In separate recalls, Volkswagen and Toyota have advised owners of their affected vehicles to avoid certain actions or uses until the air-bag issues are remedied. The recalls affect a significant number of SUVs, prompting concerns for passenger safety.

Volkswagen has issued a recall for over 271,000 vehicles due to a wiring fault that could deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied. The affected models include certain 2021 to 2024 model year Atlas vehicles and 2020 to 2024 model year Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. Owners of these vehicles are urged to refrain from using the front passenger seat until the necessary repairs have been completed. An air-bag warning light, sound, and error message on the instrument cluster will indicate if there is an issue with the air bag. Volkswagen plans to notify affected owners via mail starting from August 16 and will offer a reimbursement plan for the repairs.

Meanwhile, Toyota has recalled more than 145,000 vehicles due to a driver's side curtain air bag that may deploy outside the SUV when the window is rolled down. The affected models include certain 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander and Grand Highlander Hybrid SUVs, as well as Lexus TX350, TX500 Hybrid, and TX550 Hybrid vehicles. To mitigate the risk of driver injury, Toyota advises owners to keep the driver's side window rolled up until the repair is implemented. Notification letters for the recall will be sent to drivers in August.

Both Volkswagen and Toyota have not commented on whether there have been any reported injuries related to the air-bag issues in their respective recalls.

These recalls highlight the ongoing challenges faced by the automotive industry regarding air-bag safety. In recent years, there have been recalls for Takata air bags, which had issues with exploding inflaters. Just last month, a recall related to Takata air bags was issued. Federal auto safety regulators have also taken steps to recall millions of air-bag inflaters made by ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Counterfeit air bags have also become a cause for concern, with reports of people being killed or seriously injured by these counterfeit replacements. Counterfeit air bags have been known to malfunction, failing to deploy or even expelling metal shrapnel when they do.

While legislation in dozens of U.S. states prohibits counterfeit air bags, the difficulty in tracing these counterfeit parts makes it challenging for federal regulators to fully ascertain the scale of the problem.

The safety and well-being of vehicle owners remain a top priority, and both Volkswagen and Toyota are working diligently to address the air-bag issues in their respective recalls.