2021 Volkswagen Atlas
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Decode a VIN17 recalls and 471 owner complaints on record for this model year.
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Our 2021 VW Atlas was rear-ended while stopped at stop light. The other driver was going an estimated 45 MPH. At impact, the driver seat broke backwards hitting our 5 year old child in the face. The child was in a 5-point harness car seat and the only injuries resulting from the accident were to the face and head. We were taken to a children's hospital in an ambulance where the child stayed 5 nights with facial fractures, a broken nose, skull fracture, and CSF leak.
Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) system traps harmful fuel vapors from the gas tank, storing them in a charcoal canister before burning them in the engine
Vehicle lost total control on the freeway I lost control crashed off the freeway into a ditch no airbags deployed the whole frame was total loss the entire atlas lost control No airbags as I went into a ditch hit a freeway sign and I’m still suffering nerve damage and chronic back pain
Rear seat latch for the second row, which enables the seats to slide forward for passengers to enter the third row, does not latch correctly. Recent incident where child in car seat in the third row was thrown forward into the rear of the drivers seat (seatback) when the 2nd row seat latch mechanism suddenly released when applying light pressure to the brakes. Child was injured, suffered a laceration and bruising to his eye area.
There issue with bad smell or chemicals that causes an health issues. I tried resolving on several issues it's always more money. To resolve,there several Dealship that appraiser now it's at the lowest with the same deal.. There bleeding& spitting. Once come vehicle for and day. I've been there several times.
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.
I am reporting a design defect in the VW Atlas second row bench. There is no sensor or warning for the driver when the bench seat is not secure. When the car came to a stop from a low speed, the bench fell forward with enough force to fracture my child's leg who was sitting secure in a child's car seat. We reported the design problem to the manufacturer. The vehicle manufacturer inspected the vehicle for a manufacturing defect, not a design defect. When asked to pursue an inspection on design defect, the manufacturer noted they would and did not. This problem is replicable. Our concern is that the car does not alert the driver that the bench is not secure. Our incident could have been avoided if there was a driver warning.
The captain seats lurches forward at a high speed without any warning as well as without any precipitating event. This has occurred three times, once with the driver side captain seat and two times with the passenger seat. The indicator on the top of the seat was down before each event so the assumption was the seat was securely locked in position. A child was in a car seat on the passenger side captain seat during the last unlatching event resulting in the child hitting the back of the passenger seat knocking her front teeth loose and bruising her nose (pic attached). The driver stopped in traffic and put the car in park to get out and assist the child as this was the only way to get the seat back in position. The car is to be inspected by the dealer today.
The side airbags for this vehicle have been deployed, and there is no physical damage to the car and no indications of a collision. The side airbags deployed after checking a curb at 30 miles an hour. The incident happened in January of 2022. The other thing that happened during this incident, is that the passenger seat (that was not occupied) was deployed causing my wife to receive a concussion. We contacted VW corporate, and they deny any wrongdoing after they have "thoroughly evaluated" the data from the car, which I have asked for and have not been formally given. The dealer nor VW corporate has conveyed if this issue has been reproduced and the service tech shared that this should have not happened but ultimately he is not the deciding authority for such a matter as this. I had informed the dealer in Dec. 2021 that there was an issue on the right side of the vehicle (passenger) and they were not able to look into it. It is possible that this matter would have been avoided if it was looked at in Dec. 2021. I was not aware of giving permission to the manufacturer for my daily vehicle stats; I have to imagine this is another issue of privacy and do not recall signing a waiver of any sort regarding this. The lane-keeping assistant feature seems to not be working either which if it was it would have corrected it back into the middle of the lane.
We have a 2021.5 Volkswagen Atlas with captain’s chairs in the 2nd row. Our 4 year old was riding in a forward-facing car seat installed with lower anchors + tether strap in the 2nd row driver’s side and a friend’s 8 year old was riding in the 3rd row driver’s side in a backless booster. I was in the front passenger seat and my husband was driving. While my husband was braking, the 8 year old lifted up on the 3rd row access lever, located on the upper left side of the 2nd row driver’s side captain’s chair. The 2nd row captain’s chair lifted up, slid forward, and SLAMMED my 4 year old son into the driver’s seat. The 8 year old immediately panicked, which caused me to turn around. My 4 year old was not making any noise - almost certainly because his nose and mouth were pressed tightly into the back of the driver’s seat, preventing him from making a sound. While in the front passenger seat, I tried to push the captain’s chair back into place - but it was way too heavy. Luckily, we were on a road where my husband was able to quickly pull over and jump out to put the captain’s chair back into place. As soon as my husband started to move the captain’s chair away from the driver’s seat, my 4 year old started screaming. After this incident, our 4 year old showed us that while buckled into his forward-facing car seat in the 3rd row of the Atlas he was able to use his foot to lift up on the 3rd row access lever, causing the captain's chair to slam into the back of the front seat exactly as happened when the 8 year old lifted the lever during our trip.
