2019 Volkswagen Atlas: adaptive cruise control problems

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 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 May 23, 2025 · Driver assistance · TX

My adaptive cruise control constantly gives an error, and as a result the cruise control does not work. VW is not fixing it, even under warranty as they state its a calibration issue. Upon further research, this appears to be a known issue. A quick search of "VW Atlas ACC" pull up all the forums. Here are two such links: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 15, 2024 · Airbags, Driver assistance · OH

While performing a low speed left hand turn the vehicle’s adaptive cruise control system falsely detected an imminent crash triggering the auto braking system and subsequently malfunctioned to release the vehicle’s side curtain airbags on both the passenger and driver side. The police were called and responded but no police report was prepared as there was determined to be no motor vehicle accident or property damage done (other than to the vehicle itself). The vehicle was taken to a dealer and a diagnostic test was performed, results attached. The manufacturer has verbally responded that they determine the airbag release to be of outside influences and they deny malfunction. They will not provide their response in writing. At the time of the accident there were no warning lights indicating a problem; however, the vehicle diagnostic results indicate that there were brake system issues earlier in the day. The vehicle diagnostic results include multiple system malfunctions that contributed to this malfunction.

Filed Oct 11, 2024 · Driver assistance, Seat belts · NY

The rear driver side seat belt does not stay in place when the seat is lowered, therefore, leaving this seat without a seatbelt. The adaptive cruise control sometimes works and sometimes does not work. There is no specific reason for this. It works during the snow and does not work during the sunshine. When making a hard right or left turn, there is a grinding noise underneath, I am guessing it has something to do withthe wheels or what the wheels are attached to... I have brought each of these items up to the dealership service department and they look at me like I am crazy stating this is the way volkswagon works. I do not believe this is so.

Filed Jan 25, 2023 · Driver assistance · OK

On two occasions, I started to back up and the emergency brake system engaged, slamming the car to a stop, as if someone were behind me but there clearly was not. I had a car full of 10 year old girls and they all screamed. Two days ago, I was traveling a city street at 35-40 mph and the emergency braking system engaged and slammed the car almost to a full stop, while in busy traffic. The cruise control isn't currently working either, it throws an error when you try to set your speed. I travel approximately 40 miles round trip to work 5+ days a week at highway speeds. If the emergency brake were to engage while I'm doing 65-70 mph in rush hour traffic and lock the brakes, it will cause an accident. What if it is raining? There is no way someone traveling a few car lengths behind me will be able to stop suddenly. I will injure myself or others and I'm honestly scared to drive my Atlas right now so it is at the local VW dealer for further inspection. I told them my worries and this needs to be recalled quickly. It is a known issue, they asked me if my windows were rolling down when this happens, which is reported in the VM forums.

Filed Jan 24, 2023 · Brakes, Electrical · IL

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Full Electrical system failure. Yes, car is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Car became inoperable while driving, parking brake auto engaged and cannot be manually disengaged. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem, believed to be caused by the wiring harness being soaked in water in the driver side door panel, occurred 3 weeks later after initial inspection. After sealing and a car wash to reproduce, the dealer was not able to get water to enter the area again. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Vehicle was only inspected by the dealer technicians. I called VW but they did not follow up. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? It appeared that all the warning lamps appears on during the failure. A day or so earlier, the Cruise Control would not activate, I suspect this was related.

Filed Dec 26, 2022 · Acceleration, Steering · FL

Steering assist failure at low and highway speed. Lurching and speed fluctuating at low and highway speed. Adaptive cruise control failure at low and highest speed. Yes, it is reproducible.

Filed Dec 13, 2022 · Driver assistance · 59,600 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 17 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently made a sudden stop. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance brake assist, the cruise control symbol, and stability control system waring lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while driving. The dealer was contacted and stated that the contact would receive a callback. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 59,600.

Filed Aug 22, 2022 · Airbags, Driver assistance · 15,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the windows would engage independently and roll down. The contact was unable to roll the windows up. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags) and the VIN was included. The dealer replaced the doors control module and the front door wiring harness; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the contact stated while driving with or without cruise control activated, the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system would engage inadvertently. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with the Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle stopped independently. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and resumed normal driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags); however, the remedy repair failed to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Filed Jun 27, 2022 · Driver assistance · VA

When driving the forward collision warning comes on, beeps loudly and applies the vehicle brakes when nothing is in front of the vehicle. This caused someone to almost run into the rear of my vehicle. Also, if I use the automatic start feature of my vehicle, the cruise control feature is not available once the car is in motion and will not work until the car has been shut off and restart via the start button inside the car.

Filed May 4, 2022 · Airbags, Driver assistance · AR

My 2019 Atlas is showing many of the same symptoms of the current Atlas recall, but it isn’t listed on the site. My airbag light is flashing, the adaptive cruise control states that it isn’t available, and many other electrical systems have been failing. The problem began today.