Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 12/28/2005 | 1 | ||
| Took my car to dealership to have my airbag light checked, they said that they would clear it. it was cleared, then popped up again and has since then stayed on. *tr | |||
| 09/23/2005 | 1 | 07/10/2005 | |
| Car accident air bags did not deploy, i hit my head on the steering wheel. *jb | |||
| 03/16/2003 | 13 | 06/01/1999 | |
| Vehicle experienced several recalls/ and several problems: dome light, vanity mirrors, emissions problems, etc... *mr the consumer experienced the following problems with: the interior dome lights, interior trim had come loose on the passenger side, the passenger vanity mirror light did not shut off, the cup holder was jammed and had broken, the driver window sounded as if air was coming in the vehicle, the glove compartment hinges had broken, the air bag light would come on when the radio was turned off, the sensors never seemed to work, the oil dipstick had given abnormal readings(showing low when oil was just changed), the lean oxygen sensor was replaced, the check engine light was intermittent but stayed on, and the catalytic converter was replaced due to noise which ended after the repair(the check engine light had come back on). *scc *jb | |||
| 02/21/2003 | 54117 | 02/20/2002 | |
| I was involved in a collision at about 40mph and the airbags did not deploy. the car received major front end damage and hit all 3 airbag sensors. the car in front of me had its airbags deploy and it was a toyota. | |||
| 06/05/2002 | 1 | 03/01/2001 | |
| The air bag indicator light in the dashboard came on.the dealership told me it would be about $700.00 to repair . i was informed that while the light was on the air bags would not function.the vehicle has not been crashed and it would appear this is a safety issue that vw should address and repair.r.*ak | |||
| 05/20/2002 | 04/01/2098 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 03/20/2002 | 1 | 05/01/1999 | |
| While driving the air bag indicator light illuminated on the the dashboard, vehicle was taken to volkswagen where consumer was informed that vehicles of this make and model needed a supplemental wiring harness installed in the steering column because of a problem with the connector as shipped from the factory, consumer is unaware of any recalls for this condition. *tt | |||
| 03/20/2002 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| Air bag indicator light on dasboard became illuminated. took car to dealer who informed me that vw's need supplemental wiring harness installed in steering column because of a problem with the connection as shippped from the factory. dealer says most vw new jettas have this problem and charged $90 to install new connector. if this is true shouldn't vw have to recall because it is a safety system? nlm | |||
| 08/01/1999 | 06/01/1999 | ||
| Vehicle burns oil (doing so for 9 mos now), dealer has been running test on car for 4 mos. said may have to replace engine. air bag light on first day owning, told to wait 2wks for an appt at which was told car unsafe to drive. transmission difficult to shift/acceleration (making turns, entering highways, etc.) | |||
| 08/03/1999 | |||
| While driving down the road airbag light comes and shuts down the airbag system.contacted dealer and manufacturer. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 11/16/2004 | 1 | ||
| My friend had an automoble accident last week and his car's airbags did not deploy he did hit the guardrails head-on and the air bags never deployed he wanted me to check to see if there has been a recall about this his car was a vw jetta '99 i'm sure the car was totaled in this wreck . *ak | |||
| 12/01/2002 | |||
| While traveling about 50mph on the highway without prior another vehicle made a sudden stop and the vehicle in front caused a chain of reaction. please provide additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts | |||
| 10/20/2002 | |||
| Consumer states that the vehicle was involved in a frontal and a rear collsion by hitting a ditch at 40-50 mph. vehicle spins on two occasion and hit the right rear tail light and neither air bag deployed. feel free to provide any further information. ts | |||
| 10/11/2002 | 66000 | 1 | 12/07/1999 |
| Vehicle was involved in a collision at 40mph, and the airbags failed to deploy.** *jb. *ak | |||
| 04/23/1999 | 3 | 04/01/2099 | |
| I purchased my '99 jetta new. after apprx 7 days the airbag warning illuminated for no reason. i took the car back to the dealer for service. they had a difficult time diagnosing the problem. they did get the light to go off, but after a week it illuminated again. i took the car back a second time, and this time the kept it for 2 weeks. they decided it was a sesor, then changed their minds and said it was the wiring harness. after 2 weeks they told me it was fixed. several mechanics warned me against driving it when the airbag light is on, citing a possible defect. the light stayed off untill about the 20,000 mile mark. it went on and i took it in, they fixed it without much explaination. now at 54,000 it is on again. i am worried about a possible defect which might prevent my airbag from deploying in case of an emergency. before now, it was under warranty. the only cost was time and effort. now i must pay to have it diagnosed, a rental car and to actually have it repaired, once again. i have talked to others that have been through the same thing with little help from volkswagen or the dealer. i was hoping to get the word out that there may be a possible defect with the electrical sensor, wire harness or the airbag itself. thank you.*ak | |||
| 07/22/2000 | 1 | 08/01/1999 | |
