The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday that owners of 143,000 recalled Volkswagen Atlas SUVs should keep the front passenger seat empty.
This is in effect until a defect in the front seat occupant detection systems in these vehicles is fixed.
The recall includes the 2018-2021 Atlas model, and the 2020 Atlas Cross sport model, due to a defect in the passenger detection systems in the front seat.
The administration stated that the front seat passenger sensing system may have a defect in the wiring, which may lead to the inactivation of the airbag even if the seat is occupied, as the inactive airbags will not open in the event of an accident, which increases the risk of injury to the front seat passenger.
Volkswagen said that it is currently developing a way to deal with the defect, and expects it to be ready in late 2023. In late 2020, the company developed a new cable to deal with any possible defect in the system.
The company added that it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the recalled cars.
The German automaker has been investigating the matter since August 2019.