The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Tuesday that until the occupant-detection systems in the 143,000 recalled Volkswagen Atlas vehicles have been rectified, owners shouldn’t allow passengers to sit in the front seats.
Here in India, the VW Virtus has managed to receive a five-star rating for both adult and child occupant protection.
Read on to find out why NHTSA has issued this warning for VW Atlas owners!
NHTSA Restricts VW Atlas Passengers To Sit In Front Row
The occupant-detection systems in front passenger seats may be problematic, and the recall affects Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport models from the 2018 to 2021 model years and the 2020 model year, respectively.
A wiring issue in the passenger occupant-detection system may cause the front passenger air bag to be inactive even when the seat is occupied. According to the NHTSA, a deactivated air bag won’t deploy in the event of a collision, increasing the risk of injury to the passenger in the front seat.
Volkswagen stated that a fix is being worked on and should be ready by the end of 2023. VW unveiled a new cable to handle potential system difficulties in late 2020.
VW Unaware of Accidents or Injuries
Volkswagen claimed that it was unaware of any accidents or injuries connected to the recall.
To avoid children or tiny adults being fatally harmed or seriously hurt when an air bag is deployed, which entails some force, automakers are required to incorporate sensors that disable front passenger air bags if they detect their presence.
In August 2019, the German manufacturer started looking into the problem.
In 2021, the company stated in a summary filed with the NHTSA, “field data analysis indicates that the failure is highly sporadic and the warning light is illuminating immediately upon failure.”
According to VW, the auto safety agency requested a meeting in February to assess the Atlas Passenger Occupant Protection System’s field effectiveness. On March 23, the manufacturer met with NHTSA to go over its recall choice.
