2021 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS CROSS SPORT Forward Collision Avoidance Problems

29 complaints about Forward Collision Avoidance

29
Complaints
3
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Deaths

High Severity Issue

This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.

This Problem Across All Years

All Forward Collision Avoidance Complaints (29)

Aug 14, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake warning light illuminated, and the vehicle unintendedly came to a stop. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,819.

Mileage: 45,819

Jun 12, 2023

While driving 70mph down the highway, warning lights on the dash flashed but I’m not sure which ones, windows automatically rolled down and the emergency brake tried to engage. This could have absolutely caused an accident if traffic weren’t light. This same morning when getting ready to leave the exact same thing happened, prior to the highway incident. After googling this issue I see it has been reported prior yet nothing has been done to ensure safety of VW Atlas drivers. Thankfully the car is under warranty but if it were not how fair would it be for expenses to come out of my pocket because VW has not been forced to confront this reoccurring issue!? I contacted my dealership and they’re setting up an appointment to check things out but it is YOUR responsibility to ensure VW does something to protect its customers and drivers. They will not make a change unless ordered, greedy pigs.

Jun 12, 2023

While driving 70mph down the highway, warning lights on the dash flashed but I’m not sure which ones, windows automatically rolled down and the emergency brake tried to engage. This could have absolutely caused an accident if traffic weren’t light. This same morning when getting ready to leave the exact same thing happened, prior to the highway incident. After googling this issue I see it has been reported prior yet nothing has been done to ensure safety of VW Atlas drivers. Thankfully the car is under warranty but if it were not how fair would it be for expenses to come out of my pocket because VW has not been forced to confront this reoccurring issue!? I contacted my dealership and they’re setting up an appointment to check things out but it is YOUR responsibility to ensure VW does something to protect its customers and drivers. They will not make a change unless ordered, greedy pigs.

Aug 18, 2022 Crash

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the vehicle in front of him swerved into another lane and he noticed there was a vehicle stopped in the middle of the highway 40 feet away from his vehicle. However, the automatic emergency braking system failed to engage. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle crashed into the rear end of the other vehicle due to the short distance. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained soreness to the lower back, hips, and shoulder. The contact sought medical assistance. The vehicle was taken to an auto body shop where it was repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving 25 MPH, another vehicle pulled in front of his vehicle unexpectedly and the contact crashed into the driver's side of the other vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not sustain injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was then towed to an auto body shop where it was repaired. However, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt harness and the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system had failed. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer Boston Volkswagen (43 N Beacon St, Watertown, MA 02472) where the seat belt harness and the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system were repaired. However, the contact stated upon pulling out of an empty parking lot, the 360-degree forward collision chime engaged and an image indicating that the vehicle was entirely surrounded by objects was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact parked the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at 65-70 MPH, the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system engaged and the vehicle started slowing down. The contact veered to the side of the road for a moment. The contact continued driving at slower speeds

Mileage: 7,000

Aug 18, 2022 Crash

This is a well known issue but their has now been several incidents where my forward braking should have activated and did not and now stela’s on 4 different occasions 2 of which were on the highway where the emergency brake was triggered and i have lost control of the vehicle , yet in completely empty parking lots now two separate times i have been able to catch on video that it told me i was within 12 inches of something and there is nothing. I’ve had this issue starting 10/21 and happened as recently as 8/7 and it’s almost gotten me killed, never,one the known recall for airbags not being deployed during two pretty significant accidents . PLEASE HELP ME AS VW IS AWARE OF THIS AND WILL DO NOTHING IM IN A 50,000$ death trap. Pre knowing it was my car ( former finance director at quirk vw ) They told my body shop to not let me drive the car as my car is effected by this deadly issue , then after the fact reaching out myself i was not only denied service but threatened by the gym and vw executive is acting like it is not a big deal , this is horrible and after 1 yr ago 5 months having been given a coupon for 20% off any morphine due to not buying back a vehicle that should have been bought back and the cpa , told me they do that to bribe people so they do not / HAVE 100S OF UPLOADS ON MY LAPTOP WONT LET ME LOAD FROM THIS IPAD

Jun 15, 2022

My Atlas Crossport without warning or any vehicle in front of me engaged emergency braking and the forward collision warning lights and alarms came on. I was traveling roughly 40mph and the vehicle suddenly slowed to just below 10mph before I was able to continue driving. Had a vehicle been behind me, most certainly it would have caused a collision. The problem has been reported to my local VW dealership who acknowledged complaints but communicated there is no fix yet. This incident has only happened once. I was advised each time I drive to manually disengage the front assist feature.

Jun 15, 2022

My Atlas Crossport without warning or any vehicle in front of me engaged emergency braking and the forward collision warning lights and alarms came on. I was traveling roughly 40mph and the vehicle suddenly slowed to just below 10mph before I was able to continue driving. Had a vehicle been behind me, most certainly it would have caused a collision. The problem has been reported to my local VW dealership who acknowledged complaints but communicated there is no fix yet. This incident has only happened once. I was advised each time I drive to manually disengage the front assist feature.

May 26, 2022 Fire

While driving at approx. 65 mph in heavy rain the rear passenger window suddenly went down and smoke came from the door and at same time all electrical systems went out. the vehicle quickly decelerated to the point the vehicle was not able to be pulled out of the highway standing the vehicle in harms way. Vehicle is completely unresponsive and will not start. This has been 12 day ago and the vehicle is still at the dealership and has not yet been looked at. service manager did mention the door harness recall and said it is likely related, however the issues we experienced seem much more severe than is communicated in the recall.

May 11, 2022

It started with just the check engine light on but was driving fine. I alerted VW and an appointment was made for over a month out. Said it was safe to drive unless it was blinking or not acting right. After a few days, the light went off. About a week later, the check engine light came back on. Anytime I got below 2 mph it would turn on all my alerts about engine running, no lane assist, no cruise and after a complete stop it would act like the emergency parking brake was on. Sometimes when restarting the car the parking brake light was actually activated without pushing it. The driver's side windows would also randomly roll down. I immediately called the dealership and they fit me in prior to my previously scheduled appt. I was told it was the door wiring harness and it would be several months before a fix. It has been in the dealership since 04/13/2022. I do have a rental through the dealership. However, the dealership is not communicating with me even though I've left messages.

May 11, 2022

It started with just the check engine light on but was driving fine. I alerted VW and an appointment was made for over a month out. Said it was safe to drive unless it was blinking or not acting right. After a few days, the light went off. About a week later, the check engine light came back on. Anytime I got below 2 mph it would turn on all my alerts about engine running, no lane assist, no cruise and after a complete stop it would act like the emergency parking brake was on. Sometimes when restarting the car the parking brake light was actually activated without pushing it. The driver's side windows would also randomly roll down. I immediately called the dealership and they fit me in prior to my previously scheduled appt. I was told it was the door wiring harness and it would be several months before a fix. It has been in the dealership since 04/13/2022. I do have a rental through the dealership. However, the dealership is not communicating with me even though I've left messages.

May 4, 2022

I own a 2021 Atlus Cross-Sport and the last month I have had several electrical issues with it. It first started with my driver's windows would automatically roll down, then my radio would tune in/out, my check engine light comes on and then the passenger side air bag would turn off. I then would have my parking break come on when I rolled into a stop which included consistent beeping and alarms going off. Being a concern, I brought it into Volkswagen and was told that there was a recall on a faulty wiring harness. They agreed to place me into a rental car but had none available and gave me no other choices but to continue to drive the vehicle until the back-ordered parts came in. Two days later on May 1st I was driving the Atlus down the highway when my parking break automatically turned on and my car then sieved up on me. I returned my vehicle in Volkswagen the next day because I do not feel safe in that vehicle. So now I wait, with no ETA of parts to repair my vehicle that I am still paying a note and insurance on.

Apr 30, 2022

Received an error message about driver door contact fail as I was driving down the highway. Next thing I knew my car was rolling down the back window and emergency braking. I was doing 65 down a highway. I had no control over my car. My passengers were freaking out. I was finally able to turn it off and back on and regain control. This is unsafe. I could’ve wrecked and been seriously injured today.

