2023 Volkswagen Atlas
Gas Compact SUV
The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 8 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Atlas, is EPA-rated at 23 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 148 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 21 | 25 | 23 | $2,700 |
| Atlas Cross Sport | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 21 | 25 | 23 | $2,700 |
| Atlas 4motion | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 20 | 24 | 22 | $2,850 |
| Atlas Cross Sport 4motion | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 20 | 24 | 22 | $2,850 |
| Atlas | Gas | FWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 18 | 24 | 20 | $3,100 |
| Atlas 4motion | Gas | AWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 18 | 23 | 20 | $3,100 |
| Atlas Cross Sport | Gas | FWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 18 | 24 | 20 | $3,100 |
| Atlas Cross Sport 4motion | Gas | AWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 18 | 24 | 20 | $3,100 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
Compare coverage →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Data on this page is never influenced by that.
Recalls (6)
Suspension
highProblem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags
highProblem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Suspension
highProblem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Volkswagen Atlas FL and 2022-2023 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The driver-side rear trailing arm bolts may not have been tightened properly, allowing them to loosen and fall out.
Risk: Unsecured bolts may cause the trailing arm to fracture, resulting in a sudden loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver side rear trailing arm bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 25, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42M2.
Engine And Engine Cooling
criticalProblem: 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.
Fix: 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).
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
highProblem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags
highProblem: 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.
Fix: 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 investigations
Forward Collision Avoidance — Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking (closed)
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 limitat
Opened Sep 28, 2023 · closed Dec 18, 2024 · action PE23017
Owner complaints
148 complaints filed
5 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 6 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2022: 1 · 2023: 26 · 2024: 51 · 2025: 31 · 2026: 39
Most-cited components
- Engine — 41
- Electrical System — 35
- Air Bags — 27
- Unknown Or Other — 26
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 19
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 16% |
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 15% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 14% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking.
Other Atlas model years
2027 Atlas
0 recalls · 0 complaints
B2026 Atlas
2 recalls · 8 complaints
D2025 Atlas
5 recalls · 63 complaints
F2024 Atlas
8 recalls · 259 complaints
F2022 Atlas
7 recalls · 249 complaints
F2021 Atlas
17 recalls · 631 complaints
F2020 Atlas
11 recalls · 132 complaints
F2019 Atlas
11 recalls · 473 complaints
F2018 Atlas
16 recalls · 462 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 45678, 45679, 45699, 45702, 45680, 45700, 45681, 45701). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.