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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Engine keep stalling out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | The engine keeps stalling out. | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle stalled and shut off 5 times while driving in past month. Took it to VW Dealership. They said low voltage on battery could make the stop/start feature not able to restart car. They also stated fuel injector #3 error was showing on diagnostic machine. After replacing battery, spark plugs, and gasket ($2300), dealership says that fuel injector error still showing and would cost $1400 to replace. They said it is recommended and my car shutting off is fixed with battery replacement. 24 hours after picking up from dealership, car shut off AGAIN. I have read on forums this is a known issue and many have resolved issue with evap cannister (charcoal) replacement. This is a big safety issue and VW needs to remedy issue as a recall | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2021 volkswagon Atlas, needed new oil pan after few months due to major oil leak. had to pay out of pocket for rental 1 week. Wipers came flying off on driver's side hitting side window scratching car. Dealership said nothing wrong (my dad tightened bolts they were loose) heater in back started making horrible noise, said nothing was wrong. Needed new breaks, rotors numerous times. When backing up makes horrible noise, to this day. 10/7/23 driving down road at 28 mph my car stalled out. Did this numerous times w/in 3 weeks, brought to dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong. Kept happening brought it back. They change emission module & oil. Car started sounding like a tractor. Brought it to different dealership. Going down road at 45 mph with 4 kids in car. Car stalls out. No steering no breaks. Super scary. Car keeps stalling out, going down road at 58mph car stalls out, no steering no breaks again everything locks up. 18 wheeler behind me, 3 kids in car. Brought to another dealership, they stated never heard of car stalling out before. They stated other dealership put wrong oil in, they did another oil change and said my car was safe to drive. Car still kept stalling out almost every time I slowed down or came to a stop, or even when starting it before leaving had to restart numerous times. Fast forward car been in shop since 2/1/24. Said metal shavings in oil filter now needs new motor & theres bearings missing. (they told me car was safe to drive) we asked about safety issue, they said what safety issue? Whycar keeps stalling? Said never heard of this issue with the cars before. they want 9k for a rebuilt motor w/ way more miles than my car has now, Ive been in rental for 3 weeks out of pocket pay. Dealership can't promise me this will fix car. Car is a death trap and I have precious cargo, I don't feel safe driving it. Research says lots of people having same issues. VW Rep says never heard of this. Called lawyers yup its a common lawsuit, lemon car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Car shuts off randomly when slowing down. Changed out the charcoal canister and purge valve and it is still doing it | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | AIR BAGS | The airbag:error light and message came on. All other models of 2021 VW Atlas were recalled for this issue last year but for some reason our model was not. However, ours started having the same air bag issue, but it has not been recalled yet so the dealership will not cover the repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My 2021 VW Atlas SE died at a drive thru again. And when I took my foot off the break, it didn’t start back up. I completely panicked. At start up initially I disable the start/stop as usual. At this stop sign, my engine completely shut off, dash said to manually start. I tried to pull off but my car just jolted as if I had the park break on. I hit the start button but nothing. I had to put it in park then start again. But I had to wait for traffic to pass and it killed again on me. I put it in park again, start button then was able to pull away. This happens randomly every few weeks with no warning. Pulling into a car wash, bank atm, drive thru, etc... I've taken it to multiple VW dealers who tell me that if they can't get it to recreate the issue, there's nothing they can do. But it's random and unpredictable. They told my wife to whip out her phone and try to get a video of when it happens again. Again, not possible. I printed off dozens of threads of other VW Atlas customers experiencing this exact issue but they told me they can't go off of crap I find on the internet. I called all 6 VW dealers within an hour away and NONE of them have ever heard of this happening which I find highly unlikely. I've chatted in with VW care team and they gave me the exact same thing, no repairs until they can recreate it. This is a huge safety issue. You think you'd be more worried about the liability issues here if you were VW. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Component Malfunction: Emergency Braking system (EBS) engaged without warning systems alerting inside the car cockpit at a speed of 50 MPH on a high speed 4’ lane street. The car would not move forward and disengage the EBS until the ignition was turned off and appeared to reset the car. The driver was able to drive to the next driveway and inspect the car and review the site on the street where the car suddenly engaged the EBS. There was no visible evidence of debris or obstacles in the path of travel. Safety: The sudden stop physically jolted the driver, causing muscle soreness for several days. There were no cars in the area at the time, if there had been, the car would have created a major accident due sudden stop in traffic and potential physical damage to the driver. The sudden stop did impact the drivers shoulders and back muscles for several days of soreness. Dealership confirmation / Inspection: The issue was reported to the dealership and the next day was driven to the dealership (at the request of the dealership service team). The dealership is currently inspecting the vehicle. No other inspections occurred outside the owners visual inspection of the wheel wheels and brakes immediately after the EBS incident Prior warning lights / related incidents: There was warning lamps that lasted for about a mile of driving approximately a week before this incident and the car sensors have suddenly gone off in the past without any cars in the vicinity. The car has also been having wire harness issues in the drivers door that result in unresponsive or opposite operation of the window switch on the drivers side door. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving my 2021 Volkswagen Atlas on a Friday evening that has under 55,000 miles and it stopped on me while I was driving. I have NEVER had any problems with this vehicle. This was a HUGE safety issue, as my vehicle stopped at a light while in motion at an intersection and it would not go forward. I attempted to turn my vehicle off and back on, then put the vehicle into park, drive, and reverse and it would not go into any gear and made this loud noise. I had to place my foot on the brakes so the vehicle would not roll until the tow company arrived all while in the middle of the intersection. My vehicle was towed to the Sutherlin Volkswagen of Lithia Springs Georgia on [XXX] and was told by an advisor on [XXX] that my Cv Axle Spline Malfunction causing Cv Axle to back out of the transmission housing, and to repair this will cost me $1355 since I'm now out of the warranty. I have been without a vehicle since 1-8-2024 so I reserved a rental for 1 week paying $255. The dealer states the parts will take a few days to come so I will be down another week and with no vehicle and I can't afford to pay for another and pay for repairs. I'm filing an official compliant because this was a safety hazard that could have ended multi car collision. My vehicle had no warning lights. I also took my vehicle to the dealer on the regular for the oil change and multi-point inspection as preventatives measures with received indication that my cv axle needed replacement. I have included the analysis estimate received from the dealer and rental bill I paid for. I look forward to hearing from you in regard to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | MY BRAKE WARNING COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME WHILE DRIVING, ADAPTIVE ACC WARNING LIGHT COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME LETTING ME KNOW I NEED TO STOP USING IT, FRONT SENSORS COMES ON WHILE DRIVING LETTING ME KNOW I'M TO CLOSE TO AN OBJECT WHILE DRIVING AND THERE'S NO VEHICLE THERE OR CLOSE TO MY SUV. THIS HAS HAPPEN ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND BEEN TAKEN TO VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT, (VW OF OAKLAND), AND WAS TOLD THEY CAN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM . LAST DATE THIS HAPPEN WAS 01/03/24, I HAVE VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT ON MY CELL PHONE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Since purchasing the car new, my brakes squeal and make a grinding noise. They don’t stop well and the noise doesn’t stop until I drive the car for a while. This happens every time I drive my vehicle. I have taken it to VW service and they say that it is normal for those kinds of brakes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The gps in the vehicle navigation shows an inaccurate location of the vehicle, which causes problems for adaptive cruise, and vehicle safety notifications on the dash. Incorrect speed limit indicators occur as a result, and vehicle navigation is rendered useless. It looks ridiculous to all passengers as the vehicle will show on GPS somewhere it isn’t, even driving through fields where there are now roads. Problem is intermittent and can last for days or minutes at a time. Known problem on the 2021 as well as more recent models of the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | The breaks are very loud- squeaky and grinding. Have had them checked several times and break pads are in good condition. Additionally after the car is idle for several hours, it’ll be a loud gurgle when breaks are applied the first few “stops”. Additionally, when driving in cold weather the rear the stability assist light on the dash will engage. It will flash on and off so to be uncertain if the traction control is engaged on possible slippery roads | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |