26 complaints reported

2019 Volkswagen Atlas UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
26
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Oct 2025

Water pump failure leading to replacemnet of of water pump and valve cover gasket on engine. 2019 Atlas vehicles have been covered in a recent settlement but my trim model did not qualify.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2025
Sep 2025

My engine light is on. I got a diagnostic test which shows the catalytic converter is failing (emissions related). This should be included in the current 2020 recall 24FK but my VIN is not included in the recall. I don't understand why it's currently not included. Can it be added?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2025
Aug 2025

My water pump is going bad with only 64,505 miles on it. My VIN number wasn’t included in the federal emissions warranty of 80,000 miles or 8 years. I believe this is an oversight. Please review why my vehicle was excluded from the extended warranty.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2025
May 2025

My 2019 Volkswagen Atlas 3.6L has shut off multiple times while driving, including once at 55 mph. I consistently receive a “Stop/Start System Error” message at startup. As of today, the check engine light has come on and there is an extremely strong smell of gasoline at the rear of the vehicle after driving. The fuel smell is intense enough to make me concerned about fire risk. I have young children, and this is my only vehicle. The combination of engine stalling, an active check engine light, and a raw gas smell poses a serious safety hazard to my family and others on the road. This appears to match known issues under VW’s recall 20V716000 for cracked fuel injectors and TSB 01-23-09 for engine control software glitches. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether more 2019 VW Atlas vehicles—including mine—should be included in these recalls, and whether VW is providing adequate support to affected families. I cannot safely drive my vehicle, and I cannot afford a rental. This is an urgent public safety concern.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: May 2025
Nov 2024

My vehicle cut off twice while idling. The 2nd time I was sitting at a red-light and it was very busy. There was no warning or lights that appeared on the dashboard. Although I currently use the automatic starter system, this should not be an issue that puts me and my family in unsafe conditions. This is the first time this has happened, so I have not taken it to the dealership. After chatting with other Atlas owners who are having the same issue, it was suggested to report the issue to you all. It is my perception that this becominga recall issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2024
Nov 2024

The vehicle randomly turns off in the middle of the road. The car has been doing this for months and the only Volkswagen in my area doesn’t have time to look at it and it is no longer in warranty. Currently have 76,500 miles and the car has been randomly turning off since we purchased it in December of 2023. This car is a hazard to my entire family and others.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2023
Oct 2024

The car would state, “Do not exit the car unless it is in park.” “Transmission is in safety mode.” Appointment was made and over July 17th. Part was not in until August 15th. This presents a danger for Atlas drivers if the shifter fails and the car could roll. Volkswagon had a similar recall for Golf, Beetle, and Jetta models.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2024
Sep 2024

Dripping water from roof center control and wet on interior when it’s rain.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2024
Aug 2024

While stopped at a red light awaiting a turn light, my vehicle made clicking noises and turned off. Although the lights and other items remained on, we were unable to restart the vehicle or move it. After the turn light already turned green and someone began to road rage us, the car let us restart it and we were able to drive normally. The vehicle behind us followed us aggressively as they had missed the turn light and were apparently very upset. The car then drove normally. This issue has happened several times.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2024
Jul 2024

The car shuts off while driving. The dealership can’t re-create and isn’t sure what the problem is.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2024
Jun 2024

Car turns itself off when stopped when still in drive. Happens even when the auto stop/start feature is disabled. It happens randomly, doesn’t matter if engine is hot or cold or weather is different. First happened while sitting at bank or drive thru, happened twice in car wash rollers, now happening at stoplights.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2024
Feb 2024

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Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2024
May 2023 Injury

I was driving with my husband in the passenger seat and my 5 month old baby girl in the back seat. All of a sudden we heard a loud sound that sounded like a gunshot and our sunroof shattered. There were no other cars around and we were not driving under any bridges. We pulled over immediately and checked to see if we could find a something in the car but we did not find anything. There was a hole in our sunroof and shattered glass on us.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: May 2023
Apr 2023

The beep when I lock the car stopped working for months. Then one day it started working again. Then it stopped working and hasnt worked since.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Mar 2023

I have had an issue with my vehicle shutting off while 1) at a stop (red light/stop sign) 2)while coasting and also stuttering as I reverse. This has happened both while the start/stop was turned on as well as when it is turned off. I have taken it to the dealership three times and the best response I have received is that "it's a Germlin" in there. The car does not produce any error codes and they can't duplicate the issue. They have nothing they can pinpoint in order to fix it. However, this is a serious safety issue and as I research online I find MANY others with the same issue. Please see this thread on the VW Atlas forum: https://www.vwatlasforum.com/threads/atlas-shutting-itself-off.3005/page-2#post-34366

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2023
Sep 2022

While driving along the interstate on a clear day, I heard a loud explosion that sounded like a very, very loud pop. It took me a moment to realize that my sunroof had essentially exploded. I have a large panoramic sunroof, and the front section was completely shattered, and a section toward the middle of the side that touches the middle panel was blown out, with a small section missing. I pulled over on the road and realized that the entire front section of glass was buckled up, bowing upward to the center to the point where it seemed to explode. I heard nothing before the pop and saw no object coming from the road or elsewhere. Traffic on the opposite side of the interstate was at a standstill and it's unlikely anything came from that side that I may not have seen. It looks like the sunroof bowed upwards under pressure and exploded in the middle. Fortunately, my sunshade was closed and this kept pieces of glass from falling on me and my passenger. Also fortunately, I was able to react with safety. A young driver may not have been able to maintain control of the vehicle with the loud exploding noise. Since it happened, the glass has continued to fall, so the hole now is bigger than what it was initially. I contacted VW and was told they could examine the car and send pictures to VW to see if they would cover it under the car's 72K mile warranty, but I would have to wait 7-10 days for an answer. They did not offer to provide me with a car while I wait. I am replacing it through my insurance glass coverage, but believe that VW should have been responsible.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2022
Mar 2022

We were driving down the road on a normal sunny day when the sunroof decided to spontaneously combust out of no where with no warning. There was not anything that hit the sunroof or would have caused the glass to shatter. All we heard was a loud pop like a bomb going off in our vehicle and we looked to the back seat to check our 2 year old daughter to find that she had glass all over her and the sunroof had perfectly shattered everywhere. Luckily my husband could think past the initial shock and close the fabric cover over the sunroof so that we wouldn’t have more glass fall on our 2 year old. There is glass all over the vehicle in tiny fragments and I had to get the glass off my 2 year old and her car seat and have my in laws pick me and my daughter up because the vehicle is not safe to drive in this state. We tried contact the dealership we purchased the vehicle from as well as customer care and road side assistance with no luck whatsoever. The dealership just kept sending us to voicemail when asking for someone to help us figure out what to do and how to have the problem fixed and we didn’t get any calls back from the voicemails. Since then my husband has tried to talk to the dealership and The vehicles customer care line with no luck when all we want is to figure out what to do now and how to get the problem fixed. This issue has happened to other people after researching online and there has been lawsuits for it already. We just want the issue fixed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2022
Mar 2022

I had a routine oil change, the Manager asked me if I had been having any issues because an error code showed up in the inspection. I said I hadn't, so he said it must have been nothing. I drove across town, when all of the sudden alarms and warning messages started going off in my car (pictures attached). Additionally, my car unexpectedly had the emergency brake come on while I was driving through the parking lot. It was a frightening experience and I felt that the dealership let me leave in an unsafe car. They assured me it was nothing they had done, just a coincidence that it happened during the oil change. They kept my car and gave me a loaner while it was being fixed. I am now wondering if I have to go to back and have it fixed on the passenger side.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2021
Dec 2020

THE REMOTE START DOES NOT WORK AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. IT STARTED AROUND 1500KM AND WENT AWAY AFTER AWHILE. NOW CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON AND THE REMOTE START STOP WORKING AGAIN. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING KNOWING THE CAR DOES NOT EVEN HAVE 5000KM.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2019
Oct 2020

I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENTS WHERE THE FRONT SENSORS SLAM ON THE ATLAS' BRAKES FOR NON-EXISTENT HAZARDS. SEVERAL HAVE BEEN SIMPLY DRIVING OFF THE CURB ONTO THE ROAD AT LOAD SPEED AND APPARENTLY THE SENSORS THINK THE ATLAS IS DRIVING INTO SOMETHING. THE OTHER HAPPENED THIS WEEK WHEN DRIVING 45 MPH AND A SPRINKLER HEAD NEAR THE ROAD WAS BROKEN AND WATER WAS SHOOTING UP INTO THE AIR AND ONTO THE HIGHWAY. THE SENSORS APPARENTLY MISTOOK THE WATER FOR AN OBJECT AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. LUCKILY I WAS NOT REAR-ENDED BY THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME. MY WIFE HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED THE DEALER IF THE FRONT SENSORS COULD BE ADJUSTED AND THEY SAID NO.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2020
Jun 2020

THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 25MPH AND WE WERE ABOUT TO CROSS RAILROAD TRACKS. JUST BEFORE REACHING THE TRACKS, THE FRONT ASSIST SYSTEM ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE APPLIED THE BREAKS AUTOMATICALLY AND CAME TO A SUDDEN AND FULL STOP. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THE SYSTEM TO ENGAGE SINCE THE ROAD AND THE TRACKS WERE EMPTY AND THE RAILROAD RAMP WAS IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2020
Oct 2019

