2019 Volkswagen Atlas forward collision avoidance problems

What owners report

• “I was proceding through an intersection when my car's automatic braking system activated with no warning or reason. I was driving on [XXX] on [XXX] at around [XXX]. I was stopped at a red-light behind another vehicle waiting for the light to change. When the light changed green, I proceded to drive forward through the intersection with about a car distance between the car in front of me. As soon as I cleared the intersection, my car suddenly stopped and made a loud noise while it slid forward. …”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 10/26/2026

• “Multiple occurrences where forward collision warning goes off with no vehicles Incident 1. 5/15/2026 Road: Highway I-94 Weather: Clear and sunny Condition: Cruise control on, light traffic, nearest vehicle at least 4 cars in front, 2 vehicles behind and to the right (fast lane), driving in the middle left lane. Forward collision warning went off and took cruise control off. No vehicles stopping in front of me. Incident 2. 6/3/2026 Road: Urban side streets Weather: Clear and sunny Condition: Coa…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 06/15/2026

• “There is a yellow triangle on my dash and when the dealer did the troubleshooting they indicated that there is a fault in the system with the transmission shifter and a part is needed to correct the issue. The vehicle is just beyond the warrantee period with 39,000 miles.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 01/01/2026

• “Emergency brakes activated while driving normally with no obstructions in front of me. This could've caused an accident if there were other vehicles behind me.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 09/23/2025

• “The sensors will cause the car to automatic brake when nothing is in front of it. It highly dangerous and could potential lead to a accident. this has happend multiple times since I purchased the car sind MArch 2021. I would say it happen at least once a month.”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 09/08/2025

• “I was driving on the SB 55fwy in light stop and go traffic and had my ACC w/ traffic aware system engaged. My car was doing as it normally does, keeping a safe distance to the vehicle in front of me, automatically slowing, stopping and accelerating at a safe speed for the conditions. This feature I had been using on my car since I originally purchased it and paid for these safety features. When traffic was not stopped it was traveling between 15-20mph. All of the sudden my dashboard lit up with …”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 08/21/2025 · crash

• “While driving 25 mph with no traffic or people around the car came to an extreme sudden stop and without warning. The dashboard lit up red with warning lights and warning alarms sounded followed by complete shutdown of cars systems. No skidding or tire screach - just an instant forceful stop, as if engine cutoff and breaks forcefully seized simultaneously. We were able to restart car and immediately drove to dealership a couple miles away to report an extreme safety concern. Because there was n…”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 07/10/2025

• “The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the automatic braking system independently activated. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the instrument cluster displayed two vehicles crashing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred twice. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure …”

  NHTSA complaint · filed 07/03/2025

Unverified owner reports from NHTSA's public complaint database.

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