SRS/airbag warning light illuminated. A diagnostic scan (VCDS) confirmed stored fault codes for both front airbag crash sensors: driver's side 'short to ground' and passenger's side 'open or short to plus.' Upon further inspection, water was found pooled at the airbag control module connector, located under the center dash. The AC condensate drain line is routed directly above this module, and appears to be the source of the water intrusion — water drained from the connector itself when disconnected, and dampness was present at both the upper and lower AC drain hose connections near the module. After drying and reconnecting all components, an attempt was made to clear the fault codes via VCDS. The airbag module returned a 'not acknowledged' response to the clear command, indicating the fault condition and/or internal component damage may still be present. This vehicle's VIN was checked against active airbag recalls for this model year and found not to be included. However, given the safety-critical nature of the SRS system and the apparent design proximity of the AC drain to the airbag module connector, this may represent a broader risk for this chassis. Multiple independent repair shops declined to service this issue, citing liability concerns related to airbag system water intrusion. Volkswagen customer service denied a goodwill repair request, citing vehicle age/mileage without reviewing supporting documentation (VCDS diagnostic report and photos).
Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen airbag light comes on
19 of the 173 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen describe airbag warning light, most of them for the 2015 model year.
- owner complaints
- 19
- worst model year
- 2015
- typical mileage
- 48,000
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Clock spring failure at 10 years 1400000 miles causing airbag light to come on. Airbag in steering wheel presumably doesn't work properly. The car has been looked at by a dealership who quickly confirmed clock spring failure, but falls outside of VW warranty replacement for this vehicle. There was no warning prior to failure of the clock spring.
The contact's partner owns a 2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, he observed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact also heard an abnormal soft clicking sound in the cabin while turning the steering wheel to the left or to the right. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V483000 (Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was unknown.
Clockspring failure. VW does not cover this critical safety part under warranty. Air bag is non functional (air bag light on) horn is non functional. Other controls on steering wheel not functional.
As I was leaving work yesterday, I noticed that the Air Bag indicator was showing on the dash. It was not showing when I drove it to work. I also noticed that my Cruise Control is no longer working.
The clock spring fails. Causing the airbag light to illuminate. The car is a 2015 and the first clock spring failed in January 2021, with around 155,00 miles (estimate). Second one failed this week with 162,000 miles. I know the car is old, but the part that gets power to the airbag should last more than 2 years. Volkswagen extended the warranty of the part, but we were outside for both repairs now. The dealer tells me this part is fixed on a regular basis to the point he was surprised he was able to get the part. I feel like for the part that supplies power to the airbag, an extended warranty is not sufficient. (For the information below, I was in a parking lot when the clock spring broke, so speed was irrelevant, np accident occurred)
I did a left-U turn- heard a loud sound, and then all the electrical things on my steering wheel failed, like horn, air bag, and controls. The failed airbag light is on, and it has other warning lights as well. I am now not protected in a crash, nor can I use my horn. I believe from a bit of research that my car has what I think is the same clockspring defect that VW has had in a TON of their vehicles- mine has failed- but does not seem to fall into a safety recall. Why is that? This seems to be a serious safety problem they have had- and I believe it should be covered by the manufacturer.
After turning on the vehicle, I turned the steering wheel and heard a click, then the airbag malfunction warning light came on immediately. Horn and all steering wheel buttons have stopped working (radio control, cruise control etc). and airbag warning light remains on. This seems obviously to be the broken clock spring problem. Vehicle has about 105,000 miles on it. I am not sure if the steering area was ever serviced during a previous safety recall, but I have never had any service on the steering wheel or issues in that area.
ABS/ESC/AIRBAG lights lit when vehicle started. Problem persisted for two days after rain storm. Water had been observed in the passenger footwell, and was verified to be coming from a plugged sun roof drain. Overflowing drain may contribute to body rust, mildew/mold, or electrical problems as reported.
Existing the federal safety agency recall 69l2 but on different model year - vw driver side airbag and horn/steering wheel buttons disabled. My airbag warning light came on and my horn and steering wheel buttons became disabled simultaneously as I was in motion driving down the road. Now my airbag and horn/buttons are not working including cruise control. Vw recalled earlier-model vehicles but this appears to be a problem that still hasn't been solved and affects more than just the models listed in the original recall. I called vw care to see if my vehicle was covered under a campaign or extended warranty. However the person I spoke to told me that my clock spring was not covered and I would have to pay out of pocket. This is infuriating because it's a known issue that's disabling my airbag and horn but vw is refusing to take responsibility. Judging by how many complaints I've seen I am definitely not alone. My vehicle only has ~66k miles. Here is a related vw extended warranty bulletin I found posted to your website: investigation into whether vw didn't recall enough models: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jensen/2018/04/21/feds-investigate-whether-vw-should-recall-more-models/?sh=159d58364c60 customers continuing to have problems even after fixing, suggesting vw has not fixed the issue: https://www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/6185-vw-clock-spring-recall-may-have-failed http://www.vwproblems.com/clock-spring-failure/ more complaints: https://www.vehie.com/complaints/volkswagen?vehie_model=golf+sportwagen https://www.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/golf_sportwagen/2016/seat_belts_air_bags/clock_spring_broken.shtml article mentioning that 15/16 sportwagens notoriously have clock spring issues: https://www.wheels.ca/car-reviews/buying-used-2015-2019-volkswagen-golf-sportwagen/
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 Audi TT Roadster, TT Coupe, S3 Sedan, R8 Coupe, A3 Sedan, A3 Etron, A3 Cabriolet, 2016 Golf Sportwagen, Golf R, Golf GTI, Golf A7, and E Golf vehicles. During air bag deployment, the front passenger air bag may explode or deploy improperly.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. An improper air bag deployment may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing their risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front-passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Audi's customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69DY and 61C1.
Recall number 22V543000 · Recall details
Questions about the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen airbag light
Why does the airbag light come on in the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen?
Owners who report it most often also describe adaptive cruise control problems, broken coil spring and clunking or noise when steering.
Which Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen years have airbag warning light problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2015 (10 complaints), 2016 (7 complaints) and 2017 (2 complaints).
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