⌘K
Home›Volkswagen›Atlas›2023
Volkswagen · Compact SUV

2023 Volkswagen Atlas

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
8 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
45 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical6
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA148
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA23 mpg
2027202620252024202320222021202020192018

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 the engine. 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 4motionGasAWD3.6L 6-cyl182320$3,100
Atlas Cross SportGasFWD3.6L 6-cyl182420$3,100
Atlas Cross Sport 4motionGasAWD3.6L 6-cyl182420$3,100

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 45678, 45679, 45699, 45702, 45680, 45700, 45681, 45701.

Factory warranty running out?

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. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (6)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Suspension

42HX
546 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 25V434000reported Jun 30, 2025Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲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

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

47T2
555 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen 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.RiskA brake fluid leak may increase the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 22V718000reported Sep 26, 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
148complaints filed

5 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 6 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2022: 1 · 2023: 26 · 2024: 51 · 2025: 31 · 2026: 39

Most-cited components

Engine41
Electrical System35
Air Bags27
Unspecified26
Fuel/Propulsion System19
Service Brakes18

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while seated inside the parked vehicle, the contact became aware of a reflection and exited the vehicle and discovered that the daytime running lights were inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was …”Jul 20, 2026 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report
“After noticing an oil leak and blue smoke in my 23 VW atlas, I took it to my local dealership in Tupelo, MS. I realized there was an open recall for the PCV Valve / Oil separator under code 10LP. However, the bad PCV valve also caused the timing chain cover to go bad. The dealership called me back and said VW would not…”Jul 20, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“Our VW Atlas Cross Sport 2023 was involved in an accident on August 3, 2025 where the Automatic Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning did not work. Firstly, we reported issues with our brakes several times and took the vehicle to Rick Case VW in Weston/Davie more than once to rectify this problem. However, th…”Sep 17, 2025 · Service Brakes · 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, automatic emergency braking.

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

2022 Volkswagen Atlas

7 recalls · 249 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.

JSON for this page · API