Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport — assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its 17-character VIN to decode that exact car — its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment — alongside these records. Free, no account.
Run a VIN →Recalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport year.
NHTSA lists 7 recalls for this make/model/year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car — check with a dealer using the VIN.
Issue: 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.
Risk: A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
Campaign 22V152000
Issue: 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.
Risk: Long fuel injectors with missing filters may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: 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.
Campaign 22V245000
Issue: 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."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
Campaign 22V514000
Issue: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The trailer hitch bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.
Risk: Loose bolts may fall out, causing the remaining bolts to break, which could lead to separation of the trailer hitch and trailer, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will tighten the trailer hitch bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N8.
Campaign 22V657000
Issue: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Audi Q5 Sportback, Q5, 2022-2023 Volkswagen Atlas FL, and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, which can result in engine failure.
Risk: A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. If the engine failure causes an oil leak, it can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace an affected engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 6, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 13i4 (VW) and 13i5 (Audi).
Campaign 22V753000
Issue: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Volkswagen Atlas FL and 2022-2023 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The driver-side rear trailing arm bolts may not have been tightened properly, allowing them to loosen and fall out.
Risk: Unsecured bolts may cause the trailing arm to fracture, resulting in a sudden loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver side rear trailing arm bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 25, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42M2.
Campaign 22V807000
Issue: 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.
Risk: A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
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.
Campaign 24V464000
The parts named most often across 70 owner complaintsfiled with NHTSA for this make, model and year — the closest free answer to “what is likely to go wrong?”
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so treat this as where to look, not a defect rate.
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, VIN: [XXX] The vehicle was purchased new in October 2021. Volkswagen issued Recall 13i4 / NHTSA Campaign 22V-753 for certain Atlas Cross Sport vehicles due to an engine connecting rod/connecting rod bearing manufacturing defect that can cause engine failure, loss of motive power while driving, and potential safety risks. My vehicle was inspected by an authorized Volkswagen dealer under Recall 13i4 in 2023. I was told the recall condition was not present and the recall was marked completed. On or about [XXX], the vehicle developed the exact issue covered by Recall 13i4. I brought it to an authorized Volkswagen dealer, and the dealer confirmed that the failure is the same engine connecting rod/connecting rod bearing issue identified in the recall. The required repair is engine replacement. Volkswagen is refusing to reopen or reauthorize the recall repair because the recall was previously marked completed after the 2023 inspection and because the factory warranty expired in October 2025. I am now being told I may be responsible for the engine replacement cost, even though the dealer has confirmed this is the exact safety defect covered by the recall. I believe this is a failed or inadequate recall remedy. The 2023 inspection did not permanently remedy the defect and appears to have missed a latent manufacturing issue that has now manifested. This is not a normal out-of-warranty mechanical failure. It is the specific safety-related defect Volkswagen reported to NHTSA. I am asking NHTSA to review whether Volkswagen’s Recall 13i4 remedy process is inadequate, especially for vehicles that passed the initial inspection but later develop the same covered engine defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The daytime running light on the passenger side is out. The entire headlight assembly and bumper have to be removed to repair this. It will cost 1400 to repair. This is a safety issue and should be covered by Volkswagen.
Description of Fault This vehicle exhibits a recurring, intermittent failure of the electronic throttle control system. Three distinct symptom patterns have been observed: 1.Throttle non-responsive at stop-start (approx. monthly/bi-monthly): After coming to a complete stop (e.g. at a traffic light), pressing the accelerator pedal produces no engine response. The vehicle will not move. Switching the ignition fully off and performing a cold restart resolves the issue immediately. 2.Throttle failure while vehicle was in motion (Wednesday, March 4, 2026): While my wife was driving the vehicle, the throttle stopped responding entirely mid-journey. The accelerator pedal produced no engine response while the vehicle was moving at speed. This is a direct and serious safety hazard. As with other incidents, switching the ignition fully off and performing a cold restart resolved the issue. 3.Erratic/hypersensitive throttle response on inclines: On slight uphill gradients, a light press of the accelerator pedal produces a disproportionately strong acceleration response, suggesting inconsistent signal output from the accelerator pedal position sensor (APPS). Safety Concern The occurrence of complete throttle loss while the vehicle was in motion — experienced by my wife on March 4, 2026 — is a serious safety defect. A driver who loses throttle response at highway speed, on a merge, or when crossing an intersection is at significant risk of collision. I am formally documenting this concern so that it is part of the vehicle's permanent service record.
