2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS Complaints and Recall Information

SUSPENSION

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport and 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. Certain bolts on the chassis, brake system and/or suspension (such as bolts for certain cross member, engine mount, control arm, subframe, rear brake carrier, etc.) of affected vehicles may not have been correctly tightened during the manufacturing process.

Risk: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

ENGINE

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine cover may have been improperly installed after vehicle service, allowing it to come loose and contact hot engine surfaces.

Risk: A loose engine cover that contacts hot surfaces in the engine compartment can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera image to become distorted when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A distorted rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

The autonomous braking activates out of no where while driving. Violently hard and nothing around. A message appears on the dash board saying it can not sense hands on steering wheel. Also while backing up it will activate and no one is near the car or it even activates in an empty parking lot. The car jolted so hard when this happens and everyone went flying forward. No ..the dealer has had the car for 8 days and says they can not replicate the problem. He asked me for permission to drive it to Land O Lakes and I said no the car is very dangerous and that is a huge liability . I gave them permission to drive it around local only. No the vehicle has only been inspected by the dealer. He said since they can not replicate it he can not have a mechanic from Volkswagen assigned to it. No nothing appeared only after. Also, the brakes squeak and sound like it’s grinding on metal like a very old car. Also the front assist beeps loud when nothing is in front of the car. Also, when I go to start the car at times, it will not detect the key. I will bring the second key and it will not detect the second key also. Also the radio screen constantly disconnects everything and it will turn black and then display 0000 with a date of April 6 2025. Also while driving the app will say the door is open. The trunk is open the windows open when everything is closed. That also happens at 2 AM or 3 AM. It will say the trunk is open. The door is open and everything is closed.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The autonomous braking activates out of no where while driving. Violently hard and nothing around. A message appears on the dash board saying it can not sense hands on steering wheel. Also while backing up it will activate and no one is near the car or it even activates in an empty parking lot. The car jolted so hard when this happens and everyone went flying forward. No ..the dealer has had the car for 8 days and says they can not replicate the problem. He asked me for permission to drive it to Land O Lakes and I said no the car is very dangerous and that is a huge liability . I gave them permission to drive it around local only. No the vehicle has only been inspected by the dealer. He said since they can not replicate it he can not have a mechanic from Volkswagen assigned to it. No nothing appeared only after. Also, the brakes squeak and sound like it’s grinding on metal like a very old car. Also the front assist beeps loud when nothing is in front of the car. Also, when I go to start the car at times, it will not detect the key. I will bring the second key and it will not detect the second key also. Also the radio screen constantly disconnects everything and it will turn black and then display 0000 with a date of April 6 2025. Also while driving the app will say the door is open. The trunk is open the windows open when everything is closed. That also happens at 2 AM or 3 AM. It will say the trunk is open. The door is open and everything is closed.

SERVICE BRAKES

The autonomous braking activates out of no where while driving. Violently hard and nothing around. A message appears on the dash board saying it can not sense hands on steering wheel. Also while backing up it will activate and no one is near the car or it even activates in an empty parking lot. The car jolted so hard when this happens and everyone went flying forward. No ..the dealer has had the car for 8 days and says they can not replicate the problem. He asked me for permission to drive it to Land O Lakes and I said no the car is very dangerous and that is a huge liability . I gave them permission to drive it around local only. No the vehicle has only been inspected by the dealer. He said since they can not replicate it he can not have a mechanic from Volkswagen assigned to it. No nothing appeared only after. Also, the brakes squeak and sound like it’s grinding on metal like a very old car. Also the front assist beeps loud when nothing is in front of the car. Also, when I go to start the car at times, it will not detect the key. I will bring the second key and it will not detect the second key also. Also the radio screen constantly disconnects everything and it will turn black and then display 0000 with a date of April 6 2025. Also while driving the app will say the door is open. The trunk is open the windows open when everything is closed. That also happens at 2 AM or 3 AM. It will say the trunk is open. The door is open and everything is closed.

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

When driving on a road with lane markings after the vehicle has been sitting in direct sunlight for about an hour the Lane Keep Assist system will fail due to over temperature warning in the windshield camera module. The dashboard will display the message “Lane Assist is currently not available. Please see owner's manual.” and any driver assist system that utilizes the lane assist system will become unavailable for about 15 minutes. After about 15 minutes of driving the errors will go away as the system reboots itself with no notification that the system functionality has returned. The “over temperature” error was confirmed by my local VW dealership on June 10, 2025 but has occurred 3 separate times.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

When driving on a road with lane markings after the vehicle has been sitting in direct sunlight for about an hour the Lane Keep Assist system will fail due to over temperature warning in the windshield camera module. The dashboard will display the message “Lane Assist is currently not available. Please see owner's manual.” and any driver assist system that utilizes the lane assist system will become unavailable for about 15 minutes. After about 15 minutes of driving the errors will go away as the system reboots itself with no notification that the system functionality has returned. The “over temperature” error was confirmed by my local VW dealership on June 10, 2025 but has occurred 3 separate times.

POWER TRAIN

While on road, waiting to turn left across oncoming traffic, numerous dashboard lights went off, warning messages for TCM and ESC systems and car would not move forward with pressing on accelerator. As if the car was in neutral.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While on road, waiting to turn left across oncoming traffic, numerous dashboard lights went off, warning messages for TCM and ESC systems and car would not move forward with pressing on accelerator. As if the car was in neutral.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Was operating vehicle when all of a sudden it stop in the middle of the highway. Engine turned iff. Was able to crank back up but vehicle would not shift into drive, reverse or any motion gear. Vehicle stopped in the morgue of an active roadway which created an absolute critical safety issue due to oncoming traffic. Was able to push vehicle from the roadway in neutral but transmission will not otherwise engage. Very high probability that this issue could have resulted in serious car accident if vehicle had became disabled at a high speed.

POWER TRAIN

Was operating vehicle when all of a sudden it stop in the middle of the highway. Engine turned iff. Was able to crank back up but vehicle would not shift into drive, reverse or any motion gear. Vehicle stopped in the morgue of an active roadway which created an absolute critical safety issue due to oncoming traffic. Was able to push vehicle from the roadway in neutral but transmission will not otherwise engage. Very high probability that this issue could have resulted in serious car accident if vehicle had became disabled at a high speed.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Was operating vehicle when all of a sudden it stop in the middle of the highway. Engine turned iff. Was able to crank back up but vehicle would not shift into drive, reverse or any motion gear. Vehicle stopped in the morgue of an active roadway which created an absolute critical safety issue due to oncoming traffic. Was able to push vehicle from the roadway in neutral but transmission will not otherwise engage. Very high probability that this issue could have resulted in serious car accident if vehicle had became disabled at a high speed.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The panoramic sunroof shattered with no outside influence. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The interior fabric cover was retracted at the time and the glass shattered on my [XXX] daughter. My husband also received a few small cuts to this arms from pieces of glass on the center console while trying to check to make sure our child was safe. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The dealer is aware of the problem, but insists it was not a defect. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle was inspected by the service department at the dealership it was purchased from nine days prior to the incident. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. On Monday [XXX], my husband and daughter were traveling on an empty two-lane highway in rural Texas. There were no overpasses, no trees hanging over the roadway, and no other cars on the road. My husband said he heard a sound like a gunshot and then the glass was raining down on them. He pulled over immediately. We were able to get the care to the dealership we had purchased it from, 8 days earlier. Volkswagen denied our warranty claim (though the dealership did acknowledge similar issues in the past) and insists that there must have been an outside influence that struck the glass. My husband is adamant that is not the case, and simple physics make it clear that it would be impossible for our own tires to throw up a projectile with enough force to shatter the sunroof. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Ever since the 2nd day I owned the car which I purchased on [XXX], the interior lighting, sunroof button and roadside assistance button operate themselves when it's colder then 40 degrees outside, the lights blink, the sunroof button doesn't work and the roadside assistance gets called repeatedly. All this is very distracting while driving, especially in the evening time. I have video recorded it and also opened a ticket with volkswagon and also have shown the issue in person to the service manager Ian and antwerpan volkswagon in pasadena, md. They said they contacted volkswagon but have not heard back. So in the meantime I'm having to deal with this. The representative at the shop advised me to "cover the light with something" so it doesn't bother me at night. Unbelievable!! I am beginning to become very distressed!! This is a brand new car that I've owned for 2 months with no remedy and rude help from volkswagon dealer. I have videos of a few issues and a call to service at volkswagon but this page will not let me include my videos. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Ever since the 2nd day I owned the car which I purchased on [XXX], the interior lighting, sunroof button and roadside assistance button operate themselves when it's colder then 40 degrees outside, the lights blink, the sunroof button doesn't work and the roadside assistance gets called repeatedly. All this is very distracting while driving, especially in the evening time. I have video recorded it and also opened a ticket with volkswagon and also have shown the issue in person to the service manager Ian and antwerpan volkswagon in pasadena, md. They said they contacted volkswagon but have not heard back. So in the meantime I'm having to deal with this. The representative at the shop advised me to "cover the light with something" so it doesn't bother me at night. Unbelievable!! I am beginning to become very distressed!! This is a brand new car that I've owned for 2 months with no remedy and rude help from volkswagon dealer. I have videos of a few issues and a call to service at volkswagon but this page will not let me include my videos. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)