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2023 Volkswagen Atlas

The Verdict

71 Solid Pick

The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas has 114 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (40 complaints) and electrical (39 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 71/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Volkswagen Atlas, consider the 2020 model year which has 77% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2020 has 77% fewer complaints

View the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas dashboard →

71

Klunk Score: Solid Pick

Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 2

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

25V434000 SERVICE BRAKES

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 (suc...

Risk

A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

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 fo...

Reported Apr 11, 2026

22V718000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

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.

Risk

A brake fluid leak may increase the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.

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...

Reported Apr 11, 2026

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
201893661571169
2019140721447621
2020541241
20219392154957
2022274248521
2023221039403
20244533382913
2025152757

By Category

Engine
40
Electrical
39
Body
22
Brakes
10
Transmission
3

By Severity

1
62
2
47
3
1
4
4

Worst Problems

Complaints

Engine 2

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change at a local dealer, the dealer informed the contact that the cylinder head gasket was rusted. The dealer provided a 60 percent discount, and the vehicle was repaired. Six weeks later, while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled, but the contact was able to avoid a crash. All of the warning lights illuminated. A mobile mechanic initially checked the battery and later determined that the fuel pump control module had failed. No further information was available. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

12d ago
Engine 2

The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly. When parked or reversing. Requires the car to be put in park and then restarted.

14d ago
Electrical 1

Component/System Failed: The driver-side daytime running light (DRL) failed unexpectedly. The failed LED lighting component is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: This failure created a significant safety concern because daytime running lights are designed to improve vehicle visibility to other drivers during daylight and low-visibility conditions. DRLs are an important safety feature intended to reduce the risk of collisions by making vehicles more noticeable on the road. The fact that one side of the front lighting system was not functioning reduced the visibility and recognition of my vehicle to other motorists. Additionally, no dashboard warning light, alert, or notification appeared to inform me that the daytime running light had failed. Without any warning system, drivers may unknowingly operate the vehicle with a non-functioning safety component for an extended period of time. Dealer/Service Confirmation: I was informed by Volkswagen service that the LED daytime running light assembly requires a full headlight assembly replacement. Inspections: At this time, the vehicle/component has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives. The component is available for manufacturer or agency inspection upon request. Warning Lamps or Symptoms Prior to Failure: There were no warning lamps, dashboard messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. The vehicle provided no indication whatsoever that the daytime running light was no longer functioning. The issue was only discovered visually by another person outside the vehicle. Additional Concerns: I am also concerned about the cost and longevity of this component. The replacement part alone reportedly costs over $1,000, not including labor costs. This appears excessive for a vehicle that is only approximately three years old. LED lighting system

26d ago
Engine 2

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.

1mo ago
Electrical 2

DRL on passenger side stopped working about a year in to purchasing the vehicle

1mo ago
Electrical 1

Daytime Running Light (DRL) failure on the passenger side. First noticed light does not work on 6/3/2026. An estimate for an independent repair garage is ±$2300.

1mo ago
Engine 2

There was a recall on my PVC part in my 2023 atlas. An effect of a clogged pvc is an oil leak. The Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system relieves built-up pressure inside your engine. When it fails or clogs, this pressure traps air inside the crankcase. The excess pressure often forces oil out through the weakest points, which can mimic a bad seal or gasket. I took my car to the dealership in Md and they claim that I need to get new seals on several parts of my car but they claim that my oil leak its not related to the PVC. This is a 2023 car with one owner and no previous problems. There are thousands of complaints online about the PVC part continuing to fail and continuing to cause oil leaks in consumers cars. The oil leak has also caused my driving belt to fail and in my case shred while driving. This is unsafe and makes cars slow down instantly and can cause major car accidents. Why are consumers expected to pay for seal replacements when its related to failed parts on a car. The VW dealership said that my engine light would need to be on for them to say its a result of the failed PVC but my engine light was on when I dropped my car off. The dealership said they will not replaced parts that were effected from failed PVC due to car being out of warranty. My research tells me that Volkswagen is legally responsible. Because auto manufacturers are governed by strict liability laws, they are responsible for injuries and property damage flowing from the defective product they sold.VW wants consumers to pay $842 dollars to replace a part that cost less than $20. The VW company said that I needed to get my recall repair done earlier in order for them to honor the damages however Ive never seen a recall that came with a time limits on car repairs. This is highway robbery and VW needs to be held responsible for failing to maintain accountable and damages to consumers.

2mo ago
Electrical 1

The daytime running lights are not working. It is a safety concern by not being seen easily by oncoming drivers. No warnings were given prior to going out. This seems to be a common problem among same vehicle make and model according to forums on the internet. The only way to be repaired is to replace the entire headlamp assembly at a cost of $1500-$2000 which is not feasible.

2mo ago
Body 1

When vehicle was pitched Feb of 2023 VW Atlas crosssport. The screen would go black and when I called Harnish VW of Puyallup in WA. They said they were aware of the issue and there was no fix. Recently saw online that VW was aware of this issue and that it could cause further damage to the vehicle and there is still no fix. My screen still goes out (black screen) and nobody has been able to fix it when asked about it.

2mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH he noticed the headlights were out independently. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that headlight assembly needed to replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 55,000.

2mo ago
Engine 1

Our Atlas’ engine will turn off unexpectedly from time to time. This usually happens when the vehicle is stopped whether it be at a stop light, stop sign, carpool, etc. We brought it to the dealership and the replaced a part and indicated it should fix it; however the problem has persisted.

2mo ago
Electrical 1

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,843.

2mo ago
Engine 1

My vehicle is a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. It has a serious and recurring safety issue where the vehicle shuts off unexpectedly while driving. This has occurred on the freeway while driving at approximately 65–70 mph, which is extremely dangerous because the vehicle loses power while in traffic. After a previous repair at the dealer, the issue returned again after several months. The vehicle was previously scanned with a basic diagnostic tool, but no permanent solution was found. I have contacted dealerships, but I have had difficulty receiving assistance in Spanish, and I have been ignored when requesting Spanish-speaking support. Because of this, I will need to visit in person with someone who can help me communicate in English. I travel with my child in this vehicle, and the vehicle shuts off regardless of how long I have been driving, which creates a serious safety risk. This is a major safety concern as the vehicle shuts off without warning while driving at highway speeds. I am requesting a full investigation of this issue as a potential safety defect.

3mo ago
Engine 1

I am reporting a significant safety compliance issue involving a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle and the fraudulent reporting of a safety recall completion. On March 21, 2026, I attempted to purchase the vehicle listed above. This vehicle is subject to NHTSA Recall 22V753 (VW Campaign 13i4) regarding engine connecting rod failure. Before signing, I requested documentation proving the recall had been performed. The dealership staff repeatedly insisted that the recall "had to have been completed" as part of the CPO process. Upon my further insistence, the dealership finally admitted that the recall work had NOT been performed and stated it would "be completed on Monday." However, a check of the VIN on [XXX] and VW’s public portal shows "0 Open Recalls," indicating the dealership has officially marked this safety recall as "Closed" or "Completed" in the system despite the remedy not being applied. This dealership is actively marketing and attempting to deliver a vehicle with a known engine failure risk as "Certified" while falsifying federal safety records. This is a clear violation of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and poses an immediate risk to any consumer who might purchase this vehicle believing the safety defect has been remedied. Vin number is [XXX] I can't personally verify that the vin number falls within the lot described, however given their response was "our bad we're doing this on Monday" I can only come to the safe conclusion in my purchase decision that it does recall this recall procedure and that they fraudulently marked this recall as completed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

3mo ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the sound might be caused by unknown engine parts rubbing against each other. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V753000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

4mo ago
Engine 2

While driving on the highway at 65 miles per hour, my Atlas shut itself off. I had to put it into park and restart the ignition. It turned on after 2 attempts but just barely. It turned on and gave enough power to move forward very slowly but virtually no propulsion. It turned on briefly, I pressed the gas and then it shut off but had enough to cruise to get to the shoulder across the highway. There was no shoulder next to the lane I was in. Luckily the cars around me saw that I put my hazzard lights on immediately and did the same. Once at the shoulder, tho the system had shut down again... the Atlas suddenly engaged and sped up on its own. The control panel of the car was "resetting" itself still from the initial shutdown. The system appeared to reboot itself after putting into park and pushing the ignition button. And was still "processing" while I attempted to get it to the side of the road while it shutdown again. Once it was "rebooted" that's when the system appeared to "catch" and the car "sped up" by itself. Once all that happened, probably in the span of 5 minutes or so, I was able to drive 15 miles away safely to a gas station, turned off the car, got gas and it re-started like nothing had happened and drive fine home, about 2 miles further. The instrument panel including map and "driving screen" has shut down before while driving a few times, but never anything with the engine. While stopped at a light a few times, the car has previously "shut itself off" and restarted fine after being put into park and restarting ignition. This is by far the worst and most dangerous experience I've had that could have resulted in a fatal collision, had the cars around me not also been paying close attention and helped me out by slowing behind me and creating awareness for others approaching at 65-75 MPH as well.

4mo ago
Engine 1

Current mileage: 55,000 miles, and the warranty expired at 50,000 miles. Shortly after the expiration, a bunch of warning alerts started to pop up, along with a solid yellow check engine light. I had the error codes read, and it came back as, “P2402 SAE: EVAP System Leak Detection Pump Control Circuit: High." In order for any work to be performed, VW demands a $212 diagnostic fee in order to even determine what is wrong with the vehicle. If the EVAP pump is found to be bad as the code suggests, it would cost anywhere between $700-900 to fix. So, I took to Google to figure out what is going on. There are pages and pages of documentation from other VW drivers who have the exact same issue. So, why has it not been listed as a safety recall yet? That's what I want to know. Many VW drivers reported that they were given a warranty extension for this KNOWN issue, so I thought...that's all it would take for me to be happy. So, I called the same dealership back and was told that my vehicle is ineligible for the warranty extension even though I am experiencing the exact same issue of the people who were given the warranty extension. Many other VW customers have reported this known issue as well because VW is aware of the issue but is not doing anything about it. As far as I know, the car runs fine, but the alerts and check engine light are there every time I start up the car and never go away. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others is put at risk every time I drive. When I get into my car, several alerts go off. Very distracting and dangerous. When I go to back out of my driveway, the backup camera works for a few seconds and then blacks out and goes back to the main screen and starts beeping new alerts. Very dangerous. As I am driving, all of the alerts are going off again, thus distracting me behind the wheel. With the codes present, it will not allow me to use remote start on either my key FOB or in the app.

4mo ago
Body 2

My sos light has been disconnected for days and VW customer care will not put in an IT ticket until it hits a certain amount of time and then I would have to wait another 20 days to hear back from them. Not having this feature working is not safe and I also cannot use my app to start my car which is frustrating. I’m hearing it was created by some satellite update VW pushed through causing many people to have this issue. It needs to get addressed and not at the customer’s expense which is what the dealerships are doing.

5mo ago
Body 1

My car windshield as cracked where the rearview mirror attaches. The crack is approximately 10 inches long. This was not caused by road debris or a small pebble. Almost one year to the day this is the second, very similar windshield crack. Is there product defect inherent to the VW Atlas windshield ? Please investigate this. Thank you.

5mo ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that on the first day the vehicle was purchased, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the carbon canister and evaporative (EVAP) canister had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The contact was informed that the carbon canister and evaporative (EVAP) canister had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

5mo ago

114 total

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