Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 05/18/2011 | 125000 | ||
| Airbag light came on. took it to the dealer to diagnose. dealer stated that the drivers side (seat) side impact airbag (the one built into the side of the seat nearest the door) was not communicating with the airbag system and stated that it would cost $680 to fix. less that a year ago i spent $500 on the drivers seat belt latch replacement to cure the airbag light. | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Drivers side seat belt latch sensor failure causes airbag error light on the dash to come on. dealer states that when the light is on the airbags are disabled. seems like an unnecessary sensor...when the car is in use wouldn't that mean that someone is in the drivers seat? $500 to fix. | |||
| 05/18/2011 | 125000 | ||
| Airbag light came on. took it to the dealer to diagnose. dealer stated that the drivers side (seat) side impact airbag (the one built into the side of the seat nearest the door) was not communicating with the airbag system and stated that it would cost $680 to fix. less that a year ago i spent $500 on the drivers seat belt latch replacement to cure the airbag light. | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Drivers side seat belt latch sensor failure causes airbag error light on the dash to come on. dealer states that when the light is on the airbags are disabled. seems like an unnecessary sensor...when the car is in use wouldn't that mean that someone is in the drivers seat? $500 to fix. | |||
| 05/18/2011 | 125000 | ||
| Airbag light came on. took it to the dealer to diagnose. dealer stated that the drivers side (seat) side impact airbag (the one built into the side of the seat nearest the door) was not communicating with the airbag system and stated that it would cost $680 to fix. less that a year ago i spent $500 on the drivers seat belt latch replacement to cure the airbag light. | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Drivers side seat belt latch sensor failure causes airbag error light on the dash to come on. dealer states that when the light is on the airbags are disabled. seems like an unnecessary sensor...when the car is in use wouldn't that mean that someone is in the drivers seat? $500 to fix. | |||
| 05/18/2011 | 125000 | ||
| Airbag light came on. took it to the dealer to diagnose. dealer stated that the drivers side (seat) side impact airbag (the one built into the side of the seat nearest the door) was not communicating with the airbag system and stated that it would cost $680 to fix. less that a year ago i spent $500 on the drivers seat belt latch replacement to cure the airbag light. | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Drivers side seat belt latch sensor failure causes airbag error light on the dash to come on. dealer states that when the light is on the airbags are disabled. seems like an unnecessary sensor...when the car is in use wouldn't that mean that someone is in the drivers seat? $500 to fix. | |||
| 05/18/2011 | 125000 | ||
| Airbag light came on. took it to the dealer to diagnose. dealer stated that the drivers side (seat) side impact airbag (the one built into the side of the seat nearest the door) was not communicating with the airbag system and stated that it would cost $680 to fix. less that a year ago i spent $500 on the drivers seat belt latch replacement to cure the airbag light. | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Drivers side seat belt latch sensor failure causes airbag error light on the dash to come on. dealer states that when the light is on the airbags are disabled. seems like an unnecessary sensor...when the car is in use wouldn't that mean that someone is in the drivers seat? $500 to fix. | |||
| 12/12/2009 | 50000 | ||
| Vw dealer advises that airbag light indicates airbags are disabled and caused by a malfunction in the seatbelt assembly costing over $500 to repair. d.o.t. requires manufacturers to insert airbags as safety measures, but fails to enforce auto manufacturers maintenance requirements for this defect. failure of safety equipment should be an automatic recall and manufacturers should be required to repair defects at their costs and not cost to the consumer. | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 30000 | ||
| Im in the process of replacing my second driver's side seat belt latch (the female end that the belt attaches to) on my 2002 vw new beetle. this failure triggers the air bag light on the instrument panel. the first seat belt latch was replaced in april of 2007; now, three years later, the air bag light is on again and the error code indicates the same issue, so i'm forced to replace the same part again. from my reading vw new beetle forums, this is a chronic problem for this model year. at the very least you'd think vw would re-design the part to eliminate the issue so it only has to be replaced one time. | |||
| 11/01/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Airbag light came on. i took it in and they said it is caused by a bad wiring harness in the drivers seat, something to do with the seatbelt latch. it is my understanding that the airbags will not work if the light is on. there should be a recall. consumers should not have to pay for a manufacturer defect! there have been numerous complaints, yet vw has yet to recall this part. are they waiting until someone dies? *tr | |||
| 11/05/2008 | 71000 | 1 | |
| Airbag light illuminated. no operator reason for this; i.e., no vehicle impacts, no work done on car other than brake light switch replaced one week prior. research indicates airbag system is inoperative if this light is on. research also indicates this is a very common problem that is expensive fix and is not always reliable. cannot be diagnosed with obd ii reader; needs expensive ($250+) diagnostic software and cable to use with laptop computer for reliable diagnosis. vw dealers typically charge in excess of $100 to read diagnostic codes and then price of repairs is unaffordable. this is a safety issue--occupant protection systems are at least as important as emissions systems and should be reliable for more than 70,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 48000 | 4 | 09/09/2001 |
| Air bag light intermittent. 3rd time for service to air bag system. 1st event was in warranty - replace clock spring, 2nd and 3rd events were not covered - over 50k miles and extended warranty claims they do not cover safety related systems including air bag systems. 2nd issue, was too short in length of wiring harness leading to clock spring. 3rd issue was due to seat belt switch, now light is again on. have not taken car back to dealer yet. *tr | |||
| 01/30/2008 | 52100 | 1 | 07/20/2006 |
| Airbag light came on. i took it to the dealer service department and they said it is caused by a bad wiring harness in the drivers seat. it is my understanding that the airbags will not work if the light is on. vw of america refuses to cover the cost of the repair (almost $400) because it is not under warranty. the problem began at about 52,000 miles. there should be a recall. consumers should not have to pay for a manufacturer defect! *tr | |||
| 11/17/2007 | 51000 | 15 | 07/14/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen new beetle. when the vehicle is turned on the air bag indicator light illuminated on the instrument control panel. the dealer stated that the air bag was deactivated and the seat belt latch system needed to be repaired in order for the air bag system to function properly. the contact would have to pay for the repair because air bag was not covered under warranty. the vehicle needs to be repaired. the failure mileage was 51,000 and current mileage was 52,000. updated 02/14/08. *lj the brake light bulb and right rear tail light was inoperative. updated. | |||
| 01/25/2008 | 105000 | 2 | 09/01/2005 |
| Defective door latch ,,,safety issue because the warning light does not come on when you open door. i have two 2002 vw beetles and they both have non working warning lights due to defective latches, also airbags don,t work due to fault. both problems are very common, but vw doesn't do anything about it. also when you call the dealership parts department these latches are in stock due to high rate of failure. there should be a recall on the door latch, this is a safety issue. also the air bags need to be recalled. the vw dealer wants 450.00 to replace the door latch, and the airbags start at about 800.00 so most people will be driving around without this safety equipment. please make them stand behind there product . thank you *tr | |||
| 01/05/2007 | 37000 | 2 | 06/01/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen new beetle. the contact stated that the air bag light remains illuminated. the mechanic repaired the failure on several occasions, however, it always recurs a few days later. the powertrain was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 37,000. | |||
| 06/25/2006 | 23375 | 1 | 07/15/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle's airbag warning light suddenly illuminated while driving 35 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the airbag was defective but declined to repair the problem because the warranty had expired. there were no repair invoices available because no repairs were made. | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen beetle. the driver's side air bag light has remained illuminated in the vehicle for over 1 1/2 years. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer numerous times and they stated that the driver's side seat belt and sensor caused the failure. through research, the contact discovered that a newer model might have a recall for this same issue. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000 and current mileage was 107,000. updated 09/11/09 *bf updated 09/14/09.*jb | |||
| 11/16/2006 | 27684 | 1 | 05/13/2002 |
| The airbag warning light came on for no apparent reason. diagnosed as bad passenger side airbag crash sensor. had to be replaced at expense to me. *tr | |||
| 09/12/2007 | 52000 | 2 | 01/01/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated that the air bag light remained illuminated. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the scan dtc found that the driver's buckle resistance was set too high. the first time the failure occurred and was repaired was on april 6, 2005. the current and failure mileages were 52,000. | |||
| 10/18/2006 | 1 | ||
| Air bag light will not go off--forum says may air bags may not work with light on. it seems to be a major problem with vw bugs for years. should be a recall. *nm | |||
| 10/18/2006 | 54000 | 1 | 08/09/2001 |
| The airbag light on my 2002 volkswagen new beetle is on. the car has 52,000 miles on it. the dealer wants to charge me $400.00 to repair. it cost $150.00 to find out that it is the airbag pigtail-1j0971584j and spiral reel-1j0959653c. *nm | |||
| 09/04/2004 | 21057 | 3 | 05/10/2002 |
| Transmission replaced three times, still not working properly, lunges into forward and reverse, and will drop into and out of high and low gear when driving. sunroof leaked because the drainage tubing was not connected at factory causing water damage to leather seats and now mold is growing inside of vehicle, making it difficult to be inside and have had one sinus infection already. *jb | |||
| 11/08/2003 | 41583 | 11 | 03/08/2002 |
| Seatbelt air bag sensor- air bag malfunction light came on 11/8/03 took the car to the dealership they ordered the part. both headlights were not working by the time i got to the dealer, they replaced those, turn signals were going on and off along with the hazard lights, was told these needed to be ordered. called in 2 weeks and was told the parts were on manufacture backorder and they would call me when they came in. i called every 2 weeks they part were not in. 3/3/04 smog test done to register my car- failed smog, took car to dealer cat converter out, they had to order part said they would reorder the sensor, 3/12/04 took car back in parts not in yet, called every day parts not in now my registration was late. cat converter came in on 4/2/04 it was installed dealer was refusing to smog test for free the finally did but would not pay the fees for my registration being late. called again every 2 weeks parts did not come in. 6/30/04 went in other parts on the car were braking off, emergency brake handle broken, display lights not working, cup holder broken, again they had to order parts, and they never came in. 8/18/04 air conditioning stoped blowing cold air, made appt online for 8/23/04 took car in, none of the parts ordered are in again. service stated my air conditioning is not covered because of a hole in the condensor even though my warranty states it is covered they refused to fix it and tried to charge me $95.00 for finding the hole, i refused to pay after all i have been waiting since november for several parts including a saftey issue, the dealer service has been the worst i dealt with in 25 years of driving. i have sent emails, phone calls and faxes to the dealer regarding all my complaints and have not received a response. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 02/02/2009 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Air bag default, light indicator on shows that there is an air bag malfunction in the passenger side air bag. vw dealership suggested replacement of the air bag for $800. car is only 6 years old, 65,000km, no accidents. this should be included under warranty. *tr | |||
| 12/11/2008 | 73500 | 1 | |
| My wife was involved in an accident in our 2002 vw new beetle. she was hit in the driver's door. her head was thrown against the driver's window and her hip was hurt from the door intruding into the cabin. her neck was hurt also. she was transported to va beach gen. hospital and given x-rays, a ct scan and a physical exam. her transport was via ambulance and she was extricated through the passenger door on a backboard with a neck brace. we believe her injuries are at least in part due to her side airbag not deploying. we have contacted vw of america and provided them information and photos of the automobile. vw has informed us that vw's stand is that it accepts no responsibility because the damage did not fall within their specs per the diagram in the owners manual. our position is it absolutely does fall within their guidelines as witnessed by the photos. we also offered them a 30 day period that the insurance company would hold the vehicle for inspection and they said they were not interested in examining the car and as far as vw america was concerned the matter was closed. we believe vw should be help liable for my wife's medical bills at a minimum and that they should inspect the vehicle for defects in the airbag system. the automobile was a total loss and will not be repaired. *tr | |||