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2023 Volkswagen Atlas

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 169.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 11 of 130 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

32 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 23, 2024
Air BagsElectrical System

Recall opened in June still no fix. How long does the manufacturer have to come up with a solution?

NHTSA ODI #11616093

Mileage unknown · May 19, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineSteering

On a few occasions, even with the Start/Stop function disabled, the vehicle has completely shut off with no warning. It must be put it in park and restarted. Once it even turned off while reversing out of driveway and the steering wheel locked.

NHTSA ODI #11589495

Mileage unknown · Apr 26, 2024
Electrical System

On 04/24/2024 around 10:30pm I was driving on the expressway and all of a sudden the sound system was extremely loud it sounded like gunshots inside the car. I turned off the radio and it kept going. Luckily I was able to stop on the side of the road with my son in all this traffic. I turned off my vehicle but the noise kept goi…

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On 04/24/2024 around 10:30pm I was driving on the expressway and all of a sudden the sound system was extremely loud it sounded like gunshots inside the car. I turned off the radio and it kept going. Luckily I was able to stop on the side of the road with my son in all this traffic. I turned off my vehicle but the noise kept going. My ears hurt for 2 days. Now I'm scared to drive my vehicle because if it happens again I'm scared I might have an accident since I suffer from anxiety. I already made an appointment with Volkswagen but its not until 4 weeks. Till 5/15/2024.

NHTSA ODI #11585510

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine

Car stalled when stopped in drive. Car has auto start stop but did not restart when pressing gas pedal from break. Car had to be manually restarted. This is hazardous to myself and other drivers if I cannot start after stopping at a light, stop sign or in traffic. Problem is intermittent and occurs unpredictably. Car was recentl…

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Car stalled when stopped in drive. Car has auto start stop but did not restart when pressing gas pedal from break. Car had to be manually restarted. This is hazardous to myself and other drivers if I cannot start after stopping at a light, stop sign or in traffic. Problem is intermittent and occurs unpredictably. Car was recently purchased and inspected before purchase but not since. No warning lamps/message but message did appear to restart car manually due to the stall

NHTSA ODI #11579638

Mileage unknown · Feb 17, 2024
Back Over PreventionElectrical SystemEngine

The start/stop system will activate and shut the vehicle down totally (at random times), even when in drive, and at times prematurely before even coming to a complete stop. When you move the steering wheel or take your foot off of the brake, the vehicle should automatically start back up, but the vehicle totally shuts off, aski…

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The start/stop system will activate and shut the vehicle down totally (at random times), even when in drive, and at times prematurely before even coming to a complete stop. When you move the steering wheel or take your foot off of the brake, the vehicle should automatically start back up, but the vehicle totally shuts off, asking: "Did you forget anything? Everyone out of the vehicle?" [XXX], first occurrence of this completely shutting down in the city of Pittsburgh, PA, on a busy bridge after the vehicle was idling for about 45-60 seconds in traffic. I hadn't experienced this problem in any vehicle before, so it took quick thinking to figure out that I had to put the vehicle back into park before it would start back up. If I had to move quickly, I was not able to do so. [XXX] while pulling out from a stop, nothing in front of us at all, the vehicle started to shut down while pressing the gas and at the same time the front collision system was beeping even though there was nothing at all in front of us. [XXX] infotainment screen blacked out for the VW technician while it was in for service due to multiple issues. The reason I am stating that in this complaint: multiple VW technicians and service personnel have stated that the infotainment system is the brain for the vehicle, if it is acting up, can cause problems with almost anything in the vehicle. [XXX], in the middle of a quick 3-point turn at the end of my street, the engine shut down totally while shifting from drive to reverse, asked if I forgot anything/anyone in the backseat, then, when shifting to park (to start the vehicle back up a.s.a.p.), it started itself back up without me touching the start/stop ignition button. [XXX] while accelerating up a hill in Pittsburgh, the vehicle started sputtering as if it was stalling out, engine misfiring. [XXX] vehicle in drive, stopped for approx. 20 seconds, again shut completely down, shift to P to restart. (con't) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(

NHTSA ODI #11572542

Mileage unknown · Nov 29, 2023
Electrical SystemService Brakes

The car engine shuts off several times a day, all the dash lights comes on and say that I am driving with the emergency transmission mode. The break is making a noise like metal against metal. My wife and kids are in risk because this is happening in the middle of a busy California freeway. I set up 2 service appointments that …

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The car engine shuts off several times a day, all the dash lights comes on and say that I am driving with the emergency transmission mode. The break is making a noise like metal against metal. My wife and kids are in risk because this is happening in the middle of a busy California freeway. I set up 2 service appointments that takes almost a month to find availability and when you finally find, they need the car for at least a week for testing, but cant provide a car loaner. no warnings before the engine stops.

