Seat Belt Problems of Volkswagen Beetle - part 1

I took my vehicle into the mechanic due to my airbag light being on. Mechanic stated that it is a problem between my seat belt buckle and airbags. He stated that my airbags will not deploy in the event of an accident due to the seat belt buckle malfunctioning. When he callez dublin Volkswagen to get the part to fix this issue, they stated that Volkswagen does not make the part anymore. This is a major safety concern because myself and anyone else needs this part to drive safely.

See all problems of the 2006 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

2 recalls are on my bug first one says the air bag inflator may explode. Causing injury or death. I called vw they said it is safe to drive. And that there is no fix for it. I called them and I told them I can't sell my car like that, and they won't buy it back,or provide a rental until they come up with a fix. Is this car safe to drive with my grand kids or not and what do I do. . I have let the car sit until I here from someone.

See all problems of the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

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!.

See all problems of the 2007 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

Both front seats had a fire. It's June so heated seats were not used. What is my recourse?.

See all problems of the 2008 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

I bought used. One headlight was working. The other one went out shortly after I got it. We replaced the hid lights with brand new halogen lights. Was working great! then I was driving to town late one night and my headlights went out. The low beams, I still had the high beams. Then I got pulled over cause my tail lights were not working. So I had to drive with my flashers on. Then the check airbag light came on and I need a new seat belt, cause it is not working right. The drivers door window would not roll down a little when I opened the door and the door would not lock. The lights and tail lights are making me mad cause no matter what we have done they never work. Help!!! I want it fixed!! I love my little convertible. I don't want to have to get rid of it.

See all problems of the 2005 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

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!.

Passengers side headlight shorting out for 7th bulb replacement and new electrical problems. Strange, all within 6 months. My 21 yr old nursing student of ecu university has had the exact same issue while on her 4 hour trip home 7 times now. The wiring continues to fry itself in the main fuse box , now affecting theabs braking system. I paid $9k in cash and have electrical receipts, seat belt, convertible top, blower door, front end replacement, radiator, water pump, trunk latch, hydro licks on convertible, timing belt, 4 batteries, air bags! I could continue with a longer list. I added up to $17,000. 00 I have in this piece of crap that continues to break monthly . I would be ecstatic to provide all receipts. Isn't problems of this great nature unreasonable for a car with 70,000 miles also considered a lemon? all incidents have left my daughter stranded on interstate 85 where she has feared her life fight off the homeless psychotic people. It has left me unable to buy her a new car with no savings due to fixing something new each month. And 27 degrees outside with no ability to start it. The seat levers back and forth have had to be bolted in one position to prevent seat belt electrical too short electrical cord so the faulty airbags may by chance deploy if she ever got into an accident. Latest is. She needs another water pump and timing belt from just being done 2 years ago!! something major defects with this car. I fear for her life! last trip home a car did not see her pulled over on interstate and side swiped her bumper. Water pump again. See photo of it leaking more when we had it towed home in garage. Also rear bumper of inciden.

See all problems of the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

Electrical main fuse box under hood burnt and melted into battery. See pics of burnt fuse box, and indention of melted battery. Car cut off while in motion on highway, causing my 19 year old college daughter to almost wreck in route to school last week at 8pm est. Her major is nursing. I want to make sure she's alive to see her graduate. Outside air temp was 65 degrees. This is extremely dangerous, not to mention the cost that will be associated with paying for volkswagons poor design electrical misengineering flaw, a new alternator, all electrical wiring, a new battery, and possibly new convertible top motor. Her vw is/was in mint condition with fewer than 80k miles. Vw estimates costs to fix over $5k to 6k. Kbb value is much less. My daughters life is priceless. Also, the wiring harness for the seatbelts underneath the seat are too short!! if you slide the seats back, it breaks electrical connections which triggers seatbelts light to come on, which disengages airbags to work in the event of an accident. The 2 front seats also must slide forward in order for back seat passengers to enter vehicle. Is this how vw saves money, by shortening electrical wire to connect seatbelts? perhaps it's on purpose to avoid millions of electrical lawsuits?.

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.

