Volkswagen of America, Inc: Seat Belts
Volkswagen of America, Inc reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 15, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 50,483. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER CARS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." ALL THREE REAR SEAT POSITIONS AND THE FRONT PASSENGER POSITION ARE EQUIPPED WITH SEAT BELT RETRACTORS THAT HAVE A LOCKING FEATURE WHICH CONVERTS THE RETRACTOR FROM AN EMERGENCY LOCKING RETRACTOR (ELR) MODE TO AN AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR (ALR) MODE FOR THE PURPOSES OF CHILD RESTRAINT INSTALLATION. THE BELT MAY DEACTIVATE THE ALR MODE WITH CERTAIN CHILD RESTRAINTS.
The risk
WHEN INVOLVED IN A CRASH, THE CHILD RESTRAINTS MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SECURED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES OR DEATH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY INSTALL A 'CLIP' IN EACH OF THE TWO REAR OUTBOARD SEAT BELTS. THE CLIPS WILL PREVENT UNWANTED DEACTIVATION OF THE ALR MODE WITH CHILD SEAT INSTALLATIONS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 11, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Volkswagen Touareg | 75 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Volkswagen Touareg | 231 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 04V592000.
Full record for the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →