2023 Volkswagen Atlas
Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 66 on record.
2023 Volkswagen Atlas at a glance
Included: that car's specs and build sheet, model-year recall campaigns and a fair price.
2023 Volkswagen 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 arm, subframe, rear brake carrier, etc.) of affected vehicles may not have been correctly tightened during the manufacturing process.
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 this recall is 42HX.
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 the seat is occupied.
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 October 18, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, and January 17, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswa…
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 service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this …
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 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47T2.
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 deployment of the driver or passenger front side air bag during a side impact crash.
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 customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97GF.
Source: U.S. NHTSA, checked 4 Nov 2026. A campaign covers the model year; to see whether a particular car still needs the repair, check its VIN on NHTSA.gov or ask a franchised dealer.
2023 Volkswagen Atlas common problems
The most-reported problem areas across all 135 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.
2023 Volkswagen Atlas safety ratings
Rollover risk: 15.9% — NHTSA's estimated chance of rollover in a single-vehicle crash (dynamic test: no tip).
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), tested as the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas SUV AWD. Ratings can differ by body style and drivetrain.
2023 Volkswagen Atlas MPG & running costs
Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov. The EPA lists 2 versions of this model year; combined is shown as a range and the other figures are averages.
Estimated 5-year cost to own
A rough guide to what running a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas costs over five years and 75,000 miles.
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.
Dimensions & weight
Manufacturer-reported figures for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas — ranges cover the 4 body / drivetrain versions on record. Source: Transport Canada vehicle specifications via NHTSA.
Investigations & service bulletins
NHTSA defect investigations 1
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking Closed
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 activation of the AEB system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in su…
NHTSA #PE23017 · Forward Collision Avoidance · opened Sep 2023 · closed Dec 2024An investigation means NHTSA is examining a possible defect — it is not a recall, and many close without one.
Manufacturer service bulletins 346
Technical notes the manufacturer sent to dealers about known issues and fixes. Useful to mention to a mechanic — they are not recalls and repairs may not be covered. Showing the 10 most recent of 346.
Heat Sensative Trouble Shooting Explanation.
Bulletin TT 96 26 01 · Lane Departure · Sep 2026Suggested fuel additive
Bulletin V0116152014815_20 · Engine · Sep 2026Remove Key FOB battery for 20 seconds to restore proper operation.
Bulletin TT 57 23 01 · Sep 2026This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Bulletin SM 39-2026 · Sep 2026This OTA update provides improvements to connectivity stability and OCU module diagnostics, which will reduce OCU module replacements due to false DTC detection. This software update is also a prerequisite for future updates.
Bulletin Email 91OL · Sep 2026This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct airbag basic settings programming.
Bulletin VOS-26-52 · Air Bags · Sep 2026This OTA update provides improvements to connectivity stability and OCU module diagnostics, which will reduce OCU module replacements due to false DTC detection. This software update is also a prerequisite for future updates.
Bulletin Bulletin 91OL · Sep 2026This OTA update provides improvements to connectivity stability and OCU module diagnostics, which will reduce OCU module replacements due to false DTC detection. This software update is also a prerequisite for future updates.
Bulletin Dealer 91OL · Sep 2026Brake rotor resurfacing
Bulletin V4619022015173_35 · Service Brakes · Aug 2026Repair or Replace Information
Bulletin V4622022067177_5 · Service Brakes · Aug 2026Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, listed for the ATLAS FWD. Model-year data, not specific to one car.
Canadian recalls 4
Transport Canada recall campaigns for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. Relevant if the car was first sold in, or imported from, Canada.
Suspension
Issue: On certain vehicles, certain bolt(s) on the chassis, brake system and/or suspension may not have been tightened properly. As a result, the bolt(s) could loosen and cause a loss of control. Safety Risk: A loss of control could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to repl…
Transport Canada #2025355 · Jun 2025Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction. This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front airbag even when a passenger is seated. Note: This problem would cause an error message to display on the instrument panel and a warning chime to sound. The airbag indicator light would also display "passenger airbag off"…
Transport Canada #2024354 · Jun 2024Suspension
Issue: On certain vehicles, the bolts for the left-rear trailing arm may not have been properly tightened. As a result, the bolts may loosen over time and fall out. If this happens, the trailing arm may break and cause a sudden loss of vehicle control. Safety Risk: A loss of control could create the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and…
Transport Canada #2022612 · Oct 2022Engine
Issue: On certain vehicles, the connecting rod bearings may become damaged. If this happens, the engine could make abnormal noises and a warning light may turn on. If you continue to drive the vehicle with these symptoms, the engine could fail and/or an oil leak could occur. Safety Risk: An engine failure can cause a sudden loss of power, which could increase the risk of a cras…
Transport Canada #2022576 · Oct 2022Source: Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database.
About the Volkswagen Atlas
The Volkswagen Atlas is a mid-size crossover SUV manufactured by the German automaker Volkswagen since 2017. Developed mainly for the American, Chinese, and Middle Eastern markets, the vehicle is based on the MQB platform. In China, Mexico, the Middle East, and Vietnam the vehicle is marketed as the Volkswagen Teramont. It is positioned above the Tayron and in China, below the Tavendor and Talagon.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Describes the model line in general, not this model year specifically.
2023 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles on record
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2WR2CAXRC528560
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2HR2CAXRC525442
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2HC2CA4PC226947
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2FE2CA2RC215045
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2KR2CA4PC550856
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2BR2CA1PC546215
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2SR2CA8PC543800
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2WR2CA2RC505662
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2HR2CA6RC534817
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2FR2CA8RC534714
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2KR2CA3RC510190
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2SE2CA1PC215050
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2JR2CAXPC535449
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2LC2CA3PC224228
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2KR2CA7PC539110
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2BR2CA4RC529038
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2HE2CA4PC214520
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2SR2CA3PC535068
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2BE2CA1PC222337
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2FR2CA6RC535506
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2KR2CA8PC554232
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2BR2CA9RC516446
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2BR2CA3RC533646
2023 Volkswagen Atlas1V2KE2CA1PC222810