# 2021 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS — SEATS
> NHTSA complaint `1755074` · 2021-07-01 · Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 1
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** VOLKSWAGEN
- **Model:** ATLAS
- **Year:** 2021
- **Manufacturer:** Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- **Component:** SEATS
- **Speed:** 30 mph
## Narrative
We have a 2021.5 Volkswagen Atlas with captain’s chairs in the 2nd row. Our 4 year old was riding in a forward-facing car seat installed with lower anchors + tether strap in the 2nd row driver’s side and a friend’s 8 year old was riding in the 3rd row driver’s side in a backless booster. I was in the front passenger seat and my husband was driving. While my husband was braking, the 8 year old lifted up on the 3rd row access lever, located on the upper left side of the 2nd row driver’s side captain’s chair. The 2nd row captain’s chair lifted up, slid forward, and SLAMMED my 4 year old son into the driver’s seat. The 8 year old immediately panicked, which caused me to turn around. My 4 year old was not making any noise - almost certainly because his nose and mouth were pressed tightly into the back of the driver’s seat, preventing him from making a sound. While in the front passenger seat, I tried to push the captain’s chair back into place - but it was way too heavy.  Luckily, we were on a road where my husband was able to quickly pull over and jump out to put the captain’s chair back into place.  As soon as my husband started to move the captain’s chair away from the driver’s seat, my 4 year old started screaming.   After this incident, our 4 year old showed us that while buckled into his forward-facing car seat in the 3rd row of the Atlas he was able to use his foot to lift up on the 3rd row access lever, causing the captain's chair to slam into the
---
*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*