Air Bag Not Deploy problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle

Vw dealer advises that airbag light indicates airbags are disabled and caused by a malfunction in the seatbelt latch assembly costing $386 to repair. Vw dealer says this happens a lot. Vw dealer said that airbags would not have deployed. Vw dealer said that wiring inside the latch "just breaks" eventually. Failure of safety equipment should be an automatic recall and manufacturers should be required to repair defects at their costs and not cost to the consumer.

For no apparent reason the airbag warning light in my daughter's 2002 new Beetle lit up. After a costly ($315) diagnosis and repair it was discovered that there was resistance in the seat buckle. When I scheduled the diagnosis, the service desk person predicted that was the problem. That indicates that this is a common defect. She also said the airbags will not deploy if the light is on. Which in its self is cause for concern .

The driver's side air bags did not deploy as they should have in a head on car accident. Someone hit my car in the right rear end and I lost control of the car and it careened head first into a tree. Before the car was hit it was going about 30 - 35 mph but after it was hit it went faster, I can't say how much (I estimated above). I was the driver and only occupant. The car was totaled but the air bags did not deploy as they should have. I got whiplash (real whiplash) and injured my hip as it broke the arm rest. The VIN number I provided is for this car that was totaled - it's no longer on the street.

Vehicle was on the road when all of a sudden the brakes did not operate when they were applied. As a result, vehicle hit a telephone pole. Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy.