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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Currently there are 17500 miles on the vehicle and at times the extreme harsch downshift is back. The car will shake so strong that it seems that someone hit us in the back. No hills, smooth and flat streets, no potholes. Not sure what is going on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My vehicle has been to the dealership multiple times for incorrectly stalling, revving RPMS at uphill turns and rough idling with no corrective action taken. initial issues started around 30k miles and the dealership continued to tell me nothing is wrong because engine light was not on. I recently went over a speed bump in a school zone. My vehicle stalled and my engine light came on. Initial code was P0446 error code indicates an evaporative emission control system (EVAP) vent control circuit malfunction. The N80 purge valve and charcoal canister were to blame for this uneasy safety issue. I was told at the dealership that my charcoal canister might malfunction if i overfill my vehicle with gas which made me realize, this may have been the initial issue. I put gas until it clicks off but i have noticed my vehicle went from filling up with 16.5 gallons to stopping at 18-19 gallons. I have also noticed when i park my car and my gas is close to the empty line it shoots back up just a bit next time i turn on my vehicle. Now I am monitoring my gas gauge as this may be faulty and what caused all the safety issues I was experiencing. I drive my car very scared these days not knowing when it will randomly turn off on me while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | LED strip for day time running light went out in both headlight assemblies within 9 months/14k miles of each other. Had to replace entire headlight assemblies. Passenger side at 49k September 2023 and driver side at 63k June 2024. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Frequently, the carbon/graphite canister causes issues - even the VW mechanic has admitted to me personally that it's a poor design. Other people mention this same issue here [XXX] This issue has caused safety issues for us several times during the time I've owned this vehicle. The vehicle can stall while backing up, or (less commonly) while driving forward at full speed. This did happen to us two years ago while driving over a bridge, the vehicle completely stalled while coming down the bridge on a highway. Fortunately we were able to pull off and restart the car which resolved the issue; we had to bring it into the dealership and they replaced the carbon canister. It's also happened while backing up out of parking spots and other times when the vehicle is in motion. This issue is common and VW has issued an extended warranty to cover the expenses incurred by this common issue, but they haven't recalled it, fixed it, or changed the design on newer cars either. I had to bring my car back today for this and am currently waiting for the parts - so here I have to drive it for at least another week while fully at risk of causing an issue; they also refused to give me a different car. Driving this car with such a frequent dangerous issue makes me wish I'd never bought a Volkswagen. I now need to get a different car purely because of this issue, so it's really just not right what VW is doing here. They need to be forced to fix this issue - I am not comfortable driving it or another VW knowing about this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | I hear a loud grinding, metal-on-metal noise when braking or while driving. I also notice vibrations or pulsation in the pedal or steering wheel. Whenever the car sits for a period of time, about 90% of the time, the car will produce a massively loud metal-on-metal grind that can be felt in the brake pedal and steering wheel for the first 3 or so stops from 30mph or higher. The dealership claims it's "normal," which is unacceptable for a vehicle bought in 2021. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS | The vehicle has been giving off an Airbag error warning when in operation. After taking the vehicle in to a VW dealership, they checked for any active recalls on the vehicle and told me that there were no recalls found for my make, model, and year vehicle and wanted to charge $200 just for them to check and see if there was a problem with the airbags. After doing my own check, I realized that the error message occurred because it was not registering that I had a passenger in the front passenger seat. The airbag in this location does not activate when someone is in the passenger seat. I've checked the NHTSA records to see that a recall was issued on this problem within the last 12 months and notification letters went out in March of 2024. The referenced vehicle is used and was purchased in January 2024 and should have been included in the recall register. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS | Airbag:Error message on display. Passenger airbag not working properly when operating vehicle. Safety of family and children at risk when riding in front passenger seat of vehicle. Warning light appeared approx 1 month ago. Called dealership was told no recall, no fix. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS | There is an airbag warning indicator on in my vehicle. I have reached out the manufacture of this car with no help. I am concerned that the safety of my vehicle is compromised. Who is to say that the airbag will fail during an accident or that the airbag would deploy on it's own without accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | The hood release broke, and we can no longer open the hood of the vehicle. There is no tension in the release mechanism, and it appears the release cable has broken/become loose. Without the ability to open the hood, I can’t check my oil, refill engine coolant, refill wiper fluid, etc., let alone investigate an issue. Generally unsafe to drive. There were no warnings on the dash (the lever was simply dangling). We took the car to the dealer, and they confirmed the hood release was broken, and likely a bad cable (as anticipated). Online research confirmed this is a common issue among VWs, especially the Atlas. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle infrequently stalls when approaching idle conditions making it unsafe at intersections | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was driving on surface streets at approximately 25mi/hr when the car suddenly breaked on its own all lights in the dash turned red and the car made an alarm sound. This lasted a few seconds but the cars behind me had to break in order not to rear end me. The sudden break felt like I got hit by another car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS | My 2021 Volkswagen Atlas has been sporadically giving me an error message for my airbag. Upon googling the issue, it appears that VW did in fact recall the airbags for many VW Atlas years 2018-2021. When I called the dealership to get the airbag issue resolved, they informed me that my vehicle was not recalled for this issue. When I took it to the shop, the code being read from my car is the exact problem that VW recalled. Therefore, my car is affected by the airbag safety issue and should be involved in the recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | When coming to a stop light, car occasionally shuts off engine completely. Needing car to be put in park and to push start button to restart car. It is not the automatic stop/start technology. Sometimes happend back to back and leaving us dead in traffic for a few seconds. