2018 Volkswagen Atlas Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 74 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 13,039 miles. The words owners use most often: “brake booster” (26% of reports).
- 74service brakes complaints
- 13,039median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 17%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Brake booster: mentioned in 19 of 74 complaints (26%)
- Automatic braking: mentioned in 6 of 74 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?
Based on 43 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 74 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
Volkswagen Atlas service brakes complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Atlas | 1 | 9% | — |
| 2025 Atlas | 5 | 10% | 3,000 |
| 2024 Atlas | 36 | 21% | — |
| 2023 Atlas | 15 | 11% | — |
| 2022 Atlas | 46 | 25% | 30,000 |
| 2021 Atlas | 93 | 19% | 10,600 |
| 2020 Atlas | 4 | 15% | — |
| 2019 Atlas | 76 | 16% | 5,400 |
| 2018 Atlas | 74 | 16% | 13,039 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliper
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.
Risk: The loose brake bracket bolts can allow the caliper to move, reducing braking ability or causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper fasteners, bleeder valve, and brake hose bolts will be checked and torqued to the correct specification, if necessary, free of charge. For Passat vehicles, dealers will also inspect the parking brake cable for proper connection, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 46H6.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliperDo not drive
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Automatic parking brake comes on every time I start my car or park. It wonât come out of parking brake. The auto parking brake will not turn off. I can get it to drive eventually but the parking brake light stays on.
I received a brake booster fault caution which was followed by the BRAKE warning light being illuminated. When I applied pressure to the brakes, it almost felt as if the ABS was kicking in, on a flat, dry road. The brake pedal would "jump" and depress farther on its own like there wasn't a good…
I have owned this car since 2018. Iâve had the âBrake Booster Faultyâ error come on at least once a year. Itâs very scary as the car just locks up. Luckily it has only happened driving locally, without anyone behind me, but this could lead to a SERIOUS accident. I have brought this to the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Volkswagen Atlass have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 74 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas (16% of the 466 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas service brakes?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list service brakes. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do service brakes problems start?
The median reported mileage is 13,039 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas?
The most frequent phrase is “brake booster”, in 19 of 74 complaints, followed by “automatic braking” (6).
Other 2018 Volkswagen Atlas problems
- Electrical System problems (111)
- Air Bags problems (100)
- Engine problems (100)
See all 2018 Volkswagen Atlas problems or service brakes problems across all Atlas years.