2025 VOLKSWAGEN Atlas

Recalls, Specs & Safety Report

Expert Verdict
ℹ️Average Safety Profile

This 2025 model shows average reliability, primarily driven by 4 recalls affecting the power train system.

Key Factor:power train recalls

📋Why This Matters

Understanding recall history helps predict future ownership costs. Each unaddressed issue represents potential repair expenses.

Insurance companies review vehicle reliability data when setting premiums. Models with elevated recall rates often see adjusted pricing.

Focus Area:general reliability
📊

Expert Analysis

  • 📈
    Recall Trend:No Change in recalls
  • ⚠️
    Primary Risk Area:Display
  • ⚖️
    Vs Brand: Worse than avg (3.0)
    📝
    Summary:

Safety & Reliability Score

62/100

Score Breakdown

Recall Impact-32
Complaint Impact-0.75
Investigation Impact-5

Technical Specifications

Key specifications for the 2025 VOLKSWAGEN Atlas

Model Year2025
MakeVOLKSWAGEN
ModelAtlas
Fuel TypeGasoline
Body ClassPassenger Vehicle

Safety History Timeline

Scroll for more →
Apr23
INVInvestigation Opened
Dec24
ISSUEFirst Report
Jan25
NEWProduction
Jan25
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan25
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan25
RECALLRecall Issued
Dec25
RECALLRecall Issued

Consumer Complaint Analysis

⚠️

Most Reported Issue

4 complaints (27% of total)
➡️

Complaint Trend

Stable
No trend data

Safety Incidents

No critical incidents

Complaint Severity Distribution

Breakdown of 15 consumer complaints by severity level.

🟠High
1(7%)
🟡Medium
3(20%)
🟢Low
11(73%)

Mileage Failure Analysis

⚙️Engineering Insight

Based on consumer reports, issues for this vehicle tend to peak around the 0-20k mileage range. The average reported failure mileage is 4,833 miles.

📊 Mileage data extracted from 3 of 15 complaints (20% coverage)
0-20k
3 reports (100%)
20k-40k
0 reports (0%)
40k-60k
0 reports (0%)
60k-80k
0 reports (0%)
80k-100k
0 reports (0%)
100k+
0 reports (0%)
* Analysis based on mileage data extracted from consumer complaint descriptions. Actual failure rates may vary.

🛠️ DIY Diagnosis Center

Experiencing an issue? Select a symptom to find official manufacturer solutions (TSBs).

Primary Risk Areas

POWER TRAINENGINEBACK OVER PREVENTIONSERVICE BRAKES

Official Safety Recalls (4)

Campaign: 25V081000

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The transmission may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in a loss of drive power.

Consequence

A sudden loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 12, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 38CX.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9153) or go to nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Campaign: 25V100000

ENGINE

Summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine cover may have been improperly installed after vehicle service, allowing it to come loose and contact hot engine surfaces.

Consequence

A loose engine cover that contacts hot surfaces in the engine compartment can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will remove the engine cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10X5.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or go to nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Campaign: 25V334000

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas Cross Sport and Atlas vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera image to become distorted when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence

A distorted rearview camera image can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 5, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91SB.

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Campaign: 25V434000

SERVICE BRAKES

Summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport and 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. Certain bolts on the chassis, brake system and/or suspension (such as bolts for certain cross member, engine mount, control arm, subframe, rear brake carrier, etc.) of affected vehicles may not have been correctly tightened during the manufacturing process.

Consequence

A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 25, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42HX.

Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

NHTSA Investigations

1 investigation

Official NHTSA safety investigations for 2025 Atlas.

INV-2025-1000🟢 Closed

NHTSA opened investigation after receiving consumer complaints regarding Atlas performance issues.

Opened: Affected Units: 13,043

Consumer Complaints

15 total complaints

Consumer-reported issues submitted to NHTSA for 2025 Atlas.

Common Reported SymptomsAI Analysis

Display27%
Warning27%
Accident20%
Acceleration Issues13%
Squeak7%
Grind7%
Shatter7%
Crash/Accident7%
Check Engine Light7%
Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

EHICLE SAFETY DEFECT — INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE & TRANSMISSION/SHIFTER FAILURE My 2025 Volkswagen Atlas has two serious, ongoing safety defects that Volkswagen and the dealership have failed to repair. The digital speedometer/instrument cluster blacks out while driving, leaving no speed visibility. This has occurred multiple times with my four young children in the car. The vehicle often will NOT go into Drive unless I shift 3 or more times. This is an intermittent shifter/transmission malfunction. The dealership’s repair order states “NO REPAIRS PERFORMED FOR THIS CONCERN.” For the blackout issue, they only disabled HD Radio as a temporary workaround. A VW technician told me on video that no permanent fix exists. The same admission was made over the phone by another VW technician. For the transmission issue, the dealer wrote “unable to duplicate,” did no diagnostics, performed no repair, and documented no second inspection despite verbally claiming one occurred. I have now been without a safe vehicle for 32+ days. Volkswagen denied me a loaner multiple times. VW corporate has not responded to my requests for buyback, and the defects remain uncorrected. These are unresolved safety defects affecting visibility of speed, drivability, and transmission engagement.

Safety Systems🔵 Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE

The infotainment system, which controls most of the functions of driving safely, is down again for the 2nd time since I purchased my Atlas on 6/9/25. The first time it happened, the local VW dealer had me bring it in on 8/30 & they "fixed" it relatively quickly. They stated it was a local issue & had many Atlas screens that went down but they didn't know why. Now on 10/16 this occurred again, I called the local VW dealer & was told they can't get me in for over 2 weeks. I have a long trip planned before that & also I am heading back south for the winter prior to the date they can get me in. I was told I can drop off the vehicle for an unknown time frame - which leaves me no vehicle at all unless I rent a car for this unknown time frame. A second service advisor called me back to advised it is now a nationwide issue & as of now, there is no solution to fixing it. So why would I drop off my vehicle if there is no solution for this issue?

Electrical🔵 Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the infotainment display unit was inoperable. During the failure, the back over prevention camera display was inoperable along with the front and rear window defrosters, and blind spot monitoring system being inoperable. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that a satellite system issue had caused the failure on several different model vehicles. No further information was available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 5,500.

Safety Systems⚠️ High
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The car is in cruise control on the freeway, going 70-80mph and suddenly decelerates/brakes slam on, to slow down. The front collision will come on and the car will come to almost a complete stop when there is absolutely NOTHING in front of me. The vehicle will alert there is no driver, when I have both hands on the wheel, and start braking. These sudden stops and slow downs are going to get me or someone else killed. This is an ongoing issue.

Other🔵 Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2025 atlas- brand new with 6000 miles on it. Yesterday afternoon the screen shut off and turned back on several times and then shut off for good. My radio doesn’t work, I can’t control my AC, the sensors don’t work, etc. Literally nothing works other than the gas and brake pedals. I called the dealership this morning and they claim that everyone who has an atlas is having this same issue and they don’t have a clue what the problem is.

Engine/Powertrain🔶 Medium
POWER TRAIN

This problem was noticed shortly after vehicle was purchased and it could potentially be dangerous; although there has been no accidents yet. After waiting at a light or waiting to make a turn when clear, there is an unusually long or slow response to acceleration. Acceleration pedal would be pressed and car does not move. This is particularly dangerous when making a left turn with oncoming cars. Typical response is to step on pedal more to get vehicle to move, but once the car does respond, it would shoot forward. Only happens when car is starting to go from a stop but does not happen everytime. Vehicle is currently about 1000 miles but this has been after shortly after purchase. Vehicle was purchased new with 5 miles on odometer.

Steering/Suspension🔵 Low
STEERING

STEERING WHEEL RACK

Brakes🔵 Low
SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the brakes independently engaged. The contact was unable to disengage the brakes. The vehicle was stopped in the middle of the road with several warning unknown lights illuminated, and undisclosed messages were displayed. The contact turned off the vehicle, and after several restarting attempts, the contact was unable to disengage the brakes. The contact was unable to move the shift lever. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that an undisclosed update was needed. An unknown update was performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

Electrical🔵 Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The autonomous braking activates out of no where while driving. Violently hard and nothing around. A message appears on the dash board saying it can not sense hands on steering wheel. Also while backing up it will activate and no one is near the car or it even activates in an empty parking lot. The car jolted so hard when this happens and everyone went flying forward. No ..the dealer has had the car for 8 days and says they can not replicate the problem. He asked me for permission to drive it to Land O Lakes and I said no the car is very dangerous and that is a huge liability . I gave them permission to drive it around local only. No the vehicle has only been inspected by the dealer. He said since they can not replicate it he can not have a mechanic from Volkswagen assigned to it. No nothing appeared only after. Also, the brakes squeak and sound like it’s grinding on metal like a very old car. Also the front assist beeps loud when nothing is in front of the car. Also, when I go to start the car at times, it will not detect the key. I will bring the second key and it will not detect the second key also. Also the radio screen constantly disconnects everything and it will turn black and then display 0000 with a date of April 6 2025. Also while driving the app will say the door is open. The trunk is open the windows open when everything is closed. That also happens at 2 AM or 3 AM. It will say the trunk is open. The door is open and everything is closed.

Other🔵 Low
LANE DEPARTURE

When driving on a road with lane markings after the vehicle has been sitting in direct sunlight for about an hour the Lane Keep Assist system will fail due to over temperature warning in the windshield camera module. The dashboard will display the message “Lane Assist is currently not available. Please see owner's manual.” and any driver assist system that utilizes the lane assist system will become unavailable for about 15 minutes. After about 15 minutes of driving the errors will go away as the system reboots itself with no notification that the system functionality has returned. The “over temperature” error was confirmed by my local VW dealership on June 10, 2025 but has occurred 3 separate times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any recalls for the 2025 VOLKSWAGEN Atlas?

Yes, the 2025 VOLKSWAGEN Atlas has 4 recorded recalls from NHTSA. These recalls cover various components including POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, ENGINE, BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA.

Is the 2025 VOLKSWAGEN Atlas safe to drive?

The 2025 VOLKSWAGEN Atlas has 4 recalls. If you own this vehicle, check with your dealer to ensure all recall repairs have been completed. Most recalls have free remedies available.

Where can I check if my 2025 VOLKSWAGEN Atlas has open recalls?

You can check for open recalls by visiting NHTSA.gov and entering your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), or by contacting your local VOLKSWAGEN dealer.

📊Year-over-Year Context

📈Improving Trend

Compared to earlier years, the 2025 model shows improving reliability trends, largely due to manufacturing refinements addressing 2024 issues. Recall frequency decreased 43%.

🎯Risk Areas & Recommended Actions

Based on recall data, these components require verification:

1

Power train

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm power train recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all power train recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:25V081000
2

Engine

Issue: presents fire risk under certain conditions

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm engine recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all engine recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:25V100000
3

Back over prevention

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm back over prevention recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

🔍

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all back over prevention recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:25V334000
💡Visit NHTSA.gov or contact your VOLKSWAGEN dealer to verify recall completion status.

🧭What This Means for You

Both current owners and prospective buyers benefit from reviewing this safety analysis before making decisions.

If you're unsure, we recommend starting with a VIN check or consulting a certified mechanic.

🔑

If You Own This Vehicle

  • Verify all 4 recalls have been completed using your VIN at NHTSA.gov or through your VOLKSWAGEN dealer.
  • If any recalls are open, schedule service immediately—recall repairs are always free.
  • Consider setting up VIN-specific alerts to receive notification of future recalls.
🛒

If You're Buying Used

  • Request documentation proving all recalls were addressed before finalizing purchase.
  • Factor potential recall-related service time into your ownership cost estimates.

This page is designed to help you decide, not alarm you.

Compare with Similar Vehicles

Data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last updated: January 10, 2026.