Model year guide

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross

Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 1 on record.

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross at a glance

Safety recalls14
Combined19–22 mpg

Included: that car's specs and build sheet, model-year recall campaigns and a fair price.

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross recalls 14

Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger NHTSA Campaign #24V464000 · manufacturer #69PZ · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 20/06/2024

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.

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 Volkswa…

Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems NHTSA Campaign #22V815000 · manufacturer #AU:45J7,VW:45J6,45J8 · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 31/10/2022

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…

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 Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 4…

Equipment:electrical:infotainment:software NHTSA Campaign #22V514000 · manufacturer #91DV · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 20/07/2022

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor…

Fix: Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.

Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors NHTSA Campaign #22V245000 · manufacturer #24iD · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 13/04/2022

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Atlas FL and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The long fuel injectors may have been assembled without filters.

Fix: Dealers will replace the long fuel injectors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 20, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24iD.

Air Bags:side/window NHTSA Campaign #22V152000 · manufacturer #97GF · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 28/03/2022

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.

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 · manufacturer #09D9 · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 16/02/2022

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…

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 NHTSA Campaign #21V892000 · manufacturer #87H4 · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 17/11/2021

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.

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.

Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs NHTSA Campaign #21V812000 · manufacturer #40R7 · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 15/10/2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Passat vehicles. The front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the tightness of the wheel bearing bolts and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40R7.

Electrical System:wiring:relays/solenoids NHTSA Campaign #21V616000 · manufacturer #97FR · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 06/08/2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. Damaged relays may have been installed in the engine compartment fuse box, which could inadvertently activate the horn or engine starter.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and as necessary, replace the relays, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97FR.

Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs NHTSA Campaign #21V132000 · manufacturer #44Q9 · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 03/03/2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The lug bolt holes on the wheels may have been machined incorrectly, preventing the wheel bolt from sufficiently attaching to the wheel bearing hub.

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four wheels, and as necessary, replace the wheels, lug bolts ,and wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 44Q9.

Steering NHTSA Campaign #21V026000 · manufacturer #40Q7 · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 27/01/2021

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.

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.

Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera NHTSA Campaign #20V716000 · manufacturer #91BB / 91BC · NHTSA lists this under Atlas Cross Sport · 18/11/2020

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.

Source: U.S. NHTSA, checked 14 Oct 2026. A campaign covers the model year; to see whether a particular car still needs the repair, check its VIN on NHTSA.gov or ask a franchised dealer.

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross MPG & running costs

Combined19–22 mpg
City19 mpg
Highway24 mpg
Est. annual fuel cost$3,250
EPA size classSmall Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
TransmissionAutomatic (S8)
Forced inductionTurbocharged
Engine start-stopYes
5-yr fuel cost vs average new car$4,250 more

Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov. The EPA lists 4 versions of this model year; combined is shown as a range and the other figures are averages.

Estimated 5-year cost to own

A rough guide to what running a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross costs over five years and 75,000 miles.

Fuel (5 yrs)$16,250
Fuel only$16,250
Per mile$0.22

How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. There aren't enough comparable listings to estimate depreciation for this model, so it is left out. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross vehicles on record

Other Volkswagen Atlas Cross model years

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross — frequently asked questions

Does the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross have any safety recalls?

NHTSA lists 14 recall campaigns for the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross. Whether an individual car still needs a recall repair depends on its VIN — check it on NHTSA.gov or ask a franchised dealer. Recall repairs are done at no charge.

What gas mileage does the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross get?

The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross has U.S. EPA estimates of 19–22 mpg combined, depending on engine and trim (4 versions).

Sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, crash tests), U.S. EPA (fuel economy). Vehicle data only — CarLogs never shows owner information.