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE FALSE(UNPROMPTED) ACTIVATION- CONDITIONS-4 LANE ROAD WITH CENTER TURN LANE, WEATHER DRY, DAYLIGHT, TRAFFIC MODERATE. DRIVING STRAIGHT AT 30 MPH STEADY SPEED WITH NO CARS AHEAD IN CLOSE PROXIMITY THE CAR DETECTED AN OBSTACLE AND ENTERED AUTONOMOUS BRAKING ALMOST TO A COMPLETE STOP. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND I SCANNED ALL DIRECTIONS FOR A POTENTIAL HAZARD. THERE WERE CARS IN THE CENTER TURN LANE BUT NONE ENTERING OR EXITING FROM EITHER DIRECTION OR EVEN MAKING SLIGHT STEERING CORRECTIONS THAT THE SENSORS COULD HAVE INTERPRETED AS A IMPENDING COLLISION THREAT. FORTUNATELY NO CARS WERE CLOSE BEHIND US THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A REAR END COLLISION. ALTHOUGH THIS IS THE FIRST EVENT FOR OUR ATLAS OUR FRIENDS ATLAS HAS HAD MULTIPLE SIMILAR EVENTS THAT THEY HAVE TRIED TO RECREATE THE SCENARIO WITH NO SUCCESS. THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY FAULTS WITH THEIR CAR. WE HAVE YET TO BRING OUR ATLAS IN FOR DIAGNOSTICS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2019
Aug 2019

VEHICLE AUTO LOCKS WITH RFID KEYS IN THE CAR WHICH LOCKED CHILD IN THE CAR. DRIVER ENTERED VEHICLE USING RFID KEY FOB (USING TOUCH SENSOR ON DOOR), PLACED 1.5 YEAR OLD CHILD IN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE 2D ROW SEAT INTO AN APPROVED 5PT CAR SEAT AND SHUT THE DOOR. DRIVER PLACED PURSE WITH KEY FOB INTO PASSENGER SEAT AND SHUT THE DOOR. WALKED AROUND TO PLACE OLDER CHILD INTO DRIVER SIDE 2D ROW SEAT THE DOOR WAS LOCKED AND COULD NOT BE OPENED. ALL DOORS WERE LOCKED DUE TO A 45 SECOND TIMEOUT FEATURE. THE KEYS AND CHILD WERE LOCKED INTO THE CAR REQUIRING FIRST RESPONDERS TO BREAK THE DRIVER'S WINDOW TO UNLOCK THE CAR FROM THE INSIDE. THE ALARM SOUNDED UPON BREAKING THE GLASS, AND WHEN THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE DRIVER DOOR WAS PRESSED, THE DOORS UNLOCKED AND THE KEY FOB WAS RETRIEVED TO SILENCE THE ALARM. THE CHILD WAS IN THE VEHICLE FOR OVER 20 MINUTES IN A CA DESERT. THIS OCCURRED ON AN AIR FORCE BASE, WHERE FIRST RESPONDERS LOGGED AND REPORTED THE INCIDENT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2019
Mar 2019

WATER COLLECTING ON FRONT PASSENGER FLOORBOARD. A/C DRIP LINE PINCHED OR DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY IS THOUGHT TO BE RESPONSIBLE

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2019
Mar 2019

ON THE TENTH DAY OF OWNING OUR BRAND NEW VEHICLE, WE WERE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY 74 AT 70 MILES PER HOUR. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR. THE WEATHER WAS SUNNY AND IN THE LOW 90S. ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION SOUND AND THE FRONT PANEL OF OUR PANORAMIC SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED. THE SHADE WAS OPEN AND THE TEMPERED GLASS FELL ON OUR ENTIRE FAMILY INCLUDING TWO CHILDREN AGED 7 AND 4. THERE WAS NO IMPACT FROM AN OUTSIDE OBJECT. THE INITIAL PICTURE SHOWS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE FROM INSIDE THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS OCCURRED. WE CLOSED THE SUNSHADE TO STOP GLASS FROM FALLING INTO THE VEHICLE UNTIL WE COULD GET TO A SAFE SPOT. THE TWO PICTURES FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE ARE AFTER THE SUNSHADE WAS CLOSED. THE FINAL PICTURE SHOWS GLASS INSIDE THE VEHICLE NEXT TO MY SON'S FEET.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS, Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2019

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Quick Summary

The 2019 Volkswagen Atlas has 26 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.