- 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
Before You Buy
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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.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.
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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 Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
- 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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
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.
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
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas, newest first.
- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation PE23017
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation PE23017
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
- Recall
A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation PE21008
Fuel Injector Leak
- Recall
A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
- Recall
Without the reduced GVWR label, the vehicle could be overloaded, leading to a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
- 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
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation PE23017
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation PE23017
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
- Recall
A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation PE21008
Fuel Injector Leak