Got the PCV valve repaired on February 13th and on February 18th the EPC light came on. The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas was taken to dealership and said the charge air inlet and the diverter valve leaking oil. Recommended to replace the turbo diverter valve and the charge air inlet seal at this time and re-testing the turbo. My car is shutting off when sitting at a light and car only has 52, 294 mileage
Vehicle shimmies/shakes when braking of speeds over 50 mph. It is currently at the VW service center and was informed the Electro-Mechanical Steering gear needs to be replaced. The repair tech also said that he wasn't sure when the part would be in and he has a few others on backorder for repair as well.
Rear camera, back over prevention system malfunction. Rearview camera image does not display, fails to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, “Rear Visibility.” This happened after the PODS repair was made. Local VW dealer is requiring a diagnostic fee though the problem started immediately after it was serviced.
when I got in my car the display showed that my driver’s door was open, but it wasn’t. When I tried to put it in drive, the car had an awful beeping sound and wouldn’t go into drive unless I released the emergency brake button. Once I came to a stop the car would automatically go into park and wouldn’t not proceed unless I released the emergency brake again. I did look up if there was a recall and there was back in February 15, 2023. I would like to bring it to Volkswagen for it to be fixed and not have to pay for it as I have only owned the car since October of 2025.
There has been no incident with my car. The DRL on the drivers side stopped working and wasn’t my fault. The price to replace the light is absolutely unheard of. I have owned three Volkswagens and loved all three but this is very disappointing. The car only has 40,000 miles on it. I don’t feel like this should’ve happened this soon.
The front light led bulbs died. First it was the driver side at 53k miles, now the passenger side. The car has less than 55k miles. The price for the repair is outrageous. $2,000 for just ONE led bulb change. I’ve seen forums and many, many WV Atlas have the same problem. WV should be responsible for this. $4,000 total for two light bulb replacements! It’s insane!
Initially, my Atlas would not auto-start with the key fab. When I returned to my vehicle, the lights flashed, it gave a battery warning, then I was able to start the vehicle. However, several lights on the dashboard cycled through, radio/center console was non-responsive, and I could not get my car to park. Eventually, I had to use the emergency break to park it. We jumped the vehicle and it did start again. However, very shortly thereafter it lit on fire and there were visible flames under the hood. We called the fire department, put the fire out with water and an extinguisher. Then we had the vehicle towed to the dealership. Its been more than 2 months since this incident and no work has been started. Volkswagen corporate sent an engineer out to inspect my car (confirmed by the dealership that they did visit) but still no work has begun. My car is still covered under the original manufacturer warranty. We bought brand new and have owned the vehicle for less than 4 years. VW Customer Care line has been "close due to an all day employee meeting" since last week. The dealership has no information about my car.
On going fuel system issues that pose significant safety risks, suggest potential design or manufacturing flaws, and are impacting vehicle performance. The primary component affected is the fuel injection system. I have had to replace the fuel leak detection pump, spark plugs, and ignition coils multiple times, as fault codes have repeatedly appeared even after repairs, indicating a persistent failure within the fuel injection system. Additionally, I believe that the use and recommendations regarding fuel grades are contributing to the problem. I was informed by a Volkswagen employee that I should have been using 93 octane fuel; however, I was never provided with this guidance at the time of purchase. The vehicle’s fuel tank clearly indicates the use of 87 octane fuel. This discrepancy raises concerns about whether consumers are adequately informed about the proper fuel to prevent issues. The lack of clear guidance on fuel grade requirements appears misleading and could be viewed as potentially deceptive. My vehicle has begun riding rough and shaking while driving. I have been informed that I now need a decarbonization (decarb) engine intake service and a fuel injection service to address these new symptoms. These issues further indicate that there may be underlying problems within the fuel and intake systems, possibly related to the ongoing deposit buildup and improper fuel use. The failed fuel leak detection pump, affected fuel system components, and the recent service needs are available for inspection and can be provided upon request. The malfunction of the fuel injection system and the fuel leak detection system substantially engine failure while driving which could endanger the driver, passengers, and others on the road.The issues manifested as the vehicle would jerk later my engine light came on, prompting me to seek repairs. It has not yet been formally inspected by the police, or insurance representatives, the mechanic’s diagnosis confirms the malfunction.
Front brakes make scratching sound, dealer alleged brakes and rotor are fine after inspection. Steering wheel shakes at times when braking down hill. Cabin too noisy, air and sauna enter cabin by driver side door. Reported issue to dealer, they alleges the seal may need to be replaced; but not covered by warranty.
Showing 12 of 70 complaints.

NHTSA frontal crash test
Rated configuration: 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport SUV AWD
Over 5 years this costs $2,250 more in fuel than an average new vehicle.