2009 Volkswagen CC Recalled in the US

Volkswagen of America is recalling no less than 5,750 model year CC vehicles due to a faulty right front passenger seat belt system that could raise the risk of injuries in case of accidents. According to the US division of the German manufacturer, the recalls are expected to start in April 2009, with dealerships to inspect and repair the glitch free of charge.

To be more specific, "some affected vehicles may have an incorrectly routed right front passenger seat belt buckle wiring harness, creating the potential for wires to become damaged when the seat is moved fully up or down to fore and aft," as a notification published on the official NHTSA website reads.

"If this wiring damage occurs, the airbag control module will switch to a fallback algorithm and deactivate the passenger's frontal airbag," NHTSA warned. "Vehicle occupants will be made aware of this airbag deactivation when both the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster and the passenger airbag "off" lamp illuminate," the safety organization explained the best way to notice that something goes wrong with the system.

As mentioned, in the event of an accident, this apparently minor glitch will raise the risk of severe injuries as the passenger airbag will not deploy to protect the occupants.

"Dealers will inspect and adjust the routing of the right front passenger seat belt wiring harness. If a damaged wiring harness is found, the harness will be replaced free of charge," it is mentioned in the NHSA notification.

Volkswagen Passat CC was officially unveiled to the North American public in 2008 at the Detroit Auto Show, with the German manufacturer expecting to sell about 26,000 units per year in this particular region.