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2023 Volkswagen Atlas

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 169.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 11 of 130 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

130 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 27, 2024
Forward Collision Avoidance

Driving down 4 lane state highway adaptive cruise on. Car in front of us pulled into left turn lane, was no longer in front of us. Dash lit up emergency notification and slammed us on breaks. Reported to VW told “likely a sensor issue tech just not there yet”. Happened again on state hwy. traveling at 65 mph. NO cars on hwy w…

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Driving down 4 lane state highway adaptive cruise on. Car in front of us pulled into left turn lane, was no longer in front of us. Dash lit up emergency notification and slammed us on breaks. Reported to VW told “likely a sensor issue tech just not there yet”. Happened again on state hwy. traveling at 65 mph. NO cars on hwy with us emergent message on dash and slammed on breaks. Recently happened when pulling off from stop light through 4 lanes of traffic. I was first car going between 5-8 mph. Dash lit up with emergency notification. Immediately braked and engine turned off. Car had already been taken into dealer for other electrical issues with infotainment and consistently told nothing wrong. Last time taken in for infotainment reported the braking issue. That is when they made statement about sensors. This could cause terrible car accident especially traveling at high speed or stopping in intersection where could be hit from behind or hit by oncoming traffic. Taken to VW multiple times. No problems ever identified. Only changes infotainment system AFTER I brought video evidence of what was happening. Cannot provide them with evidence of this occurrence. Last time take. In had no loaner available car was not left and evaluated bc of disagreement with service.

NHTSA ODI #11585586

Mileage unknown · Apr 26, 2024
Electrical System

On 04/24/2024 around 10:30pm I was driving on the expressway and all of a sudden the sound system was extremely loud it sounded like gunshots inside the car. I turned off the radio and it kept going. Luckily I was able to stop on the side of the road with my son in all this traffic. I turned off my vehicle but the noise kept goi…

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On 04/24/2024 around 10:30pm I was driving on the expressway and all of a sudden the sound system was extremely loud it sounded like gunshots inside the car. I turned off the radio and it kept going. Luckily I was able to stop on the side of the road with my son in all this traffic. I turned off my vehicle but the noise kept going. My ears hurt for 2 days. Now I'm scared to drive my vehicle because if it happens again I'm scared I might have an accident since I suffer from anxiety. I already made an appointment with Volkswagen but its not until 4 weeks. Till 5/15/2024.

NHTSA ODI #11585510

Mileage unknown · Apr 24, 2024
Carry Handle, Shell, BaseChest Clip, Buckle, HarnessOther/i Am Not Sure

Booster seat in high back mode has a seatbelt threader that causes the seatbelt to lock inappropriately trapping the child in the seat and/or rendering the seatbelt dysfunctional for use. The seatbelt positioner on the carseat and overall design impede proper use of the vehicle's seatbelt. This happens both when child is in the …

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Booster seat in high back mode has a seatbelt threader that causes the seatbelt to lock inappropriately trapping the child in the seat and/or rendering the seatbelt dysfunctional for use. The seatbelt positioner on the carseat and overall design impede proper use of the vehicle's seatbelt. This happens both when child is in the seat or out of the seat, leading to difficulties either getting the child IN and OUT of the seat, which in an emergency where extraction is necessary would be a safety concern. Routinely, the booster seat had to be taken out entirely in order to get the seatbelt to unlock and restore its functionality, all of which limits the safe efficacious use of the booster. Whether installed by latch or just resting on the seat (both of which are manufacturer recommended methods for installation) this issue of design impeding vehicle seatbelt function occurs. Further, either in full-back mode or when the back of the booster is removed, the arm rest design impedes easy access to the car's seat belt apparatus making it difficult to click the belt in. I also found this issue was mentioned in this third party review of the Oobr seat: [XXX] . I contacted the manufacturer and was offered no recourse. Short of having video of when the belt is locked with child in place, I took photos showing the belt threader and how arm rest impede buckle. The belt positioner is causing the problem because it creates tension that causes the car's seat belt to lock rendering the seat impossible or very difficult and finicky to use with a seatbelt. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11584994

Mileage unknown · Apr 2, 2024
Engine

Driving 45 mph on the highway, the vehicle suddenly loses power and shuts off. Dash instructed me to place the car in park and start the vehicle manually. This has happened 4+ times in the last two months. Volkswagen dealer states that no codes are showing and they are unable to fix it. This is extremely dangerous!!

NHTSA ODI #11580640

Mileage unknown · Apr 1, 2024
Unknown Or Other

I have been experiencing problems with my car's navigation system where the system shows the wrong location of the car. It does not matter if I used the car's navigation system or Apple Maps via CarPlay, the location on the map is often wrong. This could easily be a safety issue especially when using the navigation system in an …

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I have been experiencing problems with my car's navigation system where the system shows the wrong location of the car. It does not matter if I used the car's navigation system or Apple Maps via CarPlay, the location on the map is often wrong. This could easily be a safety issue especially when using the navigation system in an unfamiliar area. This issue seems to be widespread across different model years for the Atlas.

NHTSA ODI #11580441

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine

Car stalled when stopped in drive. Car has auto start stop but did not restart when pressing gas pedal from break. Car had to be manually restarted. This is hazardous to myself and other drivers if I cannot start after stopping at a light, stop sign or in traffic. Problem is intermittent and occurs unpredictably. Car was recentl…

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Car stalled when stopped in drive. Car has auto start stop but did not restart when pressing gas pedal from break. Car had to be manually restarted. This is hazardous to myself and other drivers if I cannot start after stopping at a light, stop sign or in traffic. Problem is intermittent and occurs unpredictably. Car was recently purchased and inspected before purchase but not since. No warning lamps/message but message did appear to restart car manually due to the stall

NHTSA ODI #11579638

Mileage unknown · Feb 17, 2024
Back Over PreventionForward Collision AvoidanceFuel/propulsion System

(part 2) vehicle service records available upon request. The only problem confirmed by the dealership is infotainment system issues on multiple occasions. All aforementioned issues in complaint 1 are legitimate safety issues. If a vehicle is in motion, or needs to be in motion on a public road/highway/crossing railroad & transi…

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(part 2) vehicle service records available upon request. The only problem confirmed by the dealership is infotainment system issues on multiple occasions. All aforementioned issues in complaint 1 are legitimate safety issues. If a vehicle is in motion, or needs to be in motion on a public road/highway/crossing railroad & transit tracks, etc. and shuts down, sputters, or lunges, it could be fatal for not only myself and occupants of my vehicle, but could be a danger to others on the road or walkways as well. Further scenarios noted, but not limited to the following: 07/10/23, vehicle lunged forward as if I hit the gas while my foot was firmly pressed on the brake, while waiting to turn onto a busy state road. This is a huge safety issue. I could have rear-ended someone if they were in front of me, or hit into oncoming traffic if anyone was passing by at that moment. 6/25/23, while driving my VW dealership loaner vehicle, a '23 Atlas, engine jumped as if the gas peddle was pressed while at a complete stop in city-setting traffic and moved forward. I reported both incidents to VW dealership. I was told the F5 module was to blame for most issues, due to them being "COVID" era computer chips, and once they became available they would replace. 07/31/23, I was told a new module would not help, that instead a software update to the infotainment system should fix any problems, and the update was performed. To date, three software updates have been performed on this vehicle, including a new F1 module on 10/6/23. All problems still randomly persist, without rhyme or reason. These are not the only problems with this vehicle, per guidelines, I am keeping to immediate safety issues. 09/03/23 VW engaged brakes while backing up onto a brand new driveway with no vehicles, plants, people around. Back-up assist will not shut down while towing cargo carrier unless aftermarket part is purchased, making the vehicle brake as if avoiding crash and jarring occupants.

NHTSA ODI #11572552

Mileage unknown · Feb 17, 2024
Back Over PreventionElectrical SystemEngine

The start/stop system will activate and shut the vehicle down totally (at random times), even when in drive, and at times prematurely before even coming to a complete stop. When you move the steering wheel or take your foot off of the brake, the vehicle should automatically start back up, but the vehicle totally shuts off, aski…

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The start/stop system will activate and shut the vehicle down totally (at random times), even when in drive, and at times prematurely before even coming to a complete stop. When you move the steering wheel or take your foot off of the brake, the vehicle should automatically start back up, but the vehicle totally shuts off, asking: "Did you forget anything? Everyone out of the vehicle?" [XXX], first occurrence of this completely shutting down in the city of Pittsburgh, PA, on a busy bridge after the vehicle was idling for about 45-60 seconds in traffic. I hadn't experienced this problem in any vehicle before, so it took quick thinking to figure out that I had to put the vehicle back into park before it would start back up. If I had to move quickly, I was not able to do so. [XXX] while pulling out from a stop, nothing in front of us at all, the vehicle started to shut down while pressing the gas and at the same time the front collision system was beeping even though there was nothing at all in front of us. [XXX] infotainment screen blacked out for the VW technician while it was in for service due to multiple issues. The reason I am stating that in this complaint: multiple VW technicians and service personnel have stated that the infotainment system is the brain for the vehicle, if it is acting up, can cause problems with almost anything in the vehicle. [XXX], in the middle of a quick 3-point turn at the end of my street, the engine shut down totally while shifting from drive to reverse, asked if I forgot anything/anyone in the backseat, then, when shifting to park (to start the vehicle back up a.s.a.p.), it started itself back up without me touching the start/stop ignition button. [XXX] while accelerating up a hill in Pittsburgh, the vehicle started sputtering as if it was stalling out, engine misfiring. [XXX] vehicle in drive, stopped for approx. 20 seconds, again shut completely down, shift to P to restart. (con't) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(

