Car Defect Radar
Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated September 22, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.

Recalls

0 total

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

No recalls on record for this model

No safety recalls were found in this dataset. It is still worth entering the exact VIN on NHTSA before purchase, since recalls can be added at any time.

Owner complaints by system

18 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Minor
5

Most reports here involve sudden stalling.

sudden stalling 4fluid leaks 1
A recent report: After noticing an oil leak and blue smoke in my 23 VW atlas, I took it to my local dealership in Tupelo, MS. I realized there was an open recall for the PCV Valve / Oil separator under code 10LP…
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After noticing an oil leak and blue smoke in my 23 VW atlas, I took it to my local dealership in Tupelo, MS. I realized there was an open recall for the PCV Valve / Oil separator under code 10LP. However, the bad PCV valve also caused the timing chain cover to go bad. The dealership called me back and said VW would not cover this issue. I then called VW to see if they would step in and provide some sort of Goodwill and they denied me. They would not transfer me to a supervisor or provide any written approval that they denied covering the new timing chain cover... the call was super unprofessional and the failing part was a corresponding issue to the page PCV valve. I would like any assistance on getting VW to make this right for myself or others. This sounds like a very common issue!

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11751639 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Minor
5

Most reports here involve sudden stalling.

sudden stalling 2electrical shorts 1software faults 1
A recent report: The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while seated inside the parked vehicle, the contact became aware of a reflection and exited the vehicle and discovered…
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The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while seated inside the parked vehicle, the contact became aware of a reflection and exited the vehicle and discovered that the daytime running lights were inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The headlight assembly was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11751569 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Brakes

Worth reading
2

Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 1 mention a crash.

software faults 1
A recent report: Our VW Atlas Cross Sport 2023 was involved in an accident on August 3, 2025 where the Automatic Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning did not work. Firstly, we reported issues with our…
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Our VW Atlas Cross Sport 2023 was involved in an accident on August 3, 2025 where the Automatic Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning did not work. Firstly, we reported issues with our brakes several times and took the vehicle to Rick Case VW in Weston/Davie more than once to rectify this problem. However, the problem has never been fixed, and persisted up until the time of the accident. Secondly, the vehicle's navigation system stopped working during the week of July 28th, and this was reported to Rick Case VW on July 30th. Attempts to address the fact that the car's non-working features contributed to the accident remain unresolved with Rick Case VW (seller) and VW Corporate (manufacturer), as of September 17. We made several amicable and fair requests, up to and including: 1) giving us another/newer vehicle without any charges or fees whatsoever, or change to payment amount unless it is less, and/or 2) refunding all monies paid to date so we could find a new car on our own. To date, there has been very little communication from either party and no genuine care or effort to assist us with this case. The Rick Case Collision Center has been in possession of our vehicle for approximately 6 weeks to fix an array of damages. At this point, we do not feel the car is road-worthy or safe to drive and we have made this expressly clear in emails and voicemails to VW/Rick Case VW. The management of Rick Case VW has made no offer of a loaner nor have they acknowledged our request to exchange this vehicle. They are well aware that their faulty, non-functioning systems in our VW 2023 Atlas SE contributed to the accident in August. Their professionalism and respect for the customer would have gone a long way in resolving this in a timely and amicable manner. Now we may have no choice but to resort to taking this a step further, legally.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11687902 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Minor
5

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 5
A recent report: The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet…
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The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11640455 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Minor
1

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 1
A recent report: While driving on the freeway, the panoramic sunroof exploded. This time, the vehicle has not been repaired and is available for inspection. The explosion could have been caused by the excessive heat…
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While driving on the freeway, the panoramic sunroof exploded. This time, the vehicle has not been repaired and is available for inspection. The explosion could have been caused by the excessive heat. The sunroof cover was closed at the time, but if it was open, the glass from the sunroof exploding could have injured my daughter who was sitting in the back seat. The glass could have flown and injured other drivers as well. The vehicle has not been expected, but when this issue was researched online, it appears that it has happened on other Volkswagen vehicles, and the dealership service center acknowledged that this has happened to others before. The vehicle is scheduled to be repaired at the Volkswagen dealership. No warning lights or prior messages appeared prior to the sunroof exploding.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11543181 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 18 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2023 and 2026, roughly 5 a year, which is more than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.