NHTSA Complaint #11283017 — 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

WHEN THE VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP AND THE AUTO START/STOP ACTIVATES, THE VEHICLE WILL SOMETIMES NOT AUTO RESTART AND WILL DISPLAY, "PLEASE MANUALLY RESTART THE ENGINE". IN ORDER TO FOLLOW THE PROMPTS AND START THE VEHICLE AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND PUSH THE IGNITION BUTTON. I WAS ABLE TO RECREATE THIS ISSUE 100% OF THE TIME BY COMING TO A STOP, HAVING THE IGNITION AUTO STOP AND THEN REMOVING MY SEAT BELT (LIKE YOU OFTEN DO IN A DRIVE-THRU TO GET YOUR WALLET OUT OF YOUR BACK POCKET). I'VE ALSO FOUND THAT EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WILL DISPLAY, "PLEASE MANUALLY RESTART" IF YOU RECONNECT YOUR SEAT BELT AND PUSH THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR WILL TAKE OFF IN DRIVE. I"VE HAD THIS HAPPEN UNEXPECTEDLY ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS NOW AND SOME INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED IN THE STREET AND OCCURRED EVEN WHEN THE SEAT BELT WAS ATTACHED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITH SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO VW TWICE NOW OVER THE ISSUE AND THE DEALER TRIES TO CLAIM THAT'S HOW THE VEHICLE IS DESIGNED TO OPERATE. I SHOWED THEM PAGE 173 IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL WHICH STATES THAT ALL THREE OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET FOR THE VEHICLE NOT TO AUTO RESTART: NO PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT IS REMOVED, AND THE DRIVER'S DOOR IS OPENED. THE WORD ALL IS IN BOLD AND CAPITALIZED IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. MY VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BACK AT THE DEALERSHIP AND I'VE ALSO CONTACTED VW CORPORATE IN REFERENCE TO THE ISSUE. THE LOANER ATLAS THE DEALER GAVE ME PERFORMS IN THE SAME DEFECTIVE MANNER. I BELIEVE THERE'S A COMPUTER PROGRAMMING ISSUE AND ALL ATLAS' NEED RECALLED TO CORRECT THE ISSUE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT PERFORMING PER THE OWNER'S MANUAL; WHICH COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THERE IS VIDEO OF THE ISSUE AND THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM AS WELL EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE FIGHTING ME TO CORRECT THE ISSUE.