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Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2020 Volkswagen Atlas

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
4
on record
MPG
22
combined

Open recalls on record

4 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2020 Volkswagen Atlas

4 recalls
27 complaints
22 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 4 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
No complaint on record reports a crash
Review the 27 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
4
Owner complaints
27
Complaints citing a crash
0

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

4 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

4 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 22V086000high

    Incorrect or missing label

    EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

    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."

    Consequence

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 22V152000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

    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.

    Consequence

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 22V815000high

    Tire/wheel issue

    TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

    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."

    Consequence

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 23V215000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

    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.

    Consequence

    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.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    4 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    13.6%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Standard
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 8 comparable 2020 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 13.6% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2020 Volkswagen Atlas Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2020 Volkswagen Atlas Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2020 Volkswagen Atlas Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

20

City

24

Hwy

22

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$2,800
Tailpipe CO₂
408 g/mi

How this compares

At 22 MPG combined, the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas ranks 7th of 9 small SUVs (2WD) EPA rated for 2020 — 3 MPG short of the 25 MPG median for that group.

That places it in the lower third of its class. If annual mileage is high, the running-cost gap against a class-average rival compounds quickly.

EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,800, within $0 of the $2,800 typical for the class — roughly $14,000 over five years.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 408 grams per mile — about 6.1 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

27 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

27
Total
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries

Most reported components

  • AIR BAGS8
  • ELECTRICAL5
  • STEERING4
  • OTHER3
  • BRAKES3

Normal Range

27 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA.

Most reported problems

airbag concerns (warning light, deployment issues)8
electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)5
steering issues (play, noise, loss of assist)4

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas, newest first.

  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE23017

    Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

  2. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation PE23017

    Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

  3. Recall

    Recall 23V215000

    A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

  4. Recall

    Recall 22V815000

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

  5. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE21008

    Fuel Injector Leak

  6. Recall

    Recall 22V152000

    A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

  7. Recall

    Recall 22V086000

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

  8. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation PE21008

    Fuel Injector Leak

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
SUV
Drive type
FWD
Engine
2.5L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Regular Gasoline
Transmission
Automatic
Seats
5

Fuel economy

20

City

24

Hwy

22

Comb

Annual cost
$2,800
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE23017

    Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

  2. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation PE23017

    Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

  3. Recall

    Recall 23V215000

    A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.

  4. Recall

    Recall 22V815000

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

  5. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE21008

    Fuel Injector Leak