2023 Volkswagen Atlas Problems, Recalls & Reliability
181 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 27/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Electrical leads the reports.
Typical
Where 2023 sits among all Atlas years
What owners report
“The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly. When parked or reversing. Requires the car to be put in park and then restarted.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2023 Atlas
“Vehicle stalls when at very slow speeds which requires you to put the vehicle in park and restart. This has happened over 15 times and last time was 10/29/24.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2023 Atlas
Recalls (5)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
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…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
332 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2023 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 2023 Volkswagen Atlas reliable?
The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas drew 181 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 27/100, scored against the model's worst year (2021).
What are the most common 2023 Volkswagen Atlas problems?
The top reported problems for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas are electrical (41 complaints), engine (36), and other (23).
Does the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2023 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.