2024 Volkswagen Atlas
The Verdict
The 2024 Volkswagen Atlas has 166 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (47 complaints) and electrical (41 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 61/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Volkswagen Atlas, consider the 2020 model year which has 83% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2020 has 83% fewer complaints
View the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas dashboard →
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 5
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling 2024-2026 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. The vehicles may experience a low-voltage electrical event that affects display screen f...
Risk
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 18, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-89...
Reported Jul 28, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera image to become distorted when the...
Risk
A distorted rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 5, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswag...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine cover may have been improperly installed after vehicle service, allow...
Risk
A loose engine cover that contacts hot surfaces in the engine compartment can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will remove the engine cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number fo...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024 Atlas and 2024 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The brake master cylinder may have been assembled with an incorrect secondary pi...
Risk
An obstructed brake fluid port can cause a loss of brake function, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 21, 2024. Additionally, vehicles that were added to the population on November 21, ...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024 Atlas PA2 and Atlas Cross Sport PA vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, which can result in eng...
Risk
A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, engine failure may cause an oil leak which can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-89...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
By Category
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Worst Problems
Complaints
While accelerating, my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas hesitates and drags before responding to throttle input. The vehicle was brought to Volkswagen Cypress (Houston, TX) on 08/25/2026 for a scheduled service appointment that included this concern as well as recall 24V480. As of 08/27/2026 - two days later - the vehicle has not been inspected or touched by a technician. The dealer has confirmed they are approximately 3 days behind and offered no resolution. The acceleration hesitation presents a safety concern, particularly when merging onto highways or crossing intersections. Recall 24V480 remains unaddressed.
I purchased this car brand new in 2024. As of today I have had 7 chips in my windshield. The first one which resulted in a replacement was February/ March 2025. I have replaced it once and filled 2 chips, but I currently have 4-5 chips in my windshield which needs to be replaced due to 2 of them being large. I am holding off on this replacement until I absolutely need to because the fear of replacing and then getting another chip. Some of the chips are small, but it seems to me anything that hits the windshield chips it. I have had several cars over the year and drive a lot of miles and have never had this issue with windshields. Another problem that I had when replacing was finding the proper windshield. When Safelight replaced it they did not use the OEM windshield at first. They replaced the windshield 2x with an off brand and the heads up display would not work properly. Then they finally used the OEM windshield from Volkswagen which of course costs more. So for the cost you would think you are getting better quality, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I have been to a couple of different window replacement companies over the last couple of years and they have all told me that the Atlas & Tiguans are known for windshield chips and they find that Volkswagen's glass is very thin compared to other companies.
I am writing to report a serious safety concern involving my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. This weekend, our vehicle unexpectedly began rolling backward while no one was seated in the driver’s seat. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident had the potential to cause severe injury or death. My daughter attempted to start the Atlas by reaching across the front passenger side to press the brake pedal while simultaneously pressing the start button. As she moved back, her elbow inadvertently struck the toggle-style gear selector, shifting the vehicle into neutral. The vehicle immediately began rolling backward down the driveway toward the street and mailbox. In a moment of panic, my daughter exited the vehicle and attempted to stop it by pushing from behind. This placed her directly in the path of a moving, driverless vehicle. Fortunately, family members yelled for her to move, and my mother was able to run to the vehicle, get inside, and stop it. We fully recognize that my daughter should not have attempted to start the vehicle in this manner, and we have had a very serious conversation with her about proper vehicle operation, use of the emergency brake, and never placing herself behind a moving vehicle. However, her mistake revealed what I believe is a significant safety vulnerability: the gear selector could be unintentionally moved into neutral with a simple, incidental bump, allowing an unoccupied vehicle to roll freely. The outcome could have been devastating. My daughter could have been run over. My [XXX] son, my other daughter, a child playing in our cul-de-sac, or a neighbor walking a dog could have been struck. Property damage would have been the least of our concerns. I recently drove a Chevrolet truck equipped with a similar toggle-style shifter, but its selector included a side button that had to be intentionally pressed before the gear could be changed. A safeguard of that nature appears capable of preventing precisely the type of accidental a INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The center infotainment/display screen in this 2024 VW Atlas repeatedly goes black, freezes, and reboots itself while the vehicle is being driven, including at highway speed (about 43-55 mph). When it fails, the screen collapses to a clock only and shows "Navigation not available," "Telephone not available," and "App-Connect not available," then the entire head unit reboots on its own while driving. During these failures the driver loses the rearview/backup camera image, climate and audio controls, navigation, and phone functions - a serious safety hazard while the car is in motion. The problem is ongoing and has NOT been fixed. The vehicle has been to the Volkswagen dealer FIVE times for this issue (01/15/2026, 01/26/2026, 05/27/2026, 06/16/2026, and 06/30/2026). Repair order #436699 documents the screen "intermittently going black"; a dealer software update was performed and did not resolve it - the failure recurred. There is a 79-second video of the head unit rebooting while driving at 43-55 mph. This matches VW recall 26V473000 (2024-2026 Atlas, a low-voltage electrical event affecting display-screen functions) and TSB 91-23-03 (MIB3 infotainment freezing/rebooting/black screen). Losing the backup camera, controls, and displays while driving endangers the occupants and others on the road.
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine, exhaust system malfunction, and master warning lights were illuminated. The messages "Engine Control Malfunction" and "Transmission Overheated" were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,227.
The light strip / brake light on the tailgate has water inside and stopped working. Error message "please check right tail light."
My vehicle is experiencing error code C123B01 were water is getting into front emblem due to a malfunctioning seal stated in there Tech bulletin 94-23-01TT which requires changing the emblem and reprogramming it. I had shut down my Day time running lights and parking lights which is a safety hazard. My Drive easy warranty is denying to fix it saying it is is on us. My vehicle was parked in my driveway and we had a lot of rain. When I got into my car the warning light was on for my DRL and parking lights. Volkswagen dealer ship pulled the exact bulletin to diagnose this issue and documented on my repair order. The dealer ship also knowledged to me on the phone they can see my emblem wasn't damaged from the outside. My parking light and running lights will not work on my passenger side due to the emblem seal failure which is a safety concern for me and my children.
The 2024 Volkswagen Atlas suddenly lost all power and acceleration while driving at approximately 45 mph with a child passenger. There were no warning lights, messages, or abnormal symptoms prior to the failure. Pressing the accelerator pedal, including flooring it, produced no response, and the vehicle continued to decelerate. I was able to coast into a nearby neighborhood and pull off the road safely. Had this occurred on a highway, it could have resulted in a serious accident. After stopping, the engine would not restart and only made a clicking sound. The check engine light illuminated at that point. The vehicle has been undrivable since. The dealership initially attributed the issue to the tires. After further diagnosis, they determined a complete engine replacement is required. The vehicle is still under warranty with roughly 44,000 miles. The engine component is at the dealership and available for inspection. The problem has been confirmed by the authorized dealership. Volkswagen corporate and the dealership have been difficult to deal with regarding this warranty claim. No prior warnings or symptoms were present before the sudden failure.
As I was stopping at a stop light the back, passenger seat lock came unlocked causing my son to fall forward into the passenger seat back and be stuck until unlocking and returning the seat to the upright position
Since purchasing my vehicle, the collision sensor lights on my Atlas go off quite often even if there aren’t vehicles near or by my blindspot while driving.
