Photo: Volkswagen
Thyssen-Krupp Automotive System, the supplier of the bolts for the rear trailing arms in the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, informed Volkswagen of an issue with said bolts on August 30th. The automaker immediately started risk assessment, although the final clarification of the root cause had to wait until September 39th. The problem was presented to the Pre-Product Safety Committee on October 13th, and mere days later, the Product Safety Committee determined that a safety recall is necessary.
As it happens, the bolts may loosen over time. If even one of these bolts falls out, the trailing arm may fracture due to overload around the remaining bolts. Excessive movement of the driver-side rear wheel bearing carrier affects the handling characteristics of the vehicle, potentially resulting in a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
TKAS told VW that “improper parameter programming of the automatic tightening station” is to blame for the loose bolts. Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport owners may identify this issue by noticing knocking noises from the rear suspension. The suspect bolts carry part numbers WHT.005.749, N.912.686.01, and N.106.284.01 as per a report filed with the NHTSA.
Owners will be informed by first-class mail on December 25th, the day authorized retailers will be instructed to replace the driver-side rear trailing arm bolts. The remedy components bear the very same part numbers and specifications because the bolts per se are fine. In order to eliminate any likelihood of improper tightening, additional control limits have been added to the torque strategy at the supplier’s assembly plant.
A grand total of 33 vehicles are called back, split between 21 units of the three-row Atlas and 12 units of the two-row Atlas Cross Sport. The affected population of Atlas SUVs was produced between April 11th and July 14th for the 2022 model year at the Chattanooga assembly plant. The affected population of Atlas Cross Sport SUVs carries build dates ranging between April 11th and August 6th for the 2022 and 2023 model years.
TKAS told VW that “improper parameter programming of the automatic tightening station” is to blame for the loose bolts. Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport owners may identify this issue by noticing knocking noises from the rear suspension. The suspect bolts carry part numbers WHT.005.749, N.912.686.01, and N.106.284.01 as per a report filed with the NHTSA.
Owners will be informed by first-class mail on December 25th, the day authorized retailers will be instructed to replace the driver-side rear trailing arm bolts. The remedy components bear the very same part numbers and specifications because the bolts per se are fine. In order to eliminate any likelihood of improper tightening, additional control limits have been added to the torque strategy at the supplier’s assembly plant.
A grand total of 33 vehicles are called back, split between 21 units of the three-row Atlas and 12 units of the two-row Atlas Cross Sport. The affected population of Atlas SUVs was produced between April 11th and July 14th for the 2022 model year at the Chattanooga assembly plant. The affected population of Atlas Cross Sport SUVs carries build dates ranging between April 11th and August 6th for the 2022 and 2023 model years.
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