2023 Volkswagen Atlas: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 133 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (20% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 15 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jun 2025
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 133 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Sep 2026
“Auto has stalled 3 or more times without warning lights since purchasing 2 months ago Very unsafe for me and others stalling in traffic”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2026
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Aug 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“2023 Volkswagen Atlas R-Line. While driving (moving) on a congested road the vehicle signaled "Please start engine manually" the gas pedal became unresponsive. Power steering, radio, A/C, all still worked, but I had to come to a complete stop to restart engine. The same thing has happened multiple times now with the last one being in the middle of the road trying to complete a U-turn. This is incredibly dangerous for not only my family but others on the road not expecting a vehicle to stall. This has been identified by multiple other owners on-line. There is no warning or change in operation of the vehicle prior to the message coming up. This could lead to a crash, or worse a fatality.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2026
“My car has started to stall out when I am stopped at a sign, light, reversing or a low idle. When I change to reverse from park, the car stalls. I have to put it back in park start and try to reverse again. Same thing happens when I go from reverse to drive. I have done a little research online, and a lot of these 2023 Volkswagen Atlas's has this issue.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2026
“While driving, the vehicle stalls and shuts off completely without warning, creating an immediate safety hazard. This engine stalling occurs randomly at various speeds, including while actively operating the vehicle in traffic. There is no Check Engine Light (CEL), malfunction indicator, or dashboard warning prior to the stalling event, depriving the driver of any advanced notice to safely pull over.A subsequent inspection revealed that the evaporative emissions (EVAP) carbon canister is failing. The component failure allows unmetered fuel vapors or liquid fuel to flood the engine intake tract, rich-loading the engine and causing an immediate stall.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2026
“Lost complete control of both the brake and the throttle while attempting to pull into a parking spot at low speed. Car started to roll backwards down a hill and I was unable to stop it. Had to cycle the car off and back on to fix it. Took it to a VW dealership service department and they reported no fault codes so there was nothing they could do. No check engine light or fault codes.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2026
“The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle suddenly shut off and was restarted. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on three occasions while reversing and while the weather was extremely hot. The vehicle was taken to the local O'Reilly Auto Parts Store who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,500.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2026
“4 times now when the vehicle, 2 times while the vehicle is moving forward and 2 times while the vehicle was moving in reverse the engine has completely shut off and the car stopped moving. The dash said the engine was off and the vehicle needed to be shifted to park and the engine turned back on. During this time the vehicle also lost power steering and brakes. I've taken it to the dealership multiple times and they could not diagnose the issue or duplicate it and tell me I need to pick the vehicle up and to just bring it back again.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2026
“This vehicle has the auto stop start feature. The engine has shut off 3 times while driving and had to be restarted with the ignition since purchasing this vehicle. Twice at a red light and once while braking in a parking lot. This has created an extremely dangerous situation in traffic. When the light turned green the vehicle would not move. The vehicle had to be shifted to park and then started with the ignition. The traffic behind us almost rear ended the vehicle. The one time while braking in a parking lot the vehicle turned off while moving and braking. Had to move the vehicle to park and then restart.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 4 of these complaints and injuries in 6 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
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.
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.
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.
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).
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 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.
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.
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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2023 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Atlas years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact Atlas 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 2023 Volkswagen Atlas reliable?
NHTSA has 133 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The most complained-about area is electrical system (20% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2023 Volkswagen Atlas problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 33,422 miles or less.
Does the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic. 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.