Volkswagen has issued a recall for virtually all of its U.S.-market ID.Buzz vans sold to date due to a serious safety concern. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified that the third-row bench seat in the ID.Buzz is too wide, potentially allowing three passengers to sit in a row equipped with only two seatbelts.
The Safety Issue
The recall, submitted to the NHTSA on April 23, reveals that Volkswagen’s third-row bench was designed with two designated seating positions that fail to meet current seating surface width standards. While the third row can accommodate three passengers, it is only equipped with two seatbelts, making it non-compliant with federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Regulators are concerned that the spacious seating arrangement could tempt passengers to sit in the third row without a seatbelt, putting them at risk of serious injury or death in the event of a crash. Volkswagen attributes the seating surface width error to a misinterpretation of federal motor vehicle safety standards, although the owner’s manual does limit the number of passengers to the number of available seatbelts.
Investigation and Recall
Volkswagen first identified the potential non-compliance issue in February and initiated an investigation. By March, the company was conducting FMVSS compliance testing with an external institute and confirmed the non-compliance by April 1. Fortunately, there have been no recorded field claims related to the third-row width.
The Solution
To address the issue, Volkswagen will add unpadded trim to the third-row bench to limit its seating surface width. This modification aims to discourage three passengers from squeezing into the third row, thereby bringing the ID.Buzz into compliance with federal safety standards.
Recall Scope
Although the official recall figure is under 6,000 units, a closer examination of ID.Buzz sales data suggests that it likely encompasses all U.S. market models. By the end of 2024, 1,162 units were sold, and the first quarter of 2025 saw an additional 1,901 units sold, totaling 3,063 recorded sales. This leaves a discrepancy of 2,574 units, which could be attributed to dealership inventory or sales between March 31 and April 23. As a result, Volkswagen may need to update its entire fleet of U.S.-market ID.Buzz models.
