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EnginePart report

2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Engine Problems

Complaints
6about this part
Share
30%of 20 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the engine of the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, 30% of the 20 complaints for this model year.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The car will stop suddenly at a red light or when slowing in traffic without warning. I have to stop the car, put in park, and restart the engine often when the light turns green and I'm not moving The ACC eco-feature is typically off/disabled, so it isn't the issue. A few scary times being in traffic at a red light and then the car stops working. Not an engine problem. Earlier versions have had a recall, but not my year. May need to consider extending the recall and fix.”

NHTSA complaint #11546246, filed 2023-09

“The components that failed or malfunctioned was the fuel pump & fuel system components. During the 1st incident, while driving at approx. 50 mph, I quickly lost acceleration, which caused me to slow down very quickly until I had no acceleration power - this took a matter of 10 seconds or less. After losing power, the smell of gas consumed the cabin, & the engine was unable to start, resulting in the vehicle having to be towed. This incident happened at 1,005 miles on a brand new car. I had only owned it about 2 1/2 weeks. …”

NHTSA complaint #11546921, filed 2023-09

“My car shuts off while driving. Also I have had brake issues. Grinding noise and loud noise. They relaced the brake pads that I had to pay for because manufactur pads would have cause the same issue. Now my car is shaking while I brake. They said I need new rotors. With the car shutting off while driving is my main concern. It has shut off a total of 8 time since I have owned it. Shut off radomly on street, parking lots and freeway going 65mph. I have my grand children in my car a lot. So therfore, this is a high risk safety concern of mine.”

NHTSA complaint #11590253, filed 2024-05

“My car cuts off while driving. For instance, I was at a red light, in the left turning lane, and the light turned green. I pressed the gas and it started going and then just cut off. Luckily there was no car behind me. However, I was halfway in the intersection as cars were coming towards me. I had my 3 year old in the car. This is very dangerous. This is just one incident. When backing out of a parking spot, I will get half way out of the spot and it cuts off. I’ve taken it to the dealership, but they won’t help since they can’t duplicate it. …”

NHTSA complaint #11573794, filed 2024-02

“The vehicle simply shuts off with no warning or reason. I should NOT have to explain to anybody how this is a safety hazard to the driver and others around the vehicle. It shuts down while in a car wash and the vehicle is in Neutral. Thus, I have to brake, place the trans in Park then manually restart. The same happens at Stop Lights. All the time this is happening, the vehicle's Auto On/Auto Off mode has been manually disabled. VW KNOWS about this issue, although the dealerships like to play dumb, as it has been going on for several years now with still no solution in sight! …”

NHTSA complaint #11572589, filed 2024-02

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025520%
20241616%
2023630%
20222026%
20213320%
202098%

Other parts of the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Air bags
5 complaints
Other or unknown
4 complaints
Brakes
3 complaints
Electrical system
3 complaints
Exterior lighting
3 complaints
Fuel system
2 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
1 complaints
Vehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology