NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes complaints
18 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Nov 12, 2025
Service Brakes
Pulled out of driveway onto major road. Brake fluid alert showed up on dash. Brakes completely stopped working. Was able to roll the car to a stop. Called tow truck which delivered car to mechanic. Mechanic confirmed that there were no brakes and advised that the brake master cylinder leaked into the brake booster which cau…
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Pulled out of driveway onto major road. Brake fluid alert showed up on dash. Brakes completely stopped working. Was able to roll the car to a stop. Called tow truck which delivered car to mechanic. Mechanic confirmed that there were no brakes and advised that the brake master cylinder leaked into the brake booster which caused the brake booster to be damaged. Mechanic needed to remove and replace the the brake master cylinder and the vacuum brake booster.
NHTSA ODI #11698953
Mileage unknown · Oct 31, 2025
Service BrakesVehicle Speed ControlCrash
On Sep 25 2025 my wife parked car in parking lot to check phone messages. The car was in park. When she finished she placed the car in drive. It began to accelerated rapidly even after the brakes were applied and struck a tree. Her foot was not on the accelerator. The car then rolled over onto the driver side door. A police offi…
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On Sep 25 2025 my wife parked car in parking lot to check phone messages. The car was in park. When she finished she placed the car in drive. It began to accelerated rapidly even after the brakes were applied and struck a tree. Her foot was not on the accelerator. The car then rolled over onto the driver side door. A police officer in a nearby building saw the crash and said the car was probably at 30mph when it hit the tree. He and two other officers got my wife out of the car. After the car was towed away we contacted VW customer care and asked that the car be examined. The said when the car was returned to drivable condition they would examine it. Hartford insurance totaled the car and said they were not responsible to examine the care and referred us back to VW. Again VW will not go the a salvage yard to examine the car. The car had intermittent electronic signal issues and a previous recall on doors needed to be redone because originally the wrong part was installed. I did experience a previous incident months before where I felt the car accelerated quicker than I expected from a stop with slight pressure on the pedal but it was only momentary.
NHTSA ODI #11696774
Mileage unknown · Mar 5, 2024
Service Brakes
Ever since we have purchased the car, the brakes have always given us issues. There is a continous squeaking when braking despite having new pads. We have also had the brakes grind causing rotor issues. We have had to replace the rotors on this car 4 times and brake pads 5 or 6 times. Our brakes continue to squeak and the deale…
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Ever since we have purchased the car, the brakes have always given us issues. There is a continous squeaking when braking despite having new pads. We have also had the brakes grind causing rotor issues. We have had to replace the rotors on this car 4 times and brake pads 5 or 6 times. Our brakes continue to squeak and the dealership indicates that this is normal and may be do to oxidation build up. We have never experienced this before with any other vehicle we have purchased or leased.
NHTSA ODI #11575657
Mileage unknown · Sep 5, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
After 6-7 occurrences over a year of an unidentifiable warning light type object appearing in the Vehicle Information portion of the dashboard. Also two (2ea) separate trips to the Volkswagen Dealership for repair of this issue. I was driving on raining soaked highway, as I was slowing down for stopped traffic ahead (traveling a…
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After 6-7 occurrences over a year of an unidentifiable warning light type object appearing in the Vehicle Information portion of the dashboard. Also two (2ea) separate trips to the Volkswagen Dealership for repair of this issue. I was driving on raining soaked highway, as I was slowing down for stopped traffic ahead (traveling at approximately 25 mph), the aforementioned warning light flashed on and immediately and automatically applied the brakes causing the vehicle to skid sideways on the highway. I returned to the Dealership for the third (3rd) time for this item and explained what happened. The Service Manager had me look at a computer showing all of the warning lights for my vehicle. I told him the warning light that we have seen was not located in the area of where the “normal” warning lights are, but in the Vehicle Information area of the dash board. When I was picking up the vehicle after the service for this item and also a recall issue, the Service Manager told me regarding the unidentified warning light the car was “supposed to apply the brakes in that fashion”. However, the dealership could not identify the Large Red Object surrounded with four (4) Lightning Bolts warning Light. If this issue (warning light and automatically braking) would have occurred at a greater speed (the speed limit on the highway was 65 mph) the outcome would have been more serious. As a result of this occurrence and the several failed attempts identify the warning light or to repair this vehicle we do not feel safe in driving this car. According, we have sold this Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.
