2019 Volkswagen Atlas Problems, Recalls & Reliability
706 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 97/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 30,250 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2019 Volkswagen Atlas sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2020.
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Where 2019 sits among all Atlas years
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Atlas
“Emergency brakes activated while driving normally with no obstructions in front of me. This could've caused an accident if there were other vehicles behind me.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Atlas
“Warning light indicated BRAKE BOOSTER FAULTY, brake light came on and brakes felt different pressing down.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Atlas
“Start/stop error lightafter already replaced by dealership Brake booster faulty EPC light comes on-off randomly”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Atlas
“The car shuts off while driving. The dealership can’t re-create and isn’t sure what the problem is.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Atlas
“The stop start system is faulty. I was at a stop sign and when I tried to go “start engine manually” pops up on the screen. I had to put the car in park at a busy intersection and restart the car.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Atlas
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 175 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 11,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 4,900 and 25,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side impact air bag may be missing a weld at the side air bag housing.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side impact air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298.…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
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 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…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas vehicles. The suction jet in the fuel tank may have been welded in the incorrect position allowing fuel to leak. Additionally, the vehicle may stall due to uneven fuel…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas and 2020 Passat vehicles. An incorrect driver and/or front passenger side impact air bag may have been installed.
Fix: Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge. The recall was completed in April 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas, 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
Fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that…
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
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…
Model years named: 2019
Technical service bulletins
709 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas reliable?
The 2019 Volkswagen Atlas drew 706 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 97/100, scored against the model's worst year (2021).
What are the most common 2019 Volkswagen Atlas problems?
The top reported problems for the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas are airbags (139 complaints), driver assistance (111), and brakes & stability (79).
At what mileage do 2019 Volkswagen Atlas problems show up?
Owners most often report 2019 Volkswagen Atlas problems around 11,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 4,900 and 25,000 miles.
Does the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.