Volkswagen Atlas 2019 recalls, problems, complaints and safety

NHTSA lists 12 safety recalls issued for the Volkswagen Atlas 2019 and 483 complaints filed by owners. It's the model year with the most complaints for the Volkswagen Atlas between 2018 and 2025.

These are recalls issued for this model and year, not for your specific car. A car may already be repaired or may not be included. Confirm with your VIN on NHTSA.

Recalls issued for the Volkswagen Atlas 2019

Steering
NHTSA campaign 26V590000 · 2026-09-11

What happens

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.

Consequence

A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the right-side steering rack mounting bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 10, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 48LG and 48VT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 16, 2026.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 26V590000

Air bags
NHTSA campaign 23V671000 · 2023-10-04

What happens

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side impact air bag may be missing a weld at the side air bag housing.

Consequence

The driver's side impact air bag could deploy improperly or detach in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the driver's side impact air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FK.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 23V671000

Air bags
NHTSA campaign 23V215000 · 2023-03-29

What happens

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 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.

Consequence

A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FB.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 23V215000

Tires
NHTSA campaign 22V815000 · 2022-10-31

What happens

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

Consequence

An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 22V815000

Air bags
NHTSA campaign 22V152000 · 2022-03-28

What happens

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.

Consequence

A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

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.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 22V152000

Equipment and labels
NHTSA campaign 22V086000 · 2022-02-16

What happens

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles equipped with accessory side steps. The reduced Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) label, reflecting the additional weight of the side steps, was not installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence

Without the reduced GVWR label, the vehicle could be overloaded, leading to a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will install the reduced GVWR label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 09D9.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 22V086000

Tires
NHTSA campaign 21V142000 · 2021-03-05

What happens

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.

Consequence

Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 21V142000

Fuel system
NHTSA campaign 19V614000 · 2019-08-21

What happens

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas vehicles. The suction jet in the fuel tank may have been welded in the incorrect position allowing fuel to leak. Additionally, the vehicle may stall due to uneven fuel distribution.

Consequence

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire. An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BU.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 19V614000

Exterior lighting
NHTSA campaign 19V389000 · 2019-05-22

What happens

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."

Consequence

Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 19V389000

Air bags
NHTSA campaign 19V218000 · 2019-03-20

What happens

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas and 2020 Passat vehicles. An incorrect driver and/or front passenger side impact air bag may have been installed.

Consequence

In an event of a side impact crash, an incorrect side airbag may not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge. The recall was completed in April 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Y8.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 19V218000

Suspension
NHTSA campaign 18V904000 · 2018-12-19

What happens

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.

Consequence

If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 18V904000

Electrical system
NHTSA campaign 18V824000 · 2018-11-26

What happens

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 (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."

Consequence

If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.

Remedy

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.

The repair is free at any dealer of the brand.

NHTSA 18V824000

Complaints from other owners

483 complaints filed with NHTSA by owners of this model.

7 with a crash · 10 injuries

Most reported problems on the Volkswagen Atlas 2019

• Air bags: 129 (27% of complaints)
• Brakes: 76 (16% of complaints)
• Forward collision avoidance: 72 (15% of complaints)
• Electrical system: 66 (14% of complaints)
• Engine: 60 (12% of complaints)

Complaints are written by owners and NHTSA doesn't verify each one. They're useful to spot trends.

What to check before buying a Volkswagen Atlas 2019

• Confirm by VIN on NHTSA that the recalls on this list were repaired.
• The air bag light should come on for a second at start-up and go off. Confirm by VIN that air bag recalls were done.
• Brake hard somewhere safe: the car shouldn't pull to one side and the pedal shouldn't sink; check rotors and pads.
• Ask whether the system braked on its own for no reason ("phantom braking") and whether software updates are pending.
• Get an inspection from an independent mechanic before paying.

Safety rating (NCAP)

Volkswagen Atlas recalls by year

• 2018 : 17 recalls · 465 complaints
• 2019 : 12 recalls · 483 complaints
• 2020 : 4 recalls · 27 complaints
• 2021 : 17 recalls · 478 complaints
• 2022 : 7 recalls · 184 complaints
• 2023 : 5 recalls · 139 complaints
• 2024 : 8 recalls · 175 complaints
• 2025 : 5 recalls · 50 complaints

Guides for this check

• What is a car recall and how to get it fixed for free
• Pre-purchase inspection for a used car: what to check
• Questions to ask the seller of a used car

Frequently asked questions

How many recalls does the Volkswagen Atlas 2019 have?

NHTSA lists 12 safety recalls issued for the Volkswagen Atlas 2019. That doesn't mean every car has them open: confirm with the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The repair is free at the dealer.

What is the most common problem with the Volkswagen Atlas 2019?

In complaints filed with NHTSA, the most mentioned component is: air bags (129 of 483 complaints). Complaints aren't verified one by one, but they show trends.