Sudden braking in 2 VW SUV models draws regulatory scrutiny

Source: Associated Press

Sudden braking in 2 VW SUV models draws regulatory scrutiny

By TOM KRISHER
March 15, 2022

DETROIT (AP) — First came the beeping alarms and the dashboard lights warning that something had gone haywire. Then the driver’s side windows suddenly and mysteriously rolled down. Kendall Heiman’s Volkswagen SUV then pulled the scariest stunt of all: It abruptly braked for no reason.

Heiman, a clinical social worker in Lawrence, Kansas, was driving her 15-year-old son to a class on Jan. 5 when her 2021 Atlas Cross Sport went bonkers. The malfunctions turned a normally routine two-mile round trip into a white-knuckle ordeal.

“It literally feels like the car is possessed,” Heiman said. “I’m not feeling like I’m driving my car. My car is driving me.”

Heiman’s experience, it turns out, wasn’t unique. Since late 2020, 47 VW owners have complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the same glitches in their 2020 and 2021 VW Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs. Some drivers reported that they narrowly escaped collisions, though a review of the complaints found no reports of crashes.

In a statement, NHTSA said it has been gathering information from VW about the problem ...

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-travel-business-lawrence-kansas-8979f0921a7af4afe568ccf02a6fe41a