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2021 Volkswagen Atlas Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 478 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas, most often about the electrical (31% of complaints, typically around 13,500 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Atlas model year since 2000 and has 17 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 2021 Volkswagen Atlas problems
Electrical
148 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 13,500 miles. Parts named most often: adas, instrument cluster/panel, alternator/generator/regulator.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the highway, the brakes applied without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact was able to pull over and made it home safely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and it was diagnosed as the wiring harness needing to be…
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and decelerating, the vehicle stopped abruptly. The driver's side rear window independently rolled down and the parking brake inadvertently engaged. The contact was able to pull over and drive to her residence.…
Brakes
98 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 15,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the parking brakes and alarms illuminated on the instrument panel. The driverâs and rear passengerâs side windows rolled up and down independently. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the…
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the highway, the brakes applied without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact was able to pull over and made it home safely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and it was diagnosed as the wiring harness needing to be…
Engine
87 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 15,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, cooling system.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and decelerating, the vehicle stopped abruptly. The driver's side rear window independently rolled down and the parking brake inadvertently engaged. The contact was able to pull over and drive to her residence.…
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v152000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing electrical issues. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the…
Other or unspecified
77 complaints · 16%Driver assistance
71 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 11,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, warnings, warning.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the forward collision avoidance system erroneously activated causing the vehicle to suddenly stop in the middle of the road. The contact indicated that during the failure, no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause…
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a wiring harness failure. The dealer informed the contact that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…
Lights
68 complaints · 14%Air bags
66 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 19,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v152000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the…
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v152000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the…
Fuel system
42 complaints · 9%The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. In addition, the epc engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the contact's wife was in traffic. The contact's wife was able to…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2021 Volkswagen Atlas 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."
Equipment: software
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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."
Fuel system: injectors
Risk: Long fuel injectors with missing filters may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
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.
Wheels and tires: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Risk: The bolts may loosen and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed november 2, 2021. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40r7.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 atlas, atlas cross sport, and passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.
Electrical: relays/solenoids
Risk: A horn or starter that remains activated for an extended period of time can overheat, increasing the risk of fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and as necessary, replace the relays, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed august 27, 2021. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97fr.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 atlas and atlas cross sport vehicles. Damaged relays may have been installed in the engine compartment fuse box, which could inadvertently activate the horn or engine starter.
Wheels and tires: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Risk: An insufficiently attached wheel may separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four wheels, and as necessary, replace the wheels, lug bolts ,and wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began march 4, 2021. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44q9.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 atlas and atlas cross sport vehicles. The lug bolt holes on the wheels may have been machined incorrectly, preventing the wheel bolt from sufficiently attaching to the wheel bearing hub.
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.
Backup camera: camera
Risk: A black or frozen rear view image reduces the driver's visibility when reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began december 11, 2020. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91bb/91bc.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 atlas cross sport, tiguan lwb, jetta nf, jetta gli, golf gti, atlas fl and arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 111, "rear visibility."
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
Inadvertent automatic emergency braking
Summary
On september 28, 2023, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe23017) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the front assist automatic emergency braking (aeb) system in model year (my) 2018-2019 volkswagen atlas vehicles.the reports alleged that activation of the aeb system occurred while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Volkswagen indicated that it is aware of a total of 292 reports that may relate to the alleged defect in my 2018-2019 volkswagen atlas vehicles.volkswagen stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of front assist and its limitat
Questions about the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas
- What are the most common problems with the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (148 complaints, typically around 13,500 miles); brakes (98 complaints, typically around 15,000 miles); engine (87 complaints, typically around 15,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas have?
- 17 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 2021 a bad year for the Volkswagen Atlas?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Atlas model year since 2000, with 478 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.