NHTSA ODI #11482926
Mileage unknown · May 25, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
I submitted a report on May 2nd, 2022 about a MAJOR safety concern that occurred at the beginning of April. My cross sport was phantom braking, throwing itself into Park, and involuntary E-braking. This occurred multiple times at different speeds, I avoided collision and injury but have since been unable to drive the vehicle. My…
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I submitted a report on May 2nd, 2022 about a MAJOR safety concern that occurred at the beginning of April. My cross sport was phantom braking, throwing itself into Park, and involuntary E-braking. This occurred multiple times at different speeds, I avoided collision and injury but have since been unable to drive the vehicle. Myself and others on the road could have been seriously injured. It was immediately towed to the dealership and has been sitting on the lot un-driveable since April, with no fix in sight, and no communication from VW in regard to a resolution. I want to file the highest complaint against VW as they have not dealt with this in a timely manner, they have not offered assistance, and this was my only vehicle.
NHTSA ODI #11466142
Mileage unknown · May 2, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
2020 VW Atlas Cross Sport. While traveling down the highway (medium speed) the vehicle abruptly threw itself into Park, and E-braked. Thankfully escaped a collision but the outcome could have been much worse. My safety and safety of others was put at risk. And the general trauma from this scary incident has lasted weeks. The abr…
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2020 VW Atlas Cross Sport. While traveling down the highway (medium speed) the vehicle abruptly threw itself into Park, and E-braked. Thankfully escaped a collision but the outcome could have been much worse. My safety and safety of others was put at risk. And the general trauma from this scary incident has lasted weeks. The abrupt braking continued to happen at low speeds / cruising speed until I could pull over. (The car is not simply braking, it is throwing itself into Park and E-Brake goes on). Also, windows roll up and down without cause, all types of warning lights and errors flash on the dashboard. Upon the dealership's service center's scan of my car's computer, they found it occurred four times. The dealership found the wiring harness was corroded, and they think the car is sensing that a door is open, causing the vehicle to switch to Park and abruptly E-Brake. The vehicle is unsafe to drive but both VW and the dealership have denied me a loaner, and have denied my requests for compensation so I can rent a temporary car - this malfunction has left me with no vehicle for weeks, zero means of transportation, and no future fix in sight.
NHTSA ODI #11463110
Mileage unknown · May 1, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
While driving down a street the car engaged the emergency stop system and stopped the car, nothing in front of me or around me. Verify scary incident.
NHTSA ODI #11462959
Mileage unknown · Apr 18, 2022
Electrical SystemService BrakesUnknown Or Other
Several weeks ago, while the vehicle was on and in park, several warning lights went off and the vehicle started beeping, both windows on the drivers' side rolled all the way down and the parking brake engaged. I was able to disengage the parking brake and roll up the windows. After turning the vehicle off and back on, the warni…
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Several weeks ago, while the vehicle was on and in park, several warning lights went off and the vehicle started beeping, both windows on the drivers' side rolled all the way down and the parking brake engaged. I was able to disengage the parking brake and roll up the windows. After turning the vehicle off and back on, the warning lights went away. This morning, after putting the vehicle in park and turning it off, both windows on the drivers' side rolled about 1/3 of the way down and the parking brake engaged. Upon turning the vehicle back on, I was able to roll the windows up and disengage the parking break.
NHTSA ODI #11461199
Mileage unknown · Mar 21, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
Driving and my car is automatically suddenly braking for me even-though my foot is on the gas. This now has happened a few times and I almost got rear-ended yesterday.
NHTSA ODI #11457643
Mileage unknown · Mar 19, 2022
Air BagsElectrical SystemService Brakes
Issues started in fall 2020, each had occurred a few times, but dealers reported this was a known issue without a fix or that parka for wire harness were on back order. Now with each start 8+ alarms go off for failures in safety features. Consistently the electronic parking brakes come on at slow speeds (<5mph) and has caused ne…
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Issues started in fall 2020, each had occurred a few times, but dealers reported this was a known issue without a fix or that parka for wire harness were on back order. Now with each start 8+ alarms go off for failures in safety features. Consistently the electronic parking brakes come on at slow speeds (<5mph) and has caused near accede to due to sliding when driving in snowy weather. Airbag warning light on and unsure if this is a safety issue or sensor problem, dealership reports it is not a safety issue. Driver door not recognized as closed, driver side door will no lock but at other times is unable to be unlocked. All 4 windows go down ~6in at random intervals both while driving or parked when starting car. Initially was single events and rare now cat is nearly undrivable due to braking issues
NHTSA ODI #11457455
Official recalls
11Jun 20, 2024
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Atlas and 2020-2024 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2024. Owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, on October 18, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, and January 17, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69PZ.
