Revealed in November 2017 for the 2018 model year, the Atlas is Volkswagen's largest crossover for North America. Refreshed for model year 2021, then again for 2024, the mid-size utility vehicle has been hit with a recall that also comprises the two-row Atlas Cross Sport.
The population of affected vehicles? Make that 271,330 units produced for model years 2020 through 2024 between October 1, 2020 and June 18, 2024. Said crossovers feature a passenger occupant detection system that may switch off the front passenger airbag due to a contact fault.
Also known as Body Sense, this passenger occupant detection system is connected by a wire to the passenger seat heating system under the front passenger seat. In case of a contact fault, the driver is promptly informed by means of an acoustic warning, a warning light in the instrument cluster, and a warning message.
Volkswagen Group of America was prompted to recall so many vehicles after no fewer than 1,730 warranty claims for replaced passenger occupant detection systems. As you might have guessed, Volkswagen dealers are required to replace the PODS sensor mat and the wiring harness.
Those who had these parts replaced with their own money will be reimbursed as long as the customers can provide a receipt or any other adequate proof of payment. Volkswagen Group of America states that remedy components feature an improved design, with said design introduced in Atlas production back on June 12, 2024.
Photo: Volkswagen
Owner notifications are to be mailed on or about August 16, 2024. Those who intend to accelerate the process can enter the 17-character VIN on Volkswagen's recall portal. Both the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport are assembled in Chattanooga, Tennessee. That's also where the compact-sized ID.4 electric crossover is manufactured.
The Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, along with the ID.4, all feature VINs beginning with number 1. The ID.4 comes with either rear- or all-wheel drive in the form of a dual-motor setup, whereas the Atlas twins are based on the front-biased MQB platform of the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Otherwise put, 4MOTION means Haldex-type AWD.
Higher up the spectrum, the Touareg – which isn't available stateside – features a Torsen system. The third-generation Touareg rocks the MLB Evo platform of the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus, and Bentley Bentayga. The most powerful of the bunch is the 2025 model year Urus SE, which packs 789 horsepower and 664 pound-feet (900 Nm) at full chatter.
The Atlas, meanwhile, dropped the 3.6-liter naturally aspirated VR6 in favor of the 2.0-liter turbo I4 for model year 2024. In this application, the EA888-series turbo four-pot engine makes a respectable 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet (370 Nm), enabling a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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