Complaint volume
109 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2023 Volkswagen Atlas Complaints
109 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, grouped by component category.
109 Total complaints
4 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
5 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are air bags, engine, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 4 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 5 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 9 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 38,247 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to air bags, engine, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2023 Volkswagen Atlas?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2023 Volkswagen Atlas
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas complaints?
4 Crash
0 Fire
5 Injury
0 Fatality
5 Towed
4 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Volkswagen Atlas complaint categories?
AIR BAGS 19
ENGINE 13
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
SERVICE BRAKES 7
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 4
POWER TRAIN 3
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2
109 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The front left collision warning alarm goes off when apply brakes (a turn, stop sign/light, parking spot as examples) even though there is nothing in the proximity that would trigger a warning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Can be at a stop light and the vehicle will cut off while in drive and will have to put back in park to restart the vehicle. No codes or lights on the dash. Have also gone from drive to reverse and attempt to back up and the car will cut off have to place in park and restart. I have cut off auto start/stop and had the vehicle cut off and auto start/stop activated on dash but button is off and had to place in park and restart. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | Vehicle stalls when at very slow speeds which requires you to put the vehicle in park and restart. This has happened over 15 times and last time was 10/29/24. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I bought my car about 5 months ago. 3 weeks ago while merging onto the beltway, MY CAR SHUT OFF. I took it to the dealership and they kept it 9 days. They did absolutely NOTHING. I contacted corporate they are doing NOTHING. this has happened twice. It's an intermittent issue and all VW has to say is that "since there is no fault code and they cannot duplicate the issue" there's nothing they can do. Online I've found several others with the same issue. I sent screenshots and links to YouTube videos of several others with the SAME issue and they still do not care. I told them what other dealers did to fix this safety issue and they won't do anything, even though the car is under warranty. They told me the car is fine even though I was nearly in a 4 car accident. This is a MAJOR safety issue in VW cars. My car note is $950 and I don't feel safe driving my car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | There have been issues with my control panel/radio multiple times since purchasing this vehicle May 2023. At least twice, the control panel went black while I was driving, or backing, and would only reset after placing car in park and turning car off and back on. The issue was reported to dealer who said they couldn't recreate it and the system was up to date, so no help/fix. These occurred before the 10k mile service at dealership. A different time, the radio went silent and the control panel froze. The functionality only returned after doing a "hard reset" , as suggested in an online forum. Turning the vehicle on and off did not help. There was at least one other instance when the sound and functionality of the radio/media options completed shut off for several minutes before resetting itself while I was driving and unable to pull over to turn the vehicle on/off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | This car has been in the shop on 6 different occasions and has yet to have anything properly repaired. It has brake/rotor issues since about 15,000 miles. It has a really bad oil leak that it has been in twice for now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | AIR BAGS | This is a continuous issue that has been pending for over one year. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | AIR BAGS | PODS recall on vehicle. No fix available and dealership is not helping me with this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | Recall opened in June still no fix. How long does the manufacturer have to come up with a solution? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not unavailable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owned a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated temporarily. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the automatic emergency braking system engaged, causing the vehicle to decelerate intermittently. The contact stated that while attempting to deactivate the forward collision avoidance system, the contact got distracted, causing the front passenger's side of the vehicle to crash into a utility pole. The contact caused the front driver's side air bag delayed to deploy and he hit his face against the steering wheel. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver's side curtains air bags were delayed deployed. The contact stated that the curtain air bags deployed while he was exiting the vehicle through the front driver's side door and hit his head. The contact stated that the Volkswagen Safe and Secure plan failed to notify emergency services of the collision. The contact's iPhone notified the emergency services. The ambulance transported the contact to the hospital, where the contact underwent a CT scan and an eyelid contrast. The contact was informed that he had sustained a neck T-2 bone fracture and broken fifth and sixth ribs. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the police report information available. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. The VIN was not available | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 20,000 |
