Two problems related to air bag not deploy have been reported for the 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle based on all problems reported for the 2001 New Beetle.
The state of virginia requires vehicle inspections, one item requires that dash warning lights for seat belt and airbags operate correctly. Our 2001 vw beetle has an airbag warning light that would not go out. The vw dealer charged $100 to diagnose the fact that the driver's seat belt (micro chip) was the culprit and for another $500 the problem could be corrected. Feeling this dealer was trying to "rip me off" I searched the internet for information on this problem. There are literally thousands of comments from owners of vw cars with the same complaint. I contacted Volkswagen of America, customer care advocate, for information on this safety item and inquired why the excessive charge from their dealers. A simple reply was returned saying they did not see a need for a recall to correct a recurring problem. The problem is that if the sensor does not believe the seat belt is fastened, the airbag will not deploy in a crash. I wish to add my voice to the many complaints I found in the NHTSA web site regarding Volkswagen of America's disregard for the lives of their customers, so their dealers can make money from a repeated correction to this problem. At your request I will provide facts, documents, and evidence concerning my complaint.
Air bag light on for 2nd time since Aug 2006 when car was bought used. Newbeetle. Org members all have had the same problem and I keep getting charged to read code and turn off the light because it's an "intermittent" code. I'm tired of driving around a vehicle knowing the air bags will not deploy if I get into an accident.