| The car was involved in a high-speed, front end collision and the airbags did not deploy. the car was traveling at 70 mph when it was clipped from the side and spun out of control. it crashed headlong into a van going approximately 40-50 mph. the impact sent the car backward approximately 30 feet before it spun 180 degrees and came to a halt. the front end of the car is severely damage--$7,000--and the engine may have been displaced as much as 2 inches. i called volkswagen customer relations to report the problem and to ask for assistance to guarantee that the airbags would perform properly once the car was repaired and back on the road again on 7/27/00. on 8/1/00 i received a message from david. i phone back on 8/2/00. after explaining the details of the accident to david, he told me in advance that his product liason team would probably conclude that the crash did not meet the criteria required to deploy the airbags and there was nothing they could do for us. i expressed my dissatisfaction with this, especially since no one from volkswagen had examined or planned to examine the vehicle. he told me that we could take it to the dealer ourselves (it is not driveable) and they could analyze the computer data onboard re. the crash conditions. this was all they could offer us. all we were seeking was an explanation as to why the airbags did not deploy under such severe crash conditions, and a guarantee that whatever needed to be done to assure they would function properly in the future would be taken care of by volkswagen or its dealer. bottomline, in a high-speed, front end collision, the airbags did not deploy. *ak | |||
| 05/28/1999 | 4 | 03/01/1999 | |
| I have experienced 4 part failures, each on my airbag system on my volkswagen jetta. the first part failure occured on may 28, 1999 and subsequent part failures occured as follows: 7-30-1999, 2-23-2000 and 7-11-2000. with the most recent occurance, my car was delivered to the dealership on july 11, 2000 and the maintenance was not completed until august 4, 2000 due to the unavailibility of the part from the manufacturer. due to the severity of this defect, and given the fact that my dealership has exhausted their efforts in trying to identify the problem, i no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. with the information provided, i feel that my vehicle meets the qualifications of the lemon law. at this time i am requesting that i receive a replacment vehicle. thank you for your consideration in this matter. please do not hesitate to contact me if more information is needed.*ak | |||
| 06/24/2000 | 4 | 04/01/1999 | |
| Consumer was involved in a collision in which seat belts did not lock up upon impact, and driver's/passenger's air bags did not deploy. cause unknown, also steering rack and pinion was damaged . *ak passenger window fell off twice. *yh | |||
| 02/02/2000 | |||
| Consumer was traveling in intersection and another vehicle ran a red light, and rammed into consumer's vehicle from side .car was completley turned around into the street, and had to be towed away. upon impact, air bags failed to deploy. *ak | |||
| While trying to reduce speed by depressing brake pedal, vehicle continued to travel causing consumer to lose control, and resulting in a collision. upon impact, air bags did not deploy. dealer has been notified. please provide further infortmation. | |||
| 12/06/1999 | 0 | ||
| It was raining and consumer slid into rear end of another car at 25mph. hood bent and came through the windshield, the whole front of the car had to be repaired. upon impact, airbags did not deploy. *ak | |||
| 01/10/2000 | 7 | ||
| Left front brakes grabbed. other three failed to work. took vehicle to dealer at least 7 times. each time brakes were replaced/repaired. also, air bags failed to deploy after hitting a deer on left front side of vehicle. front grill was crushed. insurance company indicated vehicle was repairable. *ak | |||
| 10/09/1999 | |||
| Vehicle was involved in frontal collision at 35-40 mph. upon impact, air bags did not deploy, resulting in minor injuries. dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak | |||
| 08/14/1999 | |||
| Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision, after being rearended by another vehicle and the airbags did not deploy. the vehicle is being repaired by the dealer . the manufacturer will be notified. *ak | |||
| 05/20/1999 | 03/19/1999 | ||
| Vehicle was involved in a head-on collisi0n, impact at approximately 30 mph. abs brakes failed to operate,causing vehicle to slow down but not stop. seat belt on driver's side failed to lock in place, causing consumer to sustain a head injury from hitting windshield. also, air bags did not deploy. dealer / manufacturer notified. *ak | |||
| 06/09/1999 | |||
| Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision at 40mph and airbags did not deploy. driver sustained minor injuries. manufacturer has been notified. *ak | |||
| 01/17/1999 | 1 | 01/13/1999 | |
| Crossing an intersection another vehicle ran a red light & broadsided volkswagen.driver's side and passenger's side air bags did not deploy. investigator & volkswagen personnel inspected vehicle. vehicle below threshold for air bag deployment. driver and passenger sustained multiple injuries. *ak | |||
| 01/17/1999 | 0 | ||
| While vehicle was moving from a green light another vehicle crossed the red light, stricking consumer's vehicle on the right front passengers side where none of the air bags deployed, not protecting passenger and *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 06/04/2004 | 2 | ||
| Consumer received nhtsa recall 04v096000 concerning brake light switch. after having the repairs done vehicle stalled, and the air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on.*ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 03/28/2001 | |||
| Vehicle was involved in a side collision. upon impact, passenger's side airbag did not deploy. manufacturer has been notified.*ak | |||