Two problems related to front air bag have been reported for the 2004 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2004 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2004 Passat.
I was driving the car around 40 mph in downtown los angeles in the afternoon and I was the only occupant. The vehicle in front of me suddenly slowed down. I pressed the brakes hard but the car did not stop and I tried to swerve to the shoulder but there was not enough room. I rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. I was puzzled and bewildered why the car was not stopping even though I was pressing on the brakes. I could see myself approaching the vehicle in front of me and wondering why I am not stopping but at the same time trying to swerve towards the shoulder. The airbag on the driver side did not deploy but the airbag on the passenger side deployed even though there was no passenger.
While driving at approximately 35 mph driver t-boned another vehicle on the passenger's side and the air bags in the front of the vehicle failed to deploy. The damage was so extensive the car was deemed a total loss. Consumer's son sustained a sprained lower back, hyper extended knees, misaligned hips, etc.