Volkswagen Electrical System: Fuses and Circuit Breakers

Volkswagen is recalling about 33 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. A horn or starter that remains activated for an extended period of time can overheat, increasing the risk of fire.

Campaign
21V616000
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Reported
6 August 2021
Vehicles
33
Built between
Not published
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
27 August 2021
Repaired
100%
Unrepaired
0

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 2021 Volkswagen Atlas
  • 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Repair progress

The manufacturer reports every reachable vehicle in this recall has been repaired, as of Q1 2023.

100% repaired — 33 of 33 reported

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. Damaged relays may have been installed in the engine compartment fuse box, which could inadvertently activate the horn or engine starter.

What could happen

A horn or starter that remains activated for an extended period of time can overheat, increasing the risk of fire.

What gets fixed

Dealers will inspect and as necessary, replace the relays, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021.

Parts involved

  • Relay4H0.951.253.CRelay in engine compartment fuse box

Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA6 August 2021
  2. Owners notified27 August 2021
  3. Latest repair reportQ1 2023 — 100% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 6 August 2021.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97FR.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
97FR
Recalling manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional 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.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand