Recalls apply to specific production ranges. To see whether a particular car still has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Repairs for safety recalls are free at authorised dealers.
2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport recalls
Air bags: sensor, occupant classification, front passenger
NHTSA campaign 24V464000 · reported June 20, 2024 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 271,330 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2024. Owner notification letters will be mailed in phases, on October 18, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, and January 17, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69PZ.
Air bags: sensor, occupant classification, front passenger
NHTSA campaign 23V215000 · reported March 29, 2023 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 143,053 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash.
- The fix
- 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.
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
NHTSA campaign 22V815000 · reported October 31, 2022 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 296,044 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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."
- The risk
- An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- 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.
Air bags: side/window
NHTSA campaign 22V152000 · reported March 28, 2022 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 222,892 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- A delayed air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
- The fix
- 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.
Equipment: other, labels
NHTSA campaign 22V086000 · reported February 16, 2022 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 3,648 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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."
- The risk
- Without the reduced GVWR label, the vehicle could be overloaded, leading to a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- 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.
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module · Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system
NHTSA campaign 21V892000 · reported November 17, 2021 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 54,429 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- A water leak may damage the air bag control module, causing an inadvertent air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will repair the drain tube and replace the air bag control module, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87H4.
Steering
NHTSA campaign 21V026000 · reported January 27, 2021 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 10,303 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- A fractured steering knuckle can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace one or both steering knuckles, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q7.
Steering
NHTSA campaign 20V712000 · reported November 17, 2020 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 776 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- A damaged steering knuckle can fail, causing a loss of steering, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the steering knuckle, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40Q6. Note: Owners are advised to DO NOT DRIVE the vehicle until the vehicle has been inspected and repaired if necessary.
Tires: sidewall
NHTSA campaign 20V702000 · reported November 13, 2020 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 760 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- Over cured tires can result in a sidewall break causing a sudden loss of air pressure or the tread separating from the tire. Both conditions increase the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect DOT date code and mold number on the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q5.
Exterior lighting: headlights
NHTSA campaign 20V504000 · reported August 26, 2020 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 11 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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 number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- The risk
- A headlight aimed incorrectly aimed reduces the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will adjust the driver's side headlight, free of charge. The recall began September 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94N7.
Seats
NHTSA campaign 20V505000 · reported August 26, 2020 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · 5,376 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.
- The fix
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
What owners report
Recent complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. These are unverified accounts from owners, not findings.
Oct 22, 2026 · Power train · 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact became aware of an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the transmission shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that…
Oct 17, 2026 · Structure
I am reporting a potential safety defect involving the hood-release mechanism on my 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The interior hood-release lever/latch has failed, preventing me from opening the hood through the normal release mechanism. This creates a safety concern because I cannot access the engine compartment…
Sep 11, 2026 · Air bags
Air Bag error-seat occupant classification module-passenger side occupant detection sensor is defective. Air bag may not deploy upon impact. Confirmed that airbag sensor is defective at dealership. Airbag error first appeared one week ago at 75k miles. VW will not cover cost to repair defective air bag sensor.
Sep 8, 2026 · Steering
steering went out completly and the SUV shut off in the middle of the street. had to restart car to get it home. SUV shut off in the middle of a turn. Had the SUV checked at dealership and they found a bad steering unit. I had the SUV in 3 times with the complaint and they found nothing until the warranty ran out…
Sep 2, 2026 · Unknown or other
VW SOS system TCU has gone bad. I see this as a safety issue and VW will not replace under warranty
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint data, updated October 27, 2026. Latest complaint received October 22, 2026.