Volkswagen recalls ID.Buzz due to risk of third passenger without seatbelt in the back seat (Instagram @volkswagen)
Volkswagen announced a recall of nearly 6,000 units of the electric van ID.Buzz in the United States due to an issue with the back seat of the third row.
The seat is wide enough to accommodate three people, but it only has two seatbelts, which goes against the vehicle safety standards in the US. This flaw could encourage a third passenger to sit in the seat without a seatbelt, increasing the risk of serious injury in the event of an accident.
According to the automaker, the error occurred due to a misinterpretation of federal safety standards, although the vehicle manual already limits the number of occupants to the number of seatbelts available. Volkswagen discovered the issue in February, began testing in March, and confirmed the non-compliance in April. So far, there have been no reports of accidents or complaints related to this issue.
To correct the situation, the company will install a rigid, non-padded finish on the seat to restrict the available space, preventing three people from sitting there.
Although the number of affected units seems small, ID.Buzz sales in the US indicate that nearly the entire fleet sold so far will be updated. Owners should be notified by June 20.
Source: Car and Driver | Photo: Instagram @volkswagen | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
