2023 Volkswagen Atlas Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Atlas years
- Fewer complaints than other years 6th of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 136 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. That ranks 6th out of 9 Atlas model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (35 complaints, 26%). Complaints mention 4 crashes, 6 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 136owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 4complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2023 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 | 35 | 26% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 33 | 24% | 25,250 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 24 | 18% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 22 | 16% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 18 | 13% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 15 | 11% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 15 | 11% | — | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 9 | 7% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 1% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 1% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 24,000 | — | — |
| Carry Handle, Shell, Base | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Other/i Am Not Sure | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2023 Volkswagen Atlas recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Service brakes; suspension
Problem: 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.
Risk: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
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.
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).
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: 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.
Risk: A brake fluid leak may increase the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
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.
On 8/7/26 after idling while waiting in line for a car wash, while in Drive I pressed the accelerator, the vehicle does not move forward as expected, then the vehicle prompts me to restart the engine while roll backwards at the same time. The exact cause of the malfunction has not been confirmed to…
2023 VW Atlas Cross Sport SEL AWD, about 57,500 miles. Available for inspection. Oct 3, 2026: infotainment screen would not turn on. A soft reboot, a multi-hour shutdown with the car locked did not fix it. The unit is stuck in a reboot loop ("Starting navigation" then fails, repeating). By about…
The DRL light are go out prematurely
I noticed today that my daytime running light strip is out on my driver side headlight I notice itâs a common issue on this year model Atlas. I know the daytime running lot helps people see you when your going down the road.
While performing a routine battery replacement on my 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, a wrench/socket contacted the vehicle's Engine Control Unit (ECU), which is mounted directly adjacent to the battery in the engine bay with no protective cover or shield separating the two components. Contact between the…
Other Volkswagen Atlas years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Atlas | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 Atlas | 49 | 5 |
| 2024 Atlas | 174 | 8 |
| 2023 | 136 | 5 |
| 2022 Atlas | 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.
Similar Volkswagen models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas?
Owners most often report engine, electrical system, unknown or other problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 35 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2023 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 2023 has fewer complaints than most years, 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.