Photo: Volkswagen / edited by autoevolution
The indirect replacement for the Volkswagen Touareg in the United States market has been recalled over a very serious problem. Certain Atlas vehicles produced between the 2018 and 2021 model years may feature a fault in the wiring for the passenger occupant detection system (PODS), which may deactivate the front passenger airbag, therefore increasing the risk of injury.
Volkswagen Group of America urges affected owners not to use the front passenger seat in their Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles until the remedy has been completed. The remedy in question is currently under development. Interim notifications will be mailed no later than May 26th, with owners to receive another envelope once the fix becomes available at dealerships.
The German automaker from Wolfsburg first became aware of this problem in August 2019, following an increase in claims alleging deactivated front passenger airbags. Volkswagen investigated the issue and monitored the field through May 2020, when the concern was presented to the Pre-Product Safety Committee. These chaps demanded further analysis of the issue, which continued until January 2021. That’s when the concern was presented to the Product Safety Committee, which – once again – demanded more data.
Come February 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had had enough of Volkswagen’s beating around the bush. The federal watchdog requested a meeting with the safety boffins, in which they were ordered to detail the field performance of the passenger occupant detection system. The German marque couldn’t weasel its way out of these discussions, which led to the issue being elevated to a full-on recall.
What’s even more worrying about Volkswagen’s reluctance to fix the aforementioned problem is that Volkswagen introduced a new cable with a spiral shield in Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport production in October 2020. The Wolfsburg-based automaker was fully aware of the issue back then, but refused to recall affected vehicles when the redesigned PODS became available.
The PODS is neatly integrated into the seat heating, which is connected to the PODS control unit under the front passenger seat by a wire. Said wire may experience a contact fault, causing the system to deactivate the front passenger airbag and illuminate a warning light and a warning message in the instrument panel of the vehicle.
The remedy may be as simple as replacing the aforementioned cable, or a bit more expensive if Volkswagen decides to replace the PODS altogether. As the German automaker decides which course of action to take, the tally is 143,053 vehicles manufactured at the Chattanooga plant in Tennessee between August 19th, 2016 and August 30th, 2019, as per the attached report.
Refreshed for the 2024 model year, the Atlas and its coupe-styled brother now come solely with the 2.0-liter turbo I4. The four-cylinder lump has been upgraded to 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet (370 Nm) of torque on premium fuel, whereas the discontinued VR6 of the pre-facelift Atlas produces 276 horsepower and 266 pound-feet (361 Nm) of torque using regular unleaded.
The German automaker from Wolfsburg first became aware of this problem in August 2019, following an increase in claims alleging deactivated front passenger airbags. Volkswagen investigated the issue and monitored the field through May 2020, when the concern was presented to the Pre-Product Safety Committee. These chaps demanded further analysis of the issue, which continued until January 2021. That’s when the concern was presented to the Product Safety Committee, which – once again – demanded more data.
Come February 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had had enough of Volkswagen’s beating around the bush. The federal watchdog requested a meeting with the safety boffins, in which they were ordered to detail the field performance of the passenger occupant detection system. The German marque couldn’t weasel its way out of these discussions, which led to the issue being elevated to a full-on recall.
What’s even more worrying about Volkswagen’s reluctance to fix the aforementioned problem is that Volkswagen introduced a new cable with a spiral shield in Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport production in October 2020. The Wolfsburg-based automaker was fully aware of the issue back then, but refused to recall affected vehicles when the redesigned PODS became available.
The PODS is neatly integrated into the seat heating, which is connected to the PODS control unit under the front passenger seat by a wire. Said wire may experience a contact fault, causing the system to deactivate the front passenger airbag and illuminate a warning light and a warning message in the instrument panel of the vehicle.
The remedy may be as simple as replacing the aforementioned cable, or a bit more expensive if Volkswagen decides to replace the PODS altogether. As the German automaker decides which course of action to take, the tally is 143,053 vehicles manufactured at the Chattanooga plant in Tennessee between August 19th, 2016 and August 30th, 2019, as per the attached report.
Refreshed for the 2024 model year, the Atlas and its coupe-styled brother now come solely with the 2.0-liter turbo I4. The four-cylinder lump has been upgraded to 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet (370 Nm) of torque on premium fuel, whereas the discontinued VR6 of the pre-facelift Atlas produces 276 horsepower and 266 pound-feet (361 Nm) of torque using regular unleaded.
Google News