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2019 Atlas SEL Premium - broken steering rack

31K views 42 replies 24 participants last post by  Animated_Zombie 
#1 ·
Hello all! First post here. Longtime VW owner but new to Atlas. The wife traded in a Cadillac Escalade for a new 2019 SEL Premium - 4motion, captions chairs, and panoramic sunroof. Golden oak interior - everything we could have wanted.

From the get-go the front end was noisy but she was the main driver so I didn't really take notice until the wheels started skipping around on my during low-speed turns. Took it into the dealer and diagnosed with a broken steering rack. Neither of us has hit or driven over anything, and we only have 3200 miles.

Any thoughts, other than a faulty OEM, about the cause? Or any concerns over this vehicle's longevity? I tend to keep them 10 years +. This is my 5th VW between us and two daughters of driving age. THANKS!!
 
#2 ·
Since the steering rack in the Atlas is electrically assisted it, that could be where the fault lies. Since we haven't seen many other issues on here related to steering you may have just got a faulty part from factory. Have they told you how long it will take to fix? There have been issues with backordered parts.
 
#3 ·
Hi -


Just purchased a 2019 Premium 4 Motion also and noticed issues as you described right away. Brought in at 600mi to dealership; 2 weeks ago (still with them as of this post). They said the steering rack for us is not communicating with the car. Seems we got the last part in the region and they escalated it to a level 2 (programmer/engineer involved). The mechanic said they drive a 2019 atlas also and he had a similar experience. They said they thought the lack of parts available is due to the re-doing of the part or something on it. We asked if we can get a different car and she said maybe through a buy back program if they can't fix it.... They told us they will ask to get us a gift card, payment or something for the inconvenience.



So far, this car is a lemon in my mind.
 
#20 ·
Just got it back and it seems to have fixed the problem. No noise.
I too am now having this issue with 6000 miles on 2019 Atlas. Service department is 2 weeks out and they state they cannot order the part until they diagnosis the issue but it is on back order for other customers with no date known. They state it is safe to drive. Thoughts on this? Also, was this covered by warranty?
 
#10 ·
Hello all! First post here. Longtime VW owner but new to Atlas. The wife traded in a Cadillac Escalade for a new 2019 SEL Premium - 4motion, captions chairs, and panoramic sunroof. Golden oak interior - everything we could have wanted.

From the get-go the front end was noisy but she was the main driver so I didn't really take notice until the wheels started skipping around on my during low-speed turns. Took it into the dealer and diagnosed with a broken steering rack. Neither of us has hit or driven over anything, and we only have 3200 miles.

Any thoughts, other than a faulty OEM, about the cause? Or any concerns over this vehicle's longevity? I tend to keep them 10 years +. This is my 5th VW between us and two daughters of driving age. THANKS!!
I have 2019 Atlas SEL with 8k miles. Had to have the “Steering Rack” replaced. Definitely improved the steering, and handling. But why isn’t this a recall?
 
#22 ·
2019 VW Atlas SE. 4 cylinder. 5500 miles and on third steering rack already. After extensive drives, the steering once again is making noise. Also had a check engine light which required fuel tank and evaporator canister to be replaced. Also had a rattle in drivers side pillar and it turned out that one side of the adjustable shoulder harness wasn’t even in the track. According to the dealer, all these problems seem to be related to final assembly in Chattanooga vs defective parts from other factories.
 
#23 ·
I just noticed the same noise from the steering few days ago on my 2019 Atlas SE with 8000 miles and confirmed from Dealer today that it is the steering rack issue. Have to wait for two months for the parts. The dealer said that the new steering rack will be the upgraded version and hopefully the noise will not come back once it is replaced. No recall for this issue so far. This really sucks!
 
#29 ·
I purchased a 2019 SEL back in January 2020 and experienced this issue with 3 steering racks. Got so fed up with the issue and the parking sensors being faulty (going off when a car was 10ft plus away and engaging the collision avoidance brakes going over speed humps not even 1 inch over the ground) traded it in for the 2021 SEL Atlas in July 2020. The 2021 model has the exact same issue. Once the car warms up steering at low speed or stand still causes the creaking and popping noises.
 
#30 ·
I have a 2019 SEL currently undergoing the exact same issue. They have replaced the rack already. It was good for about 4 months then back. I hear the noise exactly as you described!! I am worried they can't fix it and what steps I need to take. My car only has 20,000 miles on it and we are considering trading it in for another brand of car. I am beyond frustrated and don't know what to do. I have had other issues, one being dust boot covers that were creating a super obnoxious noise on the front end. But they fixed it. The car is noisy. It seemed nice at first, but starting to feel cheap now. However I got a great price for it and it has a lot to offer so I'm torn. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
 
#41 ·
Our 2019 Atlas SE has been in the dealership now 4 times for front-end noise...they have replaced struts and torsion bars and it still clunks. Just today they are ordering a lower stabilizer bar to 'try' and after that, the factory says to replace the steering rack. I was told that this is a known problem with newer model Atlas vehicles, but not the 2019's. After finding this page, I would beg to differ. Fortunately, the local dealer here in Vermont has thus far been very supportive and respectful to try and fix this.
 
#42 ·
Animated,

Did replacing the steering gear seal and 6 hex flange screws fix the turning noise?

I just had the steering rack replaced in my 2019 (previously replaced clock spring, stabilizer links and suspension parts) and it's still making noise. Thinking either the steering rack is defective (design/production wise) or something else is causing the noise.

Mine has weak AC too. Takes a good 5-10 minutes for the ac vent temp to drop to about 30 degrees difference from ambient air temp. Replaced multiple parts and leaks on that system as well through multiple trips to the dealership. That's not fixed yet either.

Thanks...
 
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