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EnginePart report

2025 Volkswagen Atlas Engine Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
14%of 51 total for the year
Median mileage
10,000miles
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the engine of the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, 14% of the 51 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 10,000 miles. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

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.

“I was driving on the road and my car just turned off. The car turned off mid drive. When I tried to turn the car on again, the engine revved and within a few seconds the car turned off again. The dash showed an error message Error: Drive system. Please service vehicle. When the tow truck came, the tow truck driver said he has seen this issue before with VW Atlas cars. He tried to turn the car on again, and the same thing happened. …”

NHTSA complaint #11711633, filed 2026-01

“Wednesday (02/18/2026), while driving to work, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road at a red light. It would not move at all. I had to call roadside assistance, and the vehicle was ultimately towed. Being stranded in the middle of an intersection with traffic approaching at speed was not only humiliating — it was life-threatening. Vehicles were coming from behind, and I narrowly avoided what could have been a serious accident. Suddenly, my dashboard started showing all sorts or error and warning message. …”

NHTSA complaint #11721314, filed 2026-03

“The vehicle has approximately 15,000 miles and it’s less than two years old. It has a pretty significant oil leak from the oil inlet tube. This leak was appearing from the rear differential despite starting at the turbo. I took the car to two different dealerships and after 3 visits and multiple hours of time, a dealership found a TSB related to my issue (212602). The oil leak is a known defect and VW does not authorize any repair or fix. I have contacted VW customer service multiple times using multiple methods and have not gotten a resolution. …”

NHTSA complaint #11764206, filed 2026-09

“I have had several malfunctions in the past year with my brand new 2025 atlas. It started 6 months into my lease when it threw 7 different lights while driving down the street. I stopped at a light and put the car in park. After that it would not go back in drive. I had to get pushed out of the road with all my kids in the car. And have it towed to the dealership. They stated it just needed an update. After that everything started failing. The sunroof motor had to be replaced. The inside dome lights had to be replaced. The window motor had to be replaced. …”

NHTSA complaint #11757649, filed 2026-08

“The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact was unable to move to the side of the road and called the Police. The Police helped to push the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission control module needed to be updated. …”

NHTSA complaint #11721428, filed 2026-03, 10,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026431%
2025714%
20243017%
20233726%
20225027%
20218618%
2020311%
20196012%
201810021%

Other parts of the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas

Electrical system
18 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
13 complaints
Other or unknown
12 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
7 complaints
Brakes
5 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
4 complaints
Lane departure
4 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints
Exterior lighting
2 complaints
Steering
2 complaints
Suspension
2 complaints
Vehicle speed control
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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