2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport: problems, recalls and reliability
11 recalls and 102 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (20% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 3 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jun 2024
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 102 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“HVAC water tubing has leaked on to the airbag control module causing airbag errors and many other electrical faults. This is a known safety problem under recall 87H4, NHTSA campaign 21V892. However, Volkswagen stated my VIN is not eligible for this recall. Note: this diagnostic was not performed at a dealership but at an independent German car repair shop.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2026
“The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the airbag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an error code associated with the airbag. The vehicle was repaired at the consumer expense. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,200.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2026
“On 4/6 - My car alert system flashed the following; Still present, Called VW Dealership. Customer Care & Checked for recalls via VIN number. Airbag Error ( message on dashboard) Passenger Airbag (Message /light -automatically turned off airbags) Passanger airbag sensor flashes then turns solid. Safety recall for VW Atlas, certain vin numbers. No active recall for mine. (confirmed via VIA VW website, dealership & VW Customer Care) This puts my family at risk of airbags not deploying properly in emergency situations.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“I purchased a new 2020 Atlas Cross Sport in 2020. The car currently has 108,000 miles. In the time I have owned the car I have had to replace the heater core THREE times. The heater core has failed once again and I must replace it a FOURTH time. The dealer (Nucar, Norwood, MA) nor VW will admit the defect and I must pay $1000.00 to replace the defective part. This part is obviously defective. I want nothing more than to have the part replaced with a quality VW replacement part. I would also recommend that your organization investigate VW for a parts issue that is impacting many VW owners.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2026
“The warning light came on signaling an airbag problem. The dealer checked all the wires and connections and determined there must be a problem with vehemently airbag itself and they said it should be replaced.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2025
“Gas tank seal failed causing collapse of gas tank and damage to fuel pump. Similar problem in other volkswagon vehicles such as jetta and golf that had recall in past. Volkswagon costumer service was notified, be failed to offer repair coverage due to fact I had the oil changed at a non volkswagon service center. No work was done on fuel system outside of official volkswagon dealership.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Dec 2025
“The car was purchased brand new in 2020. In 2022, the heating core broke and had to be replaced. This has happened again. This is a safety issue, the defroster is blowing cold air and not clearing the windshield properly. Having to drive a vehicle while freezing is also a safety hazard. A vehicle that is 5 years old, should not have this happen twice. Volkswagen was contacted and said there was not anything they could do. I read online that many with 2019 & 2020 Atlas & Atlas Cross sports are having the same issue. It should not take an accident to happen for Volkswagen to do something, Volkswagen needs to correct this issue ASAP.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Nov 2025
“Pulled out of driveway onto major road. Brake fluid alert showed up on dash. Brakes completely stopped working. Was able to roll the car to a stop. Called tow truck which delivered car to mechanic. Mechanic confirmed that there were no brakes and advised that the brake master cylinder leaked into the brake booster which caused the brake booster to be damaged. Mechanic needed to remove and replace the the brake master cylinder and the vacuum brake booster.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Nov 2025
“The hood latch is broken. After searching the cause I have found that this is a common issue with 2020 VW ATLAS. There needs to be a recall.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2025
“Noise (Rattle) coming from LH rear wheel well while driving. Brought vehicle to dealer for inspection, found LH rear coil sheared in half. Dealer replaced both rear coil springs. There was a recall for the 2018/2019 Atlas/Cross Sport for the same issue. (NHTSA #18V904000) I believe VW needs to include some if not all 2020 models as well. The failure of the coil spring was not due to abusive driving. This was poor metallurgy. I've never in my life had a coil spring fail.”Owner report · Suspension · Jul 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 11 campaigns
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Remedy: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
Remedy: Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. One or both steering knuckles may have been damaged during production.
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the steering knuckle, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q6. Note: Owners are advised to DO NOT DRIVE the vehicle until the vehicle has been inspected and repaired if necessary.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport and 2021 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires, size 255/50 R 20 105 T. The tires may have been over cured.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect DOT date code and mold number on the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q5.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FB.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The front steering knuckle may fracture in the area of the strut mounting.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace one or both steering knuckles, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q7.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles equipped with accessory side steps. The reduced Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) label, reflecting the additional weight of the side steps, was not installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy: Dealers will install the reduced GVWR label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 09D9.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Atlas Cross Sports and 2021 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side headlight may have been aimed too low during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will adjust the driver's side headlight, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94N7.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2020 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Atlas Cross Sport by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport reliable?
NHTSA has 102 owner complaints and 11 recall campaigns on record for the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The most complained-about area is air bags (20% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 13,974 miles or less.
Does the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport have open recalls?
11 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning tires:pressure monitoring and regulating systems. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.