2022 Volkswagen Atlas Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Atlas years
- About as many complaints as other years 4th of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 184 complaints with NHTSA about the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. That ranks 4th out of 9 Atlas model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (50 complaints, 27%). Complaints mention 3 crashes, 2 fires, 2 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 184owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2022 Volkswagen Atlas problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 50 | 27% | — | “start stop” (18%) | — |
| Service Brakes | 46 | 25% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 44 | 24% | 31,390 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 30 | 16% | 48,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 26 | 14% | — | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 20 | 11% | 16,800 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 8% | 56,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 13 | 7% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 8 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 6 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 5 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 2% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 1% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 77,048 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | 14,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 6,500 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2022 Volkswagen Atlas recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification:front passenger
Problem: 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.
Risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:critical fasteners
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Volkswagen Atlas FL and 2022-2023 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The driver-side rear trailing arm bolts may not have been tightened properly, allowing them to loosen and fall out.
Risk: Unsecured bolts may cause the trailing arm to fracture, resulting in a sudden loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver side rear trailing arm bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 25, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42M2.
Engine and engine cooling:engine:hard parts internal/mechanical
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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).
Trailer hitches
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The trailer hitch bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.
Risk: Loose bolts may fall out, causing the remaining bolts to break, which could lead to separation of the trailer hitch and trailer, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will tighten the trailer hitch bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N8.
Equipment:electrical:infotainment:software; back over prevention: sensing system: camera
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.
Fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system:injectors
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Atlas FL and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The long fuel injectors may have been assembled without filters.
Risk: Long fuel injectors with missing filters may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the long fuel injectors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24iD.
Air bags:side/window
Problem: 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.
Risk: A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking (PE23017) — opened Sep 28, 2023, closed Dec 18, 2024.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My 2022 Volkswagen Atlas experienced a safety critical electronic failure immediately after a forced software update. On July 23, 2026, the vehicle displayed a mandatory update message stating it would not operate unless I proceeded. After completing the update, the central infotainment screen went…
Passenger side LED Daytime Running Light in the headlight assembly failed. Warning light illuminated with message âPlease check right daytime running light/parking light.â The failure was confirmed upon visual inspection. The headlight assembly is a critical safety component that illuminates…
Vehicle shuts of sporadically when idling and requires restart by pressing ignition button.
2022 Volkswagen Atlas â Hood Release Cable Failure The hood release cable on my 2022 Volkswagen Atlas failed when I attempted to open the hood. I pulled the interior hood release handle normally, but the cable mechanism failed and the handle lost tension. After that, the hood could not be opened…
The infotainment module in my vehicle that I purchased in March 2026 has completely gone out and was deemed faulty by two different Volkswagen dealerships. Because of this amenity no longer working, I do not have access to a backup camera, the SOS feature, safety sensors, navigation, control to the…
Other Volkswagen Atlas years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Atlas | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 Atlas | 49 | 5 |
| 2024 Atlas | 174 | 8 |
| 2023 Atlas | 136 | 5 |
| 2022 | 184 | 7 |
| 2021 Atlas | 478 | 17 |
| 2020 Atlas | 27 | 4 |
| 2019 Atlas | 482 | 12 |
| 2018 Atlas | 466 | 17 |
See all Volkswagen Atlas problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas?
Owners most often report engine, service brakes, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 50 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Atlas model years, the 2022 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.