The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15 MPH, she had turned the air conditioner on and felt that hot air was blowing out. The contact stopped at a traffic signal turned the vehicle off and on again and noticed that the air conditioner was now blowing cool air. The contact had begun to smell a burning rubber smell and noticed that smoke was being emitted from under the hood on the driver's side. The contact stated that when she stopped at another traffic signal all of the dash alarms began to flash and she heard warning chimes sound as well. The contact pulled over into a parking lot and turned the vehicle off. The contact stepped out of the vehicle when she saw black and white smoke coming from under the hood, then flames burst out from under the hood. The contact stated that the entire front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames with water. The contact stated that the heat and flames melted the front tires. The fire department wrote a report. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated that the vehicle was declared a total loss by her insurance provider. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
My daughter hit a deer while she was on the interstate, so she had her cruise control set at 72 mph, the deer came up out of the left/median ditch (she was in the left lane at the time). There was no warning as she did not see it at all, so there was an immediate, intense impact, enough where the hood of the car ended up opening up and smashing and coming to rest against the windshield. The Front end of the Atlas was HEAVILY damaged and NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED at all! The vehicle's seatbelt did lock up and keep her from slamming into the steering column and windshield and the vehicle's Front Assist Braking system did engage after the impact to slow her down and actually tried pulling her to the side of the road, although, that could be a flaw as well as it assumed that she was in the right lane of the road to begin with, so it pulled her to stop in the middle of the right lane of the Interstate. Thankfully it was late enough in the evening and no other traffic so she was able to figure that out in her post accident confusion and was able to get the car further off the road and call for help. The Atlas had to be towed from the scene. Prior to this incident there has been no issues with any warning lights coming on and we have had all past recalls taken care of through the VW Dealership we bought our VW from, so we assume that they were taken care of properly.
Vehicle went in for service on the airbags. The dealer has been sent the incorrect OEM part 5 times from Volkswagen parts dealers.Volkswagen Cstomer Care sent email confirmation that the part is correct, dealer is stating part is not correct. The part delivered is a different part number than what is on the packaging. The vehicle has been in the shop since 12/8/2025. The invoice for the part the first time it was ordered is dated 12/29/2025.
Upon a low speed curb strike, predominantly striking the rear driver tire and partially the front driver tire, during a slide under 30mph, the curtain airbags deployed in the vehicle. Reading about this online, it appears others driving this type of vehicle have had similar reports of low speed tire strikes and airbags deploying. The airbags were more of a risk than the curb strike itself. With children in approved car seats in the rear, this was of course incredibly frightening. It appears VW is aware of the low sensitivity of their sensors that deploy this system, for which this sensor has been under recall in the past. Whether my sensor was repaired correctly is not understood. There is no other vehicle damage. The vehicle has been delivered to the VW dealer for inspection. It would be ideal for the NHTSA to look into whether the VW Atlas's curtain airbag deployment at low speed tire strikes meets the threshold for safety standards of deploying airbags. As there is a previous history for airbag issues with VW, it's not unrealistic this was a fault with the car and not the driver.
I was hit from behind and slammed into the car in front of me while stopped at a light. The collision totaled my Atlas at 95% The air bags did not deploy nor did their give a warning for the collision. The damage was so severe that the inner frame of the vehicle is beyond repair. Recent warranty repairs were done to this vehicle prior to the accident one set to the dash electronics in the .ast 4 months. This car remains at the body shop awaiting INS settlement for the car
Filed by owners of this model year and unverified by NHTSA — one person’s account, not an established fact.
1 recall carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning. Check whether this vehicle was remedied before driving or storing it.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Atlas and 2020-2024 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2024. Owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, on October 18, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, and January 17, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69PZ.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FB.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Remedy: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Atlas FL and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The long fuel injectors may have been assembled without filters.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the long fuel injectors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24iD.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Atlas, 2020-2023 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021-2023 Atlas FL vehicles. The door wiring harness electrical contacts may corrode, disrupting the electrical connection and delaying the deployment of the driver or passenger front side air bag during a side impact crash.
Remedy: Dealers will secure and, as necessary, replace any the front door wiring harnesses showing a fault code, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97GF.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles equipped with accessory side steps. The reduced Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) label, reflecting the additional weight of the side steps, was not installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy: Dealers will install the reduced GVWR label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 09D9.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
Remedy: Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40R7.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. Damaged relays may have been installed in the engine compartment fuse box, which could inadvertently activate the horn or engine starter.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and as necessary, replace the relays, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97FR.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The lug bolt holes on the wheels may have been machined incorrectly, preventing the wheel bolt from sufficiently attaching to the wheel bearing hub.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four wheels, and as necessary, replace the wheels, lug bolts ,and wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q9.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The front steering knuckle may fracture in the area of the strut mounting.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace one or both steering knuckles, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q7.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. One or both steering knuckles may have been damaged during production.
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the steering knuckle, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q6. Note: Owners are advised to DO NOT DRIVE the vehicle until the vehicle has been inspected and repaired if necessary.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport and 2021 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires, size 255/50 R 20 105 T. The tires may have been over cured.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect DOT date code and mold number on the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q5.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Atlas Cross Sports and 2021 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side headlight may have been aimed too low during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will adjust the driver's side headlight, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94N7.
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An incorrectly assembled design engine cover can become detached and come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust turbocharger, increasing the risk of the vehicle catching fire. The product does not comply with the Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles.
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