Vehicle stalls in normal driving. Problem was inspected and noted at Kuhn Volkswagen [XXX] Phone# [XXX]. Problem creates dangerous situation while driving because the engine stalls and prevents acceleration, steering, and creates a hazard for other traffic due to a disabled vehicle in traffic. Warning light has been intermittent. Problem has been confirmed by at least 2 separate mechanics. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2019 Volkswagen Atlas: engine stalls while driving
33 of the 487 complaints about the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas describe engine stalls while driving.
- owner complaints
- 33
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 29,000
- recalls
- 0
Engine stalls while driving by model year
What owners say
Vehicle would stall out of no where every time I would accelerate or put into reverse. Sometimes when I turned into intersections it would stall out. There was no check engine light until over a week later stating evap system charcoal canister. This has happened multiple times, even after being replaced it goes bad again. It’s dangerous when I stall in the middle of traffic especially with having my children with me. I lose all power to the vehicle when it stalls
Vehicle has been to VW at least 10 times for same issue since 2021. Stalls at low speeds like in traffic or driving around neighborhood, and while decelerating from higher speeds causing a dangerous safety issue. Several components replaced some like the fuel evap canister and purge valve numerous times. Symptoms clear up for days or weeks at a time and than return. VW has been unable to correct this or or find cause, has had an “engineer” from VW look at it and cannot correct cause, only symptoms which than return. Evap canister and purge valve replaced numerous times, fuel tank and pump replaced, computer system flashed, nothing fixes the problem completely. Transmission was just replaced at less than 63k miles and failed again within 6 months second replacement just completed for transmission, VW had my truck from 4/30/2026 until 6/10/2026 and was unable to correct the stalling sputtering issue, and transmission continues to shift gears extremely hard at lows speed. The stalling issue is absolutely ridiculous that no solution can be found and the extended warranty VW provided because they can’t fix this runs out on the 31st of this month. I was only able to fix load 10!images of my work orders I have several kore if I can provide them somehow please let me know
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine and the HVAC systems. Specifically, a persistent "ghost misfire"—where the engine vibrates and shudders without triggering a dashboard warning light—and a total heater failure. The vehicle is currently held at the dealership; all service records (RO# 367641, 367891, 367980, 368179) are available. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The "ghost misfire" causes shaking and hesitation during acceleration, creating a risk of losing power or stalling in high-speed traffic. Because the vehicle's diagnostics do not trigger a warning light for this condition, the driver has no advance notice of a potential engine failure. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Dealership technicians confirmed the misfire on Feb 9 (RO# 367891) and found a defective spark plug gap (.024” vs. .036”). On Feb 25, the service consultant confirmed the "ghost misfire" remained active. The heater failure was confirmed via a 'Heater Support Pump Dry Run' fault code (RO# 367641). 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected by dealership technicians. Formal complaints have also been filed with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair and the California Attorney General. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Symptoms began following a service on Jan 30. Feb 8: Exhaust malfunction light (MIL) appeared briefly with severe shaking. Feb 9–present: Exhaust malfunction warning lights appeared briefly and then disappeared, but the engine vibration and "ghost misfire" symptoms remain active and undetected by the vehicle's onboard diagnostics. Feb 17: Total loss of heat occurred during a highway drive without a dashboard warning lamp
The vehicle warning lights come on and off to make it seem like I am about to hit or to close to something when I am not moving at all. The vehicle putts and stalls while driving like it wants to cut off. It also does this when I am at a complete stop as well as if I am backing up Warning lights on the dash appear than disappear sometimes as well.
The second row captains chair seat belt latch on the passenger side does not latch fully. It latches and can be pulled out by hand. If a wreck were to happen, the passenger would not be truly restrained causing bodily harm or death. The problem has been reproduced at a service center. It has not been inspected by police, insurance or representative. No warning lights or messages for the seat belt. The car will randomly stall while rpms are low, liking making a turn, pulling into a parking spot or stopped at a traffic light (while auto start/stop is turned off). It makes me put the vehicle in park and restart the engine. This can cause wrecks that could cause bodily harm or injury. It has been reviewed by a auto mechanic. The engine light and evap system light will randomly come on and go off.
With auto stop/start disengaged, vehicles stalls at slow speed (approaching a stop sign) or while idling at a stop light. displays "start car manually" when this happens. Now error code displays "Error Stop-start" The stalling has happened 5 times this week.
The vehicle experienced sudden loss of engine power accompanied by the illumination of the EPC (Electronic Power Control) warning light. The exact cause is fuel injection, but the issue appears related to the know EVAP problem on this car model. The problem may still be reproducible. The vehicle stalled multiple times while driving on a state highway (steady low load) and when approaching traffic. In each case, I had to come to a complete stop and restart the engine. This posed a serious risk of rear-end collisions or being struck by cross traffic, especially when power was lost during deceleration or merging. The EPC light appeared each time the issue occurred, immediately after the engine lost power. No other warning lights or messages were observed prior to/after the failure. The problem began occurring intermittently and without prior symptoms.
●Vehicle tries to pull me into a completely different lanes I have no intentions of trying to go into while on the highway ●Vehicle completely shut off WHILE DRIVING. Electrical panel flashed with all the lights then said to start Vehicle manually. ●Vehicle's gas saving feature when stopped, works intermittently and RANDOMLY, even with same applied brake pressure.
The 80 valves have been replaced 4 times. This causes my car to stall, leaving me at the mercy of incoming traffic. The guarantee is about to expire, leaving me with a problem that will cause financial and physical risk of the car stalling. This has been a recurring problem since I purchased the car
My 2019 Volkswagen Atlas 3.6L has shut off multiple times while driving, including once at 55 mph. I consistently receive a “Stop/Start System Error” message at startup. As of today, the check engine light has come on and there is an extremely strong smell of gasoline at the rear of the vehicle after driving. The fuel smell is intense enough to make me concerned about fire risk. I have young children, and this is my only vehicle. The combination of engine stalling, an active check engine light, and a raw gas smell poses a serious safety hazard to my family and others on the road. This appears to match known issues under VW’s recall 20V716000 for cracked fuel injectors and TSB 01-23-09 for engine control software glitches. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate whether more 2019 VW Atlas vehicles—including mine—should be included in these recalls, and whether VW is providing adequate support to affected families. I cannot safely drive my vehicle, and I cannot afford a rental. This is an urgent public safety concern.
Vehicles stalls randomly all the times ,moving or not . Almost got rear ended several times . Spent 3k at Vw in Brandon for brakes that were only 70k miles on them . But they still squeal . Can’t fuel with gas as the pressure just pushes the fuel back at me . Seems worse in warmer weather . Vw said they would not touch the charcoal canister as that what I’ve deemed is the issue.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Supporting FAQ for VWP-26-07 Main Engine Wiring Harness Limited Warranty Extension (Class Action)
- For applicable 2018-2022 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport 3.6L Settlement Class Vehicles (NA6 warranty key),...
- Prevent Sporatic Misfire Faults.
- Checking engine oil level.
- Reprogramming Control Module process
- Engine missfire diagnostic aid
- Identifying and Mixing Volkswagen Engine Coolants
- When replacing Evaporative Emissions System components, it is not always necessary to replace the entire...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas stalling
Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas?
33 of 487 owner complaints about the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas (7%) mention engine stalls while driving. The model year with the most reports is 2021.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas?
There are 0 recalls and 169 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas
Airbag light 32Check engine light 25Collision warning 21Adaptive cruise 19Grinding brakes 17Start-stop 15ABS 13Jerking 12Phantom braking 10Coil spring 8Sunroof shattered 8Brake failure 7Won't start 7Loss of power 6Overheating 6Spongy pedal 6Steering noise 6Warning lights 6Backup camera 5Fuel smell 5Wipers 5
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