Model year guide

2018 Volkswagen Atlas

Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 45 on record.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas — representative photo
Representative photo · via Wikimedia Commons

2018 Volkswagen Atlas at a glance

Safety recalls16
Owner complaints452
Combined22 mpg
Typical price$28,136

Free: specs, open recalls for that exact car, build sheet and fair price.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas recalls 16

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper NHTSA Campaign #18V536000 · 15/08/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper fasteners, bleeder valve, and brake hose bolts will be checked and torqued to the correct specification, if n…

Air Bags NHTSA Campaign #20V057000 · 31/01/2020

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Atlas vehicles. The vehicles may be equipped with an incorrectly manufactured air bag sensor, which can delay or disable air bag deployment when necessary.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag crash sensor, free of charge. The recall began February 21, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69AL.

Suspension:rear:springs:coil Springs NHTSA Campaign #18V904000 · 19/12/2018

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 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J2/42J3.

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module NHTSA Campaign #18V375000 · 06/06/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan vehicles. In the event of a crash, the passenger frontal air bag may tear or not properly unfold during deployment.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69W8, and 69W9.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper NHTSA Campaign #18V369000 · 01/06/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.

Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may conta…

Exterior Lighting:headlights NHTSA Campaign #19V389000 · 22/05/2019

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 fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

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 customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.

Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly NHTSA Campaign #18V284000 · 02/05/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. The fuel tank on these vehicles may leak fuel due to a manufacturing error. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20AW. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 17V-766.

Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel NHTSA Campaign #18V824000 · 26/11/2018

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 the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard …

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 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.

Tires:sidewall NHTSA Campaign #21V142000 · 05/03/2021

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 at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44R1.

Unknown Or Other NHTSA Campaign #20V561000 · 16/09/2020

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor …

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01E9.

Unknown Or Other NHTSA Campaign #21V321000 · 05/05/2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of …

Fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

Seat Belts: Rear/other:buckle Assembly NHTSA Campaign #18V380000 · 07/06/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswaen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. The owner's manuals provided with the affected vehicles do not inform the customers about the child restraint size limitation/restrictions for the second row center seating position. As a result, the center and adjacent outboard seat belt buckles on the second row can become damaged it a child seat base is installed …

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the center and left outboard seat belt buckles, and replace them if necessary, free of charge. Volkswagen will also provide an owner's manual supplement addressing child safety and child restraints. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners ma…

Source: U.S. NHTSA. A recall applies to a model year, but only a VIN check shows whether a specific car has had the repair done.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas common problems

The most-reported problem areas from 452 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.

Exterior Lighting
Confirm all headlights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights work, with no moisture inside the housings.
Engine
Listen for knocks or ticking, check for leaks and blue/white exhaust smoke, and make sure it doesn't overheat. No check-engine light should be on.
Air Bags
Confirm the airbag light turns on then off at startup — if it stays lit there's a fault (costly, and a safety risk). Check for signs of prior deployment.
Service Brakes
Brakes should feel firm and quiet — no grinding, pulsing or pulling. Check for an ABS light and uneven pad/rotor wear.
Engine And Engine Cooling
Check coolant level and color, look for leaks, and confirm the engine reaches normal temperature without overheating.
Lane Departure
Have a trusted mechanic inspect this system as part of a pre-purchase inspection.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas MPG & running costs

Combined22 mpg
City20 mpg
Highway26 mpg
Est. annual fuel cost$2,825

Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov, averaged across trims.

What's a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas worth?

Low
$22,995
Typical price
$28,136
High
$34,999

From 39 comparable 2018 Volkswagen Atlas listings.

Estimated 5-year cost to own

A rough guide to what running a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas costs over five years and 75,000 miles.

Fuel (5 yrs)$14,125
Fuel only$14,125
Per mile$0.19

How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. There aren't enough comparable listings to estimate depreciation for this model, so it is left out. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas trims & engines on record

Trims
SE · 4Motion SE · 4Motion SEL · S · 4Motion SEL Premium · SEL · SE w/Technology · 4Motion S · Launch Model
Engines
3.6L 6-cyl 276 hp · 2.0L 4-cyl 235 hp

2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles on record

Other Volkswagen Atlas model years

2018 Volkswagen Atlas — frequently asked questions

Does the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas have any safety recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 16 safety recalls for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN.

What are the most common problems with the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas?

Based on 452 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas are exterior lighting, engine, air bags.

What gas mileage does the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas get?

The U.S. EPA rates the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas at about 22 mpg combined (20 city / 26 highway).

How much is a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas worth?

Comparable 2018 Volkswagen Atlas listings run roughly $22,995–$34,999, typically around $28,136 (from 39 vehicles).

Sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, crash tests), U.S. EPA (fuel economy). Vehicle data only — CarLogs never shows owner information.