Volkswagen must recall a total of 663 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because of a braking issue.
The problem revolves around the vehicles’ brake lines, which can, per a Volkswagen investigation, leak at the threaded connection. The issue was caused by tooling equipment in the factory, which had not been set up correctly after maintenance. The issue only affects 2023 model year vehicles.
Specifically, in the U.S. Volkswagen is recalling 326 Atlases made between September 1 and September 15, 2022, and 206 Atlas Cross Sports made between September 2 and September 15, 2022. The production dates for the models in Canada are not specified, but 72 Atlases and 59 Atlas Cross Sports are included in that recall.
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Volkswagen first became aware of the problem on September 14, 2022, when an internal report came in about brake lines leaking. On September 19, following an analysis, the company issued a stop sale and two days later the matter was presented to VW’s Product Safety Committee and a recall was initiated.
Fortunately, the automaker is not aware of any field complaints or injuries related to this issue, largely because it was identified internally. That’s good news because a leaking brake line can be a major issue.
If a leak in the brake lines persists, fluid can run low, and the brakes may not work as effectively as expected. Owners are warned to watch out for long travel in the brake pedal and a low brake fluid warning light in the dash.
Volkswagen plans to start getting in touch with owners of 2023 Atlases on November 23. They will be asked to come back to the dealership, where their brake lines will be replaced at no cost, where necessary. Since this issue was caught so quickly, owners are unlikely to have had to pay for a repair and, if they noticed the issue, it would have been covered under warranty, so a reimbursement plan is not necessary.
