2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS Engine Problems

Dealer maintained with oil changes per the schedule. Cylinder head issue requiring engine replacement at 104,xxx miles. 3.6L VR6. This is unacceptable.

My 2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 experienced a catastrophic engine failure at approximately 116,000 miles. The vehicle has been at a Volkswagen dealership for approximately six months (since July 2025) while repeated diagnostic attempts and repairs were made. I was ultimately informed that the engine requires full replacement. No clear warning was provided prior to failure, and the prolonged diagnosis resulted in the vehicle being unusable for an unreasonable length of time. Volkswagen of America has declined to offer assistance despite the severity of the failure and extended time out of service. I have reached out to Volkswagon and so has the dealership (Paul Miller Volkswagen of Bernardsville). We each created a case each on my behalf but Volkswagon of America has declined assistance. I am concerned about premature engine failure and the lack of resolution.

While driving, the vehicle suddenly loses engine power and shuts off without warning. This has happened multiple times and creates a serious safety hazard because it happen in traffic multiple times . The problem appears to be related to the fuel pump control module and/or electrical wiring failure. Additionally, the power windows stopped functioning due to a failure in the driver door wiring harness, which is a known issue on this vehicle model year. The electrical malfunction and engine stall appear to be connected. This issue has been repaired because the dealership stated the warranty is expired, but this is a safety defect that can lead to a crash. There is also an open unrepaired recall on this vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection.

Low engine coolant light came on and began overheating all within a short period of time. Mechanic stated is has a blown/defective head gasket. It is currently being repaired by a mechanic as we need the car to drive our young children. A quick Google search has shown this is an ongoing issue as there is a class action lawsuit with law group, Sauder Schelkopf.

Our 2018 VW, when extremely hot temperatures would make a very loud grinding/squealing sound. Then the AC would intermittently work, sometimes it would blow cold, and sometimes it would not. Eventually, the AC stopped working altogether. There is a strong, hot, burning smell that comes through the vents during these times. These issues have caused extreme visibility as my windows fog up in humid conditions, causing me to not be able to see. I was almost in a car accident from this due to not being able to see and being in a large amount of traffic, trying to pull over to the side. This happened probably because the AC also dehumidifies the air for defogging. We had our VW into the Morris dealership, being sent home each time, stating nothing was wrong. The last time we had it in demanding something was not right. They stated the AC Compressor...

I have had this vehicle since 2020. Two months after I bought it, the vehicle would turn off at random. I took it to VW and they change the carbon air canister. It stopped for a while but now it back. When stopping the car randomly shits off. Not auto energy saving off. Restart your engine in 5:30PM traffic type of restart your engine. Slowing down, shut off. Backing up, shut off. I have a 2019 Atlas as well and the same thing happens. This is extremely dangerous and unsafe. VW claims either they dont know what the issue is because there is no service engine light and no code produced.

ECM light came on, while going 60+ on expressway. Car lost ability to accelerate and began to sputter. Unable to adjust speed and had to pull over to shoulder in fast moving traffic.

In October 2024, my air conditioning was blowing hot when I had just had it recharged in June 2024. I took it to vw in pasadena, ca. They noted that there was an oil leak being caused by the breather valve aka the pcv valve which was making oil leak into the ac components. It took a few visits to get this resolved as a smell was in my car that was making me feel sick afterward. Eventually it was fixed and my car seemed to be okay. Until a month ago when my husband got into an accident and once we got my car back from the body repairs within 24 hours, my oil light came on. At first I thought it was because of the accident but it turned out it wasn't. It was due to the breather valve again. This was confirmed by vw covina. This is...

ECP light came on and vehicle entered limp mode

Water pump failure of a 2018 VW Atlas with 69000 miles.

THE EPC LIGHT WILL COME ON AT ANYTIME. MEANING WHILE DRIVING ON A STREET HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY. WHICH IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE VEICHLE WILL LOSE POWER AND START TO SHAKE. THE LIGHT WILL GO OFF ONCE TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON. THERE MOST BE SOME ELECTRICAL ISSUE. NOT SURE WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THE 2018. THEY HAVE MANY COMPLAINTS AND ISSUES. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR MONTHS.

I was driving on the highway with my family in stop and go traffic when my car turned off on its own while still in Drive. The car has an "Auto On/Off" feature that we had disabled so it should not have, for any reason, done this. We had a semi-truck behind us that nearly rearended us. After putting the car in park, in the middle of the highway, and restarting the engine the car turned off again less than 10 minutes later. This car has a brand-new battery and purge control solenoid (after a check engine light) due to this issue, thinking it would fix it.

The vehicle randomly shuts down when slowing to a halt or after coming to a halt..a prompt to manually restart the vehicle then pops up on he dashboard screen. The most recent event occurred on date below

Purchased Car with 17,000 miles on it. At 35,400 miles I had an electrical issue, cars was driving slow and jerking, sputtering while on the highway. the EMP ? light came on. I brought to the Clear Lake Volkswagen and they had to change our alot of the electronic system. I drove my car for about 9 months and my battery that was brand new died. There was a something with the electronic system. All along since I have owned the car, it would randomly stall when I would come to a stop. Never a big issue and just thought it was something with the stop/start. Last week while driving on the highway, 4-7 times when I would just take my foot off the gas the car would stall. I would have to pull off the the side of the highway, (NOT SAFE) put car in park and start it...

A dangerous cam shaft failure led to sensors near the cam shaft and a piece of the metal housing being broken off due to the cam shaft failure. The cam shaft failed at normal highway speeds and stopped the engine on the highway. Vehicle is still undergoing repairs at “Automotive Tech, Inc.”

Engine shuts down unexpectable at a stop sign/light and when driving in parking lots. A message on the dashboard comes on "Manually restart the vehicle" This has happen several times (at least 4 times) in the past few days

Bought this vehicle new from dealer. Have had all maintenance done at the suggested intervals by VW. Have had ongoing issues with “check coolant” alerts. Coolant has been low on multiple occasions but dealer assures there is no leak. I’m am now out of warranty and car has lost coolant again, well below the minimum level required. Please help with ongoing issues that now dealer will not cover. Being inspected now for water pump failure, radiator core, etc. I feel as though this coolant level problem is being hidden and pushed along until customers are out of warranty. Please help.

Engine stops occasionally while driving and the car is moving. This has occurred even with Start/Stop turned off and while the vehicle is moving on the road. This has occurred several times over the past year. Typically the car can be re-started right away, although on a couple of times it was disabled (would not start) until multiple attempts over 5 minutes.

My car engine has cut off a few times all by itself while operating it.

Replaced a failed water pump at 78,831 miles on 11/03/2022 and that replacement part failed again at 98,022 miles on 12/26/2023.The dealer would not cover either replacement. The first was outside vehicle warranty and the second was outside the 12k mile part warranty period. This model/trim was not covered under the class action lawsuit related to water pump failure. I’m reporting this so you are aware that

Today 3 times while driving my car braked on its own, emitted a loud noise and “Brake Booster Faulty” displays along with the ABS and Brake late. It also told me to power off the car. Prior to this there were no problems however I am now worried for safety reasons.

The car started to feel like it had the shivers. Could feel some kind of vibrations of sorts. Some time prior to this the car would stall when it would switch with the engine start stop function. We were told nothing was wrong with it. Prior to the vibrations or around the same time the check engine light went on. We took the car to the dealership and were told we had low pressure in one of the cylinders and near low in some others. They recommended a new engine.

While driving down the road the vehicle automatically shuts off without power brakes or power steering. Must come to a complete stop put the vehicle into park and the vehicle will then restart. Has happened twice in one week.

Our 2018 V6 SEL Volkswagen Atlas is the recipient of a defective fuel injection system. Through discussion with VW service and maintenance staff, as well as research in online VW specific forums, there is defective fuel injectors found in various VW Atlas year and differing engine vehicles. Our particular vehicle had a malfunctioning, defective fuel injector (fuel injector for Cylinder 6) which resulted in massive carbon build up. There is no real detection system for a faulty, leaky fuel injector according to VW service. The carbon build up began with misfiring check engine and ECP error codes. Upon taking it to the dealer, we were made aware that the carbon build up also resulted in mechanical failure of components within Cylinder 6. This would affect drivability of the vehicle while on the road, resulting in severe power or ability to drive loss. Other additional factors aside from the faulty fuel...

In June and early July of 2023 the vehicle’s engine shut off while driving at least 4 times. Shut off occurred while driving at low speeds while in a parking lot, coming out of an intersection, and when approaching a stop sign. When the car shuts off you lose control of steering and braking is difficult. You have to shift the vehicle into park and restart the engine. We took the vehicle to VW dealership who inspected and replaced the charcoal canister and N80 purge valve. Vehicle operated normally for 10 months until late April 2024. In the past month the vehicle has shut off a dozen times while in operation. Similar to before it occurs at low speeds while starting, stopping, turning, and even while driving in reverse. The vehicle is currently back at the dealership to address this. Their initial response was that they couldn’t reproduce this condition,...

At approximately 91,500 miles, the "coolant low" warning came on. I pulled over, filled the coolant reservoir (it was only just barely too low). (I keep coolant in the trunk because at 75,000 miles the same thing had happened, with no incident other than needing to be refilled). I was 2.5 miles from the dealership, so I then drove another 1 mile, during which no warnings came on but the vehicle stopped and failed to restart. White smoke came from under the hood and the tail pipe. At the time I was on a road where the speed limit is 45 mph, and I was completely disabled in a middle lane, at high risk of collision with oncoming traffic. It was towed to the dealership, where I was told it would require a complete engine replacement.

EPC light came on and shut the car down at highway speeds. Car was incapacitated. Had car taken to dealer and was told the computer indicated a problem with the fuel injection wiring harness. Was told this is a common recall for 2018 Atlas and Tiguan models but my vin was not included in the recall but could not give me a reason. Had to pay to have wiring harness replaced. Contacted Volkswagen and they refuse to acknowledge a safety issue with my vehicle even though there are open recalls on the wiring harness that shut my vehicle down while driving. My family could have been seriously injured or we could have caused a major accident because this car was somehow excluded from inclusion and notification of the recall

My vehicle alerted me that I needed to start my vehicle, while I was driving. I had accelerated to a speed of about 25mph, when I got this alert. My vehicle stalled and I pulled over to restart, but my vehicle would not restart again. I had my vehicle towed to VW of ST AUGUSTINE. I took 2 days for my vehicle to be diagnosed by the dealership. Upon speaking with VW of St AUG, I advised that I had not had any notification of engine lights and/or system failure issues. I advised I was hearing no tapping and/or whining noises at all. This incident was very scary and put my life and other lives in jeopardy. My vehicle was unsafe to operate and I was not aware. I was informed by the dealership that they had no way detecting an issue of this manner without taking the engine apart....

Car turns off while in traffic and the auto start is turned off. Have to put it in park and click the start button. When it stars ABS, park assist, tire pressure and other dashboard lights turn on.

2018 Atlas SEL Premium 3.6L V6. Currently at VW dealership for warranty work. Vehicle has had coolant leaks in the past where dealer replaced water pump. Atlas in for the third time for misfiring in cylinder 6 and other misfiring engine codes. They found issues with the head cylinder gasket and will be replacing the head gasket. There are blogs about this issue throughout the internet.

2018 atlas 3.6 sel premium 4 motion. 3rd time in for service for fuel injector MIL code and misfiring with no resolve. Computer was reprogrammed from VW and compression test and replacement of injectors. Mil code turned on again for misfiring. Vehicle will loose full driving power and only drive at lower speeds without accepting the overdrive when depressing pedal.

When starting up my vehicle the battery turns on but the engine will not start. My dash will light up with multiple warnings. These are the specific ones that warn me: Error: electronic stabilization control (ESC) Error: hill hold assist BRAKE - Brake booster faulty ERROR: Hill hold assist Front assist not available. ERROR: tire pressure monitoring system. Trans. in emerg. Mode. You can continue driving. FAULT: electronic parking brake. Eventually my car starts up, but this is after several attempts. Once I shut car off and go to start back up, it goes through the whole process again. My car was taken into Volkswagen dealership and they said it was my fuel pump, fuel filter & battery. They “fixed” that but by the time I drove my car home, the issue started back up again. My safety is 100% put at risk because not only does my car not...

I was driving the vehicle was in drive moving on the road and literally turned off. Completely disabled in the road. I purchased a new battery in September 2022, got the battery tested again and there’s no issue with it. Mechanics can’t find an issue. I had the engine stop feature off (the light is on when it’s off) and it turned itself off prior to the car shutting off completely. I was unable to restart and someone had to assist in Pushing my vehicle out of the road then jumpstart my car. Again I had everything thoroughly checked and there are no active issues.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15-20 MPH and approaching a stop, while decelerating, the vehicle inadvertently shut off. The START/STOP feature became inoperable. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle rolled into an intersection. While her husband was driving, the START/STOP feature became inoperable. The contact stated that the “START/STOP System/Restart Manually” message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who drove the vehicle for approximately four miles but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

My 2018 Volkswagen Atlas has a defect that has impaired my ability to use the vehicle as intended. It is not only unsafe but I am in fear of driving freeways because I do not know when my car will cut off. Manufactures were fully aware of their defective products. I have read forums pertaining to the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas engine sputtering (Causes and Diagnosis). It states that the causes could be a bad fuel system, ignition system,MAF sensor, or bad converter. I have owned my vehicle for over a year and a half. During this time my vehicle has repeatedly started sputtering, deccelerated and turned off. It has happened 3 times and I do not feel safe. Have taken to dealership only to be told nothing was wrong with car. On October 18, 2022 Volkswagen Group of America recalled 74,067 SUV'S due to Engine Failure that could result in...

Our 2018 VW Atlas will randomly shut the engine off even with auto start/shut off disabled. This has happened 5 times in 3 months. It has done so on the highway and on main streets putting our family of 6 at risk of being in an auto crash every time. The brakes have automatically came on 2 times. Forward collision sensors come on with nothing in front of us which also puts the breaks on and makes a distracting loud beep which has made me jump out of surprise while driving. The EPA rated fuel economy is 26 highway and 22 city. We drive both and rarely get above 16 combined MPG even with multiple drivers and making an attempt at getting better economy. Our Atlas also makes a loud “clunk” sound from the undercarriage in the center/rear of the vehicle. It does this while driving or while parked with...

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to stop and shift to park (P) and restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000. The VIN was not available.

I noticed about 6 months ago on a couple of occasions, while walking in front of my running 2018 VW Atlas. The sweet smell of antifreeze. I looked under my Atlas and did not see anything on the ground ( water, antifreeze ) and this happened just a few times. Then one 2/2/2023, I started up my Atlas to move it over and the low coolant warning signal came on my dash as soon as I started my vehicles. I did not have any of the specific coolant that the manufactured ask for it the time and after checking the reservoir tank the coolant level was down to the low mark on the reservoir tank. So I was able to put some distilled water in it which was about two cups 16 oz. Now after I have read all of the other issues that owners have had I am really...

Car has been automatically shutting off at slow speeds such as red lights and trying to park. Mainly happens at lights as you break. The car was taken first to Tire Plus, they ran a diagnostic where they received an error and instructed me to take the car to dealer. Took car to VW and provided them with the tire plus paperwork and they stated the car is fine and they do not see anything wrong. They asked me to take a video when it happens. My son who relies on this car just took a video at a stop light and it is now being sent to VW to see what next step is. Car is getting close to warrantee expiration. I believe I have about 6k more miles to go.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH with her children in the rear seats, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assistance of bystanders. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle and drove to her destination. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred on another occasion. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that after turning the ignition to the off position, the engine remained running but then turned off after a short while. The check engine and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had misfired and the ABS was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

Engine stopped during on drive on highway and requiring to put in park to restart in the middle of the road. Dash board displaying “Start- Stop error “ with engine sign. So far car stopped three times while driving this time and a service is scheduled for June 17, with the dealership. Same thing happened and notified and serviced. At that time they have replaced the battery. I checked the battery in a auto shop and they told me the battery is good this time. Upon google search, noticed this is happening with other people as well.

My trucks breaks has given out multiple times almost causing accidents in the middle of driving with no warning. Message on dash says faulty breaks , break failure before it quickly goes away. The abs break light comes on and the car stalls almost causing me to get rear ended. I purchased the car Oct 12,2021 car start having issues December 2021. It is extremely dangerous to drive. I took it to car max in forth myers fl when I almost hit a tractor trailer WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR ! Carmax refused to look at my vehicle or give me a rental for it being unsafe. This has happened on multiple occasions. I shouldn’t have to pay for something like this to get fixed when I was sold a faulty car from the start. I have spoke with a few Lawyers over this matter about CarMax and Voltswagon....

Water pump was replaced a few months ago after VW dealer discovering cracked pump housing during routine maintenance. A few days ago a "CHECK COOLANT LEVEL" message was displayed. Immediate check underneath vehicle found no evidence of external coolant leak. However, reservoir coolant tank found to be almost empty. Visual inspection of engine compartment showed all coolant hoses to be intact, cap secure on ball style reservoir tank without evidence of leakage. No odor of coolant in or around vehicle. Research on this problem found hundreds of 2018-2019 VW Atlas owners with identical symptom description, most ended up finding evidence of coolant in engine oil (crankcase). A sample of crankcase engine oil has been sent to an independent laboratory for analysis. The General Manager and Service Manager at VW dealer have been notified of the issue and that it is a known serious problem to VW Atlas owners despite not...

On 2020, the engine was stopped while I was driving, and the engine no longer work. I couldn’t start my car. The mechanic engineer said that I needed to replace the engine. However, my car had same issues about engine this year again. The engine was repeatedly stopped, and I had the engine warning light again. At first, they said they had to replace the engine, and at this time, he found the issue that the left cylinder #4 valve lifter/roller rocker securing clip to be missing and has been consumed by the engine and metal debris has contaminated the engine requiring engine replacement. I was so concerned my safety because of these issues. The engine should be replaced with a new one again. I am worrying my safety seriously because the engine issues are FATAL problems. I have owned the Atlas for about 40 months, and I have engine...

My car displayed a warning that my engine was overheating and to pull over immediately. My temperature gauge was at max HIGH and check engine light came on. Towed to dealer. Was told by VW that the secondary coolant pump had failed. It was replaced and then it happened again two days later. My car was towed back to dealer again who cleaned, drained and refilled coolant. Two days later it overheated again and my engine was making a crackling sound. I use this car to transport my three young children and I am afraid to drive it. The car is overheating after driving less than a half mile.

Continually leaks coolant.

Volkswagen Dealership of Lake Charles, LA attempted to repair a safety recall on catalytic converter. When I picked my car up for the safety recall on the catalytic converter my car smelled like fuel and was leaking fuel and would not stay running and stopped running while driving in traffic and at stop lights and intersections. The dealership has had my vehicle for 3 months and still not repaired my recall correctly and I just got it back today October 4th and the problem remains unresolved. I attempted to back out into traffic and my car stopped running and there was incoming traffic. Luckily me and my 2 daughters were not hurt however this car is not safe and request the dealership fixes the safety recall correctly.

2018 atlas I bought less than a year ago I was on the freeway when the car completely stalled I pulled over to try and restart the car but the car never restarted it was towed to Vw Thousand Oaks to find out that the engine went out I wasn’t under warranty because The warranty was up by miles I reached out to Vw corporate to see if they were willing to fix the car because the car wasn’t that many miles over and the engine went out in three years the corporate did not agree to help with the repairs the engine failure happened at 77,000 miles….

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at low speeds downhill, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the vehicle stalled randomly while near objects in the road when the collision avoidance feature engaged without warning. The contact called the local dealer where the collision avoidance feature was disabled remotely. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.