Complaint volume
170 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
2022 Volkswagen Atlas Complaints
170 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas, grouped by component category.
170 Total complaints
3 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
2 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 service brakes, engine, air bags. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 3 crash reports, 2 fire reports, 2 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 13 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 42,048 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to service brakes, engine, air bags?
- 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 2022 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.
2022 Volkswagen Atlas
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas complaints?
3 Crash
2 Fire
2 Injury
0 Fatality
2 Towed
1 Medical attention
What are the most common 2022 Volkswagen Atlas complaint categories?
SERVICE BRAKES 29
ENGINE 18
AIR BAGS 15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3
170 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | This car has stopped several times while I have been driving. Top speed on the highway, and the car stalls. It stops completely, and I will have to manually restart it. This has been happening for the past year, since I got the car. The dealership states they have updated the software to fix it. The screen does not always come on when I start the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ENGINE | While driving the engine just stops running, no power at all and then it tells me to manually start the engine. This has happened at least 5 times in traffic!! Yesterday I was backing up and almost got hit because my engine died and I couldn't steer! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle shut off inadvertently. The contact stated that while in the process of veering to the side of the road, the vehicle restarted independently. The contact continued driving; however, the Lane Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Braking assist, Driving Assist, ESC system, TPMS warning lights, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the ACC mode exceeded the set speed while driving. The contact stated that she deactivated the ACC mode; however, while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle abruptly decelerated to 20 MPH upon releasing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was awaiting a call back. The failure mileage was approximately 16,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 16,800 |
| Nov 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Automatic braking happened when crossing an intersection. I pressed the gas to go and went a couple of feet before the automatic braking kicked in. I had to put the car in park and restart the car. Luckily I was at the front of the traffic line so I was not going at a high speed because if I had been on the freeway, etc. this would have been so dangerous . This car has 15K miles and things like this should not be happening. I have 5 kids and this would cause detrimental damage at high speeds. I started having brake issues (grinding noises, brake slippage etc.) only a couple months after getting the vehicle and have been to dealer several times to resolve the issues but no fix has lasted more than a couple months. I have an appointment to go in again next week to check automatic braking as well as the grinding noises again as they also happening again. Apparently faulty brakes are a known issue that VW will not fix. It was one thing to have to go into the dealership every quarter to get them replaced, but now this added issue of the automatic brake turning off makes me feel very unsafe to drive it. VW needs to do something to resolve the brake issues on the Atlas. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the brakes made an abnormally loud squeaking sound. The vehicle then lost motive power. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 14,000 |
| Oct 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Roughly 60 days after we purchased our Atlas the brakes started squealing, grinding, and when its wet or raining, it is nearly impossible to stop the vehicle without slamming the brakes so hard that the anti-lock braking system engages. This is a safety hazard/concern. We contacted the dealership where we purchased the vehicle (out of state) and they said this was standard and not to worry. This was mentioned at our first service at our local VW dealership and we were again told that this was normal and that the brake pads were wearing just fine. The safety concern was not addressed, nor is this normal. At our second service appointment, we asked that these be checked again and for them to address the difficulty in stopping during wet conditions. Same response, this is normal and brakes are not covered under warranty. We have since contacted the original selling dealership who lined up another service appointment with our local VW dealership, and again, we received the same answer as before. We do have audio/video of the squealing and grinding noises, and again, we have been told this is standard, and its a known problem with the VW Atlas. There are many other complaints similar to this. This should reach the level of a recall before something catastrophic happens and someone loses their life over it. I/we as owners of this type vehicle should not have to spend thousands of dollars replacing brakes shortly after purchasing this type of vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Brakes make a HORRIBLE METAL TO METAL, screeching, sharp noise when breaking. Just knowing the money that was paid for this vehicle and as I drive and brake at my children school it sounds like a cheap made vehicle. Something may be done because the sound the brakes make us truly unacceptable. I can’t believe Volkswagen has not come up with a fix. A lot of people are having issues with it. They need to resolve it for all of us Volkswagen Atlas owners. