10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2024 Volkswagen Atlas engine problems

engine problem

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2024 Volkswagen Atlas Owner Comments

problem #17

Oct 272025

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

October 27th- As my husband was parking at work, the vehicle suddenly refused to shift into any gear-?"Park, Reverse, or Drive-?"and defaulted to Neutral. The dashboard displayed a warning message: -??Risk of Rolling! P not possible. Please apply parking brake.-?? Despite multiple attempts, the Atlas could not be shifted or safely parked. After several failed tow attempts, VW Roadside Assistance successfully towed it to Ourisman Volkswagen of Laurel. As parents of young children (ages [XXX], [XXX], [XXX], and [XXX] ), this experience was nothing short of terrifying. We drive this vehicle for school drop-offs and daily errands-?"had this malfunction occurred in traffic or at highway speeds, the outcome could have been catastrophic. We are grateful that no one was harmed, but this incident has left us traumatized and unwilling to transport our children in this vehicle again. This is not merely a mechanical inconvenience-?"it is a critical safety and reliability failure. A nearly new vehicle should never exhibit such dangerous behavior. For this reason, we are respectfully requesting that Volkswagen initiate a buyback of this 2024 Atlas and allow us to part ways with a vehicle we no longer feel safe operating. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

problem #16

Nov 012024

Atlas

  • miles
Car will not downshift RPM when pulling out of my lane and accelerating. The car will only go around 15 rpm but the car will be revving so high like it's in 3 or 4 rpm. I have to let off the gas to to bring it down to that rpm and then can accelerate again. This is a huge safety hazard. Be of these times a car is going to hit me that I didn't see come around the semi blind corner that I need to drive out of. It's also had overhead lights that blink and come on by themselves despite me having to turn them off, they just come back on. Brakes feel like I'm breaking them underwater. They've squealed going backwards from the time I drove off the lot. I'm bro g told this is normal. I've had the car in twice to be looked at. These are huge safety risks.

- Draper , UT, USA

problem #15

Jul 172025

Atlas

  • miles
When driving, the vehicle will lose all acceleration and come to a stop. If you try to move the vehicle it will stall out. There are no warning signs or faults. However, if you let the vehicle sit for a few hours, it will run again as normal. This happened to us twice while on a road tirp. Once on the trip to the destination and the other to the trip home. VW Road side assistance was a joke, and did not help get us off of the highway as we were stuck with my [XXX], [XXX], [XXX], and wife. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- West Liberty , OH, USA

problem #14

Jun 202025

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I-??ve owned the vehicle for less than 60 days. The vehicle currently has 2000 miles however, the vehicle has placed us in danger due to the inability to charge the battery. The lack of battery voltage also makes the AC inoperable on 100 degree temps. During an attempted repair it was noticed the fuse box has melted. Technicians are uncertain the cause of this Issue. They are uncertain if it-??s an electrical issue or due to the alternator. They-??ve had the car for over a week with no clear definitive plan and no communication. The car doesn-??t reliability start and the possibility of fire is clear based on components that are melting.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #13

Mar 192025

Atlas

  • miles
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V100000 (Engine); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine cover had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #12

Jul 192024

Atlas

  • miles
The air intake hose connecting the air filter to the turbo intake side disconnected allowing the turbo unit to intake unfiltered air and debris.

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #11

Dec 232024

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was sitting in park and the car started shaking and then completely shut down. When I was able to turn the engine back on there was a message that popped up that said Error Drive System: please service vehicle. There was a lit up part of the engine in the message. It took 3 weeks to get into the dealership. They said they could find something wrong or an error code. Something is not right with this car.

- Arlington, TN, USA

problem #10

Dec 022024

Atlas

  • miles
We were driving down the interstate with cruise control on. There were no other cars around us thank goodness but the car slammed on the brakes with no warning. If someone had been behind us we would have been rear ended and possibly hurt.

- Arlington, TN, USA

problem #9

Nov 302024

Atlas

  • miles
error with drive system was caused by engine overheating. maneuver braking function triggered and faulty throttle body issue discovered.

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #8

Nov 272024

Atlas

  • miles
The vehicle started shaking while making metal grinding noises, which forced us to pull over and have the vehicle towed to the nearest dealership. We were told that the engine had metal parts that came loose in the engine compartment and that the engine now has to be replaced. The car had 11,205 miles prior to being immobilized.

