— A Volkswagen Atlas steering knuckle recall includes more than 10,300 SUVs at risk of losing control if the steering knuckles break.
The 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport recall follows a steering knuckle recall in November 2020.
But VW found a certain batch of parts may have been affected by the faulty parts that caused the previous Atlas recall.
In October 2020, the steering knuckle supplier contacted VW about two parts that failed when the strut mounts were tightened. An investigation showed the parts were built out of specification, but engineers couldn't duplicate the failures.
The automaker also investigated the consequences of driving with the steering knuckles and determined the faulty parts came from a batch called JD253.
That's when VW decided to order a small recall of Atlas SUVs built with the JD253 steering knuckles.
However, further investigation found an additional steering knuckle failure from a batch called JD254, convincing VW the faulty parts were mixed into two production batches.
The 2021 Atlas and 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport recall is expected to begin March 26, 2021. Volkswagen dealerships will replace one or both steering knuckles.
Atlas owners may call VW at 800-893-5298 and use recall reference number 40Q7.