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ENGINE | My car randomly turns off while I am driving. In order to turn my car back on and use it, I need to put my car in park and press the manual restart button. This has happened more than 4 times in the 7 months I've had the vehicle. After taking it to the dealership, they could not recreate the problem, therefore nothing was done to fix it. There is no warning or noticable correlation to the problem. The first few times occurred when my car was stopped, but has progressed to happening while my car is moving (going at least 5 mph) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ENGINE | The vehicle had the low oil warning light come on while driving with less than 20k miles. Oil was added and the light came on again a day later. We took to the dealer who stated that there were several premature oil leaks. They offered no explanation for the reasoning and that the parts were on backorder and cannot tell us how long the vehicle will be out of service. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The vehicle brakes sound like metal v metal, grinding and squeaking. The dealership says that its a known problem but they have no fix. This concerns me when driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ENGINE | Oil pressure relief valve failed causing a loss of engine oil. This resulted in a low oil warning while driving. Excessive oil deposits were found throughout the engine bay creating a risk of belt slippage which could result in engine failure while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Door wire harness failed. This was post correction of all previous recalls, which included replacement if door wiring harness. The failure caused a stall and initiation of emergency brake. This occurred at a stop light with a teen driver. Driver restarted automobile and proceeded. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION | My sensors continue to beep when there is no obstruction around the vehicle. At times, this will also cause the brakes to grind. When I take it in for inspection, they are unable to find any malfunction because this happens inconsistently. This puts myself and others at risk because it is very distracting to the driver. The vehicle has been inspected by the service dealer, but they have not been able to reproduce the problem. Other lights have also popped up randomly... the driver seat belt sign, when I did have my seat belt on and the EPC sign while I drove down my street. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | Vehicle was purchased in Feb 2022. At around 4500 miles a low coolant level alert came on the dashboard. I checked the coolant level and saw that it was low with signs of leaking. Purchased coolant from VW dealer and topped off. Brakes make a metallic scraping/grinding sound when coming to a stop downhill at a slow speed. Vehicle runs loud and slow. Feels like engine airflow is obstructed, but it isn't. Infotainment systems constantly freezes, turns off, restarts and frequently crashes. Inductive mobile charging unit has never worked. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The breaks make a horrible grinding and squeak sound. Feels unsafe to drive car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Began getting front end collision alerts and unexpected automatic emergency braking shortly after purchase. Unexpected braking, slowing/stopping of the vehicle is a safety hazard. Returned car to VW dealer in Irvine, CA in Feb 2023 and July 2023. Explained this was safety issue concern. The dealer claimed the issue was from damaged front bumper sensors from debris or other impacts, though the car is only operated normally on So. Cal. roads and freeways. Dealer also claimed that small windshield chips were causing the sensors and front collision system to malfunction. We stated that these safety related components should withstand more than a few months of normal driving and the warnings/unintended braking presented a safety hazard to us and other drivers. I told the dealer the issue is not the sensors, but likely a bigger underlying problem with the system’s programing or software. The dealer insisted the sensors and windshield were the issue. Knowing it was unlikely the sensors, I requested the dealer provide me with the original sensors for future inspection. Both dealer and VW initially refused to cover any “repairs.” Once mentioned contacting DOT ODI, VW offered to pay for labor of the sensors if we purchased the 3 required ($661.48). Dealer said we would need to pay for the windshield ($789.89) and installation ($250.00)and they would cover cost of calibrating the windshield sensors. Total out of pocked $1,701.37. Told them I wanted just to do the sensors first to see if that alone would solve the problem. They said if we did not purchase the windshield at that time, if we needed it afterwards, they would charge an additional $450 for calibration. Once the work was complete we picked up the car on [XXX]. On [XXX] the car again started to experience the same false front collision warnings. The dealer only advised to return car for a third time for the same issue. This serious issue needs to be corrected in the interest of driver safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Vehicle 2 hrs after purchased start/stop failure notice came on. Vehicle died without emergency brakes or any brake system at all take place in middle of the road. Took to the dealer where it was purchased from immediately-4 days later “repaired” replaced a valve stating a flap wasn’t closing correctly. 