Click here for an instructional video on how to properly latch the second row seats.
For model year 2018-2023 Atlas vehicles, click here for an owner's manual insert regarding latching of the second row seats.

What is this lawsuit about?

The Action claims that there was a defect in the second row seat latching mechanism in the Settlement Class Vehicles. Volkswagen Group of America ("VWGoA") denies the claims and maintains that the second row seat latching mechanisms in the Settlement Class Vehicles are not defective, were properly designed, manufactured, marketed and sold, function properly, and that no applicable warranties were breached nor any applicable statutes violated. The Court has not decided in favor of either party. Instead, the Action has been resolved through a Settlement under which eligible Settlement Class Members who qualify may obtain the benefits described below.

Who is included?

You may be a Settlement Class Member if you are a current or past U.S. owner or lessee of a model year 2018-2024 Volkswagen Atlas vehicle, that was imported and distributed by VWGoA in the United States or Puerto Rico (hereinafter, collectively, “Settlement Class Vehicles”). The vehicles covered by this Settlement (“Settlement Class Vehicles”) are determined by specific Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs). You can look up whether your vehicle is a Settlement Class Vehicle by typing your vehicle’s VIN, where indicated, in the VIN Lookup Portal.

Excluded from the Settlement Class are (a) all Judges who have presided over the Action and their spouses; (b) all current employees, officers, directors, agents, and representatives of VWGoA, and their family members; (c) any affiliate, parent, or subsidiary of VWGoA and any entity in which VWGoA has a controlling interest; (d) anyone acting as a used car dealer; (e) anyone who purchased a Settlement Class Vehicle for the purpose of commercial resale; (f) anyone who purchased a Settlement Class Vehicle with salvaged title and/or any insurance company who acquired a Settlement Class Vehicle as a result of a total loss; (g) any insurer of a Settlement Class Vehicle; (h) issuers of extended vehicle warranties and service contracts; (i) any Settlement Class Member who, prior to the date of final approval of the Settlement, settled with and released VWGoA or any Released Parties from any Released Claims; and (j) any Settlement Class Member who files a timely and proper Request for Exclusion from the Settlement Class.

What does the Settlement provide?

1. Owner’s Manual Insert and Instructional Video
   
   For owners/lessees of certain model year 2021-2023 Settlement Class Vehicles with production dates between October 5, 2020 and February 18, 2022, Volkswagen has provided, with this Class Notice, an Owner’s Manual insert (“OM Insert”) containing certain instructions and warnings regarding second row seat latching, which is also available on the VW.com website in the Resources and Tutorials section for your model year Atlas.
   
   In addition, an instructional video is available on the VW.com website in the Resources and Tutorials section for your model year Atlas, showing how to properly latch the second row seat in Settlement Class Vehicles and to check to confirm that the second row seat has been properly latched.
2. Warranty Extension for Current Owners or Lessees of Settlement Class Vehicles
   
   Effective on May 21, 2025, VWGoA extended the New Vehicle Limited Warranty (“NVLW”) for all Settlement Class Vehicles to cover the cost of repair or replacement, by an authorized Volkswagen dealer, of a failed or malfunctioned second row seat latching mechanism diagnosed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer, during a period of 10 years or 100,000 miles (whichever occurs first) from the Settlement Class Vehicle’s In-Service date. The Warranty Extension shall cover component parts of the second row seat latching mechanism that are necessary to perform said repair or replacement.
   
   Excluded from the Warranty Extension are any second row seat latching failures or malfunctions resulting from damage, abuse, alteration, modification, collision or crash, vandalism, and/or other impact or damage from outside sources.
   
   The Warranty Extension will be subject to the same terms and conditions as the original NVLW, and is fully transferable to subsequent owners to the extent that the time or mileage limitation of the Warranty Extension has not expired.
    
3. Reimbursement of Certain Past Paid (and Unreimbursed) Out-of-Pocket Expenses
   
   Settlement Class Members who submit to the Claim Administrator (by mail or online through the Settlement Website) a timely and complete Claim for Reimbursement shall be eligible for 100% reimbursement of the past paid (and unreimbursed) cost (parts and labor) of one (1) repair or replacement of a failed or malfunctioned second row seat latching mechanism in a Settlement Class Vehicle that was performed and paid for prior to May 21, 2025 (the Notice Date) and within 10 years or 100,000 miles (whichever occurred first) from the vehicle’s In-Service Date.
   
   If the past paid covered repair was not performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer, the amount of reimbursement shall not exceed a maximum amount (parts and labor) of $645 for repair or replacement of a seat latch and/or seat latch cover, or $1,700 for repair or replacement of the second row seat and/or second row seat frame.
   
   Any reimbursement under this Section is conditioned upon timely presentation of a fully completed, signed and dated Claim Form together with the required Proof of Repair Expense.
    
4. Required Proof:
   
   To qualify for a Claim for Reimbursement of past paid and unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses provided under Section III above, you must comply with the following requirements:
    
   1. In order to submit a valid Claim for Reimbursement under this Settlement, you must mail to the Claim Administrator, by first-class mail post-marked no later than August 4, 2025, or submit online to the Claim Administrator through the Settlement Website no later than August 4, 2025, a fully completed, signed and dated Claim Form, a copy of which accompanies the Notice and is also available on the Important Documents page, together with all required Proof of Repair Expense documentation listed below.
       
      1. An original or legible copy of a repair invoice(s) or record(s) documenting the repair covered under the Settlement and containing the claimant’s name, the make, model and vehicle identification number (“VIN”) of the Settlement Class Vehicle, the name and address of the authorized Volkswagen dealer or non-dealer service center that performed the repair, the date of repair, the Settlement Class Vehicle’s mileage at the time of repair, a description of the repair work performed including the parts repaired/replaced and a breakdown of parts and labor costs, and the amount charged (parts and labor) for the repair covered under the Settlement. If you opt to send an original document, please make and retain a copy for yourself.
      2. Proof of the Settlement Class Member’s payment for the repair covered under the Settlement;
      3. If the claimant is not a person to whom the Claim Form was addressed, and/or the vehicle with respect to which a Claim is made is not the vehicle identified by VIN number on the mailed Claim Form, the Claim shall contain proof that the claimant is a Settlement Class Member and that the vehicle is a Settlement Class Vehicle;
5. Limitations
    
   1. Any reimbursement pursuant to this Settlement shall be reduced by the amount of any payment, concession, goodwill accommodation, or discount(s) already received from any source (including VWGoA, a Volkswagen dealer, an insurer, service contract provider, or extended warranty provider, or any other person or entity) for all or part of the amount of the repair that is the subject of the Claim for Reimbursement.
   2. Any repair that was due to misuse, abuse, accident, crash, racing, improper operation, lack of or improper maintenance, and/or damage from an external source, does not qualify for reimbursement.
   3. VWGoA will not be responsible for, and shall not warrant, repair or replacement work performed at an independent service center.

To view an instructional video demonstrating how to properly latch the second row seat, click here.

These rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained in the Class Notice. The Court in charge of this case still has to decide whether to approve the settlement. Payments will be made if the Court approves the settlement and after any appeals are resolved. Please be patient.