Volkswagen recalls over 140,000 cars, urges no one to sit in front passenger seat

Volkswagen of America announced a recall of more than 143,000 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles on Tuesday due to faulty passenger occupant detection systems.

Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport recall

A press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that the recall affects 143,053 vehicles. According to the manufacturer, the wiring might be faulty in the passenger occupant detection systems (PODS) of some vehicles. This could result in the front passenger airbag deactivating even when a passenger is in the seat.

“Until the free recall repair is developed and completed, owners should not allow anyone to sit in the front passenger seat,” Volkswagen says. “Volkswagen is currently developing a remedy and will notify affected owners as soon as the repair is available.”

The recall affects certain model year 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. If you want to find out whether or not your vehicle is part of the recall, visit NHTSA.gov/recalls in a browser and enter your 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN). You could also call NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236.

In better news, VW recently announced an affordable electric vehicle for 2025.