I purchased 2013 vw Beetle as certified pre owned,in 2016, at 30,000 mile approximately steering gears had to be replaced,2 months later the window motors and switches needed replaced and that was the 3rd set. 2 weeks later,the driver window needed to be reinforced and switches needed to be tightened down. The dealership kept my vehicle for 2 solid months bc there was a manufacturer defect on the interior causing door panel to peel, then the ambient lighting broke. Vw exec cust service had been involved for 6 mths at this point, it took until 3/9/18 to get the door panel fixed, meanwhile everytime I picked up the car something different went wrong, intermittent seatbelts malfunction, speed sensors, seat heater po protruding through seat posing electrical shock once it completely penetrated. Passenger seatbelts, air bag light intermittently displayed and 11mths of instrument panel backlight flickering, rough idle, ac repaired 2x. Dealership refuses to fix dropping windows, intermittent seatbelts issue or seat heater issue bc they claim that the seat got wet at some point and therefore the manufacturers warranty wont cover it. However on 06072017, when window switches and motors bc possessed going up and down and interfering with locking controls during a monsoon, and the car clearly was caught in a storm lasting 10 hrs they will not fix and claim that all the safety controls for that seat are damaged bc of getting wet at some point,and so I cannot put my disabled child in it bc of that and it's been in the shop 13 times in 18mths, all for electrical issues. The rear trail arms recall corp has as being completed, however that recall was only if the vehicle was in a rear side accident which it was sold with a clean carfax.

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.

Air bag light came on and stayed on. Car shop said the seat belt switch assembly failed, and needed to be replaced. If there was a crash, the seat belt would not lock and the driver would be thrown into the air bag.

See all problems of the 2001 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

My transmission went out all at once my airbag/seatbeilt light on all the time.

See all problems of the 2004 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

Driver and passanger seat belt catches and later releases resulting in a loose seatbelt. On the lower portion of the seat belt where it attatches to the vehicle itself is allowed to slide back and forth according to the seats adjustments. However, on the back side of the of the sliding bar responsible to hold the belt has a 90 degree notch where the bar attaches to the frame. When the user uses restrains themself more often then not the belt catches in this notch area. Not allowing the belt to properly slide forward into the users currents position. Thus during some point of driving the vehicle the belt frees itselfs from the back 90 degree portions of the bar sliding forward. This results in a lose belt.

See all problems of the 2009 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

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.

Cable has completely severed on driver's seat belt receptor. This is not the result of an accident but just due to use as intended. Issue was discovered on examination on 7 November 2014. Informed Volkswagen of America who declined to repair the problem despite safety implications. Informal communication with dealer service department is that the issue was caused because a plastic sleeve around the two cables at the latching mechanism had slipped down the cable allowing the cable to bend back and forth, eventually causing stress failure.

See all problems of the 2000 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

First I must ask myself why am I wasting my time again? you can write to NHTSA all you want and explain your complaint / defect but that's as far as it goes, they never respond and nothing gets repaired for free unless numerous accidents happen and people get hurt or worse yet die!.

I'm the original owner of a 2001 Beetle with 11,8450 miles. On Aug 27, 2014, the driver side seat belt suddenly loss tension and went limp while I was driving! the seat belt can not be retracted. The vw service the way the seat belt became loose is a major safety hazard, and it should be on official record. Vw denied responsibility and my request for the repair cost.

The airbag sensor light came on while driving at 65mph. I took to the dealership where I purchased and they sent the car over to the vw dealership. Vw dealership contacted me and said that the driver side seatbelt, airbag igniter was defective and needed a driver side airbag unit to the tune of 881. 79. I have an extended warranty however nothing related to the airbag or safety is covered. Since this is a safety concern I wonder why vw doesn't stand by their products and warranty.

Airbag service light on dash came on. This means the airbags were disabled. Dealership identified the seat belt clasp on the driver seat as the problem. The electronics in the clasp were not communicating correctly causing the airbag to be disabled. The seatbelt as a safety mechanism itself was not compromised. The dealership representative indicated that this was a known and common issue with this vehicle make and model and that the fix was to replace the seatbelt clasp at a cost of about $300. 00. The cause of the seatbelt clasp to fail was the motion of moving the seat backwards and forwards. To access the rear seats of the car the seat must be moved backwards and forwards as it is a two door car. Overtime, this activity wore out some electronics in the clasp causing the airbag to be disabled. This is not a normal wear and tear item that is customarily replaced such as tires, brake pads or wiper blades. The manufacture should recognize this critical safety issue and offer to voluntarily recall the vehicles and/or offer to pay for a fix in our case.

The steel cable securing the driver side seat belt buckle to the seat cage broke leaving me unprotected in the vehicle. This is a serious safety issue common to the vw new Beetle and cited by owners across model years. Also, the manufacturer complicates what would be an easy fix by attaching the part to the seat cage with fasteners that cannot be removed without a proprietary tool. It's like strong-arm robbery!.

