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 than a year ago I spent $500 on the drivers seat belt latch replacement to cure the airbag light.
2002 Volkswagen Beetle airbags complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 43, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
I have a 2002 vw beetle. I had an airbag light come on 3 years ago. I had it fixed once. About 6 months later the light came back on and I was told that the problem may continue. I did not have it fixed again. I am now reading that this is a common problem. Why has this not been recalled?
Seat belt/air bag light came on. Took to local, qualified mechanic. They said only vw dealer could fix and reset. Dealer said it was lower seat belt harness ($380), but could be more (above $800) and the service writer encouraged us to do the more expensive work. Told them to do the harness and see if light would go out, which it did. Light came back on around 12/10/2010 at approximately 79,000 miles. Just prior to this, we purchased another vw beetle, a 2003 convertible with 69,500 miles with the seat belt/airbag light on. Seller said he could not get it fixed by his mechanic and had to have vw dealer repair it for around "$380", maybe more. Since he made other repairs, we let it go. Now we have two to fix at the mercy of the vw dealer. My concerns are several: 1. This is a recurring problem for us and for numerous others (vw beetle forum) 2. The repairs can only be completed by a high cost vw dealer and the computer reset by them only 3. The materials appear to be deficient/defective and the engineering of the harness/wiring system substandard 4. Repairs need to be made in the 60-85,000 mile range - a contrived maintenance/repair item that brings windfall revenue/profit to vw dealers in the $400-1,000 range per occurrence when many of the cars are worth only $4,000-7,000. 5. Since it is a basic safety item and we don't know if the airbag system works or not, we are forced to repair this problem because it makes us appear as if we are negligent when in fact this problem should not exist and be covered by the manufacturer like emission systems to well past 100-150,000 miles. In summary, vw has colluded with its dealers to create this situation and allow this "repair" to emerge as a way to generate revenues and profits on cars that would normally not have a reason to be brought in to a vw dealer. It is non-competitive, fraudulent and unnecessary.
Vw dealer advises that airbag light indicates airbags are disabled and caused by a malfunction in the seatbelt latch assembly costing $386 to repair. Vw dealer says this happens a lot. Vw dealer said that airbags would not have deployed. Vw dealer said that wiring inside the latch "just breaks" eventually. 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.
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.
Failed airbag wiring - dealer says its related to a seat sensor - light on dash came on at 62,000 miles has 108,000 currently.
I'm 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.
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.
2002 vw beetle. The airbag warning light is on. The diagnosis is that a wire to the driver's side seat belt latch is broken therefore relaying that the seat belt is not latched (false positive). When the air bag light is on the air bag function is disabled. The repair is not of a wire, but of the entire seat belt at $250+. At any time this is a lot but when out of a job may be impossible. As my college-age daughter is the one in the seat, I am left without much choice, but to pay for the repair. This is the third time the air bag light has gone on, all with different diagnosis. Why is this not considered a safety issue? The topic is frequent on the web.
I own a 2002 beetle. It has 55,000 miles on it. Two months ago the air bag light came on and won't go off. Now, the turn signals won't work. To add to this once in awhile the sun roof will open on it's own!!! The dealer said it will cost about $650 to fix. This is not the first time with electrical problems with this car. The complete lighting system went out, the security door lock system stopped, the rear brake lights quit working, both windows have stopped going up and down. A couple of times the engine won't start and three times it will just shut down while driving. This car has a mind of it's own. Luckily no one has been hurt yet. Some of this has been recalled and some not.
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.
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.
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?
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.
For no apparent reason the airbag warning light in my daughter's 2002 new beetle lit up. After a costly ($315) diagnosis and repair it was discovered that there was resistance in the seat buckle. When I scheduled the diagnosis, the service desk person predicted that was the problem. That indicates that this is a common defect. She also said the airbags will not deploy if the light is on. Which in its self is cause for concern .
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.
Failure of the front crash sensor to triggered an air bag warning light.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
Air bag light has been on for about 3 weeks. Not sure what it means.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dt*: the consumer stated the air bag light illuminated on a continuous basis. The dealership determined the switch in the seat belt needs to be replaced. If the switch is not replaced, the air bag may not deploy in a collision. *jb updates 3/3/2006 -
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