2018 Volkswagen Atlas Engine Problems
Owners have filed 100 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, 21% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 18,488 miles. The words owners use most often: “start stop” (11% of reports).
- 100engine complaints
- 18,488median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 18%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.
- Start stop: mentioned in 11 of 100 complaints (11%)
- Water pump: mentioned in 9 of 100 complaints (9%)
- Put park: mentioned in 8 of 100 complaints (8%)
- Catalytic converter: mentioned in 5 of 100 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 44 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 100 complaints, 1 an injury.
Volkswagen Atlas engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Atlas | 4 | 36% | — |
| 2025 Atlas | 7 | 14% | 10,000 |
| 2024 Atlas | 30 | 17% | 18,227 |
| 2023 Atlas | 35 | 26% | — |
| 2022 Atlas | 50 | 27% | — |
| 2021 Atlas | 85 | 18% | 15,000 |
| 2020 Atlas | 3 | 11% | — |
| 2019 Atlas | 60 | 12% | 5,545 |
| 2018 Atlas | 100 | 21% | 18,488 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
This vehicle has too many issues. Electrical, enhine, suspension, seat release latches, EPC. Water pump was replaced a week after buying the vehicle.
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…
Dealership diagnosed a #6 cylinder, faulty fuel injector. Error codes: p030000; p030600; p21a100. Technician stated this is a known issue but no recall. Nhtsa closed investigation into this matter in 2022 for 2018-2019 vw atlas's, one reason stated for no recall is the limited numbers of reports…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Volkswagen Atlass have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 100 owner complaints about engine for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas (21% 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 engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 18,488 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas?
The most frequent phrase is “start stop”, in 11 of 100 complaints, followed by “water pump” (9).
Other 2018 Volkswagen Atlas problems
- Electrical System problems (111)
- Air Bags problems (100)
- Service Brakes problems (74)
See all 2018 Volkswagen Atlas problems or engine problems across all Atlas years.