The Lemon Index

All cars · Volkswagen Atlas · 2019

2019 Volkswagen Atlas. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index234100 = average car
Complaints197NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold81,508U.S. model year
Per 100K sold242complaints
Year rank#3 of 5#1 = fewest complaints

Engines and drivetrains 3

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
2.0L 4-cyl turboAuto (S8)FWD20 / 26 / 22Regular$2,850
3.6L 6-cylAuto (S8)FWD17 / 24 / 19Regular$3,300
3.6L 6-cylAuto (S8)AWD17 / 23 / 19Regular$3,300

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 3,000 and 30,000 miles. Median 10,500, from 140 complaints with a mileage.

SystemMedianMiddle halfComplaints
Airbags30,20018,200–57,20028
Brakes5,4001,400–11,00026
Electrical10,2006,200–21,00012
Automatic emergency braking13,0006,000–39,80013
Engine5,500800–15,00018

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Automatic emergency braking26%
Brakes25%
Electrical21%
Engine16%
Transmission & drivetrain12%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
48270908

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 12

  • 26V590000 Sep 2026 Steering

    Defect. 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.

    Risk. A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will replace the right-side steering rack mounting bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 10, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 48LG and 48VT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 16, 2026.

  • 23V671000 Oct 2023 Air Bags / Side/Window / Curtain

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side impact air bag may be missing a weld at the side air bag housing.

    Risk. The driver's side impact air bag could deploy improperly or detach in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy. Dealers will replace the driver's side impact air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FK.

  • 23V215000 Mar 2023 Air Bags / Sensor / Occupant Classification / Front Passenger

    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.

    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 March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69FB.

  • 22V815000 Oct 2022 Tires / Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

    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."

    Risk. An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

    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.

  • 22V152000 Mar 2022 Air Bags / Side/Window

    Defect. 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.

  • 22V086000 Feb 2022 Equipment / Other / Labels

    Defect. 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."

    Risk. Without the reduced GVWR label, the vehicle could be overloaded, leading to a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will install the reduced GVWR label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 09D9.

  • 21V142000 Mar 2021 Tires / Sidewall

    Defect. 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.

    Risk. Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44R1.

  • 19V614000 Aug 2019 Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas vehicles. The suction jet in the fuel tank may have been welded in the incorrect position allowing fuel to leak. Additionally, the vehicle may stall due to uneven fuel distribution.

    Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire. An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20BU.

  • 19V389000 May 2019 Exterior Lighting / Headlights

    Defect. 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."

    Risk. Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.

  • 19V218000 Mar 2019 Air Bags / Side/Window

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Atlas and 2020 Passat vehicles. An incorrect driver and/or front passenger side impact air bag may have been installed.

    Risk. In an event of a side impact crash, an incorrect side airbag may not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy. Volkswagen has inspected and replaced the side air bags, free of charge. The recall was completed in April 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Y8.

  • 18V904000 Dec 2018 Suspension / Rear / Springs / Coil Springs

    Defect. 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.

    Risk. If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J2/42J3.

  • 18V824000 Nov 2018 Electrical System / Instrument Cluster/Panel

    Defect. 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."

    Risk. If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.

NHTSA investigations

StatusSubjectOpenedClosed
OpenInadvertent automatic emergency braking2024–
ClosedInadvertent automatic emergency braking20232024
ClosedFuel injector leak20212022

Manufacturer communications 716

Volkswagen filed 716 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Customer states noise from heat shield, MIL-on P11AD/P11AE/P11AF, MIL-on P0456, Customer…
  • Customer states MIL-on with P1429 and/or P0556 Customer states MIL-on with P0133 Customer…
  • Customer states MIL-on with P1429 and/or P0556 Customer states MIL-on with P0133 Customer…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Volkswagen Atlas SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
Volkswagen Atlas SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardStandardOptional

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
201826423286,796Electrical
201923419781,508Automatic emergency braking
2020806688,491Electrical
2021376420115,687Electrical
202218720782,025Brakes

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated

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