The defect
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.
The risk
A damaged seat belt buckle can release unexpectedly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The 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.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Atlas | 2018 |
Components: SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Atlas | 2018 | 466 | 17 |
Other seat belts recalls in 2018
22 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the seat belts; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 18V899000 19 Dec 2018 | General Motors LLC |
| 18V870000 7 Dec 2018 | PACCAR Incorporated |
| 18V839000 27 Nov 2018 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 18V751000 24 Oct 2018 | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. |
| 18V683000 1 Oct 2018 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 18V673000 26 Sept 2018 | General Motors LLC |
| 18V568000 31 Aug 2018 | Ford Motor Company |
| 18V569000 29 Aug 2018 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018