NHTSA ODI #11572542

Mileage unknown · Dec 19, 2023
Unknown Or Other

The radio will occasionally blast this really loud sound that sounds similar to a helicopter. The only way that I have found to stop it is to pull-over, turn-off the car, and wait for the radio to timeout (the radio will stay on for a period after the ignition is turned-off). From my online research (there are others with this s…

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The radio will occasionally blast this really loud sound that sounds similar to a helicopter. The only way that I have found to stop it is to pull-over, turn-off the car, and wait for the radio to timeout (the radio will stay on for a period after the ignition is turned-off). From my online research (there are others with this same issue, and it appears to be related to the Fender sound system), the issue appears to be the main amplifier, but dealer has not been able to confirm this. This issue could potentially be dangerous as the sound is very loud and could possible scare someone into having an accident.

NHTSA ODI #11560874

Mileage unknown · Dec 15, 2023
Service Brakes

The vehicle only has 15K miles and the breaks are already producing a grinding sound. Brought it back to the dealership and they said that the pads and rotors are measuring correct and that it was the humidity. No vehicle that we have ever experiences has had grinding, so new and blamed weather. They are stating that the pads…

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The vehicle only has 15K miles and the breaks are already producing a grinding sound. Brought it back to the dealership and they said that the pads and rotors are measuring correct and that it was the humidity. No vehicle that we have ever experiences has had grinding, so new and blamed weather. They are stating that the pads and rotors are made up of higher iron and corrosion is happening quicker. This is unacceptable and put extra wear on the vehicle breaking components ultimately putting breaking at risk.

NHTSA ODI #11560294

Official recalls

5

25V434000 · Service Brakes; Suspension

Jun 30, 2025

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Suspension

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.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

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.

Service Brakes

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.

Consequence: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

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.

24V464000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

Jun 20, 2024

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

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.

22V753000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/mechanical

Oct 7, 2022

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. If the engine failure causes an oil leak, it can increase the risk of a fire.

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).

22V718000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Sep 26, 2022

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak may increase the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

22V152000 · Air Bags:side/window

Mar 28, 2022

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE23017 · Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

Opened Sep 28, 2023 · Closed Dec 18, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Forward Collision Avoidance; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking

On September 28, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23017) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Front Assist automatic emergency braking (AEB) system in model year (MY) 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.The reports alleged that activation of the AEB system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Volkswagen indicated that it is aware of a total of 292 reports that may relate to the alleged defect in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.Volkswagen stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of Front Assist and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints alleged that Volkswagen dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or Volkswagen dealerships informed the consumers that this braking is considered normal Front Assist operation. ODI's analysis shows that MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have the highest rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation when compared to their Volkswagen peers.The rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation in MY 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles was comparable to their Volkswagen peers. To date, ODI has received a total of 69 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of Front Assist in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.  In total, ODI reviewed 264 unique (i.e., non-duplicative Vehicle Identification Numbers) reports that may relate to the alleged defect, which include eight reports of incidents involving an alleged injury and two reports involving a crash. PE23017 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations in MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking

On September 28, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23017) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Front Assist automatic emergency braking (AEB) system in model year (MY) 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.The reports alleged that activation of the AEB system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Volkswagen indicated that it is aware of a total of 292 reports that may relate to the alleged defect in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.Volkswagen stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of Front Assist and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints alleged that Volkswagen dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or Volkswagen dealerships informed the consumers that this braking is considered normal Front Assist operation. ODI's analysis shows that MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have the highest rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation when compared to their Volkswagen peers.The rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation in MY 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles was comparable to their Volkswagen peers. To date, ODI has received a total of 69 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of Front Assist in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.  In total, ODI reviewed 264 unique (i.e., non-duplicative Vehicle Identification Numbers) reports that may relate to the alleged defect, which include eight reports of incidents involving an alleged injury and two reports involving a crash. PE23017 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations in MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Forward Collision Avoidance

On September 28, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE23017) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Front Assist automatic emergency braking (AEB) system in model year (MY) 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.The reports alleged that activation of the AEB system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Volkswagen indicated that it is aware of a total of 292 reports that may relate to the alleged defect in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.Volkswagen stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of Front Assist and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints alleged that Volkswagen dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or Volkswagen dealerships informed the consumers that this braking is considered normal Front Assist operation. ODI's analysis shows that MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have the highest rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation when compared to their Volkswagen peers.The rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation in MY 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles was comparable to their Volkswagen peers. To date, ODI has received a total of 69 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of Front Assist in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.  In total, ODI reviewed 264 unique (i.e., non-duplicative Vehicle Identification Numbers) reports that may relate to the alleged defect, which include eight reports of incidents involving an alleged injury and two reports involving a crash. PE23017 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations in MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.