Volkswagen Atlas and Golf R sold without safety verification

NHTSA campaign 21V321000 · Reported 2021-05-05 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

high How serious is it? About this label

Volkswagen says a vehicle that does not meet all the rules carries a higher risk of injury, crash, or fire, and the company is taking the vehicles back entirely rather than repairing them; the notice does not tell owners to stop driving.

What's wrong, in plain English

These were Volkswagen's own internal-use vehicles that were later sold to the public. Volkswagen never confirmed they were built to all the federal safety rules that apply, and they may have been changed or modified before they were sold. Because of that, Volkswagen cannot say these vehicles meet the standards every new vehicle has to meet. Rather than fixing anything, Volkswagen is buying the vehicles back from their owners.

What you should do

1. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm your vehicle is included.
2. Call Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and ask about recall 01F1; notification letters went out May 20, 2021.
3. Arrange the buyback through Volkswagen or your dealer — there is no cost to you.

Affected vehicles (3)

2018 Volkswagen Atlas
2018 Volkswagen Golf R
2019 Volkswagen Golf R

Who to contact

Volkswagen — official Volkswagen recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-893-5298

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Why is Volkswagen buying back these cars instead of repairing them? · all 3 Volkswagen recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Safety risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Remedy: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.