Seat belts: rear/other: buckle assembly
- Component
- Seat belts: rear/other: buckle assembly
- Manufacturer
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Vehicles affected
- 54,729
- Reported to NHTSA
- 2018-06-07
- Owners notified
- 2018-06-29
Defect description
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswaen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. The owner's manuals provided with the affected vehicles do not inform the customers about the child restraint size limitation/restrictions for the second row center seating position. As a result, the center and adjacent outboard seat belt buckles on the second row can become damaged it a child seat base is installed that is wider than 12.6 inches.
Safety risk
A damaged seat belt buckle can release unexpectedly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the center and left outboard seat belt buckles, and replace them if necessary, free of charge. Volkswagen will also provide an owner's manual supplement addressing child safety and child restraints. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69X1.