Car starts beeping loudly and a “brake booster faulty” alarm pops up on the screen. Brakes become spongy during alarm and a little after. Issue has happened multiple times and has gone to the dealer multiple times for parts replacement/work. Other VW owners have complained of the same issue happening to them.
2018 Volkswagen Atlas: soft or spongy brake pedal
6 of the 469 complaints about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas describe soft or spongy brake pedal.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 15 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Soft or spongy brake pedal by model year
- 20243
- 20211
- 20196
- 20186
What owners say
I would be driving under 30mph and would get a warning on my dashboard that would say "Brake Booster Faulty", in addition the "Brake" light would illuminate and my brakes would become spongy and harder to engage.
Brake Booster faulty sensor, brakes spongy driving under 30mph happened twice now.
The brake booster failure light came. The brake booster light appeared, then the brake pedal became spongy, pulsed and the vehicle slowed down. Additionally, this happened on highways with light traffic with 4-5 car lengths within the same lanes moving 60 MPH. The vehicle was in the service shop for nearly a month. The manufacturer sent technicians/engineers to troubleshoot and help resolve the issue. The vehicle was not going on a road that had an incline or decline. The weather was dry, sunny, with no precipitation of any kind.
The brake booster light appeared, then the brake pedal became spongy, pulsed and the vehicle slowed down. Additionally, this happened on highways with light traffic with 4-5 car lengths within the same lanes moving 40 MPH. The vehicle was in the service shop for nearly a month. The manufacturer sent technicians/engineers to troubleshoot and help resolve the issue. The vehicle was not going on a road that had an incline or decline. The weather was dry, cloudy, with no precipitation of any kind.
The brake booster light appeared, then the brake pedal became spongy, pulsed and the vehicle slowed down. This happened on highways with light traffic with 4-5 car lengths within the same lanes moving 60 MPH and driving in a parking lot. The manufacturer sent technicians/engineers to troubleshoot and help result. These occurrences the was not vehicle going on a road that had an incline or decline. 1) the weather was dry, sunny, with no precipitation of any kind. 2) the weather was dry, night, with no precipitation of any kind.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Repair or Replace Information
- Warranty Instruction and guidance
- Alignment sheet submission.
- Steps to perform when a
- Brake Repair or Replacement Information
- This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts...
- Brake repair or replacement instruction.
- Brake Rotor, Vibration / Pulsation
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.
- Risk
- The loose brake bracket bolts can allow the caliper to move, reducing braking ability or causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper fasteners, bleeder valve, and brake hose bolts will be checked and torqued to the correct specification, if necessary, free of charge. For Passat vehicles, dealers will also inspect the parking brake cable for proper connection, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 46H6.
Recall number 18V536000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
- Risk
- A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298 and Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
Recall number 18V369000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas spongy pedal
Is soft or spongy brake pedal a common problem on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas?
6 of 469 owner complaints about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas (1%) mention soft or spongy brake pedal. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas?
There are 2 recalls and 15 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas
Check engine light 33Stalling 29Won't start 20Battery drain 18Engine failure 14Headlights 14Jerking 11Start-stop 11Adaptive cruise 10Lane assist 10Overheating 10Fuel pump 9ABS 8Airbag light 7Grinding brakes 7Fuel leak 7Collision warning 6Fuel smell 6Seat belt 6Warning lights 6Backup camera 5Misfire 5
VIN decoder
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