Volkswagen has issued a recall for over 246,000 SUVs in the US and Canada over faulty wiring harnesses which could make the affected vehicles unexpectedly brake, posing a significant driving risk.
The recall specifically affects 23,192 of the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs in Canada. Atlas vehicles from the 2019-2022 model years and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles from 2020-2022 are potentially affected. Volkswagen explained that electrical contacts on a wiring harness in either of the front doors of the affected cars can corrode, interrupting the vehicle’s electrical flow.
In some cases, the faulty wiring could cause the side airbags of affected vehicles to deploy, even when the vehicle has not collided with anything.
Some 47 people had complained to US safety regulators about the sudden braking problem, The Associated Press reported. Some of those that submitted complaints even indicated that they were nearly rear-ended by other vehicles. Apart from the sudden braking, many of the affected drivers also reported that their vehicles’ warning lights and alarms would suddenly go off, or their driver-side windows would roll down.
Documents filed by Volkswagen with the US government indicated that the automaker first started getting complaints in 2020; the company initially handled it as a quality issue.
A spokesperson for Volkswagen told Daily Hive that customers should look out for certain signs which are symptoms of the faulty wiring issue. They include:
Anyone whose Atlas SUVs is experiencing these symptoms is advised to contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer to have their automobile diagnosed.
