Reliable Auto DB

2025 Volkswagen Atlas reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 47 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas over 2 years — 24 per year. It is too early to rank against other Atlas years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Back-over prevention, software, Service brakes, and Camera.

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

47

Per year

24

Recalls

5

Years on the road

2

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (16 of 47), then Powertrain (12) and Engine (7). The most filings arrived in 2026 (31 of 47). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2024 and 2026

The 2024 Atlas has 170 complaints, 57 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

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 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall back-over prevention, software 2026-07-22 · NHTSA campaign 26V473000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling 2024-2026 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. The vehicles may experience a low-voltage electrical event that affects display screen functions. As a result, the rearview camera image may fail to display as intended.
Remedy Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 4, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 28, 2026.
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 back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-05-21 · NHTSA campaign 25V334000
Summary 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 Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
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.
Recall Engine 2025-02-17 · NHTSA campaign 25V100000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2025-02-12 · NHTSA campaign 25V081000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (47 total)

Electrical system
16
Powertrain
12
Engine
7
Forward collision avoidance
6
Service brakes
5
Lane departure
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Back-over prevention
2
Exterior lighting
2
Speed control
2
Steering
2
Suspension
2
Seat belts
1
Tires
1
Wheels
1
Show 7 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

12024152025312026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Vehicle: 2025 Volkswagen Atlas R-Line Incident Description: While driving on the freeway in rainy conditions through a construction zone, I applied the brakes to slow down. The brake pedal suddenly went soft, lost…"
    Service brakes · filed 2026-09-24
  • "Grinding plus vibration when you turn the wheels slightly and brake hard. Could be a stuck or dragging caliper, uneven pad wear, or a bent dust shield rubbing the rotor. Might be bolts that weren’t tightened right on…"
    Service brakes · filed 2026-09-14
  • "The vehicle has approximately 15,000 miles and it’s less than two years old. It has a pretty significant oil leak from the oil inlet tube. This leak was appearing from the rear differential despite starting at the…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-14
  • "I am submitting a formal complaint regarding a defective vehicle I purchased new, a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, on April 7, 2025. Since the time of purchase, the vehicle has experienced persistent and significant issues with…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-07
  • "While driving my vehicle it stopped in traffic and would not drive. I got a transmission failure alert followed by warnings after. Vehicle was stuck in neutral without options to drive or reverse. Extremely dangerous…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-04

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Atlas 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 26 22 MPG $2950
Atlas 4motion Peak Edition 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 18 25 20 MPG $3250
Atlas Cross Sport 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 26 23 MPG $2800
Atlas Cross Sport 4motion 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 19 26 21 MPG $3100
Atlas SE 4motion 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 19 26 21 MPG $3100
Atlas SEL 4motion 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3100

Specs and fitment

1st generation (refresh), 2024–present
Body styles SUV
Oil VW 508.00 0W-20 (2.0T per manual) , 5.7 qt capacity
Tire size 255/50R20
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 23V593000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024 Atlas PA2 and Atlas Cross Sport PA vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, which can result in engine failure. A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, engine failure may cause an oil leak which can increase the risk of a fire. Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 13i6.

Compare

Previous year 2024 Volkswagen Atlas See every Volkswagen Atlas model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas reliable?

Owners have filed 47 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas over 2 years — 24 per year. It is too early to rank against other Atlas years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Back-over prevention, software, Service brakes, and Camera.

What are common problems with a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (16 of 47), then Powertrain (12) and Engine (7). The most filings arrived in 2026 (31 of 47). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Is the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2024 Atlas has 170 complaints, 57 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

Has the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas been recalled?

The 2025 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 2025 Volkswagen Atlas?

Owners have filed 47 complaints about the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2025 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).