2018-2021 Volkswagen Atlas Front Passenger Air Bag Sensor Fault
Volkswagen is recalling certain 2018–2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles because a wiring fault in the passenger occupant detection system may deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.
What this means for you
Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.
Our severity reasoning: This is a structural vehicle safety defect involving deactivation of a protective system (front passenger air bag), which creates significant risk of injury during a crash. The rubric identifies structural vehicle defects as Severe (score 4).
Plain-English summary
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2018–2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring that causes the front passenger air bag to deactivate even when the seat is occupied.
A deactivated passenger air bag increases the risk of injury during a crash. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 22, 2024.
Affected owners should contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153). Dealers will replace the PODS sensor mat and wiring harness at no charge. Volkswagen's recall number is 69FB.
The recalled product
- Product
- 2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS
- Brand
- VOLKSWAGEN
- Manufacturer
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Category
- Vehicle — Air Bag System
- Hazard
- air-bag-deactivation
- occupant-detection-failure
- Affected units
- 143,053
Is your product affected?
Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.
Model numbers (2)
- ATLAS
- ATLAS CROSS SPORT
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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