2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Recall

On certain vehicles, the passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may malfunction. This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front airbag even when a passenger is seated. Note: This problem would cause an error message to display on the instrument panel and a warning chime to sound. The airbag indicator light would also display "passenger airbag off".

An airbag that is turned off could increase the risk of injury to a passenger in a crash.

Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the PODS sensor mat and seat harness. Volkswagen advises that you shouldn't use the front passenger seat if a PODS error message displays on the instrument panel or if the airbag indicator light displays "passenger airbag off" with an occupant in the seat.

On certain vehicles, the wiring contacts for the front doors may become damaged. If this happens, there could be a delay before the side airbags inflate in a side-impact crash. This problem could also cause the parking brake to engage while driving at low speed, cause the windows to roll down on their own, or give warning of a faulty door sensor.

Delayed inflation of the side airbags could create an increased the risk of injury in a crash.

Volkswagen will notify owners by mail. The corrective actions for this recall are under development.

On certain vehicles, the drain tube for the air conditioning system may be blocked. As a result, water may leak inside the vehicle and into the airbag control module. If this happens, the airbag control module may not work properly and could cause the airbags to inflate without a crash.

An airbag that inflates suddenly without a crash could create a risk of injury.

Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the air conditioning system drain tube. If the tube is blocked, the dealer will repair it and replace the airbag control module.

On certain vehicles, the front steering knuckles may not have been manufactured correctly. As a result, the steering knuckle could break suddenly while driving. If this happens, there would be a loss of steering control.

A loss of steering control could create a risk of a crash.

Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the front knuckles and replace them, if necessary.

Certain vehicles were built with tires that may have been cured too long. As a result, the sidewall could crack or the tread and belts could separate. This could lead to a sudden loss of air pressure and could cause a tire failure. Note: This recall only affects vehicles equipped with certain Continental tires, with specific date codes and mold numbers.

A tire failure could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash.

Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the tires and replace the ones that have the DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental.

On certain vehicles, parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been properly welded. As a result, the backrest adjustment could break in a rear-end crash and allow to seat to move.

A seatback that fails could cause an increased risk of injury in a crash.

The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the driver and passenger front seats. The seatback frames will be replaced, as necessary.