Mar 29, 2023
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FB.
Oct 31, 2022
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Mar 28, 2022
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Atlas, 2020-2023 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021-2023 Atlas FL vehicles. The door wiring harness electrical contacts may corrode, disrupting the electrical connection and delaying the deployment of the driver or passenger front side air bag during a side impact crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will secure and, as necessary, replace any the front door wiring harnesses showing a fault code, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97GF.
Feb 16, 2022
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles equipped with accessory side steps. The reduced Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) label, reflecting the additional weight of the side steps, was not installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Without the reduced GVWR label, the vehicle could be overloaded, leading to a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will install the reduced GVWR label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 09D9.
Nov 17, 2021
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A water leak may damage the air bag control module, causing an inadvertent air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
Consequence: A water leak may damage the air bag control module, causing an inadvertent air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.
Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
Consequence: A water leak may damage the air bag control module, causing an inadvertent air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.
Jan 27, 2021
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The front steering knuckle may fracture in the area of the strut mounting.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fractured steering knuckle can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace one or both steering knuckles, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q7.
Nov 17, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. One or both steering knuckles may have been damaged during production.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged steering knuckle can fail, causing a loss of steering, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the steering knuckle, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q6. Note: Owners are advised to DO NOT DRIVE the vehicle until the vehicle has been inspected and repaired if necessary.
Nov 13, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport and 2021 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires, size 255/50 R 20 105 T. The tires may have been over cured.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Over cured tires can result in a sidewall break causing a sudden loss of air pressure or the tread separating from the tire. Both conditions increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect DOT date code and mold number on the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q5.
Aug 26, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Atlas Cross Sports and 2021 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side headlight may have been aimed too low during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A headlight aimed incorrectly aimed reduces the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will adjust the driver's side headlight, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94N7.
Aug 26, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE21008 · Fuel Injector Leak
Opened Mar 29, 2021 · Closed Oct 3, 2022
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors
On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-008 to investigate instances of fuel injectors leaking in the engine compartment in model year (MY) 2018 through 2020 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs. These vehicles are equipped with either a 3.6 or 2.0 liter engine. The subject investigation concerns vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. Prior to opening the investigation, ODI also observed that warranty data for the fuel system from TREAD reporting was an outlier for the MY 2018 Atlas.The allegation involved fuel injectors leaking fuel near engine compartment components that operate at high temperatures. Consumers allege a fuel leak, fuel odor, and/or an illuminated check engine malfunction indicator light (MIL) on that alerts them to the condition. Fuel leaking in the engine compartment has a higher potential risk of fire as nearby components are operating at higher temperatures compared to other areas of the vehicle. No fires have been connected to this issue to date.The 3.6L engine is a VR6 type engine. Due to its specific design, the VR6 has two types of injectors with different designs installed. Cylinders 1, 3, and 5 use long injectors and cylinders 2, 4, and 6 use short injectors. Unlike the short injectors, the long injectors require an extension pipe necessary to reach cylinders 1, 3, and 5. Volkswagen stated that the potential root cause for a leaking injector is typically either a damaged, misaligned, or missing supporting ring or a damaged O-ring. These rings assist in connecting the injector to the extension pipe. If one of these conditions is present in a vehicle, the O-ring has difficulty withstanding fuel pressure over time.Volkswagen stated that an analysis of warranty data related to leaking injectors in vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines showed that the vast majority of leaking allegations were related to internal leaks. Fuel can leak into the cylinder causing misfiring in the affected cylinders. This condition would not cause fuel to enter into the engine compartment. Volkswagen states that these internal leaks pose no unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition is an early-life failure with a relatively low failure rate. The average failure mileage calculated from all data sources was determined to be approximately 14,000 miles. Only two failures were reported outside of the vehicles' warranty coverage period. The average time to failure for the subject vehicle population is approximately 12 months in service (MIS). The majority of failures were below the average of 14,000 miles or 12 MIS. Analysis of reported failures showed that the failure rate is approximately 0.08% or 0.8 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV).To date, there have been no reported fires, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. In view of the low rate of failure, the nature of early-life failure, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers:11446833, 11438403, 11382958, 11298402, 11291955, 11218819, 11218780
Additional source detail variants (2)
Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors
On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-008 to investigate instances of fuel injectors leaking in the engine compartment in model year (MY) 2018 through 2020 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs. These vehicles are equipped with either a 3.6 or 2.0 liter engine. The subject investigation concerns vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. Prior to opening the investigation, ODI also observed that warranty data for the fuel system from TREAD reporting was an outlier for the MY 2018 Atlas.The allegation involved fuel injectors leaking fuel near engine compartment components that operate at high temperatures. Consumers allege a fuel leak, fuel odor, and/or an illuminated check engine malfunction indicator light (MIL) on that alerts them to the condition. Fuel leaking in the engine compartment has a higher potential risk of fire as nearby components are operating at higher temperatures compared to other areas of the vehicle. No fires have been connected to this issue to date.The 3.6L engine is a VR6 type engine. Due to its specific design, the VR6 has two types of injectors with different designs installed. Cylinders 1, 3, and 5 use long injectors and cylinders 2, 4, and 6 use short injectors. Unlike the short injectors, the long injectors require an extension pipe necessary to reach cylinders 1, 3, and 5. Volkswagen stated that the potential root cause for a leaking injector is typically either a damaged, misaligned, or missing supporting ring or a damaged O-ring. These rings assist in connecting the injector to the extension pipe. If one of these conditions is present in a vehicle, the O-ring has difficulty withstanding fuel pressure over time.Volkswagen stated that an analysis of warranty data related to leaking injectors in vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines showed that the vast majority of leaking allegations were related to internal leaks. Fuel can leak into the cylinder causing misfiring in the affected cylinders. This condition would not cause fuel to enter into the engine compartment. Volkswagen states that these internal leaks pose no unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition is an early-life failure with a relatively low failure rate. The average failure mileage calculated from all data sources was determined to be approximately 14,000 miles. Only two failures were reported outside of the vehicles' warranty coverage period. The average time to failure for the subject vehicle population is approximately 12 months in service (MIS). The majority of failures were below the average of 14,000 miles or 12 MIS. Analysis of reported failures showed that the failure rate is approximately 0.08% or 0.8 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV).To date, there have been no reported fires, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. In view of the low rate of failure, the nature of early-life failure, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers:11446833, 11438403, 11382958, 11298402, 11291955, 11218819, 11218780
Fuel System, Gasoline
On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-008 to investigate instances of fuel injectors leaking in the engine compartment in model year (MY) 2018 through 2020 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs. These vehicles are equipped with either a 3.6 or 2.0 liter engine. The subject investigation concerns vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. Prior to opening the investigation, ODI also observed that warranty data for the fuel system from TREAD reporting was an outlier for the MY 2018 Atlas.The allegation involved fuel injectors leaking fuel near engine compartment components that operate at high temperatures. Consumers allege a fuel leak, fuel odor, and/or an illuminated check engine malfunction indicator light (MIL) on that alerts them to the condition. Fuel leaking in the engine compartment has a higher potential risk of fire as nearby components are operating at higher temperatures compared to other areas of the vehicle. No fires have been connected to this issue to date.The 3.6L engine is a VR6 type engine. Due to its specific design, the VR6 has two types of injectors with different designs installed. Cylinders 1, 3, and 5 use long injectors and cylinders 2, 4, and 6 use short injectors. Unlike the short injectors, the long injectors require an extension pipe necessary to reach cylinders 1, 3, and 5. Volkswagen stated that the potential root cause for a leaking injector is typically either a damaged, misaligned, or missing supporting ring or a damaged O-ring. These rings assist in connecting the injector to the extension pipe. If one of these conditions is present in a vehicle, the O-ring has difficulty withstanding fuel pressure over time.Volkswagen stated that an analysis of warranty data related to leaking injectors in vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines showed that the vast majority of leaking allegations were related to internal leaks. Fuel can leak into the cylinder causing misfiring in the affected cylinders. This condition would not cause fuel to enter into the engine compartment. Volkswagen states that these internal leaks pose no unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition is an early-life failure with a relatively low failure rate. The average failure mileage calculated from all data sources was determined to be approximately 14,000 miles. Only two failures were reported outside of the vehicles' warranty coverage period. The average time to failure for the subject vehicle population is approximately 12 months in service (MIS). The majority of failures were below the average of 14,000 miles or 12 MIS. Analysis of reported failures showed that the failure rate is approximately 0.08% or 0.8 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV).To date, there have been no reported fires, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. In view of the low rate of failure, the nature of early-life failure, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers:11446833, 11438403, 11382958, 11298402, 11291955, 11218819, 11218780
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