Reliable Auto DB

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has 165 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 30 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Atlas Cross Sport years here — over the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 14 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Tire pressure monitoring, and Camera.

2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

165

Per year

30

Recalls

14

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (54 of 165), then Air bags (37) and Service brakes (36). The most filings arrived in 2022 (66 of 165). Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Atlas Cross Sport has 106 complaints, 15 per year, and the 2022 has 71 complaints, 16 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (14)

Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2024-06-20 · NHTSA campaign 24V464000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall tires, tire pressure monitoring 2022-10-31 · NHTSA campaign 22V815000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Remedy Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2022-07-20 · NHTSA campaign 22V514000
Summary 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."
Remedy 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.
Recall gasoline fuel system, fuel injection, injectors 2022-04-13 · NHTSA campaign 22V245000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall air bags, side and window 2022-03-28 · NHTSA campaign 22V152000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Labels 2022-02-16 · NHTSA campaign 22V086000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles equipped with accessory side steps. The reduced Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) label, reflecting the additional weight of the side steps, was not installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy Dealers will install the reduced GVWR label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 09D9.
Recall visibility, defroster and HVAC 2021-11-17 · NHTSA campaign 21V892000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
Remedy Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.
Recall wheels, lug nuts 2021-10-15 · NHTSA campaign 21V812000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40R7.
Recall electrical system, wiring, relays and solenoids 2021-08-06 · NHTSA campaign 21V616000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. Damaged relays may have been installed in the engine compartment fuse box, which could inadvertently activate the horn or engine starter.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and as necessary, replace the relays, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97FR.
Recall wheels, rim 2021-03-03 · NHTSA campaign 21V132000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The lug bolt holes on the wheels may have been machined incorrectly, preventing the wheel bolt from sufficiently attaching to the wheel bearing hub.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four wheels, and as necessary, replace the wheels, lug bolts ,and wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q9.
Recall Steering 2021-01-27 · NHTSA campaign 21V026000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The front steering knuckle may fracture in the area of the strut mounting.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace one or both steering knuckles, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q7.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2020-11-18 · NHTSA campaign 20V716000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.
Recall Steering 2020-11-17 · NHTSA campaign 20V712000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. One or both steering knuckles may have been damaged during production.
Remedy Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the steering knuckle, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q6. Note: Owners are advised to DO NOT DRIVE the vehicle until the vehicle has been inspected and repaired if necessary.
Recall tires, sidewall 2020-11-13 · NHTSA campaign 20V702000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport and 2021 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires, size 255/50 R 20 105 T. The tires may have been over cured.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect DOT date code and mold number on the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q5.

Complaints by component (165 total)

Electrical system
54
Air bags
37
Service brakes
36
Engine
33
Forward collision avoidance
28
Exterior lighting
18
Fuel and propulsion system
16
Lane departure
4
Steering
4
Suspension
4
Visibility and wipers
4
Back-over prevention
3
Powertrain
3
Speed control
3
Engine and engine cooling
2
Seats
2
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Tires
1
Visibility
1
Wheels
1
Show 13 more Show less
Crash-flagged

9

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

7

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

92021662022152023302024222025232026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The Passenger DRL strip light went out. My car has approximately 75,000 miles on it. I bought it used. No warranty for this. I understand this is a common issue with this model."
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-09
  • "The right daytime running lights have failed. It creates a safety hazard for driving. The only remedy is to replace the entire headlight which is costly. This is due to poor manufacturing that lets in water to damage…"
    Exterior lighting, Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-09-05
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken for an oil change, and it was discovered that the hood latch cable had either disconnected or snapped off. While…"
    Latches, locks, and linkages · filed 2026-08-21
  • "Got an airbag alert light on driver console. Took it to VW dealer in [XXX]. They said the driver side airbag has a short to ground. And it’s not covered under the warranty. And it’s $2000 to fix. There has been a lot of…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-08-05
  • "My 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has experienced intermittent electrical failures while driving, including at highway speeds. The infotainment system first began shutting off intermittently around April 2026. At…"
    Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-07-30

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2020–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-30 (2.0L and 3.6L per engineoildb) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 245/60R18, 255/50R20, 265/45R21 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 22V-152 covers certain 2020-2023 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles among other Atlas models: door wiring harness contacts may corrode and delay driver or passenger front side air bag deployment in a side impact. Dealers secure or replace front door harnesses showing a fault code. Recall 26V-473 covers certain 2024-2026 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles: a low-voltage electrical event may keep the rearview camera image from displaying; dealers update rearview camera software. Recall 25V-835 covers certain 2026 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles among other VW models: incorrect wheel bolts may have been installed; owners are advised not to drive until repaired and dealers inspect and replace bolts as needed.

Compare

Previous year 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Next year 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport See every Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport reliable?

The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has 165 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 30 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Atlas Cross Sport years here — over the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 14 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Tire pressure monitoring, and Camera.

What are common problems with a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (54 of 165), then Air bags (37) and Service brakes (36). The most filings arrived in 2022 (66 of 165). Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 7 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Atlas Cross Sport has 106 complaints, 15 per year, and the 2022 has 71 complaints, 16 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport been recalled?

The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has 14 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?

Owners have filed 165 complaints about the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport with NHTSA.

What oil does a Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport take?

Common US listings use 0W-30 for the 2.0L and 3.6L (about 6.0 qt with filter).

Does recall 22V-152 affect the Atlas Cross Sport?

Yes for certain 2020-2023 Atlas Cross Sport (among other Atlas models): corroded door wiring contacts may delay side air bag deployment; dealers repair the harness.

What generation is the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?

1st generation, model year 2020 onward in the US.