WASHINGTON — Volkswagen of America has issued a recall on select vehicles due to faulty occupant detection systems in the front passenger seat, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday.
Owners of the recalled vehicles -- Model Year 2018-2021 Atlas and 2020 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles -- are urged to not let anyone sit in the front passenger seat until the vehicle is fixed, the NHTSA said.
The recall affects 143,053 vehicles.
According to Volkswagen, the passenger occupant detection system may experience a fault in the wiring, which could deactivate the front passenger air bag even when the seat is occupied. A deactivated air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.
Until the free recall repair is developed and completed, owners should not allow anyone to sit in the front passenger seat, Volkswagen said.
Volkswagen is currently developing a remedy and will notify affected owners as soon as the repair is available, the NHTSA said.
Vehicle owners can visit NHTSA.gov/recalls or call NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 and enter their 17-character vehicle identification number to see if their vehicle is under recall.
NHTSA also encourages everyone to download its SaferCar app to stay informed on current recalls.
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