Volkswagen recalls 420000 vehicles for air bag issue

VW said Friday that the recall affected Golf, Passat, Jetta and Tiguan models assembled from 2010 to 2014.

The company said it notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it will be issuing a voluntary safety recall affecting the steering wheel clock spring on approximately 420,000 Volkswagen vehicles in the U.S. When the guide loops are dragged out of position, they may apply tension to the internal flat cable and cause it to tear. This could result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver’s frontal airbag and it might not deploy properly in an accident. If that happens, the air bags won’t deploy in crash. VW says owners will see a warning light for the air bag if the auto is susceptible to the problem. Last year, automakers recalled more than 20 million vehicles for air bag issues. The agency has since pushed air-bag maker Takata Corp., whose exploding inflators have been tied to eight fatalities, into broadening its recalls nationwide.

The automaker says it is working on a solution to the problem. No injuries or deaths have been reported.