2021 Volkswagen Atlas reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas has 472 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 70 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 7 Atlas years on this site. NHTSA has 17 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Tire pressure monitoring, and Camera.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas — Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

472

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (146 of 472), then Service brakes (93) and Engine (84). Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Atlas has 27 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2022 has 183 complaints, 34 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. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (17)

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 Front passenger seat weight sensor 2023-03-29 · NHTSA campaign 23V215000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 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 March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FB.

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 Audis 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.

Recall exterior lighting, headlights 2020-08-26 · NHTSA campaign 20V504000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Atlas Cross Sports and 2021 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side headlight may have been aimed too low during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will adjust the driver's side headlight, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94N7.

Recall Seats 2020-08-26 · NHTSA campaign 20V505000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.

Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.

Complaints by component (472 total)

Electrical system

146

Service brakes

Engine

Forward collision avoidance

Exterior lighting

Air bags

Fuel and propulsion system

Structure

Powertrain

Speed control

Steering

Seats

Lane departure

Wheels

Seat belts

Back-over prevention

Parking brake

Tires

Visibility

Visibility and wipers

Engine and engine cooling

Hydraulic brakes

Latches, locks, and linkages

Carry handle, shell, and base

Chest clip, buckle, and harness

Equipment

Fuel system, gasoline

Suspension

Show 20 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The vehicle’s 5F infotainment control module intermittently/continually fails, causing loss of the center display and backup camera. The vehicle has been diagnosed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer as requiring…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-09-21
"The vehicle stalls at slow speeds requiring the driver to place it in “park” and manually restart it."
Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-09-15
"There was a failure of the air conditioner condensation drain line, resulting in saturation of the interior carpet and padding. This situation was confirmed by the dealer today. There was a prior recall for this issue…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-14
"Daytime Running Lamps inoperable"
Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-14
"My 2021 Volkswagen Atlas experienced an unexpected engine malfunction and entered limp mode while idling in park. An official diagnostic scan confirmed active fault code P10B300 (monitoring of fuel injector for cylinder…"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-11

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Atlas	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	17	23	19 MPG	$3400
Atlas	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	21	24	22 MPG	$2950
Atlas 4motion	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	24	22 MPG	$2950
Atlas 4motion	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	16	22	18 MPG	$3600
Atlas Cross Sport	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	21	24	22 MPG	$2950
Atlas Cross Sport	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	18	23	20 MPG	$3250
Atlas Cross Sport 4motion	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	24	22 MPG	$2950
Atlas Cross Sport 4motion	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	17	23	19 MPG	$3400

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2018–2023

Body styles SUV

Oil VW 502.00/504.00 5W-30 (VR6 or 2.0T per manual) , 6 qt capacity

Tire size 255/50R20

Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 22V152000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that 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. A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury. 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.

Compare

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

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas?

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

The 2020 Atlas has 27 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2022 has 183 complaints, 34 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 been recalled?

The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas has 17 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?

Owners have filed 472 complaints about the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas is 20.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Volkswagen Atlas use?

US Atlas manuals specify VW-approved oil for the VR6 or 2.0T engine in the maintenance section.

What does NHTSA recall 22V-152 cover on the Volkswagen Atlas?

NHTSA safety recall 22V152000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

What generation is the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas?

1st generation (2018-2023).