2019 Volkswagen Atlas driver assistance problems

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Driver assistance · CA

I was proceding through an intersection when my car's automatic braking system activated with no warning or reason. I was driving on [XXX] on [XXX] at around [XXX]. I was stopped at a red-light behind another vehicle waiting for the light to change. When the light changed green, I proceded to drive forward through the intersection with about a car distance between the car in front of me. As soon as I cleared the intersection, my car suddenly stopped and made a loud noise while it slid forward. Unsure of what had happened, I looked around and saw nothing in the road or around my car. My car had suddenly jerked as if I hit or ran a large object over. After observing my surroundings for causes of what had just happened, I looked down at my dash and saw the red foward collision warning icon lit up on my dash. I noticed it for a few seconds before the car released and I was able to continue proceding forward. I am not sure of my exact rate of speed, but I am guessing it was around 25mph. In my experience with the car, when the front collision warning system activates, there is an audible and visual warning with both an audible chime and bright red car icon on the dash alerting me to brake. Neither or these occurred before my car quickly and unexpectedly slammed on its brakes. Thankfully nothing came out of this experience except for rattled nerves from both me & my passengers. The car behind me was keeping a safe distance from my car and was able to brake safely. I was also able to keep control of my inoperable car through the busy intersection. If in other circumstances such as if the weather had been different, I could have very well have been involved in a car accident. As this happened last night, I have not taken my car to the dealer to be inspected. I have had issues with the warning system coming on without reason in the past, but this is the first time the car has done an unsafe maneuver like this. My car is available for inspection INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U

Filed Jun 15, 2026 · Acceleration, Brakes · WI

Multiple occurrences where forward collision warning goes off with no vehicles Incident 1. 5/15/2026 Road: Highway I-94 Weather: Clear and sunny Condition: Cruise control on, light traffic, nearest vehicle at least 4 cars in front, 2 vehicles behind and to the right (fast lane), driving in the middle left lane. Forward collision warning went off and took cruise control off. No vehicles stopping in front of me. Incident 2. 6/3/2026 Road: Urban side streets Weather: Clear and sunny Condition: Coasting towards a roundabout approximately 200' from the intersection, no vehicle in front, no vehicle behind, no animals, people or objects on the road. Forward Collision Warning went off under no threat of collsion. Incident 3: 6/14/2026 Road: 2 lane urban road. Weather: Dusk, clear, no rain, Condition: paved road, no animals, no vehicle in front, vehicle behind, approaching an intersection, coasting (light was yellow) towards intersection. , evening dusk, clear no rain, no precipitate, clear roads. Fwd. Collision warning went off, going straight.

Filed May 28, 2026 · Driver assistance · WA

When the lane assist is active the vehicle will launch the car into other lanes without any reason or warning. This has been an ongoing issue since we bought the car. When driving I have been launched into the the next lane over. At a stop light I have had the vehicle jump into the other lane. We have told the dealer about the issue and have been told it will be fixed with a recall. I don't see there is an active recall. The lane assist is more dangerous than it is helpful. It is a feature we paid for and cannot even use. My wife was driving the car on 5/26 during the rain and she told me the car would not stay in the center lane and kept moving her back and forth from one lane to the next creating a very dangerous situation.

Filed Mar 30, 2026 · Airbags, Driver assistance · 85,000 miles · MS · crash · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, when veering towards the left or right with the vehicle, the vehicle would turn in the opposite direction the steering wheel was being directed. The contact would have to turn the steering wheel in the desired direction to straighten the vehicle and turn it towards the intended direction. The lane assist would cause the vehicle to misread the direction of the road and turn the vehicle in the opposite direction. The failure had become progressively worse and more persistent. The contact stated that while driving past a driveway, the Lane Assist determined there was a curb near the vehicle, aggressively turning the vehicle towards the curb, causing the vehicle to crash into the mailbox near the driveway. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The mailbox was damaged. The contact stated that they received bruises to their hands from attempting to correct the direction of the vehicle, and no medical attention was needed. The police were contacted, and a police report was made; however, the contact was waiting for the police report identification number. After the incident, the contact learned that their vehicle was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags), which explains that the air bags may fail to deploy. The remedy for the recall had not been completed before the incident occurred. The dealer was informed of the failure; however, the contact had not heard back from the department that they needed to speak with. The manufacturer was contacted; however, a complaint was not filed. The contact was advised to call back to file with the correct department, which was closed at the time. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Filed Jan 1, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · NJ

There is a yellow triangle on my dash and when the dealer did the troubleshooting they indicated that there is a fault in the system with the transmission shifter and a part is needed to correct the issue. The vehicle is just beyond the warrantee period with 39,000 miles.

Filed Sep 23, 2025 · Driver assistance · MD

Emergency brakes activated while driving normally with no obstructions in front of me. This could've caused an accident if there were other vehicles behind me.

Filed Sep 8, 2025 · Driver assistance · TN

The sensors will cause the car to automatic brake when nothing is in front of it. It highly dangerous and could potential lead to a accident. this has happend multiple times since I purchased the car sind MArch 2021. I would say it happen at least once a month.

Filed Aug 21, 2025 · Driver assistance · CA · crash

I was driving on the SB 55fwy in light stop and go traffic and had my ACC w/ traffic aware system engaged. My car was doing as it normally does, keeping a safe distance to the vehicle in front of me, automatically slowing, stopping and accelerating at a safe speed for the conditions. This feature I had been using on my car since I originally purchased it and paid for these safety features. When traffic was not stopped it was traveling between 15-20mph. All of the sudden my dashboard lit up with error messages, audible warnings, and check engine light, all flashing and beeping at me and before I quickly glanced at the dash to the alarming warnings, I had rear ended the car in front of me. This took me by complete shock as my car had always been overly cautious about applying emergency braking in close situations. This time it did nothing. The error message said Adaptive Cruise Control sensor had failed and along with that it had disabled all of the safety features I had become accustomed to and paid extra for, including, the emergency braking and front end collision warning. This caused almost $14k in damage to my vehicle and more so potentially could have put my entire family in danger. The sensor failure caused the accident, the damage to the other car that I was traveling behind and any potential injuries from the driver of that car. I have given this same statement to my insurance company, however no one has reached out to investigate the cause of the failure, not even the dealership service center, where I had originally had my damaged car towed to so they could check and verify with their scan tools that I had a faulty sensor. Also my vehicle had just been serviced the month prior and all software was updated at Norm Reeves Volkswagen, Irvine, CA.

Filed Jul 10, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · SC

While driving 25 mph with no traffic or people around the car came to an extreme sudden stop and without warning. The dashboard lit up red with warning lights and warning alarms sounded followed by complete shutdown of cars systems. No skidding or tire screach - just an instant forceful stop, as if engine cutoff and breaks forcefully seized simultaneously. We were able to restart car and immediately drove to dealership a couple miles away to report an extreme safety concern. Because there was no traffic or people around we feel it has something to do with a sensor and the automatic breaking system. The car was dropped at local dealership (LowCountry Volkswagen - Mount Pleasant SC) for inspection. This was a dramatic event and safety for driver and others was put at risk due to such a forceful stop. We have serious concerns driving vehicle. What would.happen of system failed driving at higher speeds or if traffic was around? Vehicle has been at dealership for 1 day and problem has not been duplicated. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance but can be made available. Dashboard lit up with red warning lights at time of incident. There were no warning lights or messages prior to incident.

Filed Jul 3, 2025 · Driver assistance · 62,192 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the automatic braking system independently activated. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the instrument cluster displayed two vehicles crashing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred twice. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,192.