- Davidson, NC, USA

problem #7

Oct 062024

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving about 75 mph when my car alerted me that the engine had stopped and I needed to pull over immediately. The wheels continued to turn and the car was stuck in neutral. I pulled over and tried to push the SOS button which did not connect. I then tried to restart my car and it started but would not shift out of neutral. I called the police for help and my brand new car had to be towed. The tires then froze up after being put on the tow truck and would not release- even though the car was in neutral. When the car finally did start and shift after getting to the dealer ship, the car told me it was in emergency transmission mode. My safety was most definitely put at risk because my car turned off on the interstate for no apparent reason - i luckily was able to get to the emergency lane. I have taken it to the shop and of course they could no replicate this issue- there were no lights prior to this

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #6

Feb 012024

Atlas

  • miles
when stopped at light or parked engine has rough idling, car is at dealership as of today 10/8/2024. It has been at dealership off and on for same issue for a total of 56 days. Vehicle only has 3000 miles. In regards to safety, we do not know if vehicle will shut off when at a stop light due to rough idling. The problem has been reproduced 3 separate times (have a video of the tachometer showing rough idle), the dealership has also reproduced problem. The vehicle has been inspected and check by Carolina Volkswagen dealership. They are in contact with the manufacturer. There were no warning lights, but we could see the rough idling on the tachometer. It happened intermittently upon purchased, but go progressively worse. We took it in on 7/25/2024 for 4 days. Took it again for same issue on 8/15/2024 they had it for 42 days. As soon as we got the vehicle back on 9/26/2024 they stated that replace the PVC value and that this fixed it. Unfortunately, the same day 9/26/24 the issue was not resolved as engine continue to have rough idle. Took it back on 9/27/24 and as of today 10/8/2024 our vehicle is still at Carolina Volkswagen dealership. Initially they stated it might be the Braked Booster and to us that is a safety concern.

- Matthews, Nc, NC, USA

problem #5

Oct 042024

Atlas

  • miles
Car exploded. I was driving fine with ac running when all of a sudden gray smoke came out the hood of the car. I stoped in a side street. I turned off the car and the gray smoke became black. I took my phone and ran out. As I ran the car exploded like a bomb on the street and started throwing flames. Car is completely loss. Car has been to it-??s maintainer and everything and nothing found.

- Loma Linda , CA, USA

problem #4

Aug 222024

Atlas

  • miles
The Atlas has been in the dealer on several occasions due to shifting and acceleration. On a couple occasions when starting the Atlas the RPM's will redline with nothing touching the pedal and wont stop until we shut off the car. On several occasions the throttle has little to no response when pushing the pedal (Not safe when trying to merge or change lanes.) Almost once or twice a week the Atlas won't shift or will shift too soon. The infotainment screen has been replaced twice and needs another screen due to it not coming on or lines going through it. It has been to the dealer five times and nothing has been done to this Atlas about the throttle issue. The dealer is focused on the "infotainment screen" because it controls every part of the Atlas.

- Grand Junction, CO, USA

problem #3

May 062024

Atlas

  • miles
I was driving approximately 72 - 74 mph on an expressway and approaching traffic ahead of me. To move around this traffic, I switched lanes and attempted to accelerate. Immediately upon pressing the accelerator, the vehicle began to sputter, jerk, and decelerate, and the engine revved at what sounded like a very high rate of RPMs. The vehicle continued to sputter and jerk as it decelerated to a speed of approximately 55 -?" 58 mph. Once the vehicle reached that speed range, I was able to maintain my velocity; however, the vehicle continued to sputter and jerk until I brought it to a full stop. Additionally, if I attempted to accelerate, the RPMs turned at a very high rate and no acceleration occurred. I reported the issue to the dealership immediately and brought it to the service department when they opened the following morning. At the time of writing this, the vehicle remains in their possession and has not been returned to us.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #2

Nov 062023

Atlas

  • miles
On [XXX], I was driving that vehicle on [XXX] in the vicinity of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, Florida, with three persons inside when the vehicle experienced substantial vibration, a loud knocking noise and major loss of power while in the high speed lane. This occurred somewhere around 8:45 AM. Traffic was heavy thereby increasing the risk of an accident resulting from the loss of power and vibration. I was able to keep the vehicle running and slowly make my way to a suitable place to safely park the car. When this occurred there were several warning lights that appeared. The vehicle has been serviced by a VW dealer in Port Charlotte, FL. VW subsequently replaced the "Longblock and Turbocharger", reassembled the Engine and Transmission assembly and reinstalled that into the vehicle. They apparently had certain issues with the thermostat housing gasket after the engine was replaced. I am aware that there is an existing recall issued by VW (Safety Recall Code 13i6). I further understand that recall covers 2,018 vehicles built before 5/12/23. My vehicle was built somewhere around [XXX] suggesting that the scope of this recall may have been grossly underestimated. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Kirtland, OH, USA

problem #1

Oct 272023

Atlas

  • miles
Engine failure. Can not start. Lost all the fuel with in an 1 hr after filling the tank.

- Tampa, FL, USA

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