wiring harness failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 17,000 |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | Car would engage normal/parking break when driving at low speeds (15 mph) as well as when coming to a stop (2mph). Car would not allow parking brake to disengage. Rear driver side window would roll down 1/3 of the way. We would need to restart car to remedy issue, however this happened a number of times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Although this is not the first issue with my VW 2021 Atlas, it will be my last. As I was driving down a two lane highway to my daughter's softball practice, the emergency break turned on and my vehicle completely jolted to a stop. By the grace of God, no one was behind us. Prior to this recent incident, the windows started to roll up and down on their own and the "Fault Parking Break" alert will appear on my dash. This occurs randomly, day or night, sunny or rainy, cold or hot. The vehicle has been to the dealership for this issue, but the alert continues. I purchased this vehicle March of 2021, issues did not occur until December and it has gone down hill quickly. Right now, this vehicle is deemed "undrivable" and will be at the dealership. This vehicle is also under the new recall where the airbags do not deploy. There is no fix for this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | In January 18, 2022, when I cranked my vehicle and went to put it in reverse, the emergency brake engaged and my windows rolled down a quarter of the way. Accompanying this was a loud beep as well as warning lights glowing my dash. I thought it was a fluke, so I took the emergency brake off and killed the car. I cranked it back up and all was well. This happened several more times until I contacted the dealership on January 24, 2022. They informed me that this sounded like a door harness issue because I wasn’t the first one. They went ahead and ordered a part for my vehicle, but informed me that the part was on national back order. From January 24th until February 24, 2022, the dealership had no loaners to give me. Starting February 18th until the day the dealership had it, my vehicle started engaging the emergency brake while driving 40+ miles an hour. I felt extremely u unsafe and did not want my children in the vehicle, yet I had no vehicle to get us to/from work and school. I received a call from the dealership on February 23rd stating they had a loaner. I dropped my vehicle off on February 24th and drove a loaner until April 8, 2022 when they replaced my wiring harness. However, the wiring harness they replaced it with is faulty just like the one they took out, and it doesn’t satisfy the recall at all. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a wiring harness failure. The dealer informed the contact that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |
| Apr 2022 | AIR BAGS | I have contacted Volkswagen Corporate as well as the dealership in which I purchased this vehicle from. They said that there is no solution to this recall at this time. I have asked them then for either a new car that is comparable or for a check for the amount of the vehicle. They said that they can not do anything right now as there is no solution to the problem. The vehicle is potentially unsafe if a crash was to occur. I am trying to avoid further risk to my family and myself while driving this. If the airbag does not function as it was supposed to design, then I am at risk, and potentially others. I am not sure what else to do at this time as driving my vehicle seems unsafe. In addition, I was told I can't bring the vehicle into the dealership for diagnosis. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |