2023 Volkswagen Atlas reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas holds 133 complaints after 4 years, a rate of 31 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Atlas years here — under the median of the other years, which is 48. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Service brakes, Front passenger seat weight sensor, and Internal engine parts.

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

Complaints

133

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 133), then Electrical system (33) and Air bags (22). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2022 and 2024

The 2022 Atlas has 183 complaints, 34 per year, and the 2024 has 170 complaints, 57 per year. The 2023 has about the same number of complaints per year as 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. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

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 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 (133 total)

Engine

Electrical system

Air bags

Fuel and propulsion system

Service brakes

Exterior lighting

Forward collision avoidance

Powertrain

Back-over prevention

Steering

Engine and engine cooling

Fuel system, gasoline

Wheels

Carry handle, shell, and base

Chest clip, buckle, and harness

Lane departure

Other or not sure

Seats

Speed control

Visibility and wipers

Show 12 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"I noticed today that my daytime running light strip is out on my driver side headlight I notice it’s a common issue on this year model Atlas. I know the daytime running lot helps people see you when your going down the…"
Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-24
"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…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-09-18
"Auto has stalled 3 or more times without warning lights since purchasing 2 months ago Very unsafe for me and others stalling in traffic"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-17
"I am submitting a complaint regarding a serious electronic/infotainment failure in my 2023 VW Atlas that occurred following VW’s software update. Prior to the software update, the infotainment system & related functions…"
Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-08
"Vehicle has issues with sputtering and stalling out when at idle and while reversing after warming up. The first time that the vehicle actually stalled while reversing, it had to be put into park and restarted. I took…"
Unknown or other, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-28

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Atlas	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	18	24	20 MPG	$3250
Atlas	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	21	25	23 MPG	$2800
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	18	23	20 MPG	$3250
Atlas Cross Sport	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	18	24	20 MPG	$3250
Atlas Cross Sport	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	21	25	23 MPG	$2800
Atlas Cross Sport 4motion	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	24	20 MPG	$3250
Atlas Cross Sport 4motion	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	24	22 MPG	$2950

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

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas reliable?

What are common problems with a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 133), then Electrical system (33) and Air bags (22). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 5 that report an injury.

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

Has the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas been recalled?

The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas has 5 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?

Owners have filed 133 complaints about the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas is 21.3 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).