2022 Volkswagen ATLAS

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2022 Volkswagen ATLAS has 265 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.3x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (18% of all complaints), specifically: the vehicles parking brake came on and the car shut off by itself in the middle of the road.. ⚠️ 4 fire reports filed.

4 fire reports 5 crash reports 1 injury

265

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.3x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

47 complaints

18%

• The vehicles parking brake came on and the car shut off by itself in the middle of the road.
• While driving in stop and go city traffic with the auto start/stop disengaged, the vehicle completely shut off while in drive. After releasing the brakes to proceed in traffic I was unable to control the vehicle or accelerate. The vehicle indicated that it needed to be placed in park and started man
• Vehicle 2 hrs after purchased start/stop failure notice came on. Vehicle died without emergency brakes or any brake system at all take place in middle of the road. Took to the dealer where it was purchased from immediately-4 days later “repaired” replaced a valve stating a flap wasn’t closing correc

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“The vehicles parking brake came on and the car shut off by itself in the middle of the road.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

45 complaints

17%

• The parking brake was engaged automatically while driving. The car came to a sudden stop creating a hazard with traffic. There were no warning lamps or bells. At this point the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealer.
• My emergency brake engaged while I was slowly entering an intersection. Almost caused an accident - cars behind me had to slam on their brakes. I believe this issue is part of recall 97GF which only lists air bags as a result of faulty wiring in door harness. The e brakes engaging while driving n
• While driving the car started squealing, under under 40 mph. Pulled over, shut car off and turned back on. Started driving again up to around 40, squealing entire time. Pulled into parking lot. Stop start car drive. Same thing. Turned on the emergency brake, turned it off. Drove, squealing per

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“The parking brake was engaged automatically while driving. The car came to a sudden stop creating a hazard with traffic. There were no warning lamps or bells. At this point the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealer.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

39 complaints

15%

• At first the Infotainment system touchscreen would not turn on at first start of the day but would turn on after a few minutes. Then, after a week, it stopped turning on altogether. Wireless phone charging and Advanced Road Sign Recognition system is not working as well.
• Parked vehicle overnight and found all windows to have rolled down on its own during the winter around February (once parked outside at 20 degrees F, second in garage 30 degrees F). Received a notification for system update after incident happened twice (we hang up our keys which is inaccessible to
• I received crash warnings while driving 60mph but no car was near to trigger the warning. Vehicle rear passenger side window rolled down on its own about 5 inches. Same trip, the rear driver side window rolled down about 5 inches.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“At first the Infotainment system touchscreen would not turn on at first start of the day but would turn on after a few minutes. Then, after a week, it stopped turning on altogether. Wireless phone charging and Advanced Road Sign Recognition system is not working as well.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

31 complaints

12%

• The infotainment center of the vehicle does not start/work upon start of the car. I get a notification on the dashboard that audio is not available. The whole infotainment center not working on startup means I cannot view the picture/video feed from the rear camera. I tried activating the park assis
• The infotainment center of the vehicle does not start/work upon start of the car. I get a notification on the dashboard that audio is not available. The whole infotainment center not working on startup means I cannot view the picture/video feed from the rear camera. I tried activating the park assis
• After an automatic software update, the navigation screen and all systems that are accessed through that screen no longer work. This includes the back-up cameras for the vehicle. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who was unable to fix it citing they do not have the necessary "computer chip" and

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“The infotainment center of the vehicle does not start/work upon start of the car. I get a notification on the dashboard that audio is not available. The whole infotainment center not working on startup means I cannot view the picture/video feed from the rear camera. I tried activating the park assis”

— NHTSA complaint filing

AIR BAGS

30 complaints

11%

• On Thursday, April 14th, the airbag warning light illuminated while displaying an "AirBag Error" message. The vehicle was dropped off at the dealership the same day. The information below is from the Volkswagen dealership in Tulsa, OK “Performed Guided Fault Finding diagnosis, DTC B100B: Driver'
• What I experienced: the wireless phone charger doesn’t work properly and the phone is impossible to pair with the car a lots of time. All the windows rolled down by itself when I stated the engine. The remote start fail to work multiple times. Most importantly there is a safety recall on the vehic
• The contact owns a 2022 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The man

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

“On Thursday, April 14th, the airbag warning light illuminated while displaying an "AirBag Error" message. The vehicle was dropped off at the dealership the same day. The information below is from the Volkswagen dealership in Tulsa, OK “Performed Guided Fault Finding diagnosis, DTC B100B: Driver'”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 265 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: The vehicles parking brake came on and the car shut off by itself in the middle of the road.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: The parking brake was engaged automatically while driving. The car came to a sudden stop creating a hazard with traffic. There were no warning lamps or bells. At this point the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealer.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: At first the Infotainment system touchscreen would not turn on at first start of the day but would turn on after a few minutes. Then, after a week, it stopped turning on altogether. Wireless phone charging and Advanced Road Sign Recognition system is not working as well.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: The infotainment center of the vehicle does not start/work upon start of the car. I get a notification on the dashboard that audio is not available. The whole infotainment center not working on startup means I cannot view the picture/video feed from the rear camera. I tried activating the park assis
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)