2018 Volkswagen Atlas steering problems

“Months ago I heard a knocking noise under my steering wheel/near the driver's side wheel. I took the car in and reported what I was hearing. I had services completed but it didn't stop the noise. The noise was inconsistent and hard to duplicate for the dealership on test drives. It was most pronounced when going over speed bumps or turning the wheel when parking. The dealership did all they could do and provided great services replacing/fixing anything that could cause the issue to no avail. They assured me the vehicle was safe to drive even though the noise remained so I drove it. About a week ago, I had an error light come on and the car started to shut off without warning. The error said auto shut/off was disabled due to an engine issue - but no check engine light. I was almost rear ended twice when slowing the car down at a red light due to the car shutting off without warning when driving under 5-10mph or parking. I scheduled an appointment to take the car back in to address the error. Before the appointment, the car registered a check engine light. I called back and the dealership allowed me to bring the car in right away. The diagnosis stated I needed a…”

“The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V590000 (Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue.”

“The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V590000 (Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer. Additionally, the vehicle shut off while driving and came to a stop in the middle of the road, nearly causing a crash. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failures was a persistent failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.”

“Dealer sold flood damaged 2020 Atlas 98k miles as safe vehicle. Found severe rust corrosion on steering column that could break while driving causing loss of control crash death. Also found 7 areas of toxic mold inside causing allergic reaction and breathing problems. Mold in seats, carpet, AC system. Dealer refused to repair and forced trade for overpriced 2023 Explorer with high loan. Vehicle unsafe - life threatening defect hidden by dealer. Steering and body structure compromised by flood water. Have photos of corrosion and mold as evidence. Vehicle available for inspection. Injury: Allergic reaction - skin rash, breathing difficulty, cough from toxic mold exposure. Senior driver [XXX] old. No crash yet but steering corrosion could cause fatal crash.”

“The vehicle intermittently displays a “Steering lock faulty, stop!” warning and fails to start. When this occurs, the vehicle cannot be operated at all. This issue has occurred multiple times within a short period and has persisted despite prior repair attempts by authorized Volkswagen dealerships. The failure of the steering lock system prevents the vehicle from starting, creating a safety concern as the vehicle may become unexpectedly inoperable and leave the driver stranded. The repeated nature of this issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of the vehicle.”

“The power steering control module failed while the vehicle was traveling at highway speeds. When the failure occurred, the power steering completely cut out. It is extremely difficult to maneuver the vehicle without power steering. My wife would not have been strong enough to safely maneuver the vehicle if she found herself in a situation where she needed to make even a minor evasive maneuver. Had there been more traffic on the road she could have caused an accident since her ability to steer was severely impacted. An orange warning light first came on. VW says to safely drive the vehicle to be inspected. In our case, the red power steering warning light came on less than 10 min later, well before we could make it to a technician to have it inspected. At the exact same time the red light illuminated, the vehicle's power steering system completely failed. A VW dealership has inspected the vehicle and found the steering control module to be defective. The only repair is to fully replace the steering rack which includes the steering control module in one piece. The part is back-ordered for several months which indicates that VW is unable to keep up with the supply…”