Reliable Auto DB

2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport holds 18 complaints after 4 years, a rate of 5 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 5 Atlas Cross Sport years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Service brakes, Front passenger seat weight sensor, and Critical fasteners.

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

18

Per year

5

Recalls

6

Years on the road

4

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (6 of 18), then Air bags (5) and Electrical system (3). The most filings arrived in 2024 (9 of 18). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2022 and 2024

The 2022 Atlas Cross Sport has 71 complaints, 16 per year, and the 2024 has 96 complaints, 32 per year. The 2023 has fewer complaints per year than the 2022. The 2023 has fewer complaints per year than the 2024.

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 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall Service brakes 2025-06-30 · NHTSA campaign 25V434000
Summary 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.
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.
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 suspension, critical fasteners 2022-10-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V807000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
Recall engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2022-10-07 · NHTSA campaign 22V753000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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).
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, hoses and fittings 2022-09-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V718000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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.
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.

Complaints by component (18 total)

Engine
6
Air bags
5
Electrical system
3
Service brakes
3
Fuel and propulsion system
2
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Speed control
1
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

52023920242202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "After noticing an oil leak and blue smoke in my 23 VW atlas, I took it to my local dealership in Tupelo, MS. I realized there was an open recall for the PCV Valve / Oil separator under code 10LP. However, the bad PCV…"
    Engine · filed 2026-07-20
  • "The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while seated inside the parked vehicle, the contact became aware of a reflection and exited the vehicle and discovered that the daytime…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-07-20
  • "Our VW Atlas Cross Sport 2023 was involved in an accident on August 3, 2025 where the Automatic Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning did not work. Firstly, we reported issues with our brakes several times and…"
    Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2025-09-17
  • "The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer…"
    Air bags · filed 2025-02-03
  • "The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer…"
    Air bags · filed 2024-12-16

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 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Next year 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport See every Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport holds 18 complaints after 4 years, a rate of 5 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 5 Atlas Cross Sport years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Service brakes, Front passenger seat weight sensor, and Critical fasteners.

What are common problems with a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (6 of 18), then Air bags (5) and Electrical system (3). The most filings arrived in 2024 (9 of 18). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Is the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2022 Atlas Cross Sport has 71 complaints, 16 per year, and the 2024 has 96 complaints, 32 per year. The 2023 has fewer complaints per year than the 2022. The 2023 has fewer complaints per year than the 2024.

Has the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport been recalled?

The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has 6 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 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?

Owners have filed 18 complaints about the 2023 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.