NHTSA ODI #11557558

Mileage unknown · Oct 20, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

The design of the tilt and telescope steering column allows for an adjustment position that will cause the turn signal stalk to bind against the instrument panel trim with the steering wheel adjusted up and forward. This prohibits proper use of the turn signal and headlight dimmer functions. A clear design defect

NHTSA ODI #11551119

1,834 miles · Sep 7, 2023
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the instrument panel went black. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the radio/Navigation system head unit needed to be replaced. The radio/Navigation system he…

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The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the instrument panel went black. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the radio/Navigation system head unit needed to be replaced. The radio/Navigation system head unit was replaced; however, two weeks later the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,834.

NHTSA ODI #11543121

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2023
Electrical System

The wireless phone charging pad causes phone to become extremely hot to the point where the phone stops working and shows a warning message about its hot temperature --fire risk. Phone was in the wireless charging pad for about 30-minutes. My family and I have I-phones (Apple I-Phone Model 12). Prior to the hot temperature inci…

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The wireless phone charging pad causes phone to become extremely hot to the point where the phone stops working and shows a warning message about its hot temperature --fire risk. Phone was in the wireless charging pad for about 30-minutes. My family and I have I-phones (Apple I-Phone Model 12). Prior to the hot temperature incident, the wireless charging pad would not charge the phone and on many occasions would not even register that the phone was on the pad to charge. This has happened with and without the phone's case and with different phones. The vehicle was checked by local VW Service department but not fixed because there is no repairs/updates provided by VW, per Service Advisor. Therefore the issue remains. Please address the wireless phone charger pad issue. Thanks.

NHTSA ODI #11520547

Mileage unknown · Apr 11, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineExterior Lighting

Car was returned from VW dealer Friday for door harness replacement. Saturday night around 930pm we were driving on the toll road when the car starts malfunctioning at 75mph. Various warnings flashed and beeped. My husband was trying to keep control and merge over to slower lanes so we could pull over to safety. During this time…

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Car was returned from VW dealer Friday for door harness replacement. Saturday night around 930pm we were driving on the toll road when the car starts malfunctioning at 75mph. Various warnings flashed and beeped. My husband was trying to keep control and merge over to slower lanes so we could pull over to safety. During this time the speedometer showed we were going zero which we clearly were not, windows started rolling down then the vehicles screens and outside lighting went black. This is at night while trying to get over 3 lanes of traffic safely. We coasted off ramp where car died. Had interior lighting on knobs, but no outside lights and could not start or be put into neutral. Stranded with windows stuck down and waiting long time for a tow truck due to holiday weekend (night before Easter). Poor tow truck driver had a difficult time due to how the vehicle locked up and could not be put into neutral, not even manually. The tow truck driver was finally able to get the car loaded and gave us a ride home. Due to holiday, VW roadside assistance was not available and couldn't tow to dealer until Monday. Monday morning the VW tow company had a difficult time getting vehicle loaded because the way it locked up and still would not start. It had power such as interior lights, but would not start, couldn't be put into neutral and windows still down. Due to the fact this has happened several times in this BRAND NEW vehicle I was able to record the incident. I can attach recording and screenshots if it will let me.

NHTSA ODI #11516541

Official recalls

5

25V434000 · Service Brakes; Suspension

Jun 30, 2025

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport and 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. Certain bolts on the chassis, brake system and/or suspension (such as bolts for certain cross member, engine mount, control arm, subframe, rear brake carrier, etc.) of affected vehicles may not have been correctly tightened during the manufacturing process.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 25, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42HX.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Suspension

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport and 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. Certain bolts on the chassis, brake system and/or suspension (such as bolts for certain cross member, engine mount, control arm, subframe, rear brake carrier, etc.) of affected vehicles may not have been correctly tightened during the manufacturing process.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 25, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42HX.

Service Brakes

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport and 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. Certain bolts on the chassis, brake system and/or suspension (such as bolts for certain cross member, engine mount, control arm, subframe, rear brake carrier, etc.) of affected vehicles may not have been correctly tightened during the manufacturing process.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 25, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42HX.

24V464000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

Jun 20, 2024

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Atlas and 2020-2024 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2024. Owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, on October 18, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, and January 17, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69PZ.

22V753000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/mechanical

Oct 7, 2022

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Audi Q5 Sportback, Q5, 2022-2023 Volkswagen Atlas FL, and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, which can result in engine failure.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. If the engine failure causes an oil leak, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace an affected engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 6, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 13i4 (VW) and 13i5 (Audi).

22V718000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Sep 26, 2022

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 model year Atlas FL and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. Certain brake lines may leak at the threaded connections.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak may increase the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the affected brake lines, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on November 23, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47T2.

22V152000 · Air Bags:side/window

Mar 28, 2022

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Atlas, 2020-2023 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021-2023 Atlas FL vehicles. The door wiring harness electrical contacts may corrode, disrupting the electrical connection and delaying the deployment of the driver or passenger front side air bag during a side impact crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will secure and, as necessary, replace any the front door wiring harnesses showing a fault code, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97GF.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE23017 · Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

Opened Sep 28, 2023 · Closed Dec 18, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Forward Collision Avoidance; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking

On September 28, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23017) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Front Assist automatic emergency braking (AEB) system in model year (MY) 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.The reports alleged that activation of the AEB system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Volkswagen indicated that it is aware of a total of 292 reports that may relate to the alleged defect in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.Volkswagen stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of Front Assist and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints alleged that Volkswagen dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or Volkswagen dealerships informed the consumers that this braking is considered normal Front Assist operation. ODI's analysis shows that MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have the highest rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation when compared to their Volkswagen peers.The rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation in MY 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles was comparable to their Volkswagen peers. To date, ODI has received a total of 69 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of Front Assist in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.  In total, ODI reviewed 264 unique (i.e., non-duplicative Vehicle Identification Numbers) reports that may relate to the alleged defect, which include eight reports of incidents involving an alleged injury and two reports involving a crash. PE23017 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations in MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking

On September 28, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23017) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Front Assist automatic emergency braking (AEB) system in model year (MY) 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.The reports alleged that activation of the AEB system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Volkswagen indicated that it is aware of a total of 292 reports that may relate to the alleged defect in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.Volkswagen stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of Front Assist and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints alleged that Volkswagen dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or Volkswagen dealerships informed the consumers that this braking is considered normal Front Assist operation. ODI's analysis shows that MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have the highest rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation when compared to their Volkswagen peers.The rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation in MY 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles was comparable to their Volkswagen peers. To date, ODI has received a total of 69 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of Front Assist in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.  In total, ODI reviewed 264 unique (i.e., non-duplicative Vehicle Identification Numbers) reports that may relate to the alleged defect, which include eight reports of incidents involving an alleged injury and two reports involving a crash. PE23017 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations in MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Forward Collision Avoidance

On September 28, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23017) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Front Assist automatic emergency braking (AEB) system in model year (MY) 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.The reports alleged that activation of the AEB system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Volkswagen indicated that it is aware of a total of 292 reports that may relate to the alleged defect in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.Volkswagen stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of Front Assist and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints alleged that Volkswagen dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or Volkswagen dealerships informed the consumers that this braking is considered normal Front Assist operation. ODI's analysis shows that MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have the highest rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation when compared to their Volkswagen peers.The rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation in MY 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles was comparable to their Volkswagen peers. To date, ODI has received a total of 69 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of Front Assist in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.  In total, ODI reviewed 264 unique (i.e., non-duplicative Vehicle Identification Numbers) reports that may relate to the alleged defect, which include eight reports of incidents involving an alleged injury and two reports involving a crash. PE23017 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations in MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.