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Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

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

Owners have filed 72 safety complaints about the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. 7 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the brakes, named in 22 complaints, 31% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 25,000 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

72 complaints on file

72

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

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.

Complaints rose 33% year on year: 16 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 12 in the twelve before.

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
SERVICE BRAKES 22 · 31%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 · 28%
ENGINE 19 · 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12 · 17%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11 · 15%
AIR BAGS 10 · 14%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 · 10%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 4%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 · 3%
STEERING 2 · 3%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 1%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 1%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 72.

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 17.

20 15 10 5
21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 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 2022 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

7 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

SUSPENSION:CRITICAL FASTENERS

22V807000 · October 26, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Volkswagen Atlas FL and 2022-2023 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The driver-side rear trailing arm bolts may not have been tightened properly, allowing them to loosen and fall out.
The risk
Unsecured bolts may cause the trailing arm to fracture, resulting in a sudden loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the driver side rear trailing arm bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 25, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42M2.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 33 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

22V753000 · October 7, 2022

The defect
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.
The risk
A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. If the engine failure causes an oil leak, it can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
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 recall are 13i4 (VW) and 13i5 (Audi).

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 76,515 vehicles across all model years covered

TRAILER HITCHES

22V657000 · August 31, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The trailer hitch bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.
The risk
Loose bolts may fall out, causing the remaining bolts to break, which could lead to separation of the trailer hitch and trailer, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will tighten the trailer hitch bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N8.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 3,184 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

22V514000 · July 20, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 43,091 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS

22V245000 · April 13, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Atlas FL and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The long fuel injectors may have been assembled without filters.
The risk
Long fuel injectors with missing filters may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the long fuel injectors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24iD.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 1,382 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

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

Initially, my Atlas would not auto-start with the key fab. When I returned to my vehicle, the lights flashed, it gave a battery warning, then I was able to start the vehicle. However, several lights on the dashboard cycled through, radio/center console was non-responsive, and I could not get my car to park. Eventually, I had to use the emergency break to park it. We jumped the vehicle and it did start again. However, very shortly thereafter it lit on fire and there were visible flames under the hood. We called the fire department, put the fire out with water and an extinguisher. Then we had the vehicle towed to the dealership. Its been more than 2 months since this incident and no work has

NHTSA complaint 11693281, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:PARKING ASSIST:SENSORS

crash

When parking the car it hit the other parking vehicle on the right side of it. The sensors didn't work at the time of the collision or after the collision. The vehicle is taking a force parking when the parking button is turned on.

NHTSA complaint 11443700. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed

5 days after purchasing the brand new vehicle I was driving on the highway and felt and heard a clunking sound. Shortly after the check engine light and EPC light came on. Then as I was driving (55mph) I lost all power. The dash was telling me to restart my engine manually as I was driving. I was able to get to the side of the road - in a very unsafe location and had to wait for a tow. When the vehicle got back to the dealership they said it looked like the engine had just exploded. In the oil pan was chunks of metal. The entire engine and turbo had to be replaced. The entire situation was extremely dangerous and no one has an explanation for why this happened.

NHTSA complaint 11456816. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 82,933 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that overnight 1/3 of the engine oil had leaked onto the ground. While starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal oil burning odor and visible smoke coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the VVT sensors, timing cover gasket, and timing cover needed to be replaced. The parts were replaced; however, the oil leak persisted, and the parts were replaced a second time. The contact was informed that the PCV was inoperable as per the Emissions Service Action Code: 10LP. The contact was referred to the

NHTSA complaint 11764055, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was on day trip (XXX) and car worked fine in the morning. After a lunch stop, started the car, infotainment system would not turn on, had multiple errors on my dash including road sign recognition system not being available, error message for SOS system, handsfree phone connectivity was non-functional, no back up camera displayed on screen, no charging ports functional below the infotainment unit, wireless charging system failed, etc. VW dealer which has done 99% of the service to my car diagnosed on XXX the "5F module and the back up battery" had both failed. They indicated they could get the back up battery but the 5F module was on national backorder with "no ETA on when the parts will

NHTSA complaint 11767299, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, VIN: [XXX] The vehicle was purchased new in October 2021. Volkswagen issued Recall 13i4 / NHTSA Campaign 22V-753 for certain Atlas Cross Sport vehicles due to an engine connecting rod/connecting rod bearing manufacturing defect that can cause engine failure, loss of motive power while driving, and potential safety risks. My vehicle was inspected by an authorized Volkswagen dealer under Recall 13i4 in 2023. I was told the recall condition was not present and the recall was marked completed. On or about [XXX], the vehicle developed the exact issue covered by Recall 13i4. I brought it to an authorized Volkswagen

NHTSA complaint 11734024, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The daytime running light on the passenger side is out. The entire headlight assembly and bumper have to be removed to repair this. It will cost $1400 to repair. This is a safety issue and should be covered by Volkswagen.

NHTSA complaint 11730802. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Description of Fault This vehicle exhibits a recurring, intermittent failure of the electronic throttle control system. Three distinct symptom patterns have been observed: 1.Throttle non-responsive at stop-start (approx. monthly/bi-monthly): After coming to a complete stop (e.g. at a traffic light), pressing the accelerator pedal produces no engine response. The vehicle will not move. Switching the ignition fully off and performing a cold restart resolves the issue immediately. 2.Throttle failure while vehicle was in motion (Wednesday, March 4, 2026): While my wife was driving the vehicle, the throttle stopped responding entirely mid-journey. The accelerator pedal produced no engine

NHTSA complaint 11722691, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Got the PCV valve repaired on February 13th and on February 18th the EPC light came on. The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas was taken to dealership and said the charge air inlet and the diverter valve leaking oil. Recommended to replace the turbo diverter valve and the charge air inlet seal at this time and re-testing the turbo. My car is shutting off when sitting at a light and car only has 52, 294 mileage

NHTSA complaint 11720257. 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 —
2021 165 14 —
2020 106 11 —

Other 2022 Volkswagen models

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

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
Independent developer and analyst