2020 Volkswagen ATLAS CROSS SPORT

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2020 Volkswagen ATLAS CROSS SPORT has 156 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (21% of all complaints), specifically: 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. ⚠️ 1 fire report filed.

1 fire report 4 crash reports 1 injury

156

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

32 complaints

21%

• 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
• 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
• Multiple errors when starting car including windows on drivers side roll down randomly, cruise control does not work, when I step on brakes it throws the emergency brake on and jerks the forward causing everyone in car to jerk forward. Dealership states drivers side wire harness problem but had it r

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“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”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

22 complaints

14%

• 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
• 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 N
• FROM PICKING UP THE VEHICLE THERE WAS A NOISE ONLY ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD, THE SOUND I THOUGHT WAS INITIALLY ROAD NOISE AT HIGHER SPEED BUT IT WAS AT ANY SPEED. IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE NOISE WAS AIR ENTERING THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELD WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE AND H

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“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 ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

AIR BAGS

19 complaints

12%

• WE EXPERIENCED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT ON BOTH SIDES AS A RESULT OF A LOW-SPEED CONTACT WITH A CURB. WE WERE LEAVING A STOP SIGN AT A T INTERSECTION ON A SNOWY ROAD AND THE CAR SLID MAKING THE LEFT TURN AND THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL HIT THE CURB. WE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN TRAVELLING MORE THAN 10-15 MIL
• 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
• I was driving and hit a bump in the road, It was a uneven surface similar to a curb. My front right tire all of a sudden went flat and all the side and seat airbags deployed. It makes no sense to have a tire go flat and have all the airbags go off. I had my car towed to the vw dealer and The servi

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“WE EXPERIENCED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT ON BOTH SIDES AS A RESULT OF A LOW-SPEED CONTACT WITH A CURB. WE WERE LEAVING A STOP SIGN AT A T INTERSECTION ON A SNOWY ROAD AND THE CAR SLID MAKING THE LEFT TURN AND THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL HIT THE CURB. WE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN TRAVELLING MORE THAN 10-15 MIL”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

18 complaints

12%

• OUR ATLAS WILL RANDOMLY SLAM ON ITS BRAKES AS IF AVOIDING A COLLISION ON AN EMPTY ROAD. THE LANE ASSIST WILL ALSO STEER YOU TOWARDS OBSTACLES (LIKE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS) AND FIGHT AS YOUR TRY TO CORRECT ITS ERROR. ISSUES HAVE ALL OCCURRED WHILE IN MOTION TRAVELING DOWN A 2 OR 4 LANE ROAD.
• 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
• 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

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“OUR ATLAS WILL RANDOMLY SLAM ON ITS BRAKES AS IF AVOIDING A COLLISION ON AN EMPTY ROAD. THE LANE ASSIST WILL ALSO STEER YOU TOWARDS OBSTACLES (LIKE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS) AND FIGHT AS YOUR TRY TO CORRECT ITS ERROR. ISSUES HAVE ALL OCCURRED WHILE IN MOTION TRAVELING DOWN A 2 OR 4 LANE ROAD.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

16 complaints

10%

• When turning the car on there are sometimes multiple errors: start-stop, driver door contact sensor, acc, and electronic brake. The car beeps very loudly telling me the engine is running (obviously). While driving, with or without current errors, the driver side windows will roll down, the doors wil
• Door harness and module fault. Had emergency brake engage automatically while car was in gear, windows rolling up and down, key fob not working with the car while running and threatening shut down. Stabilizers needed replacing and alternator also low voltage while driving, stopped on the side of t
• In may 2021 I had the drivers side wiring harness replaced due to being faulty which included windows unrolling on their own, cruise control not working, every time I stopped car using brakes emergency brake automatically came on and car would jerk forward, to name a few. After I hand it replaced it

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“When turning the car on there are sometimes multiple errors: start-stop, driver door contact sensor, acc, and electronic brake. The car beeps very loudly telling me the engine is running (obviously). While driving, with or without current errors, the driver side windows will roll down, the doors wil”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 156 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: 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
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: 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
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
AIR BAGS: WE EXPERIENCED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT ON BOTH SIDES AS A RESULT OF A LOW-SPEED CONTACT WITH A CURB. WE WERE LEAVING A STOP SIGN AT A T INTERSECTION ON A SNOWY ROAD AND THE CAR SLID MAKING THE LEFT TURN AND THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL HIT THE CURB. WE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN TRAVELLING MORE THAN 10-15 MIL
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: OUR ATLAS WILL RANDOMLY SLAM ON ITS BRAKES AS IF AVOIDING A COLLISION ON AN EMPTY ROAD. THE LANE ASSIST WILL ALSO STEER YOU TOWARDS OBSTACLES (LIKE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS) AND FIGHT AS YOUR TRY TO CORRECT ITS ERROR. ISSUES HAVE ALL OCCURRED WHILE IN MOTION TRAVELING DOWN A 2 OR 4 LANE ROAD.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)