Volkswagen bulletin VWC 25 03
What it saysThe following communication advises punch times have been waved for the 10X5 safety recall NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Volkswagen filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Feb 21, 2025, received Mar 5, 2025, about the engine. It names 2 model years (2024–2025). A manufacturer communication is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThe following communication advises punch times have been waved for the 10X5 safety recall
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VWC 25 03 | Other | Feb 21, 2025 | 11014957 |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 353 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 63 of them name Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that while driving, there was oil leaking from the engine nearby the exhaust. The contact became aware of the oil on the driveway. The contact raised the hood and smelled an oil odor. The contact associated the failure with Technical Service Bulletin: 21-26-02.
2025 Volkswagen Atlas · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 21, 2026 · ODI 11772622
Vehicle had multiple engine malfunction lights appear and start/stop failures. Vehicle failed to start properly and speed was limited to prevent damage engine. Happened while I was driving it and I had to pull over and had the vehicle towed. An authorized dealer, Auto Import Inc in Brainerd, MN has had the vehicle since July 29th.
2024 Volkswagen Atlas · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 11, 2024 · ODI 11607846
In depth: 2024 Volkswagen Atlas engine problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group55 other manufacturer communications filed against the Volkswagen Atlas under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Volkswagen list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| V0116152014815_20 | Service bulletin | Sep 17, 2026 | Suggested fuel additive |
| V1718062017813_24 | Service bulletin | Jul 9, 2026 | Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement |
| VWP-26-07 FAQ | Warranty extension | Jul 6, 2026 | For applicable 2018-2022 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport 3.6L Settlement Class Vehicles (NA6 warranty key), the New Vehicle Limited Warranty wil… |
| V0125062079645_3 | Service bulletin | Jun 22, 2026 | Excess flashing left behind during the intake manifold injection molding process can cause a lean misfire in affected cylinders. |
| TT 13-20-01_3 | Service bulletin | Jun 18, 2026 | Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start. |
| TT 10-18-02_2 | Other | Jun 18, 2026 | Lubricating engine components before reassembly. |
| V2126022082009_2 | Service bulletin | Jun 12, 2026 | Oil Leak from Turbocharger Air Inlet Elbow |
| V1719012012855_81 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Volkswagen, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Volkswagen VWC 25 03 a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the VWC 25 03 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Volkswagen warranty extension on file lists the ones Volkswagen has filed.
Which vehicles does VWC 25 03 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.