Apr 26, 2022

My cars windows started rolling down by themselves, the emergency break warning and igniting, a warning about the engine still running while in park, the red light on my door flashing, warnings about my lighting system, doors locked and wouldn’t let me in the car. Emergency break warning for engaging while driving down the freeway. Volkswagen has given me a rental but nothing as far as completing the recall and no end in site, no notification of any issues with my car.

Apr 1, 2022

Started with the driver door sensor not unlocking. Happened once before, errors and lights came on. Next day everything was fine. Yesterday, the driver door sensor would not unlock. All other doors unlocked, so I unlocked the driver door from the inside. Error messages started showing up such as, "Error: Start/Stop," "Attention: The engine is running," which i happened to get pictures of. The check engine light and the triangle with exclamation light came on. A door error message and brake message showed up as well. The windows will not go down. When I come to a complete stop at a red light or stop it puts the Park Brake on immediately.

Mar 31, 2022

THE VEHICLE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS HAS HAD A SERIES OF ELECTRONIC WARNING ILLUMINATE ON THE DASH BOARD. THE WINDOWS BOTH DRIVER AND REAR PASSANGER GO DOWN ON THEIR OWN, HILL ASSIT FAILUER DISPLAYS, ADAPTIVE COLLISION SYSTEM FAILURE, ELECTRONIC PARKING PRAKE FAILURE, AUTO START FAILURE, START STOP FAILURE ALL ALTERNATE WITH ERROR MESSAGES. THE VEHICLE HAS ALSO APPLIED THE PARKING PRAKE ON ITS OWN WHILE APPROACHING EITHER A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS.

Mar 29, 2022

Faulty door harness per VW service department in Valdosta, GA. This has caused over several near missed rear end collisions as the car will automatically activate the emergency brake while driving. Multiple error messages pop up. Windows roll down automatically. Vehicle has been sitting at dealership for 30+ days and dealership will not provide loaner vehicle, rental or hold payments with VW Credit. This has affected my way of life tremendously as I now have no vehicle to get to work and no vehicle to take my kids to school in. Dealership said I could still drive the vehicle, completely disregarding the fact that a car had to completely run off the road to prevent from hitting me after my emergency brake randomly activated while I had my kids in the back. So here’s to making payments for my car to sit at the dealer with no help, no eta on repair, NOTHING!

Mar 24, 2022

car came to an abrupt stop

Mar 24, 2022

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated while driving at 8 MPH, the automatic emergency braking system engaged and the vehicle stopped abruptly. The emergency parking brake warning light illuminated. An audible message "Ignition Is Turned On" was engaged. The contact stated that he disengaged the emergency parking brake and continued to drive; however, the failure reoccurred while driving at low speed as he was approaching a traffic light. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle windows rolled down independently and would not roll up unless he turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that he was unable to lock the doors of the vehicle using the key fob or the driver's side power door lock switch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver's side door wiring harness needed to be replaced; however, the part to repair the vehicle was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

Mileage: 8,000

Mar 23, 2022

While sitting in a drive thru the car completely turned off while in drive as I was waiting to move up in line. Then when I went to start the car the next day, the dashboard lit up and all of the windows started going up and down out of now where. After speaking with a service rep about the issue I was informed that it was a door harness issue which is a huge safety risk because it is tied to the electrical components of the vehicle. My vehicle stayed in the shop a little over 2 months and then the issue was repaired. After completing an update, I keep getting a message to reset my trip each time I start the car and then I received a warning that my front assist is not available. When I read more into this I found that the car can brake unexpectedly thinking that a collision is going to take place when it is not, therefore causing a driving risk. This warning came on 3 separate occasions. My car was just purchased in December 2021 and I am concerned about all of the issues that I am experiencing so early on. Two weeks after purchasing my car it was in the shop starting January 7th until March 12th, this was to repair the door harness, then a week later I am receiving the sensor notification. My sensor notification has come on 3/19, 3/22 and 3/23. I am concerned about the overall safety and reliability on this vehicle. My car was in the shop for over 2 months and now I have a new issue.

Mar 21, 2022

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, various electrical failure had occurred with the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently brake without incident as the check engine warning light would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the front driver’s side door failed to unlock while his wife was outside the vehicle with the engine running. The contact's wife was forced to enter the vehicle threw the front passenger’s side door. In addition, the contact also mentioned that both the front and rear driver’s side windows would independently roll down without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed and remained in the dealer's possession. The contact was given a rental vehicle for the same model vehicle and the independent brake failure occurred with that vehicle also. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

Mileage: 13,000

Mar 20, 2022

In Aug/Sept Windows drivers side go down at will. Parking brakes engages when I slow down to stop, at times difficult to disengage. Bells constantly ring while driving. Lane assist notification of problem comes on at will. Something about Drives side message of no electrical connection. Engine light constantly on. Doors lock, unlock at will. I took vehicle to dealership for scheduled oil change in Feb 2022 and told them what was happening and was told there was a recall and parts to be ordered. I returned the next week for dash lights (engine, lane assist, door connection, brakes, bells ringing, etc). Was then told there are many customers with the same issues and VW are waiting for the parts to come. I called the service Dept and asked have my parts come in and was told they probably wouldn’t arrive till Jun 2022. This is a very DANGEROUS situation and I am afraid to drive vehicle unless it’s necessary. I checked on your recall list and my vehicle was not included. I am having EVERY problem listed.

Mar 19, 2022

My car would activate the emergency brakes for no reason. A safety risk for myself, my family and anyone on the road near me. I was late to work several times as the parking brake would become stuck and not allow me to drive. The car would shake and the engine light would come on causing me to think my car would leave me stranded. The windows would roll down and get stuck and go up and down. My brakes and rotors were warped and would squeak and make a terrible grinding noise. Everyday was new problem that would come and go until it because constant and all at the same time , sometimes. I was in fear for my safety and that Of my son, mom family. The dealership was informed and i was assured that it was not an emergency mechanical issue. I could drop it off if I liked but there were no loaners available. Since I needed a loaner to get to and from work , I was placed on a waiting list and called when one was available. That was 10 days later . I kept looking at my car net app vehicle health report for my car that states my car had the issues aforementioned and I should schedule an appointment to get it checked but did not advise to stop driving the vehicle , which is an option. That gave me some type of reassurance but I realized that was not correct. I did not feel safe driving but I couldn’t miss work and get fired or afford to a rental myself and my car note. I dropped of my vehicle on Jan 31 2022. The advisor knew exactly what the issue was and the part it needed. Advised me the part was on backorder and 2-3 weeks for part to arrive. That turned into over 45 days with no estimated time of when it would be made and shipped. I learned through the internet searches i did that VW has a manufacturing plant in Ukraine where the part is produced. Ukraine is at war so the part is not going to be ready anytime soon. I was grateful for the loaner and rental provided but none suited my needs for the transportation of my mom who uses a wheelchair.

Mar 18, 2022

I have a 2012 VW Atlas Cross sport with 6400 miles on it. For the last month and a half my driver side door doesn't work, there are four different warning lights on and every time i brake it starts beeping and the parking brake is automatically activated, leaving both driver and passenger windows will come down by themselves. If has become impossible to drive and the dealership is least bothered and said to go to VW US since it's their car. I had to drive holding my door once to the dealership as it was not closing.

Mar 17, 2022

Car started engaging emergency brake while driving. Started off in park and progressed. Windows would roll down and lights would come on. Took in to VW. They said door harness needs replaced. No ETA for part. They said they had a temporary fix that they did but It did not even make it out of the parking lot of service without the ebrake engaging again. Refused to drive it home and was given a loaner a few days later. Loaner tiguan did same thing within an hour of leaving the dealership. I returned it immediately and showed them the video of the issue. Filed a corporate compliant at this time and they said we were not eligible for buyback because it was not fixed but they have no estimate or fix to make things right. VW gave us the run around. Lied about contacting us. Avoided all calls and emails. They are crooks and know the car is bad and are hiding issues. We eneded up trading car in taking a major loss!! They said there was nothing they could do for us. They are endangering so many lives by allowing these cars on the road and primarily putting the financial burden on the customer. Either wait and hope the harness comes in which they have no idea when or get it replaced and hope it works and ebrake never engages. I am in a group of atlas owners who are all going through the same thing. Worst part is they had my car listed the next day for sale passing this issue onto some poor unsuspecting person. These cars are dangerous and VW needs to be held accountable for what they are doing and fix this issues or reimburse people properly for THEIR poorly made dangerous car.

Mar 1, 2022

Emergency brake engaged while driving, car warning beeps and warning alerts while stopped and while driving, windows opening while driving - cannot be closed from driver side, car alarm activated when opening door. Dealer states the problem is a door harness and parts not available. They state there is a problem with many other VW Atlas 2021 cars. Over 80 in their lot with same problem.

Feb 11, 2022

My vehicle is having issues with the drivers door contact switch. The emergency break will come on spontaneously while driving the vehicle.

Jan 29, 2022

Front drivers door wiring harness has malfunctioned causing every error light on dash and info center to come on and causes Emergency brake to be applied even while driving the drivers side front and rear window both roll down 5 inches sometimes car will not restart tire monitoring lights come on head light warnings it is literally every warning light and sounds start beeping door won't lock or unlock alarm just randomly goes off so they had to unhook battery. took to shop 11-23-2021 and has still been in shop for 66 days as of 1-29-2022 and part still is on backorder with no date confirmed for part to been installed been talking with VW customer care I have started a case so far the latest info i have gotten is part might ship last week in February that will bring my vehicle to being in the shop for over 90 days but I'm sure the date will be pushed back again. i was also told by dealer they have 10 other of the same vehicle in shop for same part

Jan 25, 2022 Crash

My adaptive cruise control AND airbags FAILED when traffic ahead of me suddenly stopped. (There was NO airbag deployment.) I crashed into the person in front of me who then hit the person in front of them. The vehicle is available for inspection. I told the dealership at my 10k scheduled maintenance it was not braking or recognizing vehicles in front until it was so late I had to manually brake. I had a bunch of stuff in the front seat to where the passenger airbag light was on. It also DID not deploy. If someone had been there without a seatbelt there would have been severe injuries. Also I already had a "fuel sensor" that was bad that caused my vehicle to quit upon certain accelerations. My vechicle "quit" suddenly on multiple occasions almost causing a crash on the freeway and several other times on the highway. The EPA light always appeared when this happened and once the engine block light also came on. I could have been killed. I told them at my 10k service and that is when they said it was a fuel sensor and they would call me when it was available to be replaced. It was NOT replaced at the time of the crash.

Jan 12, 2022

My brand new 2021 cross sport (12,600 miles) suddenly started displaying multiple (5) error messages while I was driving. One of the errors was “driver door contact switch”. The check engine light came on and WHILE driving my car spontaneously began activating emergency braking maneuvers even though there was no potential for a collision. This happened numerous times and I was nearly rear ended with my son in the car. The car-net app indicated I need to take the car in for service but did NOT indicate the red “stop driving” icon. I took the car in as soon as possible (the dealership was non-urgent despite my description of the problem. They initially offered me an appt 4 days into the future. Upon my instance about the safety concern they begrudgingly agreed to look at it the next day. They diagnosed a wire harness failure. The manager of the repair dept indicated this is a problem these cars have been having a described that his own VW had the same problem and shared an anecdote about his own dangerous encounter with spontaneous emergency braking resulting. I contacted VW directly. They also did not seem concerned about this known problem. They turned my case over to the regional manager and that person also did not make this a priority or validate the extremely dangerous nature of the problem. It is shocking to me that this is a known problem (that I discovered only after googling the specific diagnosis) and VW sent no safety warnings to consumers AND their app suggested that my car was basically safe to drive my omitting the “stop driving immediately” icon/alert in response to the error messages.