Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 106 safety complaints about the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 11 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 33 complaints, 31% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 8,328 miles, the median across the 22 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

106 complaints on file

106

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 33 · 31% 33 31%

AIR BAGS 23 · 22% 23 22%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 · 22% 23 22%

SERVICE BRAKES 18 · 17% 18 17%

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 15 · 14% 15 14%

ENGINE 9 · 8% 9 8%

STEERING 8 · 8% 8 8%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 6% 6 6%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 · 5% 5 5%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 4% 4 4%

SUSPENSION 4 · 4% 4 4%

POWER TRAIN 3 · 3% 3 3%

0 15 31

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 106.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 25.

28 21 14 7

20 2020 21 2021 22 2022 23 2023 24 2024 25 2025 26 2026

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2020 Volkswagen ATLAS CROSS SPORT, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test	SUV AWD	SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover	15.1%	16.9%

Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

11 on file

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

24V464000 · June 20, 2024

The defect: 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.
The risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy: 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 Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69PZ.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 271,330 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

23V215000 · March 29, 2023

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

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 143,053 vehicles across all model years covered

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

22V815000 · October 31, 2022

The defect: 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."
The risk: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
The 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 Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 296,044 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

22V152000 · March 28, 2022

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

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 222,892 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

22V086000 · February 16, 2022

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

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 3,648 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM

21V892000 · November 17, 2021

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
The risk: A water leak may damage the air bag control module, causing an inadvertent air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 54,429 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

21V026000 · January 27, 2021

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The front steering knuckle may fracture in the area of the strut mounting.
The risk: A fractured steering knuckle can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace one or both steering knuckles, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q7.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 10,303 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

20V712000 · November 17, 2020

Do not drive until repaired

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. One or both steering knuckles may have been damaged during production.
The risk: A damaged steering knuckle can fail, causing a loss of steering, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the steering knuckle, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q6. Note: Owners are advised to DO NOT DRIVE the vehicle until the vehicle has been inspected and repaired if necessary.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 776 vehicles across all model years covered

TIRES:SIDEWALL

20V702000 · November 13, 2020

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport and 2021 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires, size 255/50 R 20 105 T. The tires may have been over cured.
The risk: Over cured tires can result in a sidewall break causing a sudden loss of air pressure or the tread separating from the tire. Both conditions increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect DOT date code and mold number on the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q5.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 760 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

20V505000 · August 26, 2020

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
The risk: In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.
The remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 5,376 vehicles across all model years covered

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

20V504000 · August 26, 2020

The defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Atlas Cross Sports and 2021 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side headlight may have been aimed too low during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk: A headlight aimed incorrectly aimed reduces the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will adjust the driver's side headlight, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94N7.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 11 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Fuel Injector Leak

PE21008

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened March 29, 2021 · closed October 3, 2022

the gasoline fuel system

On March 29, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-008 to investigate instances of fuel injectors leaking in the engine compartment in model year (MY) 2018 through 2020 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs. These vehicles are equipped with either a 3.6 or 2.0 liter engine. The subject investigation concerns vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. Prior to opening the investigation, ODI also observed that warranty data for the fuel system from TREAD reporting was an outlier for the MY 2018 Atlas.The allegation involved fuel injectors leaking fuel near engine compartment components that operate at high temperatures. Consumers allege a fuel leak, fuel odor, and/or an illuminated check engine malfunction indicator light (MIL) on that alerts them to the condition. Fuel leaking in the engine compartment has a higher potential risk of fire as nearby components are operating at higher temperatures compared to other areas of the vehicle. No fires have been connected to this issue to date.The 3.6L engine is a VR6 type engine. Due to its specific design, the VR6 has two types of injectors with different designs installed. Cylinders 1, 3, and 5 use long injectors and cylinders 2, 4, and 6 use short injectors. Unlike the short injectors, the long injectors require an extension pipe necessary to reach cylinders 1, 3, and 5. Volkswagen stated that the potential root cause for a leaking injector is typically either a damaged, misaligned, or missing supporting ring or a damaged O-ring. These rings assist in connecting the injector to the extension pipe. If one of these conditions is present in a vehicle, the O-ring has difficulty withstanding fuel pressure over time.Volkswagen stated that an analysis of warranty data related to leaking injectors in vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines showed that the vast majority of leaking allegations were related to internal leaks. Fuel can leak into the cylinder causing misfiring in the affected cylinders. This condition would not cause fuel to enter into the engine compartment. Volkswagen states that these internal leaks pose no unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.Analysis of all relevant data indicates that the subject condition is an early-life failure with a relatively low failure rate. The average failure mileage calculated from all data sources was determined to be approximately 14,000 miles. Only two failures were reported outside of the vehicles' warranty coverage period. The average time to failure for the subject vehicle population is approximately 12 months in service (MIS). The majority of failures were below the average of 14,000 miles or 12 MIS. Analysis of reported failures showed that the failure rate is approximately 0.08% or 0.8 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV).To date, there have been no reported fires, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. In view of the low rate of failure, the nature of early-life failure, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers:11446833, 11438403, 11382958, 11298402, 11291955, 11218819, 11218780

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE Filed June 21, 2021

1 injured · fire · crash · towed · 16,643 miles

The contact owned a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, he crashed into another vehicle and within seconds, his vehicle's engine compartment caught fire and exploded twice. The vehicle was engulfed in flames when the fire department arrived on the scene. The contact did not receive medical attention or sustain injuries however, the contact's wife received medical attention for injuries sustained and transported to the hospital by ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto service center and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage

NHTSA complaint 11421699, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS Filed January 26, 2022

crash · towed

I was driving and hit a bump in the road, It was a uneven surface similar to a curb. My front right tire all of a sudden went flat and all the side and seat airbags deployed. It makes no sense to have a tire go flat and have all the airbags go off. I had my car towed to the vw dealer and The service inspection found no damage to the body, frame or anything. All that needs replaced is a new tire and of course all the airbag damage. They put on a spare tire and everything is fine With the undercarriage. No major damage occurred. I feel this is an airbag malfunction, that needs to be handled and needs to be recorded For human safety and recall purposes. Prior to incident, my car always had a

NHTSA complaint 11448939, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES Filed October 31, 2025

crash · towed

On Sep 25 2025 my wife parked car in parking lot to check phone messages. The car was in park. When she finished she placed the car in drive. It began to accelerated rapidly even after the brakes were applied and struck a tree. Her foot was not on the accelerator. The car then rolled over onto the driver side door. A police officer in a nearby building saw the crash and said the car was probably at 30mph when it hit the tree. He and two other officers got my wife out of the car. After the car was towed away we contacted VW customer care and asked that the car be examined. The said when the car was returned to drivable condition they would examine it. Hartford insurance totaled the car and

NHTSA complaint 11696774, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS Filed September 11, 2026

Air Bag error-seat occupant classification module-passenger side occupant detection sensor is defective. Air bag may not deploy upon impact. Confirmed that airbag sensor is defective at dealership. Airbag error first appeared one week ago at 75k miles. VW will not cover cost to repair defective air bag sensor.

NHTSA complaint 11763668. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING Filed September 8, 2026

steering went out completly and the SUV shut off in the middle of the street. had to restart car to get it home. SUV shut off in the middle of a turn. Had the SUV checked at dealership and they found a bad steering unit. I had the SUV in 3 times with the complaint and they found nothing until the warranty ran out. Neillo VW checked it in 2020,2021,2023 and say they found nothing,

NHTSA complaint 11762785. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed September 2, 2026

VW SOS system TCU has gone bad. I see this as a safety issue and VW will not replace under warranty

NHTSA complaint 11761764. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS Filed August 27, 2026

Air bag error light lit up with barely over 60k miles. Dealer diagnosis identifies the issue as a faulty Driver Head Curtain Airbag Igniter. Correction is to replace the driver side head curtain airbag assembly at a cost of ~$1,200. The vehicle has never been in an accident nor had the airbags deployed. This seems to be a common issue based on previous comments therefore Volkswagon should step up and include this model/make/year in a safety recall to correct the issue.

NHTSA complaint 11759919. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY Filed August 6, 2026

134,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag, cruise control, electronic parking brake, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the HVAC drain tube had leaked onto the air bag control module and the air bag control module and the drain tube needed to be replaced. The contact researched and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V892000 (Visibility, Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was

NHTSA complaint 11755338, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS Filed July 30, 2026

HVAC water tubing has leaked on to the airbag control module causing airbag errors and many other electrical faults. This is a known safety problem under recall 87H4, NHTSA campaign 21V892. However, Volkswagen stated my VIN is not eligible for this recall. Note: this diagnostic was not performed at a dealership but at an independent German car repair shop.

NHTSA complaint 11753798. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2025	23	5	—
2024	97	8	—
2023	19	6	—
2022	72	7	—
2021	165	14	—

Other 2020 Volkswagen models

Tiguan 140 Jetta 53 Atlas 27 Passat 18 GTI 8

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Volkswagen on this site — 155 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed June 20, 2024.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published October 2, 2026.

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst