2001 Volkswagen Passat: airbag warning light

Filed Oct 31, 2006 · Airbags · 103,400 miles · CA

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the airbag light illuminated intermittently without incident. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined the front driver side airbag inflater module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 10/31/06.

Filed Jan 11, 2006 · Airbags, Transmission · 21,300 miles · NY

2001 volkswagen passat low mileage of 21,000 miles. Normally garaged and maintained according to schedule. After rain, found an inch of water in rear passenger floor. Transmission non-functional, air bag warning light and other warning lights on. Dealer said the pollen filter seal was no good and that water leaked in and destroyed the transmission control unit which is located in the floor behind the passenger seat. Cost of repair in excess of $3,100. Vw refuses to compensate in any way because warranty was only for two years. Transmission and power train are covered for 5 years, but vw says the failure was due to "outside influence". I have read many accounts on the internet from many angry owners of similar problems where leaks from this seal have caused catastrophic repairs. The service manager at the vw dealer told me that checking the pollen filter seal is not part of any regular maintenance and that in order to check it, you'd need to disassemble quite a few things in the engine compartment. When I asked him how an owner could possibly know if the seal needed replacement and he replied "you found out how". I am clearly not alone in having experienced a failure from a part that is not in any way maintainable (the pollen filter seal) and that has caused major damage to the car. I feel this is a consumer issue and that this is a design defect in the passat that vw should compensate owners for. There is no way for an owner to be able to avoid this situation -- it is not a matter of maintenance. It got to do with the passat leaking water and the location of an extremely expensive component in the rear passenger floor, the area where any water that leaks migrates to. If this failure had occurred during driving, I might have had an accident.

Filed Apr 15, 2004 · Airbags · 27,119 miles · CA

While driving at 25 MPH air bag light came on and stayed on. Vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the o-ring in the driver's side air bag.

Filed Oct 24, 2003 · Engine · 40,100 miles · VA

My 2001 volkswagen (vw) passat experienced a problem that is well documented in the volkswagen passat user community as frequently occurring and confirmed by vw service technicians as a problem seen often. My service technician reported seeing this problem about 4 times a month. The car contains a pollen filter. The seal around the pollen filter failed. When the seal fails, water comes into the car around the passenger side footwell, flooding both the from and rear of the car, and, in our case requiring about $600 worth of repair. Reported consequences of water coming into the car, include (1) subsequent failure of the instrument lighting n the center console, making the audio, ventilation, anti-slip override and emergency flashers more difficult to access at night; (2) failure of either the airbag triggering mechanism or the airbag warning light, owner cannot distinguish; (3) and failure of the central locking system (doors and trunk -- locked doors cannot be unlocked from outside.) this problem occurs when the car gets wet -- for example when driving in the rain -- and results in failure of systems related to interior lights, electrical components, airbags, and locks -- all critical for safety in either normal or emergency situations. Volkswagen has denied my request for financial relief from the repair costs I incurred fixing the failure of the pollen filter seal in my 2001 passat.

Filed Aug 27, 2003 · Airbags · 55,256 miles · CA

2/18/03 - reported air bag light on to dealer. Dealer could not find problem and reset light. Airbag light came back on again in may '03. Returned to dealer on 6/28/03 for service. Told that airbag spiral spring and harness be replaced. Could not change on that day (saturday) due to time constraints. Returned to dealer on 8/26/03 to replace spiral spring and harness.

Filed Mar 20, 2003 · Acceleration · 19,000 miles · TX

Car went into passing gear while passing slow vehicle on two-lane road. When pass was completed and foot was lifted from accelerator pedal, car continued to accelerate dangerously even though accelerator pedal returned to normal position. Only by shifting into neutral, braking with both foot and hand brake and switching ignition off was driver able to bring vehicle under control avoiding collision with other car ahead in same lane. After a minute, driver attempted to resume journey and restarted engine in park. Engine raced to full RPM. The malfunction indicator lamp (mil) and electronic power control (epc) and airbag warning lamps were lit at this time. Driver switched off ignition, deemed vehicle unsafe to drive, and called for local vw dealership to send tow truck. After waiting for tow truck about 30 minutes, driver restarted engine normally. No warning lights were showing except the air bag light, but driver elected to wait for vehicle to be towed.

Filed Oct 8, 2002 · Airbags · NY

Consumer states that the airbag warning light keeps illuminating. Cause is unknown. Please provide any further information.

Filed Jun 7, 2001 · Airbags · MA

Airbag light came on. Took vehicle to dealer on 9 may, replaced clock spring assembly. Light came on again on 16 may, dealer found no problem. Airbag light on again on 23 may, dealer replaced 1 airbag and clock spring assembly.airbag light on again on 3 june, and dealer will replace both airbags. Vehicle still at dealer at this time.

Filed Apr 23, 2001 · Airbags, Transmission · MD

Airbag warning light turned on starting 02/12/2001. It was check by the dealer on 03/06/2001 but no problem was found and cleared code. Three days later airbag warning light turned on again with airbag fault sign was also on. Took to dealer on 03/22/2001 along with the new transmission problem. The car was towed in because of the transmission pan, gasket punctured and oil leaking. The dealer service replace the airbag and upper harness under warranty of the car, while transmission repair was charge to my insurance. My safety complaint is that the transmission pan is maybe too low to the ground that it can easily be punctured, which may cause serious transmission problem. And for the airbag warning sign turned on, the airbag will not deploy if accident occurs or may accidentally deploy while driving.