Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 663,378 Atlas crossovers and Passat sedans made at its Chattanooga plant to fix a headlight defect.
VW spokesman Mark Gillies told Automotive News on Wednesday that a horizontal adjuster screw cap may not have been installed on one or both headlights, affecting approximately 116,172 Volkswagen Atlases from the 2018-19 model years and 547,206 Volkswagen Passats from 2012-20 model years.
Incorrectly adjusted headlights may result in reduced visibility for the driver and other motorists, which could increase the risk of a crash, he said. Consequently, federal regulations require the caps be present.
VW has had no reports of accidents or injuries related to the recall.
Volkswagen will inspect and, if necessary, install missing horizontal adjuster screw caps at no charge to customers. The recall and customer notification is expected to begin this month.
VW initially submitted a safety recall report to NHTSA on June 6, acknowledging that potentially 662,185 Passat and Atlas vehicles were affected by the defect.
Volkswagen brand's U.S. sales rose 9.6 percent in June from a year earlier to 31,725. The Touareg, Tiguan and Atlas crossovers accounted for 53 percent of the brand's June sales, the fifth consecutive month utilities have outsold cars at VW. Meanwhile, U.S. sales of the Passat fell 79 percent last month.
