Seven problems related to air bag not deploy have been reported for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The passenger airbag system will intermittently code for service airbag. It will do this when a passenger is in or not in the seat. When it does this the airbag indicates as off instead of defaulting to on. This is worrisome cause the airbag could not deploy in the event of any accident on the passenger side when it is occupied.
Vehicle displaying service airbag warning. Was told by dealer the passenger airbag will not deploy unless a $1000 part is ordered and installed. This is a critical safety device and should be covered as a safety recall. This warning appears upon starting the vehicle and remains on. The dealer stated the passenger sensing module shorted out internally. The vehicle currently has 124k miles on it.
This issue appears to be related to an open investigation (pe19013). Airbag warning displayed after passenger has exited the vehicle ('service airbag'). Appears to be caused by faulty passenger presence sensor. Fault cleared when vehicle is turned off/on. Dealer (paradise Chevrolet, ventura, CA) advised that passenger presence and airbag systems have an 'internal fault' (b0074, b0081) which dealer service rep stated may cause the passenger airbag not to deploy correctly in the event of an accident. Quoted repair cost of $499 for sensor and 3 hours labor (@$150/hr).
Passenger side air bag / seat sensor malfunctioned shortly after purchasing the vehicle. Seen many other complainants exactly the same issue. Got in a car accident and my passenger was almost killed as the air bag did not deploy. The manufactures really needs to recall and fix these seat sensors. This has been going on way to long. Also the conditioning unit failed due to faulty manufacturing.
Service air bag light and sound alert began going off random times and now it comes on all the time. I did not realize this indicator meant my air bag would not deploy in case of an accident and the repair for this sensor issue is on the owner. This should not be the case, this is a serious safety issue. The repair estimate of $800-$1200 is not acceptable. I attempted to go to an independent repair shop in hopes of resolving within my budget but due to Chevrolet patent on the parts and tools needed for repair independent shops cannot help me. This should be considered a recall as it impairs the safety of drivers and passengers.
I was traveling on a straight city street when I was struck by a vehicle coming off a side street that had lost control of their car. I was hit on the drivers side door. I was going about 25 mph. I hit my head on the door frame above the drivers side window. The side air bag did not deploy. I was taken to the hospital where I had a CT scan of my head and neck performed. I had a slight concussion (memory loss). Had head and neck pain after the accident. My car was a total loss.
My 2012 Chevrolet Volt started experiencing problems with the sensor that detects the weight of a individual in the seat. The problem has progressively gotten worse and began around 19,000 miles. It has gotten to a point where if I have a passenger in the car, the air bag warning light will come on after they exit the car. Several other owners in the Volt owners club and various other forums have experienced a similar issue. In my car the air bag warning light comes on when someone rides in the passanger seat and then gets of. The "service air bag" message will stay on untiil I turn of the car or push the seat cushion with my hand. The problem is that gm is not covering the cost on a car with less than 32,000 miles. Leaving customers with a bill of 800 dollars to fix a component that should last the lifetime of the car. As time progresses it seems to problem is becoming more common place and owners are stuck with the bill. The biggest problem is that the airbag may fail to deploy in the event of a crash.