RoadVitals

2021 Volkswagen Atlas

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

NHTSA has issued a “do not drive” advisory affecting this model year.

Campaign 20V712000. Confirm whether your specific vehicle is covered using its VIN before acting on this.

Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
472
+9 complaints in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
17
Latest Jun 20, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
10
12 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 472 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas, most frequently naming the electrical, brakes and engine categories. 17 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 619 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

17 campaigns cover this model year

View all 17

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
24V464000

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

Jun 20, 2024
271,330 units potentially affected
The defect: 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.
The risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy: 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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number 69PZView on NHTSA.gov
23V215000

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

Mar 29, 2023
143,053 units potentially affected
The defect: 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.
The risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy: 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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number 69FBView on NHTSA.gov
22V815000

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

Oct 31, 2022
296,044 units potentially affected
The defect: 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."
The risk: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: 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 Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.Manufacturer number AU:45J7,VW:45J6,45J8View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE23017ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

Opened Sep 28, 2023
Closed Dec 18, 2024

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 limitations.  However, many consumer complaints alleged that Volkswagen dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or Volkswagen dealerships informed the consumers that this braking is considered normal Front Assist operation. ODI's analysis shows that MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have the highest rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation when compared to their Volkswagen peers.The rate of unique incident reports alleging AEB inadvertent activation in MY 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles was comparable to their Volkswagen peers. To date, ODI has received a total of 69 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of Front Assist in MY 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.  In total, ODI reviewed 264 unique (i.e., non-duplicative Vehicle Identification Numbers) reports that may relate to the alleged defect, which include eight reports of incidents involving an alleged injury and two reports involving a crash. PE23017 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24004) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations in MY 2019 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 472
Electrical
Filed Sep 21, 2026

The vehicle’s 5F infotainment control module intermittently/continually fails, causing loss of the center display and backup camera. The vehicle has been diagnosed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer as requiring replacement of the 5F module. The replacement module is currently back-ordered. This is a safety concern because the failure causes loss of the rearview camera.

NHTSA ID
11765934
Incident
Jun 1, 2026
ElectricalEngine
Filed Sep 15, 2026

The vehicle stalls at slow speeds requiring the driver to place it in “park” and manually restart it.

NHTSA ID
11764308
Incident
Sep 14, 2026
Filed Sep 14, 2026

There was a failure of the air conditioner condensation drain line, resulting in saturation of the interior carpet and padding. This situation was confirmed by the dealer today. There was a prior recall for this issue in 2022, at which time our car was inspected by the dealer. According to the recall notice, this issue may cause air bags to deploy. Fortunately in our case they did not, but we are concerned about Volkswagon’s ability to adequately inspect and repair the problem. In addition, the interior of our car has experienced significant water damage as a result of the clogged line.

NHTSA ID
11764240
Incident
Sep 11, 2026
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 14, 2026

Daytime Running Lamps inoperable

NHTSA ID
11764148
Incident
Sep 14, 2026
Fuel system
Filed Sep 11, 2026

My 2021 Volkswagen Atlas experienced an unexpected engine malfunction and entered limp mode while idling in park. An official diagnostic scan confirmed active fault code P10B300 (monitoring of fuel injector for cylinder failure detected); requiring a complete fuel injector, and harness replacement quoted at $2600. This identical component failure and model year match the exact parameters of VW safety recall 24iD (NHTSA campaign 22V245000) which addresses Atlas fuel injectors manufactured without internal filters. Volkswagen customer care has rigidly refused to cover this safety defect because my specific VIN falls outside their narrow production tracking dates, despite suffering the identical mechanical failure. I request an investigation to force an expansion of the 24iD recall parameters to cover this VIN batch

NHTSA ID
11763689
Incident
Sep 10, 2026
AirbagsDriver assistanceSteering
Filed Sep 8, 2026
Crash reported1 injury reported

Vehicle lost total control on the freeway I lost control crashed off the freeway into a ditch no airbags deployed the whole frame was total loss the entire atlas lost control No airbags as I went into a ditch hit a freeway sign and I’m still suffering nerve damage and chronic back pain

NHTSA ID
11762777
Incident
May 20, 2022
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 5, 2026

My 2021 Volkswagen Atlas at 58,000 miles the passenger side daytime running light stopped working. This is a replacement that can only be completed with an entire headlight assembly replaced the cost of a headlight assembly is between $1800- $2500 which is an astronomical amount to replace just the LED daytime running light.

NHTSA ID
11762375
Incident
Aug 11, 2026
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 3, 2026

Passenger side DRL has failed - requires replacement of entire headlamp assembly

NHTSA ID
11762010
Incident
Sep 3, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

V4622022067177_5

SERVICE BRAKES

Repair or Replace Information

V4015022033347_8

POWER TRAIN

Replacement instruction

TT 00-13-04_7

Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order

V0026012081638_2

Differences between a leak and seepage

V9123042071790_3

MIB3 Recovery Solution

VOS-26-42

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) – No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Volkswagen Atlas by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026920—
2025475055.4
20241708058.8
20231335159.7
20221837161.1
2021Viewing47217161.7
2020274253.5
201948012361.8
201846217259.5

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.