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Exterior lightingPart report

2023 Volkswagen Atlas Exterior lighting Problems

Complaints
15about this part
Share
11%of 142 total for the year
Median mileage
55,000miles
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

NHTSA recorded 15 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, 11% of the 142 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 55,000 miles.

Example complaints

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

“I noticed today that my daytime running light strip is out on my driver side headlight I notice it’s a common issue on this year model Atlas. I know the daytime running lot helps people see you when your going down the road.”

NHTSA complaint #11766748, filed 2026-09

“Car was returned from VW dealer Friday for door harness replacement. Saturday night around 930pm we were driving on the toll road when the car starts malfunctioning at 75mph. Various warnings flashed and beeped. My husband was trying to keep control and merge over to slower lanes so we could pull over to safety. During this time the speedometer showed we were going zero which we clearly were not, windows started rolling down then the vehicles screens and outside lighting went black. This is at night while trying to get over 3 lanes of traffic safely. We coasted off ramp where car died. …”

NHTSA complaint #11516541, filed 2023-04

“The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH he noticed the headlights were out independently. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that headlight assembly needed to replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 55,000.”

NHTSA complaint #11735493, filed 2026-05, 55,000 miles

“The daytime running lights are not working. It is a safety concern by not being seen easily by oncoming drivers. No warnings were given prior to going out. This seems to be a common problem among same vehicle make and model according to forums on the internet. The only way to be repaired is to replace the entire headlamp assembly at a cost of $1500-$2000 which is not feasible.”

NHTSA complaint #11737102, filed 2026-05

“Head lights not fully functioning. Day time running lights not providing adequate visibility. There have been many complaints and many owners experiencing this issues routinely around the same amount of miles. There was no indication of the issue in any way shape or form on the dashboard .”

NHTSA complaint #11678375, filed 2025-08

Related service bulletins

Exterior lighting: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202617%
202524%
202495%
20231511%
2022148%
20217015%
201920%
2018143%

Other parts of the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas

Electrical system
37 complaints
Engine
37 complaints
Other or unknown
26 complaints
Air bags
22 complaints
Fuel system
20 complaints
Brakes
15 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
9 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
8 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
5 complaints
Lane departure
3 complaints
Steering
3 complaints
Engine cooling
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas

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