While driving into the mall parking lot at speed of 20 MPH all airbags exploded except the steering wheel airbag and my daughter suffered from arm and air injuries
2002 Volkswagen Passat airbags problems
11 complaints (2% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 78,000. 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 78,000
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Frontal2
- Side/window1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Volkswagen Passat airbags problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Passenger air bag lid failure
This investigation involves the volkswagen (vw) passenger supplemental inflatable restraint (psir) lid utilized in my 1998-2002 vw passat.the psir lid may detach from the instrument panel during air bag deployment.the office of defects investigation (odi) of the federal safety agency opened the preliminary evaluation on may 23, 2003 to determine whether alleged psir lid detachment presents an unreasonable safety risk to passengers in the vehicle.odi?s investigation reveals that detachment of the psir lid during air bag deployment may occur for two reasons: 1) the shape of the psir lid, and the length of the attaching tether, may snag the air bag during deployment applying additional pressure on bolts that fasten the lid to the instrument panel (ip); and/or 2) the original psir lid design (subject vehicles) utilized six grade 4.8 mm carbon steel tack weld bolts which may not be as strong as the new design psir lid consisting of six grade 8.8 mm carbon steel press bolts that are heat treated.odi concludes that detachment of the psir lid is a defect because the lid should remain attached to the ip after deployment of the airbag.however, after analyzing vw?s responses, and test data collected by vw and faurecia, the psir lid supplier, odi believes that further investigation would not likely identify a safety-related defect trend because a detached psir lid and parts do not project towards a passenger during deployment of the airbag.the test data shows that the airbag pushes a detached psir lid upwards into the windshield during deployment, and away from the passenger compartment.it is highly unlikely that a passenger would contact the psir lid or associated parts during air bag deployment.therefore this engineering analysis (ea 03-020) is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. For a detailed discussion of the psir lid and testing, see the attached report.
EA03020
Passenger sir door mounting stud failure
Odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe03-021) based on two reports of failed bolt studs that attach the passenger supplemental inflatable restraint (psir) door cover to the instrument panel (ip) on the volkswagen (vw) passat (model years 2000, 2002).vw has indicated to odi that it has no additional reports.vw implemented a process change on march 1, 2002.this process change consisted of changing the bolt application that fastens the psir door to the ip from a weld on application to a press on application.vw also changed the material of the bolt.vw stated that the changes were made to ease production by eliminating a welding process.odi has upgraded its investigation to engineering analysis (ea03-020).
PE03021
What 2002 Volkswagen Passat owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Air bag fault message when starting my car everytime.
Two driver's side airbags deployed when I drove through a pothole on a city street. I have driven into potholes no different than this in the past. There was no other damage to the car or tires. The impact was vertical; I did not experience any side-to-side motion. Cost of repair estimated to be between $2000 & $3000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen passat. While parked, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics where the mechanic advised that the front driver side air bag sensor would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred approximately 2,000 miles later. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic who stated that the front passenger side sensor would now have to be replaced. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.
Air bag warning light came on in our 2002 vw passat v6 with 70,040 miles. Our repair shop discovered that the seat belt assembly that receives the buckle was not registering the buckle being fastened. We replaced the part #b0858471kfcn to restore the airbag to operation. We were told that the air bag would not inflate while driving with this defective seat belt assembly. We have notified volkswagen of the problem and asked them to cover the $356.35 repair cost.
Failure for airbag to deploy when I rear-ended somebody. My approximate speed was 25-25 MPH and all my front components in the car were damaged. That includes the radiator, the airconditioning all the fans in the front and the engine cover. It cost me around 9000 to fix it. But the point is with so much damage in the front the airbag failed to deploy. I have never been in such an accident before and now I feel very unsafe driving that car. I do not know if the airbags will ever work also.
Driving north in the far right lane on gallatin pk in nashville, tn, another driver in the south bound turning lane turned into oncoming traffic with no warning. My view was obscured by the line of traffic in the left hand north lanes. The car I was driving (2002 vw passat) hit the car that turned in to my lane in a direct, classic t-bone hit. I never saw the car and hit the car at approx. 32 MPH without braking. The driver's side airbag on my car failed to deploy although the passenger side airbag did deploy. I was wearing a seat belt, but the car seat also slid forward and I hit the steering wheel. The back seats came unlatched and everything flew forward through the car at impact.
Airbag light and buzzer stays on all the time. Prestige auto of santa rosa wanted to charge me over $100 just to diagnose it. According to what I've read, a safety problem is supposed to be fixed with no charge.
Front driver side wheel hit a pothole while turning right, which flattened the tire. All driver side airbags as well as side curtain airbags deployed. Sensors appeared to be overly sensitive as there was no impending roll over or collision.
When vehicle lightly hit retaining wall while parking the air bags deployed taking out the front windshield. *mr the consumer requested that vw pay his insurance company for damages.
Questions about the 2002 Volkswagen Passat airbags
Does the 2002 Volkswagen Passat have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the airbags of the 2002 Volkswagen Passat, 2% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Volkswagen Passat airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 78,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Volkswagen Passat airbags?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Volkswagen Passat have bad airbags?
The Volkswagen Passat model years with the most airbags complaints are 2013 (382 complaints), 2014 (354 complaints) and 2012 (296 complaints).
Other 2002 Volkswagen Passat problems
Electrical 220Engine 148Fuel system 73Brakes 72Lights 33Body 30Visibility 27Transmission 25Acceleration 16Suspension 16Seats 15Tires 13Locks 6Seat belts 5Driver assistance 2Wheels 2Steering 1
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