2023 Volkswagen Atlas Collision Avoidance Problems

The front left collision warning alarm goes off when apply brakes (a turn, stop sign/light, parking spot as examples) even though there is nothing in the proximity that would trigger a warning.

On [XXX] I was driving approximately 30 mph on a sunny, 83F day. There were no other vehicles around me, no pedestrians, no bicycles, no animals, etc. I was traveling south on a straight section of the road when my car came to an abrupt and complete stop. The car's automatic braking system was engaged without any prior warning. The car went from 30mph to 0 mph instantly. There was a loud beep, the red ABS indicator light came on, the wipers started operating involuntarily. The force of the momentum cause items to fly forward in the car. The seatbelt locked up. The force of the stop also caused whiplash and the belt tightening caused pain to my ribs and back. I was stunned and scared. Thankfully, no cars were around me and I was going 30mph instead of 70mph when I travel the highway most of the time. If someone was behind me or I had been traveling faster, the incident could have had grave consequences. I was next to a dentist office so I pulled into their parking lot slowly. I turned the car off and looked at the exterior. There was no indication that I had struck anything and there was nothing in the road that would have set the system off. Not even a leaf or bug. I had received a letter 2 days prior about a class action lawsuit against VW describing this same issue going back to 2017. I looked up what to do in the situation and everything online suggested deactivating that feature on the car. I turned the car on and deactivated it. I drove 15 mph to my office 0.4 mi away because I was scared it would happen again. I called my dealership and scheduled a diagnostic appointment. They couldn't get it in until [XXX]. They have had it overnight and have pulled data from it and sent it to VW in Germany apparently. Since I deactivate the feature before each trip, the problem has not happened again for me. There are many stories of this happening online but VW hasn't issued a recall at all and says it isn't an issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driving down 4 lane state highway adaptive cruise on. Car in front of us pulled into left turn lane, was no longer in front of us. Dash lit up emergency notification and slammed us on breaks. Reported to VW told “likely a sensor issue tech just not there yet”. Happened again on state hwy. traveling at 65 mph. NO cars on hwy with us emergent message on dash and slammed on breaks. Recently happened when pulling off from stop light through 4 lanes of traffic. I was first car going between 5-8 mph. Dash lit up with emergency notification. Immediately braked and engine turned off. Car had already been taken into dealer for other electrical issues with infotainment and consistently told nothing wrong. Last time taken in for infotainment reported the braking issue. That is when they made statement about sensors. This could cause terrible car accident especially traveling at high speed or stopping in intersection where could be hit from behind or hit by oncoming traffic. Taken to VW multiple times. No problems ever identified. Only changes infotainment system AFTER I brought video evidence of what was happening. Cannot provide them with evidence of this occurrence. Last time take. In had no loaner available car was not left and evaluated bc of disagreement with service.

The “Front Assist” feature malfunctioned while driving. While driving at 29 mph, the vehicle “Front Assist” feature initiated. A red warning icon illuminated on the dashboard signaling an imminent/impending collision and caused the vehicle to immediately lock the vehicles brakes and seat belts. There were NO pedestrians, vehicles, or objects ahead or remotely close to the roadway. The front of the vehicle was clear or debris and foreign objects. It was sunny and clear. If the roadway was rainy or snowy — the brakes and steering locking up would’ve been catastrophic. Vehicle has not been to dealership for inspection/testing of the system as event occurred earlier today. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others as of present. Other than this event occurring once before, there has been no indication or warning lights — other than the large red dashboard icon.

Shortly after leaving the dealership, and while driving on the highway, I was cut off by another vehicle and the front assist / collision avoidance did not turn. I immediately reported the issue to the dealership, and the next day the representative came over, reviewed all the settings, and confirmed that it was properly configured. Nonetheless, it still did not work. Moreover, the alert has only occurred sporadically and under odd circumstances, such as an empty intersection (but not always, even though I drive by the same intersection very frequently). I took the vehicle to the service department for inspection, and they told me that all of the sensors appear to be working correctly. Nonetheless, it is clear that the system is not working. Indeed, it should have activated (at least the alarm) under other circumstances, and it has not. I wrote to VW in February, and they have not responded.