Volkswagen Atlas 2020 recalls, problems, complaints and safety

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls issued for the Volkswagen Atlas 2020 and 27 complaints filed by owners. It's the model year with the fewest 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 2020

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

Complaints from other owners

27 complaints filed with NHTSA by owners of this model.

Most reported problems on the Volkswagen Atlas 2020

• Electrical system: 10 (37% of complaints)
• Forward collision avoidance: 7 (26% of complaints)
• Air bags: 6 (22% of complaints)
• Brakes: 4 (15% of complaints)
• Steering: 4 (15% 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 2020

• Confirm by VIN on NHTSA that the recalls on this list were repaired.
• Test lights, windows, locks, the screen and dashboard warning lights; have trouble codes scanned.
• Ask whether the system braked on its own for no reason ("phantom braking") and whether software updates are pending.
• 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.
• 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 2020 have?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls issued for the Volkswagen Atlas 2020. 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 2020?

In complaints filed with NHTSA, the most mentioned component is: electrical system (10 of 27 complaints). Complaints aren't verified one by one, but they show trends.