Auburn Hills, Mich. — September 9, 2016 — A new Volkswagen recall will address problems with child locks in four different brands of vehicles released in 2016. Official information filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that just 1 percent of the 5,658 potentially involved vehicles was estimated to have the defect. The Part 573 Safety Recall Report was submitted on June 22.
This document further described the four models subject to recall: the CC, e-Golf, Golf R and Tiguan. Although they all have the same model year, the collective production rates range from November 25, 2015 to February 3, 2016.
The rear-door child safety locks in these autos could disengage due to certain outside vibrations. Since the locks are supposed to prevent children from opening rear car doors, disabling them could inadvertently give children the chance to exit the vehicle.
Though the defect was officially determined June 15, the research goes back as far as January 25. Lock functionality was tested in a full production check after the issue was first discovered that same month. To fix the issue, the report said dealers will replace the locks. The production was reportedly remedied “by 100 percent inspection” by January 25, with certain molding cavities now prohibited.
Aston Martin also recently recalled several vehicles for door-lock issues. Last month, CNET reported on the 6,076 vehicles that did not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #206. Model years ranged from 2010 to 2016, and encompassed a group of eight different models.
Although doors in these cars could potentially lock from the outside, trapping occupants, the problem was described as not a defect so much as an unexpected side effect of a double-sided safety system. The fix involved upgrading car software.
