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2022 Volkswagen Atlas

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
8 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls2 critical7
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA249
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA23 mpg
2027202620252024202320222021202020192018

The 2022 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 7 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 249 complaints, most often about the service brakes. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
AtlasGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo212523$2,700
Atlas Cross SportGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo212523$2,700
Atlas 4motionGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo202422$2,850
Atlas Cross Sport 4motionGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo202422$2,850
AtlasGasFWD3.6L 6-cyl182420$3,100
Atlas Cross SportGasFWD3.6L 6-cyl182420$3,100
Atlas Cross Sport 4motionGasAWD3.6L 6-cyl182420$3,100
Atlas 4motionGasAWD3.6L 6-cyl172319$3,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 44196, 44197, 44200, 44201, 44219, 44198, 44202, 44203.

Factory warranty running out?

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Recalls (7)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Air Bags

69PZ
271,330 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 24V464000reported Jun 20, 2024Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Suspension

42M2
33 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskUnsecured bolts may cause the trailing arm to fracture, resulting in a sudden loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 22V807000reported Oct 26, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

VW: 13i4, Audi: 13i5
76,515 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA 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.FixDealers 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).
NHTSA campaign 22V753000reported Oct 7, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Trailer Hitches

66N8
3,184 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The trailer hitch bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.RiskLoose bolts may fall out, causing the remaining bolts to break, which could lead to separation of the trailer hitch and trailer, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will tighten the trailer hitch bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N8.
NHTSA campaign 22V657000reported Aug 31, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
○minor

Back Over Prevention

91DV
43,091 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."RiskA rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.
NHTSA campaign 22V514000reported Jul 20, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

24iD
1,382 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Atlas FL and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The long fuel injectors may have been assembled without filters.RiskLong fuel injectors with missing filters may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.FixDealers will replace the long fuel injectors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24iD.
NHTSA campaign 22V245000reported Apr 13, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Air Bags

97GF
222,892 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.FixDealers 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 campaign 22V152000reported Mar 28, 2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

NHTSA defect 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

Source: NHTSA complaint database
249complaints filed

4 involved a crash · 3 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2021: 1 · 2022: 37 · 2023: 46 · 2024: 66 · 2025: 57 · 2026: 42

Most-cited components

Service Brakes68
Engine68
Electrical System62
Air Bags40
Forward Collision Avoidance37
Unspecified36

What owners describe

“I have taken my car to the dealer and had them look at the brakes. Every time I press on the brakes it makes a grinding sound almost as if the car is to heavy for the brakes and skids a little. At Findlay Volkswagen they tell me they are aware of the problem, but Volkswagen has not approved any type of fix. I have also…”Feb 10, 2023 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“The brakes make a grinding and squeaking sound after every start up and continues either for many miles or doesn't go away at all. It is a safety issue because the brakes sound horrible and this is not a normal occurrence for a new car, i will not know if there is a more serious issue with my brakes if its "normal" for…”Feb 2, 2023 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“Emergency braking system was activated on 15 FWY, traveling north just south of Magnolia (33.8652148,-117.5413564) No vehicle or objects were in front of me. I was in the far left lane traveling at freeway speeds for over 2 miles before the emergency braking system was activated. The vehicle traveling behind me was abl…”Jan 25, 2023 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

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

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆16%
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆15%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆14%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

Other Atlas model years

A

2027 Volkswagen Atlas

0 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2026 Volkswagen Atlas

2 recalls · 8 complaints

D

2025 Volkswagen Atlas

5 recalls · 63 complaints

F

2024 Volkswagen Atlas

8 recalls · 259 complaints

F

2023 Volkswagen Atlas

6 recalls · 148 complaints

F

2021 Volkswagen Atlas

17 recalls · 631 complaints

F

2020 Volkswagen Atlas

11 recalls · 132 complaints

F

2019 Volkswagen Atlas

11 recalls · 473 complaints

F

2018 Volkswagen 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. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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