This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Air bag warning light stays on after start. Constantly on even when driver and passenger seat belts are engaged. Extremely dangerous! recall now. I see the issue has been reported numerous times over a decade!
The drivers side front seat belt air bag sensor went bad. The VW dealership said the parts have been discontinued. This is a major safety hazard! there have been many complaints about this same issue I have seen, I can't believe that VW hasn't issued a recall on this by now! the air bags will not work in the event of an accident, this could lead to death! again there needs to be action taken and a recall issued before anyone gets seriously injured or killed! my seatbelt air bag light came on while I was driving causing me to pull over thinking that maybe the belt wasn't fastened all the way. The light wouldn't go out so I drove it to a garage where it sat until today still not fixed due to part being discontinued! again safety hazard as the air bags are non functional!
Driver's seat belt buckle not reading that seat belt is buckled causing yellow seat belt /air bag light to remain on and making air bags inoperable I'm guessing. Dearler recommends new driver's side seat belt assembly.
For years, Volkswagen has had a design flaw in their seat belt wiring harness. My "check engine" light came on as is the "air bag" light so I took it to a VW mechanic. He said it was a common problem with VW and Audi. He cleared the fault using a diagnostics tool. Soon the lights came back on. And they stay on...! will my air bag work with this problem" what happens if I get an engine problem such as oil pump or timing belt? my vehicle could shut down without my knowledge. That could cause an accident. And again, will my air bag work" we have looked online...this seat belt wiring design flaw has been going on for years. Yet, Volkswagen has not fixed this issue. The mechanic we used says the seat belt wiring harness is too short...therefore, when the seat is moved forward it breaks wiring in the harness. The dealer wants $600 to fix this. I do not have that kind of money! I am on ssdi.
The "check engine light" stays on. We used a decoder and it gave a fault to the seat belt. We tried to clear the code but could not get rid of the code. I did online research and found this is a common problem with VW Beetles. The 'check engine light" is a vital part of possible problems. Since we cannot clear the code that that light on in our dash, we have no way of knowing if another issue occurs. What if get a bad oil pump or timing belt problem? we have no way of knowing because the seat belt issue is tied into the "check engine light". very dangerous! we are on ssi and cannot afford to take our car to a dealer. They want $600 to fix the seat belt issue. We do not have that kind of money! this is obviously a big issue with VW Beetles as we have seen online. Many, many complaints!!! they should be held accountable for the defective seat belt issue! I have seen that their seat belt wiring harnesses are about two inches too short...thus causing the wires to break and cause the "check engine light" condition that we have. Please have VW do the right thing. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
- Charlo, MT, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that while attempting to buckle the seat belt, the front driver side seat belt remained retracted. As a result, the contact was unable to buckle the seat belt. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the front driver's side seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another dealer who diagnosed that the front driver's side seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 7/9/15
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.
Air bag light illuminated for passenger seat (indicating that air bag not working and problem). Dealer states that the air bag module and seat belt buckle need to be replaced. The air bag module and seat belt buckle should not have to be replaced on a one owner vehicle with less than 50,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. The contact stated once the the driver side seat belt was buckled the the air bag light would remain illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who advised her that the seat belt sensor was not reading correctly therefore, the air bag light would not detect it. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were approximately 62,000. Updated 5/2/11 updated 05/12/11
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Helendale, CA, USA