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Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2025 Volkswagen Atlas

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

Owners have filed 49 safety complaints about the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. 5 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 17 complaints, 35% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2024 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

49 complaints on file

49

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

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.

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 17 · 35%
POWER TRAIN 13 · 27%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12 · 24%
ENGINE 7 · 14%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6 · 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 10%
LANE DEPARTURE 4 · 8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 4%
STEERING 2 · 4%
SUSPENSION 2 · 4%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 49.

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 2026 at 33.

36 27 18 9
24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2024 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 2025 Volkswagen ATLAS, 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 15.9% 13.6%
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

5 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

26V473000 · July 22, 2026

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling 2024-2026 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. The vehicles may experience a low-voltage electrical event that affects display screen functions. As a result, the rearview camera image may fail to display as intended.
The risk
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 4, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 28, 2026.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 57,851 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES

25V434000 · June 30, 2025

The defect
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.
The risk
A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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. · up to 546 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

25V334000 · May 21, 2025

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera image to become distorted when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A distorted rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 5, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91SB.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 171,381 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE

25V100000 · February 17, 2025

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine cover may have been improperly installed after vehicle service, allowing it to come loose and contact hot engine surfaces.
The risk
A loose engine cover that contacts hot surfaces in the engine compartment can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will remove the engine cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10X5.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 177,493 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

25V081000 · February 12, 2025

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The transmission may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in a loss of drive power.
The risk
A sudden loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 12, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 38CX.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 19 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

crash

In December all of the cameras and front assist sensors stopped working. When I called to get into a Volkswagen dealer they first told me to get a car wash and that should solve it. When that didn’t work they weren’t able to get my car in for about 1 month. I’m that time we collided with deer on the highway and none of the collision assists worked. Now my car repaired and it’s still not working. My car was new in July 2025.

NHTSA complaint 11721547. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 10,000 miles

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact was unable to move to the side of the road and called the Police. The Police helped to push the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission control module needed to be updated. The transmission control module was updated; however, several weeks later, while the vehicle was at the dealer for a

NHTSA complaint 11721428, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Even after the most recent recall “update” has been completed, my reverse cameras freeze. Infotainment system crashed and goes black. Infotainment system had been issue ever since buying car. Has to be hard reset every other week to make functions work. Dealer says “no issues”.

NHTSA complaint 11766844. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Car would not shift back into drive after dropping child off at school. Multiple warning lights came on about hill assist. Needed towed. Ended up needing a new transmission due to what the dealer said was a mechanical defect.

NHTSA complaint 11766845. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle: 2025 Volkswagen Atlas R-Line Incident Description: While driving on the freeway in rainy conditions through a construction zone, I applied the brakes to slow down. The brake pedal suddenly went soft, lost hydraulic pressure, and sank toward the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop or slow down properly, creating an extreme safety hazard and a feeling of sliding without braking power. Approximately three hours later, the vehicle was stopped on a downward-inclined driveway to let out a passenger. With my foot held firmly down on the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to maintain hydraulic holding pressure. The primary braking system failed to hold the vehicle still, causing the SUV to

NHTSA complaint 11766580, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Grinding plus vibration when you turn the wheels slightly and brake hard. Could be a stuck or dragging caliper, uneven pad wear, or a bent dust shield rubbing the rotor. Might be bolts that weren’t tightened right on the brake and suspension parts.

NHTSA complaint 11764205. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The vehicle has approximately 15,000 miles and it’s less than two years old. It has a pretty significant oil leak from the oil inlet tube. This leak was appearing from the rear differential despite starting at the turbo. I took the car to two different dealerships and after 3 visits and multiple hours of time, a dealership found a TSB related to my issue (212602). The oil leak is a known defect and VW does not authorize any repair or fix. I have contacted VW customer service multiple times using multiple methods and have not gotten a resolution. I have owned many vehicles from many different manufacturers and the customer service from VW customer care has been abysmal. I have all of the

NHTSA complaint 11764206, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am submitting a formal complaint regarding a defective vehicle I purchased new, a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, on April 7, 2025. Since the time of purchase, the vehicle has experienced persistent and significant issues with the infotainment system that substantially impair its usability, safety, and value. The infotainment system repeatedly disconnects from both wired and wireless connections to my cellphone. When the system disconnects, it does not reconnect at all during the drive. This results in loss of GPS navigation and hands-free phone functionality, creating a safety concern. I have made extensive efforts to have this issue resolved. The vehicle has been taken to two authorized

NHTSA complaint 11762596, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volkswagen Atlas

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 9 2 —
2024 171 8 —
2023 133 5 —
2022 183 7 —
2021 475 17 —
2020 27 4 —
2019 480 12 —
2018 464 17 —

Other 2025 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