Air Bag Light On problems of the 1997 Volkswagen Passat

I purchased a 1997 Volkswagen Passat vr6 at checkered flag BMW in June 2004, and since have discovered that the electrical system is horrible. First, the air conditioner( a/c) quit working, then the airbag light came on, and the ac started working for a day, then blew a chemical cloud into the vehicle, while I was on the highway. My eyes were burning (as well as my face) for the rest of the day. Finally, I have already had to replace the battery, and there's a slow coolant leak. May I suggest that we remove all vw's from America's streets? they are a total menace to anyone who owns them! I went to checkered flag vw, to have it serviced, and they wanted to charge 89 dollars a problem, just to look, then they said I could trade it for a new one. Why would I want a new one? I don't need to trade an old problem for a new, more expensive one, I just want a reliable work vehicle, and I wish I had stuck to my guns and bought another prelude. This thing will see the crusher when I'm done paying it off! four problems in not so many months. Only another vw owner would know that kind of frustration!.

Started with airbag light turning on. A week or so later the parking brake and abs lights turned on but only for the first few miles of driving. While these were on, the ac fan, wipers, and headlights do not operate. These lights now stay on most of the time.