30-04-2025
Volkswagen Is Recalling the ID.Buzz for a Reason We've Never Heard Before
Volkswagen has just recalled what appears to be all of its U.S.-model vans sold so far, and the reason seems to be sort of serious — albeit one that's new to us. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the third-row bench seat is simply too wide.
The recall, which was submitted to the federal safety watchdog agency on April 23, explains that Volkswagen's third-row bench seat was designed with two designated seating positions that don't line up with current seating surface width standards. In simple terms, the third row is capable of holding three passengers, but only has two seat belts. That means that the passenger accommodations in the rear aren't compliant with federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Regulators seem to be worried that such a voluminous seating arrangement will lead to the temptation to place a third passenger on the bench seat. Of course, this un-belted occupant is liable to be gravely injured or even die in the event of a crash. Volkswagen says that the seating surface width error is a result of misinterpretation of a section of the federal motor vehicle safety standards. (However, the manufacturer does note that the owner's manual limits the number of passengers in the electric van to the number of seat belts.)
Volkswagen says it first found out about this potential non-compliance issue in February and began investigating shortly after. By March, Volkswagen was conducting FMVSS compliance testing with an external testing institute, and had confirmation that the width of the third row was non-compliant by April 1. There have been no recorded field claims of safety issues stemming from the width of the third row, Volkswagen reports.
The fix is a strange one, but relatively easy: Volkswagen says it will add un-padded trim to limit the seating surface width of the third-row bench. This will limit the ability of three passengers to squeeze in there, and make the comply with federal standards.
The scope of this recall is small on paper, with less than 6000 units included, but a closer look at sales figures reveals that this recall likely covers all U.S. market models. Year-end sales figures show a total of 1162 units were sold by the end of 2024, while first quarter numbers from 2025 show a total of 1901 units. That totals up to 3063 recorded unit sales, leaving a delta of 2574 units. It's certainly possible that the time span between March 31 and April 23 yielded 2574 sales, but we suspect that the majority of these unaccounted units are dealership inventory. Either way, it appears Volkswagen may be on the hook for updating its entire fleet of U.S.-market models.
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