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS | PODS airbag sensor has been recalled since 6/19/2024 without remedy. Sensor is not detecting passenger and will not deploy in the instance of a vehicle accident. Being advised to not ride in the passenger seat of family vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | There is no solution for this recall. This is our family vehicle. We need the front passenger seat. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Go the car to drive and closed the car door and the entire back windshield shattered without warning. I literally closed the door and got ready to start the car when it shattered completely. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Car stalls in reverse and random stalls driving at low speeds. They deemed carbon canister and N80 Valve. Replaced twice and only at 41k miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The tow hook, which is available for inspection at any time, will not attach to the vehicle. The inability to secure a kayak or any long load carried on a roof rack, to the front of the vehicle has proven to be a flyoff hazard to following traffic. This problem has been reported to and inspected by VW dealership. VW America has been advised. Case #06358772. Problem first came to my attention in the fall of 2023 when I attempted to secure a kayak to a Thule roof rack kayak carrier per Thule's instruction. Thule provides front and rear tie ratchet down cords with the rack system. Thule Rack Guidelines, North American English, states specifically in bullet #4 page C7," ....Kayaks, canoes and lumber must be tied down front and rear to the bumpers or tow hooks of the vehicle". | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. 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 not 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. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | The airbag light continuously goes off and makes a loud beeping noise and blinks an orange airbag light, I constantly have passengers in my front passenger seat. It is unsafe to be driving when it’s not sure that their airbag will deploy if in an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | While reversing, the car shut down while moving. I had to bring the car to a stop, put in park, and restart the car. Second occurrence parking and while pulling in the engine stalled while moving and had to stop, park, and restart engine. No warning lights on dash. Dealership unable to reproduce. Upon looking online this seems to be a common issue for these vehicles. Others complained that it happens when accelerating at stop lights which could cause a crash. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | At approximately 8500 miles the car started randomly stalling, maybe once or twice a week. Now at 9600 miles it stalls every time we drive the car. This is not the Start/Stop system as we deactivate that when we get in the car. Typically, the car is warm, the AC is on, we have idled with the car in park then place the car in gear to drive and it dies. The dealer claims they cannot duplicate the problem. Also, the throttle is very non-linear. One time you push the throttle a little and the car takes off slamming you back in the seat. The next time you can push the throttle halfway down before the car responds then it just slowly accelerates. This problem has not been brought to the attention of the dealer yet but will upon the next appointment. This is very dangerous as other drivers are expecting you to move but you have to put the car in park and restart it. This could get someone killed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On [XXX] I was driving approximately 30 mph on a sunny, 83F day. There were no other vehicles around me, no pedestrians, no bicycles, no animals, etc. I was traveling south on a straight section of the road when my car came to an abrupt and complete stop. The car's automatic braking system was engaged without any prior warning. The car went from 30mph to 0 mph instantly. There was a loud beep, the red ABS indicator light came on, the wipers started operating involuntarily. The force of the momentum cause items to fly forward in the car. The seatbelt locked up. The force of the stop also caused whiplash and the belt tightening caused pain to my ribs and back. I was stunned and scared. Thankfully, no cars were around me and I was going 30mph instead of 70mph when I travel the highway most of the time. If someone was behind me or I had been traveling faster, the incident could have had grave consequences. I was next to a dentist office so I pulled into their parking lot slowly. I turned the car off and looked at the exterior. There was no indication that I had struck anything and there was nothing in the road that would have set the system off. Not even a leaf or bug. I had received a letter 2 days prior about a class action lawsuit against VW describing this same issue going back to 2017. I looked up what to do in the situation and everything online suggested deactivating that feature on the car. I turned the car on and deactivated it. I drove 15 mph to my office 0.4 mi away because I was scared it would happen again. I called my dealership and scheduled a diagnostic appointment. They couldn't get it in until [XXX]. They have had it overnight and have pulled data from it and sent it to VW in Germany apparently. Since I deactivate the feature before each trip, the problem has not happened again for me. There are many stories of this happening online but VW hasn't issued a recall at all and says it isn't an issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |