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2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 107 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, most often about the electrical (31% of complaints, typically around 13,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Atlas Cross Sport model year since 2000 and has 11 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport problems
Electrical
33 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 13,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated while driving at low speeds, the emergency brake engaged independently. The contact also stated that the front driverâs side door failed to lock. The contact stated that the warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the…
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the parking brake would erroneously activate. The vehicle had to be shifted into park, turned off, and restarted; however, the failure would recur whenever the brake pedal was depressed. The…
Other or unspecified
24 complaints · 22%Adaptive cruise control (acc) will not work if you remote started the vehicle. To get it normally work, you have to fully switch off the car and then push start it. Had the vehicle checked by vw dealer and they found nothing, then I noticed that remote start was the problem. Seem to me there should be some sort of a…
Steering makes creaking and noise when turning even when stopped. Dealer replaced sway bar links today via tsb. Problem not fixed, dealer test drove after fix and determined it could possibly be clockspring. Others online have similar issues, some say replacement of entire rack is required, I hope not.
Air bags
23 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 45,500 miles. Parts named most often: sensor.
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that the passengerâs side air bag warning light was illuminated with and without a passenger seated in the seat. Recently, the contact stated that the warning chime would continuously sound after an occupant had exited the passengerâs side…
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the airbag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an error code associated with the airbag. The vehicle was repaired at the consumer…
Brakes
18 complaints · 17%When driving vehicle upon coming to a completed stop, various fault messages are displayed 'electronic brake error/driver contact switch error, start/stop error'. The car detects that the door is open even though it is completely closed which causes parking break to activate immobilizing the vehicle ; the start/stop…
Upon vehicle start, vehicle provided several warnings: 'driver door contact switch, electronic parking brake fault, airbag error', and several others. The driver and driver-rear passenger windows rolled down about two inches, security light was blinking, drivers door would not lock. While driving on city street, the…
Driver assistance
15 complaints · 14%Parts named most often: automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, warnings.
Engine
9 complaints · 8%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…
Steering
8 complaints · 8%Steering makes creaking and noise when turning even when stopped. Dealer replaced sway bar links today via tsb. Problem not fixed, dealer test drove after fix and determined it could possibly be clockspring. Others online have similar issues, some say replacement of entire rack is required, I hope not.
Persistent noise when turning steering wheel to the left, loud clicking more so when vehicle is stopped. Video evidence presented to dealer after it had been in to the shop once before and it was determined faulty steering rack,
Speed control
6 complaints · 6%
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport recalls
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Wheels and tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
Risk: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 audiâs customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (audi) 45j7, and (vw) 45j6 and 45j8.
Full defect summary
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."
Air bags: side/window
Risk: A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Equipment: labels
Risk: Without the reduced gvwr label, the vehicle could be overloaded, leading to a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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."
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Steering
Risk: A fractured steering knuckle can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Steering
Risk: A damaged steering knuckle can fail, causing a loss of steering, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Wheels and tires: sidewall
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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Lights: headlights
Risk: A headlight aimed incorrectly aimed reduces the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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."
Seats
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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Fuel injector leak
Summary
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
Questions about the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
- What are the most common problems with the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (33 complaints, typically around 13,000 miles); other or unspecified (24 complaints); air bags (23 complaints, typically around 45,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport have?
- 11 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 20, 2024 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2020 a bad year for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Atlas Cross Sport model year since 2000, with 107 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.