Pontiac Trans Sport vs Volkswagen Atlas

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure Pontiac Trans Sport Volkswagen Atlas
Complaints on file 1,262 3,037
Model years covered 1984–2003 2018–2026
Worst model year 1998 2018
Best model year 1996 2026
Crashes reported 75 71
Fires reported 45 9
Injuries reported 46 70
Deaths reported 2 0
Most complained-about part Engine & Cooling Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm 13.3% 4.9%

Pontiac Trans Sport by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 164 13.0%
Body & Structure 136 10.8%
Seat Belts 119 9.4%
Steering 107 8.5%
Brakes 100 7.9%
Lights 80 6.3%

Volkswagen Atlas by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 479 15.8%
Engine & Cooling 376 12.4%
Airbags 374 12.3%
Brakes 360 11.9%
Lights 120 4.0%