Volkswagen yesterday recalled just over 307,000 units of the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport due to a potential fault with the wiring that could disable the front passenger airbags when the seat is occupied.
The recall affects 271,000 Atlas (2021 and 2024) and Atlas Cross Sport (2020 to 2024) SUVs in the United States, as well as approximately 36,000 units in Canada.
Transport Canada explains the situation as follows: the vehicle’s passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may not operate properly, which could deactivate the front passenger airbag system, even when the seat is occupied.
This issue would cause an error message to appear on the dashboard and an audible warning signal to sound. The airbag warning light would also show the message “passenger airbag off”.
Volkswagen Atlas Cross 2022 | Photo : D.Heyman
This is Volkswagen’s second recall for this issue. As of March 2023, the company recalled 143,000 Atlas (2018-2021) and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles from the year 2020.
The manufacturer said it acted this time as a precautionary measure after receiving 1,730 warranty claims for the replacement of parts of the passenger detection system.
Volkswagen will notify owners by mail by August 16 and ask them to take their vehicle to a dealership to have the occupant detection sensor and seat wiring harness replaced. The company recommends not boarding a person in the front passenger seat if a PODS system error message is displayed on the dashboard or the airbag light indicates the message “passenger airbag off”.
