The defect
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.
The risk
A water leak may damage the air bag control module, causing an inadvertent air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
The remedy
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.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Atlas | 2021 |
| Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport | 2020, 2021 |
Components: AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE | VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Atlas | 2021 | 480 | 17 |
| Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport | 2020 | 107 | 11 |
| Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport | 2021 | 165 | 14 |
Other air bags recalls in 2021
65 of the 988 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2021 concerned the air bags; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 21V980000 16 Dec 2021 | Ford Motor Company |
| 21V925000 24 Nov 2021 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 21V923000 24 Nov 2021 | Ford Motor Company |
| 21V874000 10 Nov 2021 | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| 21V873000 10 Nov 2021 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 21V868000 9 Nov 2021 | Tesla, Inc. |
| 21V860000 5 Nov 2021 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
| 21V834000 25 Oct 2021 | Tesla, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2021