VehicleVerdict

2018 Volkswagen Atlas electrical system problems

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas has 121 electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA — 19% of the year's total, and the first year with meaningful reports in this category.

121

Electrical System complaints

19%

Share of year

0

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Electrical System complaints by year

Atlas electrical system complaints by model year144 complaints2018: 121 complaints2019: 75 complaints2020: 11 complaints2021: 144 complaints2022: 39 complaints2023: 24 complaints2024: 39 complaints2025: 14 complaints2026: 1 complaints
Atlas electrical system complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

18V824000Electrical SystemNovember 26, 2018 · 73,549 units

Defect

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 (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."

Consequence

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.

Remedy

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.

What owners report

TWO WEEKS AGO, OUR 2018 ATLAS DISPLAYED FAULTY STEERING LOCK. VEHICLE WAS DISABLED AND TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. AFTER $1,300 IN REPAIRS WITH NEW STEERING MODULE, THE VEHICLE DISPLAYS THIS AGAIN, AND WON'T MOVE. VEHICLE IS AT DEALERSHIP AGAIN AND IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IF THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING, THE…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · March 14, 2021

Common questions

How many electrical system complaints does the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas have?

NHTSA has 121 complaints about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas electrical system — 19% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas electrical system?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the electrical system: 18V824000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.