2018 Volkswagen Atlas: Recalls, Problems & MPG
Here are the deets on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas: 17 recalls, 466 owner complaints and up to 24 mpg combined.
Recalls
17 vehicle recalls from the manufacturer. Repairs are free. Check your VIN to see if one is still open on your car.
Fuel system Vehicle recall #17V766000 · 2017 · 58 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 atlas vehicles. The fuel tank May have been manufactured with insufficient wall thickness, potentially resulting in the tank leaking fuel. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (fmvss) number 301, "fuel system integrity."
Why it matters: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began December 10, 2017.
Fuel system Vehicle recall #18V284000 · 2018 · 278 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain Volkswagen atlas vehicles. The fuel tank on these vehicles May leak fuel due to a manufacturing error. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (fmvss) number 301, "fuel system integrity."
Why it matters: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018.
Brakes (hydraulic) Vehicle recall #18V369000 · 2018 · 10,225 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen atlas, passat, beetle, beetle convertible, golf, golf sportwagen and gti and Audi q5 and sq5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles May have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Why it matters: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers.
Airbags Vehicle recall #18V375000 · 2018 · 821 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen atlas and tiguan vehicles. In the event of a crash, the passenger frontal air bag May tear or not properly unfold during deployment.
Why it matters: If the air bag were to tear or unfold incorrectly during deployment, it can increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2018.
Seat belts Vehicle recall #18V380000 · 2018 · 54,729 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (volkswaen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen atlas vehicles. The owner's manuals provided with the affected vehicles do not inform the customers about the child restraint size limitation/restrictions for the second row center seating position. As a result, the center and adjacent outboard seat belt buckles on the second row can become damaged it a child seat base is installed…
Why it matters: A damaged seat belt buckle can release unexpectedly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the center and left outboard seat belt buckles, and replace them if necessary, free of charge. Volkswagen will also provide an owner's manual supplement addressing child safety and child restraints. The recall began June 29, 2018.
Brakes (hydraulic) Vehicle recall #18V536000 · 2018 · 8,416 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen atlas and 2017-2018 Volkswagen passat vehicles. The brake caliper bracket mounting bolts on these vehicles May not have been tightened sufficiently.
Why it matters: The loose brake bracket bolts can allow the caliper to move, reducing braking ability or causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Additionally brake caliper fasteners, bleeder valve, and brake hose bolts will be checked and torqued to the correct specification, if…
Airbags Vehicle recall #18V537000 · 2018 · 9,685 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen atlas vehicles. During production, the air conditioning system drain tube May have been twisted, causing water to drain into the air bag control module.
Why it matters: The wet air bag control module May result in an unintentional deployment of the air bags, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air conditioning drain tube, and if it is twisted, the drain tube and air bag control module will be replaced, free of charge. Some of the affected vehicles have had their drain tube previously replaced but did not receive a new air bag…
Electrical Vehicle recall #18V824000 · 2018 · 73,549 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen atlas and tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster May not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard…
Why it matters: If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018.
Suspension Vehicle recall #18V904000 · 2018 · 6,322 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen atlas, 2015 Volkswagen golf sportwagen, and 2019 Volkswagen jetta vehicles. The rear coil springs May prematurely fracture.
Why it matters: If a coil spring fractures while driving, it May damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2019.
Exterior lights Vehicle recall #19V389000 · 2019 · 662,185 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen passat and 2018-2019 atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim May not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (fmvss) number 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Why it matters: Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019.
Airbags Vehicle recall #20V057000 · 2020 · 7 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 atlas vehicles. The vehicles May be equipped with an incorrectly manufactured air bag sensor, which can delay or disable air bag deployment when necessary.
Why it matters: In the event of a crash necessitating frontal air bag deployment, a delayed or disabled airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag crash sensor, free of charge. The recall began February 21, 2020.
Other / unknown Vehicle recall #20V561000 · 2020 · 23 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen golf r and atlas, 2017 golf alltrack and e-golf and 2016-2018 passat vehicles. These internal use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and May have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles May fail to comply with the requirements of various federal motor…
Why it matters: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements May have an increased risk of a crash or injury to vehicle occupants.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. The recall began October 6, 2020.
Tires Vehicle recall #21V142000 · 2021 · 2,535 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 atlas vehicles equipped with continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Why it matters: Over cured tires May develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2021.
Other / unknown Vehicle recall #21V321000 · 2021 · 46 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 touareg gp, tiguan, golf a6, e-golf gp, ccf, 2016-2017 passat gp, 2018-2019 golf r gp, and 2018 atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and May have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles May fail to comply with the requirements of…
Why it matters: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements May have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
The fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021.
Equipment Vehicle recall #22V086000 · 2022 · 3,648 vehicles
What's wrong: 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…
Why it matters: 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.
Airbags Vehicle recall #23V215000 · 2023 · 143,053 vehicles
What's wrong: 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.
Why it matters: 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.
Steering Vehicle recall #26V590000 · 2026 · 208,724 vehicles
What's wrong: Volkswagen group of america, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 tiguan, 2018-2019 atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe May corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.
Why it matters: A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the right-side steering rack mounting bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 10, 2026.
Most-reported problems
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component. One complaint can list several components. 0 mention a fire, 18 injuries and 0 deaths were reported.
What owners describe
- Electrical (111): the most common themes are electrical failure (62), stalls / loses power (30), warning light on (20).
- Engine (100): the most common themes are warning light on (31), stalls / loses power (26), electrical failure (26).
- Airbags (100): the most common themes are warning light on (10).
- Brakes (74): the most common themes are warning light on (11), noise or vibration (7).
The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas has 466 owner complaints, ranking #3 of 9 Atlas model years for complaints (2.1× the average Atlas year). Complaints peaked in 2019 (93 filed that year). The typical problem showed up when the car was about 3 years old, at a median of 15,741 miles. Neighboring years: 2019 (481 complaints, 12 recalls).
Engines & fuel economy (EPA)
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | City | Hwy | Comb. | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 L 4-cyl turbo | Automatic (S8) | Front-Wheel Drive | 22 | 26 | 24 | Regular |
| 3.6 L 6-cyl | Automatic (S8) | Front-Wheel Drive | 18 | 25 | 20 | Regular |
Want the full repair deets? Get the factory manual.
Recall and complaint data tells you what goes wrong. A service manual tells you how to fix it: torque specs, wiring diagrams, fluid capacities and step-by-step procedures for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas.
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FAQ
Does the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 17 vehicle recalls for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, no matter how old the car is. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What are the most common 2018 Volkswagen Atlas problems?
Owners have filed 466 complaints with NHTSA. The most-reported areas are electrical (111), engine (100), airbags (100).
What gas mileage does the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas get?
EPA ratings run up to 24 mpg combined (2.0 L, Automatic (S8)), across 2 engine and transmission combos.
Where can I get a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas repair manual?
eManualOnline sells downloadable manuals, Mitchell 1 DIY and ALLDATAdiy sell online access to factory repair data, and Haynes sells printed guides and online access. Pick a download if you want to keep it, or a subscription for wiring diagrams and TSBs.