2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

4 recalls — 55 complaints — 1 TSBs — 5/5 safety rating

SUSPENSION

Defect Description

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... Read more

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.

546 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Defect Description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera image to become distorted when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor V... Read more

Consequence

A distorted rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 5, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91SB.

171,381 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

ENGINE

Defect Description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine cover may have been improperly installed after vehicle service, allowing it to come loose and contact hot engine surfaces.

Consequence

A loose engine cover that contacts hot surfaces in the engine compartment can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will remove the engine cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10X5.

177,493 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Defect Description

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The transmission may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in a loss of drive power.

Consequence

A sudden loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 12, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 38CX.

19 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Complaint Statistics

55 total complaints 4 crashes 1 injuries

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
ENGINE	9
POWER TRAIN	8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	7
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS	3
SUSPENSION	2
AIR BAGS	2
VISIBILITY/WIPER	2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING	2
STRUCTURE:BODY	2

Incident date: Apr 27, 2026

At 10,000 miles Upon starting the vehicle, it appeared to operate normally with no warning messages displayed. However, immediately after beginning to drive, the transmission began shifting extremely harshly between gears. Within a short distance, the transmission shifted with such force that the dr... Read more

Incident date: Apr 29, 2026

Unknown

Crash

Incident date: Apr 20, 2026

On April 20, 2026, my 2025 Volkswagen Atlas (approx. 31,000 miles) experienced a sudden malfunction where the vehicle became stuck in neutral and would not shift into drive or reverse, despite starting normally. This occurred without warning and rendered the vehicle inoperable, requiring it to be to... Read more

Incident date: Apr 20, 2026

Incident date: Feb 2, 2026

tire size 245/60/R18/105T car was purchased new in 2025, after 4750 miles of driving i reported having 5 flat tires . It appears to me that these tires are soft ( maybe for sales purposes ) but are not correct for vechicle weight and class plus perhaps Flordia heat and temperatures . each time a sc... Read more

Incident date: Apr 4, 2026

Front axle bolt on passenger side loosed and the entire wheel can move over one inch from side to side

Incident date: Apr 4, 2026

Front axle bolt on passenger side loosed and the entire wheel can move over one inch from side to side

Incident date: Mar 11, 2026

While traveling at interstate speed (75 mph) the transmission downshifted to 1st gear. truck slowed down ad engine revved up. i was able to get to the shoulder and stop. I attempted to take off again and the truck would on up shift to 5th gear and displayed the wrench icon on the instrument cluster.... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle failed to restart. T... Read more

Incident date: Jan 27, 2026

Incident date: Dec 8, 2025

In December all of the cameras and front assist sensors stopped working. When I called to get into a Volkswagen dealer they first told me to get a car wash and that should solve it. When that didn’t work they weren’t able to get my car in for about 1 month. I’m that time we collided with de... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Dec 8, 2025

Crash

Incident date: Dec 8, 2025

Crash

Incident date: Feb 18, 2026

Battery completely died, randomly. Issue was “fixed”. Now check engine light is on. Engine sounds bad.

Incident date: Feb 18, 2026

Wednesday (02/18/2026), while driving to work, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road at a red light. It would not move at all. I had to call roadside assistance, and the vehicle was ultimately towed. Being stranded in the middle of an intersection with traffic approaching at speed was not on... Read more

Incident date: Feb 18, 2026

The sunroof exploded, causing the glass to shatter, while driving. The vehicle is available for inspection. The noise from the glass shattering caused ear pain, headache, and tinnitus, which has been evaluated by a doctor. State Farm insurance has aided in the situation. The vehicle is in the body s... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Feb 15, 2026

Left side of my heated steering overheated and burned through the leather.

Incident date: Feb 15, 2026

VEHICLE TURNED ON AND QUICKLY SHUT OFF. VEHICLE HEALTH REPORT SENT A WARNING OF THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION AND POWERTRAIN NEEDING TO BE SERVICED IMMEDIATELY.

Incident date: Dec 4, 2025

My Hyundai Sonata has encounter two failing cylinders (compression loss) due to scoring. When driving in the highway I got engine shudder and loss of power (speed) that could have put me in dangerous driving condition, accident or other. These GDI engines are notorious for poor oil circulation due t... Read more

Incident date: Dec 4, 2025

The windshield has a cracking and/or popping sound in cold temperatures. The car was 2 weeks old with less than 1709 miles on it in 12/2025. Took back to dealership for service check. They confirmed the sound, but verified the windshield was safe and properly installed. They made sure seals were in ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 17, 2026

I have started receiving airbag & seat safety issue alert but recieved appointment after a month even considering major safety concern. Some of 2021 vehicles are serviced under the recall Tesla sent. But told me mine doesn’t qualify for same issue for same year, same model cars. It seems like issu... Read more

Incident date: Jan 17, 2026

I was driving on the road and my car just turned off. The car turned off mid drive. When I tried to turn the car on again, the engine revved and within a few seconds the car turned off again. The dash showed an error message "Error: Drive system. Please service vehicle." When the tow truck came, the... Read more

Incident date: Jan 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started chugging and the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The... Read more

Incident date: Nov 10, 2025

The contact stated that while walking across the street an autonomous vehicle drove through the cross walk nearly hitting the pedestrian in the cross walk. The speed of the vehicle at the time of the incident was undetermined. The year, make and model of the vehicle was unknown. A police report was ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 15, 2025

EHICLE SAFETY DEFECT — INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE & TRANSMISSION/SHIFTER FAILURE My 2025 Volkswagen Atlas has two serious, ongoing safety defects that Volkswagen and the dealership have failed to repair. The digital speedometer/instrument cluster blacks out while driving, leaving no speed visibi... Read more

Incident date: Sep 15, 2025

This vehicle can create a fire. My home is at risk, other cars/structures parked near it, and people who drive the vehicle are at risk of fire. This is the 2nd time we have received notice of fire hazard for this make/model. The dealership is aware of the problems. check engine light stays on and no... Read more

Incident date: Oct 13, 2025

UNKNOWN Left side driver side door not latching

Incident date: Oct 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the infotainment display unit was inoperable. During the failure, the back over prevention camera display was inoperable along with the front and rear window defrosters, and blind spot monitoring system being i... Read more

Incident date: Oct 16, 2025

fuel pump issue that is cause engines to stall while driving or not start after placing gas in the vehicle. It is having the battery run low and car die or stall and stop while driving. It will turn your check engine light on.

Incident date: Oct 16, 2025

The infotainment system, which controls most of the functions of driving safely, is down again for the 2nd time since I purchased my Atlas on 6/9/25. The first time it happened, the local VW dealer had me bring it in on 8/30 & they "fixed" it relatively quickly. They stated it was a local issue... Read more

Incident date: Oct 16, 2025

A few years ago the driver's side rear sliding door stopped working. This seemed like a safety because, if there were ever an incident such as a fire, people would not be able to expeditiously exit the back two rows of the van. There were no warnings, the door just stopped working. I spoke wit... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2025

Screen went black on 3 different occasions, since purchasing vehicle

Incident date: Oct 7, 2025

The instrument cluster is not working. The 3.5” display is no longer functioning. This results in not knowing the oil pressure gauge, fuel gauge, odometer reading, temp gauge, and other warning/information gauges, etc. This issue has been confirmed but a service center, repair order attached. Th... Read more

Incident date: Oct 7, 2025

The car is in cruise control on the freeway, going 70-80mph and suddenly decelerates/brakes slam on, to slow down. The front collision will come on and the car will come to almost a complete stop when there is absolutely NOTHING in front of me. The vehicle will alert there is no driver, when I hav... Read more

Incident date: Oct 7, 2025

Incident date: Sep 24, 2025

I own a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport that has had repeated premature failures of critical components. At ~52,000 miles the water pump failed and was replaced along with coolant and belts. Less than 21,000 miles later (at ~73,000 miles) the water pump has failed again, with coolant leakage and a burning co... Read more

Incident date: Sep 19, 2025

My 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL has a known corrosion issue TSB31-001-19 and TSB31-002-20. Corrosion on doors and hinges and spot welds. I have called local dealers and they won’t help. I got with the Jeep help line and they gave me a case number and said they would not be doing anything about it. They n... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 2025

My motor locked up a year ago. Before the recall. At 74k miles. GM stated they did not know why it happened. Although there was 6 of the same trucks in their lot under 20k miles with the same problem. I was forced to pay out of pocket. I notified my GM dealer that my engine was knocking at 15k miles... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 2025

The autonomous braking activates out of no where while driving. Violently hard and nothing around. A message appears on the dash board saying it can not sense hands on steering wheel. Also while backing up it will activate and no one is near the car or it even activates in an empty parking lot. Th... Read more

Incident date: Aug 11, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Toyota Sienna. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 146,377. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 34,428, but the C... Read more

Incident date: Jun 10, 2025

A/C airflow decreases out of the air vents although you can hear the motor blower running at high speed in the dashboard. The cabin temperature begins to increase and if humid the windows will begin to fog up the windshield, side windows and rear window impairing visibility which could lead to an ac... Read more

Incident date: Jun 10, 2025

Incident date: May 1, 2025

2021 Dodge Ram drivers side A-pillar handle is detaching due to failing plastic clips

Incident date: May 1, 2025

Shuttering started with transmission which ultimately lead to the transmission failing at 140,900 miles. Costly repair for a vehicle that was serviced regularly.

Incident date: May 1, 2025

Air bag light is on, no horn, traction light is on, can’t alert others bc no horn, air bag won’t deploy because clock spring is bad as well. Very scared to drive at times bc vehicle goes into limp mode. Recall on 2015 jeep wranglers with clock spring

Incident date: May 1, 2025

Was operating vehicle when all of a sudden it stop in the middle of the highway. Engine turned iff. Was able to crank back up but vehicle would not shift into drive, reverse or any motion gear. Vehicle stopped in the morgue of an active roadway which created an absolute critical safety issue due to ... Read more

Showing 50 of 55 complaints.

NHTSA Safety Ratings — 2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

2025 Volkswagen Atlas SUV AWD

Category	Rating
Overall Rating	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Frontal Crash	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash — Driver	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Frontal Crash — Passenger	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Side Crash	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash — Driver	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash — Passenger	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Rollover	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Rollover Risk	15.9%

Safety Technology

Feature	Status
Electronic Stability Control	Standard
Forward Collision Warning	Standard
Lane Departure Warning	Standard

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Program. Ratings are based on crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

EPA Fuel Economy — 2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

Trim / Engine	City MPG	Highway MPG	Combined MPG	Fuel Type	Annual Fuel Cost
2.0L 4-cyl, Automatic (S8) (Front-Wheel Drive)	20.0	26.0	22.0	Regular	$3,050

CO2 Emissions: 402.0 g/mile (Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD)

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Actual fuel economy may vary based on driving conditions.

Technical Service Bulletins — 2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

1 manufacturer communications from 1 unique bulletins. TSBs describe known problems and recommended fixes from the manufacturer.

Most Affected Components

Component	Bulletins
980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1

980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Airbag / Pyrotechnic Safety Belt Deployment Inquiries, update to contact information due to retirement.

NHTSA Safety Investigations — VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

EA — Open — Model Year: 2019

Inadvertent 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 activ... Read more

PE — Closed — Model Year: 2018

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

PE — Closed — Model Year: 2018

Fuel Injector Leak

On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-008 to investigate instances of fuel injectors leaking in the engine compartment in model year (MY) 2018 through 2020 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs. These vehicles are equipped with either a 3.6 or 2.0 liter engi... ne. The subject investigation concerns vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. Prior to opening the investigation, ODI also observed that warranty data for the fuel system from TREAD reporting was an outlier for the MY 2018 Atlas.The allegation involved fuel injectors leaking fuel near engine compartment components that operate at high temperatures. Consumers allege a fuel leak, fuel odor, and/or an illuminated check engine malfunction indicator light (MIL) on that alerts them to the condition. Fuel leaking in the engine compartment has a higher potential risk of fire as nearby components are operating at higher temperatures compared to other areas of the vehicle. No fires have been connected to this issue to date.The 3.6L engine is a VR6 type engine. Due to its specific design, the VR6 has two types of injectors with different designs installed. Cylinders 1, 3, and 5 use long injectors and cylinders 2, 4, and 6 use short injectors. Unlike the short injectors, the long injectors require an extension pipe necessary to reach cylinders 1, 3, and 5. Volkswagen stated that the potential root cause for a leaking injector is typically either a damaged, misaligned, or missing supporting ring or a damaged O-ring. These rings assist in connecting the injector to the extension pipe. If one of these conditions is present in a vehicle, the O-ring has difficulty withstanding fuel pressure over time.Volkswagen stated that an analysis of warranty data related to leaking injectors in vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines showed that the vast majority of leaking allegations were related to internal leaks. Fuel can leak into the cylinder causing misfiring in the affected cylinders. This condition would not cause fuel to enter into the engine compartment. Volkswagen states that these internal leaks pose no unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition is an early-life failure with a relatively low failure rate. The average failure mileage calculated from all data sources was determined to be approximately 14,000 miles. Only two failures were reported outside of the vehicles' warranty coverage period. The average time to failure for the subject vehicle population is approximately 12 months in service (MIS). The majority of failures were below the average of 14,000 miles or 12 MIS. Analysis of reported failures showed that the failure rate is approximately 0.08% or 0.8 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV).To date, there have been no reported fires, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. In view of the low rate of failure, the nature of early-life failure, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers:11446833, 11438403, 11382958, 11298402, 11291955, 11218819, 11218780Read more

VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS — All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS across all model years (2018–2026).

72 Total Recalls

2,822 Total Complaints

3 Investigations

67 Reported Crashes

25 Reported Fires

0 Reported Deaths

VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS — Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2026	1	4	View
2025 (current)	4	55
2024	7	237	View
2023	5	159	View
2022	7	264	View
2021	17	713	View
2020	4	49	View
2019	11	687	View
2018	16	654	View

Other VOLKSWAGEN Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
JETTA	249	14,075	View
GOLF	190	2,084	View
PASSAT	185	10,492	View
BEETLE	157	3,629	View
GTI	116	1,926	View
ID.4	115	1,606	View
TIGUAN	78	3,173	View
ATLAS CROSS SPORT	73	701	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

Complaint Statistics

Top Reported Components

NHTSA Safety Ratings — 2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

Safety Technology

EPA Fuel Economy — 2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

Technical Service Bulletins — 2025 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

Most Affected Components

NHTSA Safety Investigations — VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS

VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS — All Years Overview

VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS — Year by Year

Other VOLKSWAGEN Models