Seat Belt Problems of Volkswagen New Beetle

When the engine was started, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and stays illuminated until the engine is turned off. The seat belt light goes off after the car is started even when no seatbelts are put on. The VIN was not included in recall 08v178000, although the failure symptoms seem similar.

See all problems of the 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle 🔎.

I own a 2003 vw beetle, the seat belt buckle has wires connected to it, this wires snapped on their own. My airbag light turned on, for approximately 4 months I had this light on in my car. Through research in the internet, I found out that the seat belt was the problem. It seems that there was a defect with the seat belt buckle, lots of beetle owners had this problem. I contacted vw and they refused to take any responsibility. Information provided indicates that when the airbag light is on the airbags will not deploy in an accident. Please look in to this matter. Thank you.

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.

See all problems of the 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle 🔎.

Sensor lights come on intermittently. Not consistent and go days between repeat issue. Abs/brake/esp: comes on and when car is restart will not duplicate. Dealer replaced module and it came on again. Seat belt alarm: will alarm even when seat belt is fastened. Airbag sensor: came on then, when car was restart it would not duplicate. Happened 3 time in a week. Headlights replaced: both replaced twice in one year. Locks: will lock/unlock while driving when they already had been locked.

See all problems of the 2008 Volkswagen New Beetle 🔎.

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle [xxx] air bag light has came on twice and Volkswagen service department advises anytime the air bag light comes on it is a safety hazard. I have had to replace the drive & passenger seat belt latch to make the air bag light go off at a cost of $600. 32. If this is a safety issue, why is there not a recall?.

See all problems of the 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle. When the contact started the vehicle, he noticed that the air bag indicator was illuminating on the instrument panel. The indicator did not dim once the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle was driven to the dealer and they stated that the driver's side seat latch for the seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed a failed wire by the latch of the seat belt on the driver's side. The manufacturer was notified and stated that they were not liable for the repairs. The current mileage was 27,888 and failure mileage was 27,858.

Air bag light intermittent. 3rd time for service to air bag system. 1st event was in warranty - replace clock spring, 2nd and 3rd events were not covered - over 50k miles and extended warranty claims they do not cover safety related systems including air bag systems. 2nd issue, was too short in length of wiring harness leading to clock spring. 3rd issue was due to seat belt switch, now light is again on. Have not taken car back to dealer yet.

See all problems of the 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle 🔎.

I was involved in a crash while driving my 2003 vw beetle convertible. I was unable to brake and avoid a semi-truck that was in directly in front of me. I was traveling at a speed between 30-40 mph but did lose conscience so am not sure if remember exactly how fast I was going. My airbag did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock causing my face to slam directly into the steering wheel. The passenger side airbag which contained no passengers nor items did deploy. I suffered facial fractures and a broken nose. My fractures have healed but my nose needs to be reconstructed. My car was serviced at a collision center and then sent to the autobarn in countryside, IL where the car was bought used in August of 2006. The car was returned to me on Dec 27 but no explanation was given for the airbag not deploying. The transmission was also not working properly so I returned the car for additional service a few days later. The car was finally returned to me 2 weeks later with a new transmission but still no explanation for the airbag. Upon leaving the autobarn on January 17 with my car, the air bag light turned on and stayed on while I drove about 10 miles. I returned the car the next day and the service department stated the light did not go on for them and offered again no explanation.

The contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle. When the vehicle is turned on the air bag indicator light illuminated on the instrument control panel. The dealer stated that the air bag was deactivated and the seat belt latch system needed to be repaired in order for the air bag system to function properly. The contact would have to pay for the repair because air bag was not covered under warranty. The vehicle needs to be repaired. The failure mileage was 51,000 and current mileage was 52,000. Updated 02/14/08. The brake light bulb and right rear tail light was inoperative. Updated.

I'm in the process of replacing my second driver's side seat belt latch (the female end that the belt attaches to) on my 2002 vw New Beetle. This failure triggers the air bag light on the instrument panel. The first seat belt latch was replaced in April of 2007; now, three years later, the air bag light is on again and the error code indicates the same issue, so I'm forced to replace the same part again. From my reading vw New Beetle forums, this is a chronic problem for this model year. At the very least you'd think vw would re-design the part to eliminate the issue so it only has to be replaced one time.

Rear collision accident in 2004, now seatbelt latch mechanism not working, struts and wheel bearings damaged and need replacement along with subframe and emergency brake system.

I was removing my seat belt and it slipped from my hand. After that the air bag default light came on and has stayed on. Two dealerships have told me there is a problem with the seat belt latch, but that the air bags will still deploy. The dealers are autobarn vw in evanston, IL and jennigs vw in glenview, IL. However city vw tells me the air bags won't deploy due to the failure light being on and that the buckle has to be replaced. I heard of other people having the same problems on the vw blogs on the web.