Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system111
- Engine100
- Air bags100
- Service brakes74
- Unknown or other72
- Fuel/propulsion system32
- Forward collision avoidance31
- Steering26
- Seats17
- Power train16
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 18 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 25 2018 Atlas vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 6 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas failed the safety check 1.28% of the time — 22% less often than the average 2018 passenger car (1.65%). Median odometer at inspection: 66,743 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 2 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | 13.6 % |
| 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | 15.9 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 10.0–12.1 L/100 km (about 19–24 mpg US), CO₂ 233–282 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.8 | 8.9 | 10.0 |
| Atlas 4MOTION · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 13.7 | 10.1 | 12.1 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
14 Transport Canada recalls for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas.
| 2026439 11 Sept 2026 | Steering Issue: On certain vehicles, one of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe could corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housi… |
| 2023183 29 Mar 2023 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction. This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front… |
| 2021116 5 Mar 2021 | Tires Issue: Certain vehicles were built with tires that may have been cured too long. As a result, the sidewall could crack or the tread and belts could separate. … |
| 2020353 4 Aug 2020 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the warning label for the engine block heater cable is written in English only. As a result, a French user may not receive importa… |
| 2019242 23 May 2019 | Lights And Instruments Issue: Certain vehicles were built with headlights that may allow horizontal adjustment. This is not allowed under Canadian regulations. Safety Risk: He… |
| 2018717 19 Dec 2018 | Suspension On certain vehicles, the rear suspension coil springs may not have been properly manufactured and could break over time. This could result in damage to a rear t… |
| 2018644 21 Nov 2018 | Lights And Instruments Certain vehicles do not to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 114 - Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention. Due to incorrect programming,… |
| 2018431 16 Aug 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, a drain tube for the air conditioner may be twisted and could drain water inside the passenger compartment onto the airbag control module. … |
| 2018429 15 Aug 2018 | Brakes On certain vehicles, the brake caliper bracket bolts may not be properly tightened and could loosen, allowing the caliper to move. This could cause increased st… |
| 2018330 15 Jun 2018 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, if a child restraint with a larger than recommended base is installed in the centre position of the second row bench seat, it may damage bo… |
| 2018296 6 Jun 2018 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger frontal airbag may not unfold properly or could tear during deployment, which would increase the risk of injury to the seat o… |
| 2018292 1 Jun 2018 | Brakes On certain vehicles, a problem with the brake system may cause gas bubbles to form in the brake fluid. This could cause a soft brake pedal feel and a reduction … |
| 2018227 2 May 2018 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the thickness of fuel tank walls may not be adequate due to an issue in the manufacturing process. This could result in fuel leaking from … |
| 2017586 29 Nov 2017 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the thickness of fuel tank walls may not be adequate due to an issue during the manufacturing process. This could result in fuel leaking f… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.
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.
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."
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Golf R and Atlas, 2017 Golf Alltrack and E-Golf and 2016-2018 Passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Atlas vehicles. The vehicles may be equipped with an incorrectly manufactured air bag sensor, which can delay or disable air bag deployment when necessary.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas, 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. During production, the air conditioning system drain tube may have been twisted, causing water to drain into the air bag control module.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles may not have been tightened sufficiently.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswaen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. The owner's manuals provided with the affected vehicles do not inform the customers about the child restraint size limitation/restrictions for the second row center seating position. As a result, the center and adjacent outboard seat belt buckles on the second row can become damaged it a child seat base is installed that is wider than 12.6 inches.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan vehicles. In the event of a crash, the passenger frontal air bag may tear or not properly unfold during deployment.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. The fuel tank on these vehicles may leak fuel due to a manufacturing error. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Atlas vehicles. The fuel tank may have been manufactured with insufficient wall thickness, potentially resulting in the tank leaking fuel. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Volkswagen told its dealers about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011378 | This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication for the airbag control module. For trouble code DTC B1022F0. Communication with the airbag control module J234 has failed. |
| 11011374 | HVAC duct cleaning and deodorizing |
| 11010028 | This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during ECM Component Adaptation Test after component replacement. |
| 11010024 | Lack of paint under roof |
| 11010022 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11010021 | Additional reporting |
| 11010011 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11008869 | This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication DA 0001 ECM - Certification Test Group (CTG) label P0F4800: Certification test group/engine family number Not programmed or incompatible |
| 11008868 | This communication is a notice for software changes with the ODIS program to correct the A5 Front Camera Module program test plan that is failing. |
| 11008866 | Inspecting sensors for damage |
| 11008861 | Fluid requirements |
| 11008860 | Manual transmission noise diagnosing |
| 11008858 | A list of engine oil that meet Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards |
| 11008857 | How to perform the engine oil consumption measurement |
| 11008856 | Checking Engine Oil and correctly reading dip stick |
| 11008853 | How to manage software versions using VW diagnostic Tool |
| 11008852 | Recommended Gasoline Quality |
| 11008851 | Engine Misfire Diagnostic Aid |
| 11008850 | Fuel additive to help with misfire faults |
| 11008846 | Wind & Water Leak Checking |
| 11007402 | Multiple Update closures: 20AH Atlas Quality Package 1, 24AE 1.8T ECM/TCM SW, 24BG Jetta Hybrid ECM SW, 24BM 2.0L Jetta MPI SW Update, 24X7 Jetta ECM SW, 24X8 CC ECM/TCM SW, 24Y4 MPI Jetta SW, 24Z5 Jetta Hybrid System SW, 27G2 Battery, 37H3 DSG SW, 37J2 TCM SW, 69V7 Atlas Quality Package 3, 87F6 Atlas Quality Package 2, 91P3 Adaptive Cruise Calibration |
| 11007401 | This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication with the airbag control module. B1022F0: Passenger occupant detection system control module no basic setting NOTE: Communication with the airbag control module -J234 has failed. |
| 11007398 | Battery testing |
| 11007393 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11007387 | This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Fuel Injector Leak
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation