Total Complaints
145 filings
VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS CROSS SPORT · model year
145 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports, and 11 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2020VOLKSWAGENATLAS CROSS SPORT carries 145 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 1 fire, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2020 ATLAS CROSS SPORT is electrical system with 31 filings, followed by unknown or other (19) and service brakes (18). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 11 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2020 ATLAS CROSS SPORT. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
145 filings
Crashes Reported
4 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 31 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 19 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 18 |
| AIR BAGS | 16 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | 13 |
| ENGINE | 9 |
| STEERING | 7 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 |
| SUSPENSION | 3 |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 3 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 |
| WHEELS | 2 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | 2 |
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 t
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.
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 fro
STEERING
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The front steering knuckle may fracture in the area of the strut mounting.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Atlas Cross Sports and 2021 Atlas vehicles. The driver's side headlight may have been aimed too low during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numb
SEATS
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Atlas and 2020-2024 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.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The air conditioning system drain tube could be blocked, causing water to leak inside the vehicle near the air bag control module.
STEERING
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. One or both steering knuckles may have been damaged during production.
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, the
TIRES:SIDEWALL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport and 2021 Atlas vehicles equipped with Continental Cross Contact LX Sport tires, size 255/50 R 20 105 T. The tires may have been over cured.
February 2025, just outside the warranty period, the hood latch had become disconnected/broken under the hood. There is a point where the two piece cable is joined under the hood and the cable breaks at this point. There is an obvious defect in the hood latch system and puts drivers at risk as the hood cannot be opened if needed possibly stranding a driver on the road with a non-functioning vehicle and no way to assess or repair the issue. Think low oil, overheating engine, no wiper fluid, fuse blown, no way to assess the issue. This is a common problem as found in internet forums. Many complaints have been filed with the NHTSA see campaign numbers 11693537, 11691685, 11681799, 11648046, 11630017. The fix involves removing the left front tire, removing the wheel well trim and and under fender skirting (25+ torx head screws), locating and opening cable junction box in the engine compartment from under the wheel well and pulling the cable with pliers to open the hood. The broken
February 2025, just outside the warranty period, the hood latch had become disconnected/broken under the hood. There is a point where the two piece cable is joined under the hood and the cable breaks at this point. There is an obvious defect in the hood latch system and puts drivers at risk as the hood cannot be opened if needed possibly stranding a driver on the road with a non-functioning vehicle and no way to assess or repair the issue. Think low oil, overheating engine, no wiper fluid, fuse blown, no way to assess the issue. This is a common problem as found in internet forums. Many complaints have been filed with the NHTSA see campaign numbers 11693537, 11691685, 11681799, 11648046, 11630017. The fix involves removing the left front tire, removing the wheel well trim and and under fender skirting (25+ torx head screws), locating and opening cable junction box in the engine compartment from under the wheel well and pulling the cable with pliers to open the hood. The broken
I purchased a new 2020 Atlas Cross Sport in 2020. The car currently has 108,000 miles. In the time I have owned the car I have had to replace the heater core THREE times. The heater core has failed once again and I must replace it a FOURTH time. The dealer (Nucar, Norwood, MA) nor VW will admit the defect and I must pay $1000.00 to replace the defective part. This part is obviously defective. I want nothing more than to have the part replaced with a quality VW replacement part. I would also recommend that your organization investigate VW for a parts issue that is impacting many VW owners.
While traveling south on Wheeler Road at the underpass of the Long Island Expressway my 2020 Volkswagon Atlas Cross Sport's emergency braking system gets activated. This has happened multiple times at approximatly 12:20 AM while heading home from work. I took the car to the dealer but the dealer said there was no way to check what happened unless the diagnostic machine was connected at the time it happened. Again, this has happened multiple times, the most recent being both January second and the third. There is no reason why this happenes as it is dark and not a sunglare issue, therei s no change of lighting, no pavement changes or obstructions, and no traffic in front of me. When this happens it scares the hell out of me because there isnt any reason why I would expect it to happen thus creating a bit of a dangerous situation for me. Maybe others have reported the same issue to you that you did or could look into the cause of this, possible a radar or broadcast system that could be
The warning light came on signaling an airbag problem. The dealer checked all the wires and connections and determined there must be a problem with vehemently airbag itself and they said it should be replaced.
GAS TANK SEAL FAILED CAUSING COLLAPSE OF GAS TANK AND DAMAGE TO FUEL PUMP. SIMILAR PROBLEM IN OTHER VOLKSWAGON VEHICLES SUCH AS JETTA AND GOLF THAT HAD RECALL IN PAST. VOLKSWAGON COSTUMER SERVICE WAS NOTIFIED, BE FAILED TO OFFER REPAIR COVERAGE DUE TO FACT I HAD THE OIL CHANGED AT A NON VOLKSWAGON SERVICE CENTER. NO WORK WAS DONE ON FUEL SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF OFFICIAL VOLKSWAGON DEALERSHIP.
The car was purchased brand new in 2020. In 2022, the heating core broke and had to be replaced. This has happened again. This is a safety issue, the defroster is blowing cold air and not clearing the windshield properly. Having to drive a vehicle while freezing is also a safety hazard. A vehicle that is 5 years old, should not have this happen twice. Volkswagen was contacted and said there was not anything they could do. I read online that many with 2019 & 2020 Atlas & Atlas Cross sports are having the same issue. It should not take an accident to happen for Volkswagen to do something, Volkswagen needs to correct this issue ASAP.
The car was purchased brand new in 2020. In 2022, the heating core broke and had to be replaced. This has happened again. This is a safety issue, the defroster is blowing cold air and not clearing the windshield properly. Having to drive a vehicle while freezing is also a safety hazard. A vehicle that is 5 years old, should not have this happen twice. Volkswagen was contacted and said there was not anything they could do. I read online that many with 2019 & 2020 Atlas & Atlas Cross sports are having the same issue. It should not take an accident to happen for Volkswagen to do something, Volkswagen needs to correct this issue ASAP.
Pulled out of driveway onto major road. Brake fluid alert showed up on dash. Brakes completely stopped working. Was able to roll the car to a stop. Called tow truck which delivered car to mechanic. Mechanic confirmed that there were no brakes and advised that the brake master cylinder leaked into the brake booster which caused the brake booster to be damaged. Mechanic needed to remove and replace the the brake master cylinder and the vacuum brake booster.
On Sep 25 2025 my wife parked car in parking lot to check phone messages. The car was in park. When she finished she placed the car in drive. It began to accelerated rapidly even after the brakes were applied and struck a tree. Her foot was not on the accelerator. The car then rolled over onto the driver side door. A police officer in a nearby building saw the crash and said the car was probably at 30mph when it hit the tree. He and two other officers got my wife out of the car. After the car was towed away we contacted VW customer care and asked that the car be examined. The said when the car was returned to drivable condition they would examine it. Hartford insurance totaled the car and said they were not responsible to examine the care and referred us back to VW. Again VW will not go the a salvage yard to examine the car. The car had intermittent electronic signal issues and a previous recall on doors needed to be redone because originally the wrong part was installed. I did experie
On Sep 25 2025 my wife parked car in parking lot to check phone messages. The car was in park. When she finished she placed the car in drive. It began to accelerated rapidly even after the brakes were applied and struck a tree. Her foot was not on the accelerator. The car then rolled over onto the driver side door. A police officer in a nearby building saw the crash and said the car was probably at 30mph when it hit the tree. He and two other officers got my wife out of the car. After the car was towed away we contacted VW customer care and asked that the car be examined. The said when the car was returned to drivable condition they would examine it. Hartford insurance totaled the car and said they were not responsible to examine the care and referred us back to VW. Again VW will not go the a salvage yard to examine the car. The car had intermittent electronic signal issues and a previous recall on doors needed to be redone because originally the wrong part was installed. I did experie
Hood cable release snapped/broke during a routine oil change.
2020 Atlas Cross Sport- hood release cable snapped- known issue. Many complaints online. Needs a recall! Dangerous
The hood latch is broken. After searching the cause I have found that this is a common issue with 2020 VW ATLAS. There needs to be a recall.
Issue: Vehicle Lockout/Fob Unresponsive The combination of opening the passenger door, locking the vehicle with the key fob, and hitting the ignition button once before closing the door, DISABLES THE KEY FOB FUNCTIONALITY AND LOCKS YOU OUT OF THE VEHICLE. The app also becomes unresponsive because the ignition is engaged. The only way to open the car is manually with the key. If you have your child safety locks engaged for the rear seats, your children wont be able to open the doors if they are in a safety harness. This was an accidental order of events. We were never taught how to use the manual key entry when we purchased our vehicle. We were actually right next to the VW dealer the day of the incident and their trained sales person couldn't open the door with the manual key. Once 911 arrived, the fire fighters couldn't do it, and finally the EMT was able to get the key cover off and opened the door. Forced entry with a lockout kit didn't work. We were about to break the glass beca
Noise (Rattle) coming from LH rear wheel well while driving. Brought vehicle to dealer for inspection, found LH rear coil sheared in half. Dealer replaced both rear coil springs. There was a recall for the 2018/2019 Atlas/Cross Sport for the same issue. (NHTSA #18V904000) I believe VW needs to include some if not all 2020 models as well. The failure of the coil spring was not due to abusive driving. This was poor metallurgy. I've never in my life had a coil spring fail.
About a year ago the light of the SOS appear in red and will not reset back to green. The SUV has a warning sign in the dash that does not go off: Error: emergency call function. And an orange triangle in the display who cant go off. The dealer said that Its the car net module defective and is a well known issue with the 2020-2022 Atlases. They were supposed to order a new module and change it in warranty. The module didnt arrive and now they want me to pay for the module in order to change it because the warranty has expired. This module controls all the features in the Atlas, so I cant use anothing connected to the car net, telephone, calls, tracking device, navigation, handsfree and others. Q
I am having the same airbag sensor problem that everyone else is. My vehicle is not part of the recall but should be. This is a known safety hazard.
Steering makes a noise. SOS light is red and it's the second time this happens. Last time the dealerships charged me $700.00 to fixed it. And now it's red again, and it hasn't even passed 2 months.
Steering makes a noise. SOS light is red and it's the second time this happens. Last time the dealerships charged me $700.00 to fixed it. And now it's red again, and it hasn't even passed 2 months.
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.