Campaign 21V-812

Front wheel bearing bolts may have been incorrectly tightened

Defect summary

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.

Consequence

The bolts may loosen and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file, campaign 21V812000. Text as published by NHTSA.

Vehicles covered

3 product lines are covered

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA about suspension on these vehicles: 5, of which 0 involved a crash, fire, injury or death. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Vehicles covered by campaign 21V-812
Make	Model	Model years	Complaints on this component
Volkswagen	Atlas	2021	1
Volkswagen	Atlas Cross Sport	2021	4
Volkswagen	Passat	2021	0

Source: NHTSA ODI recalls and complaints files. Equipment, tire and child-seat campaigns list products, not vehicles.

Investigation

No NHTSA investigation is linked to this recall

Most recalls are started by the manufacturer. This one lists "Manufacturer" as its origin.

Before the recall

18 service bulletins on this component came first

Distinct manufacturer communications on the same component group, make, model and model year in the 24 months before the report date.

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications file.

Service bulletins

25V-428 Jun 27, 2025
Retaining ring on top of the suspension strut may come loose, resulting in a dislodged strut and air loss from the strut spring
23V-437 Jun 21, 2023
Strut mount may be deformed, loosening the bolted connections to the suspension strut mounting
22V-927 Dec 14, 2022
Retaining ring on top of the suspension strut may come loose, resulting air loss from the strut spring
22V-807 Oct 26, 2022
Driver-side rear trailing arm bolts may not have been tightened properly, allowing them to loosen and fall out
22V-176 Mar 23, 2022
Second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available
22V-034 Jan 26, 2022
Rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed