2023 Volkswagen Atlas problems, complaints & recalls

Updated Oct 10, 2026 from NHTSA data · How we count

Owners have filed 135 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, most often about engine. There are 5 recalls for this model year.

Complaints: 135
Recalls: 5
Crashes: 4
Fires: 0
Injuries: 6
Median mileage: 33,000 mi

Key facts

Engine is the most-reported problem area, named in 37 of 135 complaints (27%).
Electrical System (33) and airbags (22) follow.
Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 33,000 mi.
Owners reported 4 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries.
The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas has 5 recalls on file.
NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation covering this vehicle.
It ranks 6th of 9 Volkswagen Atlas model years by our severity-weighted complaint score (1st = worst).
That is 26% fewer complaints than the 2022 model year (183).

A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.

Most-reported components

Component (as filed with NHTSA)	Complaints
Engine	35
Electrical system	32
Unknown or other	24
Air bags	22
Fuel/propulsion system	17
Service brakes	15
Exterior lighting	14
Power train	7

When problems happen (mileage)

Mileage at the time of the problem, for 2023 Volkswagen Atlas complaints that list mileage.

2023 Volkswagen Atlas recalls (5)

Recall 25V434000Jun 30, 2025546 vehicles
SERVICE BRAKES · 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.
Risk: 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.
Recall 24V464000Jun 20, 2024271,330 vehicles
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
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.
Risk: 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.
Recall 22V753000Oct 7, 202276,515 vehicles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
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.
Risk: 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).
Recall 22V718000Sep 26, 2022555 vehicles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
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.
Risk: 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.
Recall 22V152000Mar 28, 2022222,892 vehicles
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
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.
Risk: 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.

NHTSA defect investigations

PE23017Opened Sep 28, 2023Closed Dec 18, 2024
Inadvertent 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…

Recent 2023 Volkswagen Atlas complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Filed Oct 6, 2026ILDriver Assistance & Safety TechOther / Unknown
2023 VW Atlas Cross Sport SEL AWD, about 57,500 miles. Available for inspection. Oct 3, 2026: infotainment screen would not turn on. A soft reboot, a multi-hour shutdown with the car locked did not fix it. The unit is stuck in a reboot loop ("Starting navigation" then fails, repeating). By about the third restart, the blower fan stopped completely: no heat, no AC, no windshield defrost or defog, no ventilation. Rearview camera, radio, and navigation are inoperative. Cruise…
NHTSA complaint #11769255 · source
Filed Sep 24, 2026ALLighting
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 road.
NHTSA complaint #11766748 · source
Filed Sep 18, 2026TXElectrical System
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 protective cover or shield separating the two components. Contact between the tool and the exposed ECU caused an electrical short that destroyed the module, disabling the vehicle. This is a known design issue — the ECU's unprotected proximity to the battery…
NHTSA complaint #11765289 · source
Filed Sep 17, 2026VAOther / Unknown
Auto has stalled 3 or more times without warning lights since purchasing 2 months ago Very unsafe for me and others stalling in traffic
NHTSA complaint #11765114 · source
Filed Sep 8, 2026WAElectrical SystemOther / Unknown
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 were operating normally. Following the update, the infotainment/navigation system failed. The center display is completely black. The loss of the backup camera is a particular safety concern because it removes an important driver-assistance feature used to…
NHTSA complaint #11762888 · source
Filed Aug 28, 2026AZEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionOther / Unknown
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 it to the dealership and they replaced the in tank fuel pump. When I got the car back it was still acting a little strange but I thought it was just the computer relearning process. Shortly afterward (approx 100-150 miles later) it started struggling at idle…
NHTSA complaint #11760372 · source
Filed Aug 28, 2026OHSteering
The steering assist became completely unavailable while the vehicle otherwise remained operational; the battery checked out fine; no failed component or root cause was identified; and steering was restored only through electronic re-adaptation of Address 44.
NHTSA complaint #11760230 · source
Filed Aug 25, 2026ARElectrical System
I went to the Volkswagen dealership to have a routine oil change done. They told me they could not perform the oil change because the hood latch release cable had snapped. I had just had the hood open that morning, so it was completely insane that they thought I brought the car in like that when they are the ones who broke it. They wanted to charge me $569 to replace it, or they wouldn't do the oil change. I walked because I wasn't going to pay to fix something on my own car…
NHTSA complaint #11759538 · source

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Other 2023 Volkswagen models

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology