Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | ||||||
| PE08012 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 02/15/2008 | 04/24/2008 | FRONT AIR BAG CRASH SENSOR FAILURE | 08V178000 | |
| Certain subject vehicles, model year (my) 2003 convertible and my 2004 sedan and convertible vehicles are equipped with an advanced dual-stage air bag system.the air bag crash sensors (#1f0 909 606) contain a solder joint on the circuit board that may crack under certain high temperature conditions.if this occurs, the air bag indicator light will illuminate and the control module will enable a fallback algorithm that will ensure that the front air bag always deploys in a frontal crash in which the vehicle's deceleration is high enough to activate the frontal air bags.however, in low-severity frontal impacts, the front air bags may deploy more forcefully than designed, increasing the possibility of injury to out-of-position front seat occupants.volkswagen will inspect for the defective crash sensor and replace with an updated design.in addition, 16,177 early-my 2005 new beetle sedan and convertible vehicles (built through oct 31, 2004) are also included in the recall campaign.this preliminary evaluation is closed (see recall 08v-178) | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 03/30/2011 | 136300 | ||
| When the engine was started, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and stays illuminated until the engine is turned off. the seat belt light goes off after the car is started even when no seatbelts are put on. the vin was not included in recall 08v178000, although the failure symptoms seem similar. | |||
| 02/05/2011 | 46900 | ||
| After starting the car, air bag light continues to stay on. this is the second time in one year this has happened. this first time the air bag light came on the driver side sensor under the seat was replaced at dealer. | |||
| 11/15/2005 | 49491 | 1 | |
| Air bag light and the warning light for malfunction indicator lamp comes on and does not go out also driver seat is stuck. the vehicle was taken on 11/15/2005 at that time it was only the air bag cause; 00591. drivers seat belt switch faulty it was replaced on 12/12/2007 the same problem and more but,this time i have done a lot of research on the internet and i have found a alot of people have had the same problem and nhtsa is aware of it.the car is no longer under warranty i have had repair driver seat slider. it has been very frustrating, never purchase another vw. *tr | |||
| 03/30/2009 | 86000 | 1 | |
| Airbag light always on even after the 6 second rule that the manual explains. *tr | |||
| 01/17/2009 | 40032 | 1 | |
| Air bag light came on. i have done a lot of research on the internet and i have found alot of people have had the same problem with vw new beetle. i feel that this could be a major problem due to the fact that while this light is on the air bags will not work in case of an accident. this is a major safety issue. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2008 | 67100 | 1 | |
| 2003 vw beetle air bag light came on and stays on, will not go off. vehicle has never been involved in an accident. nhtsa campaign id number 08v178000, investigation pe08-012, nhtsa action number pe08012 lists model yeas 2003-2005 however, 2003 model with this vin number not listed. believe to be same problem. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 30107 | 1 | |
| Air bags light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer two times on nov 15,2005 cause:00591 lt side belt switch it was replaced. on dec/12/ 20007 the test diagnostic and confirm fault cod 00591,drivers seat belt switch faulty. estimate fore service $472.00 i had to declined .if they replaced it two years ago it shouldn't have the same problem. *tr | |||
| 12/05/2007 | 65056 | 1 | 08/16/2006 |
| I was involved in a crash while driving my 2003 vw beetle convertible. i was unable to brake and avoid a semi-truck that was in directly in front of me. i was traveling at a speed between 30-40 mph but did lose conscience so am not sure if remember exactly how fast i was going. my airbag did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock causing my face to slam directly into the steering wheel. the passenger side airbag which contained no passengers nor items did deploy. i suffered facial fractures and a broken nose. my fractures have healed but my nose needs to be reconstructed. my car was serviced at a collision center and then sent to the autobarn in countryside, il where the car was bought used in august of 2006. the car was returned to me on dec 27 but no explanation was given for the airbag not deploying. the transmission was also not working properly so i returned the car for additional service a few days later. the car was finally returned to me 2 weeks later with a new transmission but still no explanation for the airbag. upon leaving the autobarn on january 17 with my car, the air bag light turned on and stayed on while i drove about 10 miles. i returned the car the next day and the service department stated the light did not go on for them and offered again no explanation. *tr | |||
| 09/14/2005 | 20200 | 2 | 11/26/2003 |
| Dt: the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated while driving and making a left hand turn the consumer heard a loud popping sound from the right front area. the consumer lost control of the vehicle; applied the brakes and hit the curb. the consumer began to accelerate to avoid hitting a light pole. this did minimize the hitting of the light pole. upon impact, the front air bags deployed. the only impact on the vehicle was above the right front tire. the service dealer was not willing to cooperate because there was nothing to determine the cause of the accident. the consumer has contacted the manufacturer, and they will respond within 24 hours. *ak *nm | |||
| 04/29/2005 | 22450 | 3 | 05/31/2003 |
| 2003 new beetle convertible. the car is less than two years old and the airbag light has turned on for no reason three times. (it stays on.) in sept '04 dealer replaced a crash sensor; in oct '04 dealer replaced the airbag; in may '05 dealer replaced crash sensor again. srs.pco | |||
| 10/14/2003 | 3 | 09/16/2003 | |
| Powertrain problems-- vehicle has tiptronic. intermittent failure shifting from automatic to tiptronic manual functionality. in addition, passenger frontal airbag failed within the first week of purchase of the vehicle. multiple service related complaints.*ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 07/15/2009 | 1 | ||
| Vw new beetles have a susceptibility to constant airbag light coming on due to poor quality wiring under the seat and in the seat belt harness. volkswagen of american does not want to take responsibility for the poor quality workmanship. parts are too expansive and only a dealer item. there are a lot of vw beetle owners out there that have the some problem with the air bag light. *tr | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 06/15/2007 | 31121 | 2 | 03/24/2003 |
| I own a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. it had multiple failures while still under warranty that were never particularly corrected. would go out and car would not start - completely dead. batteries were replaced, alternator was replaced, something with the stereo system was replaced, etc. this happened many times over the course of two years, from approximately 2005 to 2007. i could provide specifics if necessary since i have all receipts. it sometimes happened within a week of getting the car back from the previous repair. needless to say it has been very frustrating, and we will never purchase another vw. the reason i am just now writing is because my local newspaper had a small paragraph mentioning that the nhtsa is investigating a possible crash sensor malfunction in the airbag system. i have had to replace both of the sensors at my own expense since the car is no longer under warranty. the airbag indicator light first came on in june 2007 and the driver's side front crash sensor was replaced. just a short time later, september 2007, the airbag indicator light came on again. this time they told me it was the passenger side crash sensor that need to be replaced. these repairs cost me roughly $1000 out of pocket. i think the nhtsa would like to be aware of this as part of the investigation. thank you very much. ps: while listing failures below i will stick with just the two airbag failures and only provide info on other electrical problems if requested to do so. *tr crash sensor.pco | |||
| 10/25/2007 | 47062 | 1 | 01/20/2003 |
| The air bag warning light is illuminated. i had it checked out and the dealer said the sensor was broken and needed repair. they said the air bag would not activate with the switch inoperable. i paid big$$$ ($391)to have this repair performed. *tr crash sensor.pco | |||
| 12/21/2007 | 44500 | 1 | 03/15/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the air bags:frontal:sensor/control module failed and needed to be replaced. one year prior to the failure, the contact replaced the frontal air bag sensor. the vehicle was repaired, but a formal complaint was not made with the manufacturer. the contact is in possession of the failed component. the failure mileage was 44,500 and current mileage was 45,439. crash sensor.pco | |||
| 05/31/2006 | 56359 | 1 | 05/31/2005 |
| I test drove several vw new bettles prior to purchasing one. in many of them the air bag light indicator remained on. is this a problem that you are aware of? have there been recall on this? *jb | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 12/27/2006 | 52000 | 1 | 08/06/2005 |
| Tl* - the contact's air bag warning light turned on after the vehicle reached 51,000 miles. the contact took vehicle to a volkswagen dealer and was told that the computer controller for the air bag system needed to be replaced by the owner at a cost of $1000. the contact stated that on december 27, 2006, while driving at 55 mph ,the right side passenger's air bag / curtain deployed for no reason, bruising a passenger in the car. the weather at the time the air bag deployed was nice. the contact stated that he wanted to pursue volkswagen to get air bag repaired and working properly. the contact stated that volkswagen should pay for the repair. *ak | |||
| 04/22/2004 | 26000 | 1 | |
| While driving at 20 mph consumer's vehicle crashed into the rear end of another vehicle. consumer was wearing a seat belt that did not lock up. also, passenger's side airbag deployed, but driver's side air bag did not. consumer sustained minor bruises to the chest and head.*ak | |||