Air bag warning light diagnosed at service by dealer (campbell/nelson vw) indicated that a sensor or switch located in the driver-side seatbelt latch was defective and even when the seatbelt was latched, the airbag would not deploy. This turned out to be a $400 repair and I believe it should be considered for a recall.
2003 Volkswagen Beetle: seat belt won't latch or retract
9 of the 314 complaints about the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 49,200
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
The front passenger seat belt would not unlatch. Passenger had to climb out from underneath. Call to the vw dealership yielded comment from service department "sometimes the seat belt latch breaks; you need to bring it in and have it replaced (at my cost)". On may 14, 2014 I had the service repair done. Mileage was 49,486. Cost was $292.16. Service was done by jim ellis volkswagen marietta, 1860 cobb parkway, marietta, ga 30060. I think this is a safety defect. If we had been in an accident, my passenger would not have been able to get out of the car; this would have been life-threatening, they could have died. I think volkswagen should make a recall of 2003 beetle convertibles and replace the latch and sensor (to airbag) at no charge to owner.
All panel lights come on (ABS, brake, battery, seatbelt, check engine), and the indicator continuously sounds like the seatbelt is not locked. The right brakelight goes out when the lights are on. Alternator and battery were both checked and they were both really strong. Thinking this may be an electrical problem.
I own a 2003 vw beetle, the seat belt buckle has wires connected to it, this wires snapped on their own. My airbag light turned on, for approximately 4 months I had this light on in my car. Through research in the internet, I found out that the seat belt was the problem. It seems that there was a defect with the seat belt buckle, lots of beetle owners had this problem. I contacted vw and they refused to take any responsibility. Information provided indicates that when the airbag light is on the airbags will not deploy in an accident. Please look in to this matter. Thank you.
2003 vw beetle convertible :drivers side windows regulator and motor and broken hinge. Also the check engine light says it need coil pack and temperature sensor. Seat belt light says it need seat belt sensor. Also door latch replaced.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that the air bag warning light started to illuminate approximately 2 years ago. The dealer replaced the oxygen sensors on three occasions. The seat belt buckle was also replaced; however, the light would continue to illuminate intermittently. The vehicle was recently taken back to the dealer who stated that the air bag needed to be replaced at the owners expense. The dealer confirmed that that repairs were not covered under the extended warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The current mileage was approximately 95,000.
Air bag light is on. The left front seat belt buckle is the cause of the light being on. Apparently the sensor in the buckle is defective.
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.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt buckle was s defective ,and the air bag light constantly illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times , and numerous diagnostics were performed. Currently, the cause of failure has not been found. The failure has been occurring since september 11, 2004. The current mileage is 59,500 , and failure mileage was 22,651.*ak SRS.pco
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle?
9 of 314 owner complaints about the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle (3%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle
Jerking 59Airbag light 42Power windows 29Transmission failure 27Slipping 14Harsh shifting 13Won't shift 12Stalling 11Check engine light 10Hesitation 8Grinding brakes 7Headlights 6Door locks 5Fire or smoke 5
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