The front passenger seat belt would not unlatch. Passenger had to climb out from underneath. Call to the vw dealership yielded comment from service department "sometimes the seat belt latch breaks; you need to bring it in and have it replaced (at my cost)". On may 14, 2014 I had the service repair done. Mileage was 49,486. Cost was $292. 16. Service was done by jim ellis Volkswagen marietta, 1860 cobb parkway, marietta, GA 30060. I think this is a safety defect. If we had been in an accident, my passenger would not have been able to get out of the car; this would have been life-threatening, they could have died. I think Volkswagen should make a recall of 2003 Beetle convertibles and replace the latch and sensor (to airbag) at no charge to owner.

Air bag system dash warning light came on. Traced to an electrical connection in the driver side seat belt latch receiver mechanism (air bag fault code 0591) which had to be completely replaced in-order for the air bag system to resume function. This is a known vw issue yet the $490. 00 dealer-exclusive repair is not covered under any extended warranty plan, dealer service bulletin, or manufacturer's goodwill plan.

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact was concerned that the air bag could deploy inadvertently or would not deploy if involved in a crash. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that the seat belt buckle assembly would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 55,141. The VIN was not available.

Continue over heating blowing head twice engine light stay on brake lights on left side don't work alarm wont lock left side doesn't work and back seat is totally unsafe for kids. Front is vary unstable it feel like it going to fall off to low to the ground , etc. . . . . . It goes on and on.

Driver's side seat belt wiring has failed thus illuminating the air bag light. The seat belt wiring is of minute diameter with little shielding and poor conduit. Because the seat belt must flex when moving the seat forward, the strain on the wiring in the seat belt rips the wiring from it's soldered joint. This causes the air bag light to illuminate and causes the air bag system to revert to a backup algorithm that puts the driver in a dangerous environment. This "backup" algorithm will not monitor vehicle speed and will automatically deploy the airbag at a default amount of force regardless of impact force. This means that a minor fender bender that reaches the airbag force threshold could deploy the airbag at a force too great and conversely a high speed impact may deploy the airbag with insufficient force. This is an extremely common problem on this model year vehicle. A quick internet search will alert you as to how common this problem is. After calling my local dealership, they told me "we replace a ton of those seatbelts. " Volkswagen should acknowledge this egregious manufacturing defect and recall this defective part before fatal consequences further prove this is a deadly and extremely common problem.

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.

I turned on my car and the airbag light turned on.

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.

While in park and seated in driver seat pulled seat belt to lock, seat belt unraveled and won't retract at all.

The driver seat belt buckle shorts out do to faulty wire routing causing the seatbelt tensioner harness to get cut or shorted by the driver seat.

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that the air bag off warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they informed the contact that the seat belt sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 62,000.

Seat belt/air bag light came on. Took to local, qualified mechanic. They said only vw dealer could fix and reset. Dealer said it was lower seat belt harness ($380), but could be more (above $800) and the service writer encouraged us to do the more expensive work. Told them to do the harness and see if light would go out, which it did. Light came back on around 12/10/2010 at approximately 79,000 miles. Just prior to this, we purchased another vw Beetle, a 2003 convertible with 69,500 miles with the seat belt/airbag light on. Seller said he could not get it fixed by his mechanic and had to have vw dealer repair it for around "$380", maybe more. Since he made other repairs, we let it go. Now we have two to fix at the mercy of the vw dealer. My concerns are several: 1. This is a recurring problem for us and for numerous others (vw Beetle forum) 2. The repairs can only be completed by a high cost vw dealer and the computer reset by them only 3. The materials appear to be deficient/defective and the engineering of the harness/wiring system substandard 4. Repairs need to be made in the 60-85,000 mile range - a contrived maintenance/repair item that brings windfall revenue/profit to vw dealers in the $400-1,000 range per occurrence when many of the cars are worth only $4,000-7,000. 5. Since it is a basic safety item and we don't know if the airbag system works or not, we are forced to repair this problem because it makes us appear as if we are negligent when in fact this problem should not exist and be covered by the manufacturer like emission systems to well past 100-150,000 miles. In summary, vw has colluded with its dealers to create this situation and allow this "repair" to emerge as a way to generate revenues and profits on cars that would normally not have a reason to be brought in to a vw dealer. It is non-competitive, fraudulent and unnecessary.

See all problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

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/cn.

Why don't you have a catalytic converter problem for the 2001 Volkswagen Beetle. The company is replacing them. I just had one installed after having the engine light indicate I had a problem.