Complaint volume
447 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
447 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas, grouped by component category.
447 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 50
AIR BAGS 38
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 36
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 13
STRUCTURE 12
447 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2021 | ENGINE | I was driving back to work after taking my son to school I was sitting at a light and the engine completely shut off. The auto start/stop system on the vehicle was active. The dash said to Please start engine manually. I put the car in park, turned on my hazards because it was morning traffic, took my foot off the brake, put it back on the brake, pressed the start button and the vehicle didn’t start. I pressed the start button again the engine half way started then turned off (I did this twice). On the fourth time it started up and I was able to proceed to work. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Lane Assist erratic performance. 1)On October 21st, 2021, while leaving a parking slot (cars parked on both sides of the affected vehicle) the “Lane Assist” warning and the Instrument Panel “Lane Assist” light came up (i.e., LANE with a CAR on the lower side of the Instrument Panel). This occurred while moving less than 5 mph. The parking brake activated stopping the car and the lane assist was disabled (i.e., turned off). 2)On October 25th, 2021, while turning on the vehicle, a “Malfunction” was briefly displayed on the Instrument Panel. There were no cars or objects on either side of the vehicle. Immediately after, a warning symbol and a yellow Lane with a Car symbol was displayed. The Lane Assist was disabled. The warning signs were cleared after the car was turned off and back on, but the Lane Assist remained disabled (i.e., turned off). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My 2021 Atlas turned itself off while I was going down the road at 70 MPH. I had over 1/2 tank of gas. I was able to get to the side of the road, put the car in park, and restart. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3200 miles on vehicle and ECP light came on. Heavy smell of gasoline and vehicle went into limp mode. Gas was pouring out the bottom of the hot engine and dripping onto the ground below. Opened the engine hood and there was lots of smoke or steam. Seriously concerning for a fire. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | After starting the car, saw a start-stop assist error, but car seemed to start up normally. The car was slow to accelerate. Then a strong smell of gasoline followed by the EPC and check engine light. Pulled the car over and turned it off. Very strong smell of gasoline. Then noticed the gasoline leaking under the car. My safety was definitely put at risk as fuel leaks around ignition sources can cause fires. Luckily this time I was alone in the car. Had the vehicle towed to the dealership. Was told the issue was the fuel injector and happened at the factory. Manufacturer is aware of the issue. Dealership has replaced the fuel injector. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | This is the second time I've had the same issue with the fuel injectors. This time I was driving with my two children in the car when I started the car the start-stop assist error came on again and I smelled gasoline. The EPC and check engine lights then came on. I immediately pulled over and got the kids out of the car and away from the car as the gasoline smell was very strong. I checked under the car and it was again leaking gasoline. This is obviously a very big safety risk. There is a large risk of fire from the fuel leaking around an ignition source as well as the fumes and headaches me and my children suffered due to the gasoline fume exposure in an enclosed space. I again called a tow truck and they towed it to the dealership. I called and they said it was indeed the fuel injectors again and they will do a more thorough check this time. I will elevate the issue with VW. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I have been having issues with my 2021 Atlas SE R-line Technology since the day after I purchased it. I assumed since it was a brand new car that it would have an adjustment period & I wanted to love it, but I have become afraid to drive it. Several times, the vehicle has slammed to a stop while another vehicle is making a U-turn in front of me, or simply driving next to me, but not close enough that the automatic braking should be engaged. I was almost rear-ended by the vehicle behind me each time as I went from driving to a complete stop. In June, the vehicle came to a hard stop for no reason while backing into my garage and no vehicles or objects were in the way. The dealer told me a door sensor was to blame, but the problem still exists today. The vehicle also freezes at times when put it into drive or reverse. It will eventually jerk forward or backwards after some time, but its very unpredictable. This has even caused my right side mirror to scrape the side of my garage, almost breaking it off when its unexpectedly jerked backwards twice. I informed the dealership, Volkswagon of Clear Lake of my experiences and each time, I am told that they are unable to re-create the issue and there are no reported problems during their inspections, with the exception of door sensor repair. I have no idea how to recreate an issue or help them to do so. I traded in a perfectly good 2014 sedan in hopes of getting more space for my family, but all I've gotten is a headache! I even asked the dealership why the window sticker shows I should have power folding mirrors, but mine don't fold, but I'm told that's something I should've addressed when I purchased the car. My anxiety level goes up every time I drive this vehicle and after reading the VW Owners forums, I'm not alone. The same issues I've experienced, and more, have been reported by so many others, yet we are ignored. Please help us before more people are hurt while driving this dangerous vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Random Front Assist activations occurred while driving: 1) First activation occurred while beginning to move forward going around 10 mph. Front Assists warning sound and display (i.e. red CAR) came up and performed a sudden stop(brake). Car on front was about three cars length and moving forward. After car stopped Front Assist activation disappeared from the screen. 2) Second activation occurred while driving around 45mph. No cars directly on front but on the right lane. Front Assists warning sound and display (ie red CAR) came up. Car continue forward and Front Assist activation disappeared from the screen. 3) Third activation occurred while driving with no cars in the vicinity or any obstacle (~25mph). Front Assists warning sound and display (ie red CAR) came up. Car continue forward and Front Assist activation disappeared from the screen. The first two occurrences happened a day apart. The car was taken to a VW dealer but nothing was found (9/15/2021). there were no log in the computer of any front assists event. The third occurrence happened a day after the car was returned from the VW shop(9/16/2021). All occurrences happened within 1 week including today's event. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ENGINE | Driving onto the highway from the on ramp the vehicle shut off and lost control of the vehicle. Would not right away. This occured 4 times in the last 3 months. First, 3x. i thought it was me clicking or touching something on the car, thought now i know it was not me the 4th time. im sacred | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | EQUIPMENT | We have had a 2021 Atlas Premiun R Line for about 2 months and we have had issues with the audio system output loading (radio won't play mostly, can't speak or hear calls, nav won't load) but everything shows up on the screen. When this happens I have been holding the power button in for 10 seconds or so and it will fix the problem but today it wouldn't work and I had no radio or couldn't talk or hear calls. Has anyone else experienced this? If so what's the fix? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | SEATS | We have a 2021.5 Volkswagen Atlas with captain’s chairs in the 2nd row. Our 4 year old was riding in a forward-facing car seat installed with lower anchors + tether strap in the 2nd row driver’s side and a friend’s 8 year old was riding in the 3rd row driver’s side in a backless booster. I was in the front passenger seat and my husband was driving. While my husband was braking, the 8 year old lifted up on the 3rd row access lever, located on the upper left side of the 2nd row driver’s side captain’s chair. The 2nd row captain’s chair lifted up, slid forward, and SLAMMED my 4 year old son into the driver’s seat. The 8 year old immediately panicked, which caused me to turn around. My 4 year old was not making any noise - almost certainly because his nose and mouth were pressed tightly into the back of the driver’s seat, preventing him from making a sound. While in the front passenger seat, I tried to push the captain’s chair back into place - but it was way too heavy. Luckily, we were on a road where my husband was able to quickly pull over and jump out to put the captain’s chair back into place. As soon as my husband started to move the captain’s chair away from the driver’s seat, my 4 year old started screaming. After this incident, our 4 year old showed us that while buckled into his forward-facing car seat in the 3rd row of the Atlas he was able to use his foot to lift up on the 3rd row access lever, causing the captain's chair to slam into the back of the front seat exactly as happened when the 8 year old lifted the lever during our trip. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | STRUCTURE | The plastic trim on the doors failed and became lodged between the seam of the fender and the front doors. The adhesive on the trim/badges failed and allowed it to partly peel off the door. I became trapped in the vehicle and was unable to open either door because pieces were jammed in the doors range of motion. I had to physically slam my body against the door from the inside of the car to break the jammed piece and open the door. My safety was at risk as I was not able to get out of my car and it was urgent. I would not have been able to get out of my car in the case of an accident or if my car became submerged in water such as a flood. I frequently transport my 70 year old father to medical appointments and I was unable to open the door to get him out of the car due to this issue. I reported this problem in April when I first noticed the trim badges coming loose, but VW failed to fix it properly. They took a metal putty knife and attempted to bend the fender and trim back into place in the parking lot. They did not take this issue seriously and pushed off repairs for months until I finally had this event and demanded they make this car safe. This car would not have passed the State Inspection and should have never left the dealers lot. I had another mechanic assess my car and he confirmed that this was extremely unsafe and the delay in repair could have been catastrophic. I have several pictures from April until present that show how severe the defect is on my car. There are several other reports of this problem in the VW forums where the badges on the doors have become jammed in the fender seam and prevented range of motion of the front doors. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ENGINE | This is the second Volkswagen Atlas we have purchased after the first had the exact same code P2047 Evap system issues. This Atlas is brand new and it only took 3,000 miles for it to start having system issues. During driving with cruise control enabled the vehicle kicked itself out of cruise control and deactivated the ACC cruise control along with regular cruise and disabled the remote start with a check engine light. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The sunroof exploded while driving with no external object impacts. The retracted roof exploded sounded like a gunshot. I was driving about 75mph on Hwy 70 from Colorado to Utah. There were no vehicles around us. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2021 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (ACC) DISENGAGES AND SHOWS ACC ERROR, IF THE CAR WAS REMOTELY STARTED AFTER THE SUV IS PARKED WITH ACC STILL ON. DRIVER MUST TURN OFF THE CAR AND MANUALLY RESTART, OR ENSURE THAT THE ACC IS TURNED OFF BEFORE NEXT REMOTE START. VW IS AWARE OF THIS AND IT IS COMMONLY DISCUSSED ON ALL VW CONSUMER FORUMS. VW HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND DESCRIBES IT AS A SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING PROBLEM. STILL NO REPAIR, AND WAS NOT DISCLOSED TO US WHEN PURCHASING. AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALER, I WAS ABLE TO FIND THIS PROBELM ON THE VW FORUMS. DEALERS ARE CLAIMING ALL SORTS OF REASONS FOR THE PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY OPERATOR ERROR. | Crash: No Fire: No | 245 |
| Feb 2021 | WHEELS | THE VEHICLE COLLECTS SNOW/ICE WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING CAUSING IT TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE. RCM FROM VW CALLED TOLD ME TO KEEP DRIVING WHEN IT IS VIOLENTLY SHAKING BECAUSE THE SNOW WILL MELT WHILE YOUR DRIVING IN -10 DEGREE WEATHER. I HAVE HAD VEHICLES THAT COLLECT SNOW WHEN IT IS PARKED OR GO THROUGH A 15 INCH TALL DRIFT BUT NEVER THIS BAD AND NEVER WHILE DRIVING AT A CONSTANT SPEED. I HAVE HAD TO PULL OVER MULTIPLE TIMES ON A 35 MILE DRIVE ON PAVED ROADS TO CLEAN SNOW OUT AND RISK GETTING HIT BY OTHER VEHICLES. WHICH HAS ACTUALLY ALMOST HAPPENED TWICE. OTHERWISE IT STARTS TO SHAKE SO BAD I FEAR I WILL LOOSE CONTROL AND ROLL THE VEHICLE. HAS HAPPENED EVERY TIME WE GET A SNOW STORM. I HAVE HAD OR DRIVEN OVER 20 VEHICLES AND HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE COLLECT SNOW WHILE I WAS DRIVING 55-65 MPH. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,100 |
| Feb 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | MY WIFE'S 2021 ATLAS CRUISE CONTROL HAS NOT WORKED SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN JULY 2020. WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE VIA REMOTE START (APP OR REMOTE) IT DISABLES THE ENTIRE FRONT END COLLISION SYSTEM AND THE CRUISE DOES NOT WORK. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OVER 3 WEEKS IN TOTAL NOW WITH NO FIX IN SIGHT. WE ARE NOW BEING TOLD THAT WE WAIT 6 WEEKS TO SEE IF WE QUALIFY FOR THEIR LEMON LAW STANDARDS. NO LOANER WAS OFFERED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50 |
| Dec 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | MY WIFE HAD JUST GOTTEN ONTO INTERSTATE AND TIRE LIGHT COMES ON. WAS TRYING TO GET TO NEXT EXIT TO CHECK BUT HEARD A POPPING NOISE AND THEN CAR STARTED SWERVING. GOT TO SIDE OF ROAD AND ALL THE TIRE WAS GONE FROM RIGHT REAR EXCEPT RIM BEAD AREA AND ABOUT 1 INCH OF SIDEWALL. NEW CAR WITH 680 MILES USING PIRELLI SCORPION ZERO 265/45 R21 104T TIRES THAT WERE FACTORY INSTALLED. AFTER TOW REPAIR REPLACE WITH SPARE TIRE I LOCATED ALL THE TREAD TIRE AGAINST MEDIAN WALL ON HIGHWAY WHERE IT HAD STOPPED. EXCEPT FOR HAVING SEPARATED FROM RIM BEAD OF TIRE IT WAS INTACT. IT WAS LIKE A RUBBER BAND WITH NO SIDES. HAVE HAD THE 2021 ATLAS FOR 10 DAYS AND ONLY 680+ MILES ON TIRES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 680 |
| Nov 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH, I STARTED MY CAR AFTER IT HAD BEEN PARKED OUTSIDE FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN THE RAIN. AFTER BACKING MY CAR OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND THEN PROPELLING FORWARD, WATER (EASILY 1.5-2 CUPS) CAME OUT OF THE REAR VIEW MIRROR ONTO THE PANELING BELOW. THE WATER CAME OUT OF THE BUTTONS AS THEY WERE PUSHED ON THE PANEL. IN ADDITION, THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, YOU COULD SEE THE CONDENSATION IN THE BUTTONS. AS A RESULT, THE AC/HEAT PANELING DID NOT WORK CORRECTLY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. WHEN I WOULD TURN ON THE CAR, THE PANEL WOULD LIGHT UP AND AT TIMES, I COULD NOT TURN OFF SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS. THIS HAPPENED FOR AT LEAST 4 DAYS. I CALLED MY VW DEALERSHIP ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH WHEN I DISCOVERED THIS. HOWEVER, VW COULD NOT FIT ME IN TO LOOK AT THE CAR UNTIL MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND. ALSO TO NOTE, THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND GONE OFF SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. I WILL ALSO ADD THE ENTIRE DRIVER'S SIDE CEILING FROM THE WINDSHIELD TO THE SUNROOF WAS SATURATED WITH WATER. ONE PUSH OF THE FINGER AND WATER WOULD COME SEEPING OUT OF THE CEILING. AFTER TAKING IT TO VW THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH ANY SEALING OR ANY LEAK. I FEEL CONFIDENT THE SUNROOF WAS SHUT WHILE MY CAR WAS OUTSIDE AS IT HAD BEEN RAINING/SLEETING FOR A WEEK AND I HAD NO OPPORTUNITY TO USE THE SUNROOF. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,000 |
| Oct 2020 | AIR BAGS | I BOUGHT MY VEHICLE AROUND THREE WEEKS AGO. IT IS A BRAND NEW 2021 VW ATLAS. TWO DAYS AGO THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH INDICATING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM/ISSUE WITH THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG. MY HUSBAND NOTICED THE ISSUE FIRST AND SAID THAT IT OCCURRED WHEN HE STARTED THE CAR INITIALLY. THE LIGHT SEEMS TO STAY ON WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION. | Crash: No Fire: No | 800 |
| Aug 2020 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS AND IS RENDERED USELESS WHEN VEHICLE IS STARTED UTILIZING REMOTE START. VEHICLE MUST BE STOPPED TURNED OFF AND STARTED WITH PUSH BUTTON IN ORDER TO CLEAR THE MALFUNCTION AND USE CRUISE CONTROL. VOLKSWAGEN USA TECHNICIANS TOLD DEALER TECHNICIAN THAT THERE IS NO FIX FOR THE ISSUE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 150 |
| Jul 2020 | SEAT BELTS,SEATS | REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELTS CAN BECOME CAUGHT IN OVER-SHOULDER SEAT RELEASE LEVER (AFFECTS ALL REAR SEATS, EXCEPT MIDDLE BENCH SEAT). THIS CAN PREVENT SEAT BELTS FROM RETRACTING PROPERLY. THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY WHEN MIDDLE ROW SEATS ARE RETURNED TO SEATING POSITION FROM FOLD-DOWN POSITION. THIS SLIGHTLY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE T TO BE SEAT TO RELEASE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,086 |