[Administrator]

Certain Child Seats may Damage Seat Belt Buckles
A damaged seat belt buckle can release unexpectedly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Affected Product 2018 Volkswagen Atlas

NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V380000

Manufacturer Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Components SEAT BELTS

Potential Number of Units Affected 54,537

Summary

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.

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 is expected to begin August 3, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69X1.

3 Associated Documents

Defect Notice 573 Report

Defect Notice 573 Report

Recall Acknowledgement

 

[tzoley]

What VW does not tell you is that if you take your vehicle in for service, they will automatically check for this seatbelt recall issue on your vehicle, and if they find the issue, you cannot get your vehicle back until the recall has been completed. I am told by my dealer that there is no ETA on the fix. Thus, we've been out of our Atlas for 3+ weeks now and they will not give it back (for safety reasons obviously).

 

[machausta]

The only belts that are potentially affected are the middle and the one behind the driver -- so why can't you just not use those belts with car seats?

 

[KarstGeo]

The only time you would have this issue is if you have a child in a seat in the middle of hte second row and teh seat was wide enough to damage them. I believe the fix is just a cover for the seatbelts so that it won't happen..I suppose if you have the damage already you are screwed.

 

[Cielaw]

Today marks 45 days since the dealership has grounded my Atlas while waiting for parts. I keep getting no ETA...my husband and I are fed up because we only owned our Atlas for 46 days.

 

[KarstGeo]

So go pick it up.

 

[northstar]

Today marks 45 days since the dealership has grounded my Atlas while waiting for parts. I keep getting no ETA...my husband and I are fed up because we only owned our Atlas for 46 days.

You might want to get some email thread going with your dealer and maybe VW America. I found that in the past when you give them more accountability things oddly enough start going well :grin2:

 

[Cielaw]

We have reached out to VW Customer Care and the dealership and have been hounding incessantly. We finally got an ETA on parts from their VW’s regional director after 2 weeks of phone tag...September 15.