It's been about one month since engine light has lit up on the dashboard and stays on now. The first incident occurred about a week ago, as I was driving, I was slowing down to go into a roundabout, the vehicle begin to jerk and pull back, a red triangle exclamation mark light started going off warning me to safely park my vehicle as it had overheated. I assumed it was low on coolant so I topped it off to see if that would fix the issue. Then two days later after the first incident it occurred again. I came to a stop at a set of stoplights and when it was time to go, as I was accelerating I felt it starting to jerk again and again, I started getting a bunch of red warning lights to safely park my vehicle as it had overheated again and a message popped up on the dashboard about the speed. I can't quite remember the wording. I can't say for certain that I've figured out what is happening but I think that it may have something to do with the Auto Start/Stop function. Seems like when it comes to a stop, it turns off and when i'm going to start driving again it's triggering something. I've been disabling it now when I drive my vehicle and these incidents haven't occurred anymore.
The hood cable has snapped and now we cannot open to access dead battery
Windshield wipers go off randomly even with rain detection turned off.
While driving, the engine light comes on along with a flashing red error message that says error: drive system and then the engine starts overheating and I have to park the car and turn it off. Once I restart the car, the check engine light remains on.
The front passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) sensor wiring has failed in my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. This failure has disabled the passenger airbag, significantly increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash. VW has advised not to allow any passengers to ride in the front passenger seat until vehicles with this error are repaired. Despite this being the same defect addressed in an existing recall, my VIN was excluded from that campaign. I have already paid $205 for diagnosis. The dealer repair estimate is $704.36, for a total out-of-pocket cost to me of $909.36. This unresolved safety issue leaves my family exposed to unnecessary risk despite the manufacturer’s awareness of the defect. I would like assistance in obtaining a full repair at no cost to me, either through an extension of the existing recall or a goodwill repair.
The hood release cable snapped while trying to open the hood.
When first purchased the vehicle I would fuel up car with gas and was given 520 miles. Now it only allows me to have 425 Miles of gas. I can drive slow at 30 mph and it will literally take 10 miles while only driving 1 mile distance. I can’t accelerate without it draining the gas. Also Ac is malfunctioning. Blows hot air on passenger side. Every now and then driving assist , the parking assist and the radio screen will shut off by itself. I can’t take it to the dealership because they want to charge me almost $300 for a diagnostic!!!
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle hesitated and failed to respond, while driving at 20 mph, contact depressed the accelerator pedal all the way to make it respond. There was no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure damage was approximately 58,000.
The vehicles Transfer Case Bevel Box Seal) has been leaking fluid. This has been inspected and confirmed by the VW Dealer. There were no warning lights for this issue. The problem was found during oil change and routine maintenance. This issue has occurred twice on this fairly new 2024 vehicle with less than 20, 000 miles. This appears to be an ongoing issue with these vehicles and a recall should be initiated by the manufacturer.
My 2024 Volkswagen Atlas began displaying multiple warning messages involving the engine, drive system, and powertrain. Warning messages included “Engine: error start/stop,” “Drive system, please service vehicle,” and other engine/powertrain alerts. The vehicle has had intermittent check engine lights, shaking, rough operation, abnormal noises, and repeated warning messages that disappear and then return. This is a serious safety issue. The vehicle has lost power, stopped working, failed while in use, and broken down. On one occasion, when I attempted to drive forward, the vehicle moved backward instead. The vehicle displays repeated drive system and engine warnings and becomes unreliable during operation. I have children and regularly transport them in this vehicle, and I do not believe this vehicle is safe to drive. The vehicle is still under factory warranty, but I have been unable to obtain timely warranty service. The Volkswagen dealership in Jackson, Mississippi advised they have severe staffing limitations and limited diagnostic availability, and I was told I need to take the vehicle to another state for service. I was also told by Volkswagen customer service that towing assistance may be available under warranty, but when connected with towing assistance I was advised coverage was only for a very limited distance 6 miles! I was quoted approximately $1,900 to tow the vehicle to the available Volkswagen service location in Louisiana. Because the vehicle is not safe or reliable to drive, I have also been forced to pay out of pocket for a rental vehicle while attempting to obtain warranty repairs. VW refused to help me with a loaner or rental. I am filing this complaint because these issues appear to involve the engine, electrical system, and powertrain and create a serious risk of loss of power, unexpected movement, breakdown, or failure while driving.
166 total