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | My vehicle has stalled out before for no reason and the dealership is unable to help in diagnosing the issue without a fault code. This issue has been ongoing since i purchased my vehicle in 2021. Three years later as I was making a sharp left turn going very slow my car stalled out, engine light came on and I received a start/stop error along with a message stating to restart the engine manually. Again this has been happing since i purchased brand new from dealership. Every turn I make going uphill, my vehicle stutters and rpms revved up which is very unsafe and has me on constant alert. Now that an engine code appeared, I am out of warranty and dealership still refuses to help with the issue. code fault i received from engine light is P0496. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | The engine keeps stalling out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | Engine keep stalling out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | Engine stalled at slow speed. Had to place vehicle in park, turn ignition off, open door as if we were leaving, close door, and then I could start. No error code or check engine light was on, happen 3 times now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Engine stalled again, no warning, no check engine light, nothing when coming to a slow stop. Had to place vehicle in park, shut ignition off, open driver side door, close door. Only then I was able to start the car. This is the second time this happened. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | GPS Navigation that is built in constantly freezes and or is close to 8-9 miles off course. Will also guide you to the complete opposite direction as you need to travel. In the past 6 months, the vehicle has been back to the dealer 5-6 times for this issue, for the past two months is have been at the dealer for close to 5 weeks, they try to reprogram, replace modules still no fix. It is a serious issue, since you cannot securely navigate, the system will tell you to make a u turn on a freeway, to drive over a lake and or farmland. Seems a lot of people have issues with this and there need to be a safety recall. I do have plenty of movies that will show the lockup and or the completely erratic behavior but they are all over the size limit. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Frequently when the vehicle drives very slowly in bumper to bumper, or when coming to a stop the engine will completely stop. Electronics stay on but a message telling me to turn the car appears on the dash. I then have to put the vehicle in park and then press the power on button, put the car back into drive. The car continues to state there is an error with the Automatic shut off feature. I have brought this to my VW dealership twice now for a fix. The first time they said it was an update which did nothing. The 2nd time they replaced a valve and that also did nothing. This has done this many times in bumper to bumper traffic and is very concerning/dangerous. It seemed to be less of a problem during cold weather and an increasing problem the warmer it gets. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I feel that the straps are faulty and have been for some time. I tried to follow up with Nuna directly and was not successful as apparently a carseat that was purchased in 2021 is out of their warranty (yet kids should be in carseats for a VERY long time). The carseat is available upon request for inspection. I cannot get a tight pull on the crotch pull to make the straps tight on my child. They seem to always feel loose and such a struggle to pull the strap. The straps feels as though they have lost their "taught-ness" and are loosy goosey just feeling. How was the child’s safety put at risk? I don't feel the straps are tight enough to his body to keep him safe in the event of an accident. I can't get the pull strap to budge, it feels stuck or broken inside and you cant get to it at all. Has the car seat been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? I had filed a report with Nuna but they were unable to do anything because of the warranty no longer being valid. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The forward collision warning activated out of the blue and the automatic emergency braking was applied for no reason. Was driving to go pick up daughter from school on March 11, 2024 at approximately 11:50 AM. Driving on neighborhood road with speed limit of 40 mph. Driving at 40 mph with no other vehicles anywhere near me in front, behind, or in opposing lane. All of a sudden the front collision warning light on dash popped up and the emergency brakes applied for no reason! This caused the vehicle to seize up and come to a screeching halt. Luckily there were no vehicles behind me that could have rear-ended me, and there were no other vehicles coming from opposing direction that I would might have slid into. There was NO reason why this should have happened. There were NO vehicles anywhere in the vicinity. No leaves falling, no debris in the roadway, nothing. No inclement weather, it was sunny and dry but cold approximatley 40 F. Inspected front of vehicle afterwards and there was nothing obstructing the sensors or cameras on front end. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | yes when start the car and drive from 0-20 mph from the start you will hear a lound noise when applying the brake and now getting louder and louder everywhere you drive the vehicle. took it in the dealer 2-3 time and they are telling me is manufactures design. don't have this problem from day one I purchase the vehicle but now after 40k. miles start this problem specially brake, its scare me to drive the vehicle.. please, advise. Thank you.. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Broken Hood Release Cable at 60,726 odometer miles on a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas 2021.5 3.6L V6 SE w/Technology 4Motion. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I recently purchased a certified pre-owned 2021 VW Atlas R-line SUV. It came with a warranty of up to 50,000 miles or through 2027. Shortly after I purchased the car (a few weeks in) the side passenger collision sensor would alert me from time to time (not consistently). I brought it in and the VW dealer shared that due to the Minnesota winters and road salt, keeping a clean exterior of the car would help with the sensor issue. I have been washing my car weekly to avoid the noise and frustration of the false alert. It DID NOT resolve the problem. Now (3 months since purchase) the front AND side collision sensors are falsely detecting and alerting that something is present. When brought back to my local certified VW dealer, they "claim" it is due to a rock or "external influence" hitting and damaging the sensors. First, tell me how a side sensor gets hit by a rock. Second, the sensors should not have been made if small debris from regular road travel will cause damage within three years. Third, I only travel on highways. I do not need to take gravel/dirt roads, etc. for my personal and professional travel needs. I am the sole driver of the vehicle. I searched online and found several VW forums indicating the same issue on models since 2018 and for several different models within the VW make (including video evidence which I also have but cannot upload to this form submission). Here is one forum with similar video footage: [XXX] Please review and investigate as a third party. VW and dealers are outrageously charging over $1,000 for a sensor that should not have been approved in the build of the model if failing this quickly. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |