2024 Volkswagen Atlas Collision Avoidance Problems

Which parts fail

• Automatic emergency braking
  15
• Warnings
  14
• Adaptive cruise control
  11
• Blind spot detection
  6
• Rearview system braking
  4
• Assist
  2

Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2024 Volkswagen Atlas owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

While driving down a one way, my infotainment system completely shut down. The infotainment system controls lane assistance, blind spot sensor, A/C, radio etc. So when this occurred, all of the sensors in the vehicle also stopped working. As I attempted to change lanes, another vehicle was approaching on by driver side but was located in my blind spot. Because I didn't see anyone and the alert on my side mirror didnt go off, I assumed the lane was clear and attempted to merge. As I began to merge I noticed another vehicle in the lane at the last minute and clipped it (front driver side fender with passenger side of vehicle) before returning to my lane and eventually pulling over to assess damage. Prior to the accident an attempt to have the infotainment system recall addressed by VW was made but they scheduled the appointment almost a month out (November 5th, 2025). …

The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving or while the vehicle was parked, there was a distorted image on the screen. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V334000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the recall repair failed to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,000.

I was driving on the freeway in the right lane and the lane assist forced my steering wheel to turn right causing me to collide into a concrete guard rail. Previous to that my car had been having electrical malfunctioning issues with the screen and radio.

While going through an automated car wash, I experienced a critical malfunction at the end of the belt. When it came time to shift my vehicle from Neutral into Drive, the car would not respond. Every time I attempted to shift into Drive, the emergency brake would automatically engage, preventing the vehicle from moving forward. As a result, I was stuck at the end of the car wash belt. The car behind me, unable to stop due to the forward momentum of the belt, was pushed into my vehicle. Their vehicle sustained damage from hitting my trailer hitch, although my car did not appear to be physically damaged. This incident created a clear safety hazard, not only putting me at risk but also directly causing a rear-end collision. I believe the failure was related to either the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system or the shifting mechanism. …

I've owned the Atlas for a little over a year now and throughout the year the vehicles infotainment system and electrical system has had several recurring issues. I'll get notifications while I'm driving of the front and rear sensors being inactive, the entire infotainment system will periodically reboot while driving, the automatic braking system unexpectedly engaged on a couple occasions - even when there was not a collision hazard, the systems Bluetooth connectivity will go on and off while driving which affects my ability to use gps and creates a distraction while trying to correct, the infotainment system will crash while I'm in reverse which takes away the use of the back up camera, and just the other day the voice control activated while I was driving (without being prompted) and I couldn't deactivate it without manually rebooting it while I was driving. …

Our Vehicle's GPS system will not calibrate and the navigation system is completely off when driving. The affected safety and driving systems have caused our car to stop suddenly at freeway speeds on the freeway, As well, while driving in town, our safety deterrent systems will alert constantly due to the wrong location is being sent to the car. Volkswagen Company notified dealerships yesterday to prepare for an onslaught of consumer complaints about this issue. There is no expected timeline to deal with this directly as it is not a hardware issue but rather a cellular GPS issue with Verizon wireless. Volkswagen has no intent on dealing with the safety issues with this car and accepts that your car may stop suddenly on the freeway because the car thinks you are in a school zone. My family's safely comes first and we can no longer drive our car.

I have a 2024 VW Atlas and the infotainment screen sporadically goes pixelated and it is very hard to use the touchscreen controls. When this happens the rearview camera is also impossible to use as the screen is all scrambled. I have in Massachusetts and now since it cold in the morning if the screen is scrambled it makes it very hard to control the heat and turn on the defroster. I will have to let my car sit in my driveway running for at least 20 minutes before I can see out the window. The car has been to VW 3 times now and nothing has been resolved. They are now telling me that they are waiting on a new software updated that will happen mid December. This is a major safety issue and needs to be resolved immediately. Looking online this is a MAJOR problem that VW is aware of but don't have a resolution to.

I was told by dealership that due to the boosters transmitting radio frequencies in rural areas that it interferes with the adaptive cruise control. I have gone on 3 trips where this causes the front assist and cruise control to disengage at highway speeds. Had someone been behind me they would have rear-ended my vehicle. In 6 months has happened three times but the dealership has not been able to reproduce due to our high population in our area. Dealership is aware but they don't know how to fix as manufacturer hasn't released any information. Car was purchased in 9/2023 and happened twice within 3 weeks. Third time was 2/17/24 on another trip through a rural area.

In the ADAS system, the front camera doesn't turn on when the vehicle is pulled in to a parking space and only the beep sensors are turning on. However, once you put the car in reverse then it gets turned on. It poses a safety concern for pedestrians and other vehicles as well. The problem was reported immediately to the dealer and I was told this is the same across the VW Atlas 2025 line-up. The issue was there from the first day I bought the car (brand new) 2nd issue is the control panel under the display is not backlit and can distract the driver from the road when trying to find a switch at night time and it is too dark to see anything.

On 5/24/25 I made another complaint with my car issues complaint number 11662972 The VW Orlando South dealership replaced my transmission. I received my vehicle back on 06/05/25 and after a few hours once I did a u turn, the gears shifted by themselves again. I had to quickly pull over to safety. On the freeway going 70mph it also stalled out, again I had to quickly pull over to safety. The next morning, I informed the dealership the vehicle was having the same problems. I dropped the car off again to VW Orlando South on 6/09 and the dealership still does not know what is wrong with the car

Related recalls

Collision Avoidance complaints in other Atlas years