Volkswagen’s big new SUVs, the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, have been a sales boon for the automaker but the American-made vehicles haven’t been without their issues. Since late 2020, 47 owners have reached out to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to complain about unintended braking events.
Although the issue hasn’t led to a formal investigation from the safety regulator, it did recently tell The Associated Press that it is gathering information from VW about the problem and is monitoring complaints and other data.
“When operating the vehicle under speeds of approximately 10 to 5 miles an hour [16-8 km/h] the emergency parking brake activates and slows or completely stops the vehicle while driving,” one owner from Port Washington, New York, wrote in a complaint to NHTSA about a 2020 Atlas. “This is a safety issue as a vehicle that suddenly stops while in traffic regardless of speed can be rear-ended or cause an accident.”
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Another owner who spoke to AP, Kendall Heiman, said that a similar brake issue occurred at higher speeds, turning a short trip with her 15-year-old son into a white-knuckle ordeal. When the issue later reoccurred, she said she only narrowly escaped being rear-ended because of a following driver’s reactions.
Both owners reported being told by VW technicians that the issue was related to a fault in the wiring harness in the driver’s door and the automaker echoed that diagnosis in a statement. It said that it was working closely with the NHTSA to determine next steps.
Although that’s promising, Heiman was told there weren’t enough parts to fix the issue and was given a loaner car. Others have reported being told by dealers that the issue does not constitute a safety concern and are, therefore, being asked to continue driving their Atlas or Atlas Cross Sport regardless.
The issue of unintended braking has affected a number of automakers of late. Tesla’s suite of advanced driver-assist functions is being investigated because of phantom braking, while Honda and Nissan have also had braking issues in recent years. In official documents, NHTSA said that six people had complained of crashes with minor injuries stemming from Honda’s unintended braking issue.
Unfortunately for VW owners, these investigations tend not to be completed quickly, so it may take months before an official recall is issued.