3 weeks later out of state same thing happened 3 different times traveling 70 mph on the way back to our home, only this time we had cars swerving behind us to avoid hitting us as we were in middle lane, immediately I threw on the flashers while driver was attempting to place it in park when the gear shift stuck same error all 3 times start/stop fail only this time the check engine light came on as well as the start stop error light on the dash and permanently stayed on until we could get to the dealership where we purchased it- vehicle stalled again the same way only this time attempting to park vehicle to check in for inspection | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | While driving in stop and go city traffic with the auto start/stop disengaged, the vehicle completely shut off while in drive. After releasing the brakes to proceed in traffic I was unable to control the vehicle or accelerate. The vehicle indicated that it needed to be placed in park and started manually. During this time there was no control of the vehicle. The passengers were at risk of a disabled vehicle in city traffic and the vehicle inappropriately turned off. Since owning the vehicle this incident has occurred several times (approximately 7 times over 2 years). It has also occurred in inclined surfaces where the vehicle continues to roll and cannot be controlled until placed in park and restarted. The vehicle has been serviced by the dealership on multiple occasions and diagnosed for this concern. There is no solution from the dealership. The primary concern is safety. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving down the highway our sunroof shattered and nothing had hit the sunroof. Glass fell into the car as our cover was retracted and put our baby at risk. Our car is under 1 year old and there were no warnings or other symptoms evident before the incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The brakes squeak and grid a lot. During the rain the brakes do not stop fast at the first apply and they don't perform well, because a lot of debris from the brake pads are stuck at brake system. VW Certified Technician stated that it is manufacturer defective brake system and it needs replacement but they refused to replace it under warranty. This issue was stated by me from the first week I bought this vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance system was malfunctioning. The contact stated while driving 30-45 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light illuminated while there were no vehicles or objects nearby. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the Forward Collision Avoidance system could have been triggered by significantly small objects and was operating as designed. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. Additionally, the contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image displayed, then disappeared. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic tests; however, the dealer failed to update the contact for two weeks. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that they were waiting for an engineer to provide the next steps going forward. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | We purchased this vehicle new in 2022, since the purchase, we have taken the car in for defective brakes and brake noise. 2 different dealerships have resurfaced the rotors and brake pads for a total of 3 resurfaces and the noise ( grinding like metal on metal ) still exists. We have contacted VolkswagenUSA and they are not able to tell us what is causing the noise and want us to pay 10% of the repair costs event thought this issue has been going on during the warranty period. Thank you | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Brand new Atlas has the worst brake pads/rotors! Screech & squeal incessantly in reverse and when braking. Dealer has said this is "normal" and is not under warranty. Drive to and from work every day and this happens each time within the first 10 minutes of starting the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Emergency braking system was activated on 15 FWY, traveling north just south of Magnolia (33.8652148,-117.5413564) No vehicle or objects were in front of me. I was in the far left lane traveling at freeway speeds for over 2 miles before the emergency braking system was activated. The vehicle traveling behind me was able to maneuver into the other lane to avoid hitting me. I took the vehicle to the dealership and the indicate the logs only shows the warning was activated, but do not show the vehicle applied the brakes. This is the 3rd instance of this happening. I also have had 2 legit instance where someone cut me off and the emergency braking system activated as design to avoid the collision. VW states these entries are not in the logs. This indicates there has to be an issue with the software. I am also experiencing false positives on the other sensors in the system, the system indicate a vehicle or object is on the side of the vehicle, I have videos showing the sensors are falsely altering. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Brakes are always squeaky and making grinding noises for the first 10 minutes of every drive. Brake pedal is also squeaky. Was brought to dealership two times and told that it's normal. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |