2014 Volkswagen Jetta Airbags Problems

On October 17, 2025, I was driving my 2014 Volkswagen Jetta at approximately 25–30 mph on the bypass in Muscatine, Iowa. Another vehicle cut into my lane and struck the front driver-side of my car. My vehicle suffered significant front-end impact, including wheel/tire damage, bumper and fender damage, and visible suspension impact. During the crash, the driver-side airbag did NOT deploy, even though the impact was directly to the front driver-side area where the crash sensors are located. The airbag warning light did not come on before or after the crash. Because the force of the impact was strong enough to damage the front wheel, suspension components, and bumper structure, I believe the airbag system (airbag module, front crash sensor, or related wiring) failed to detect the crash properly. A collision at this speed and angle should have triggered airbag deployment. This failure put me at risk of serious injury. I am reporting this because the airbag system did not function as intended in a front-end collision, and I am concerned there is a defect affecting the airbag deployment sensors or modules in this model.

NHTSA ID

11702637

Incident

Oct 17, 2025

During this summer (2024), I got a warning with three beeps then warning lights came on, went off for a several months, and now have come on and stayed on (ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE, AIRBAG, Tire Pressure). This has to be an issue with VW. There was close to 63,000 miles on the car at the time. Now there's only 64,000 miles on the car. The dealer service center couldn't really determine the cause but still quoted a repair of nearly $4,000.

NHTSA ID

11629877

Incident

May 7, 2024

The contact owned a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the son was driving at 46-47 MPH and turning left when another vehicle driving at 65-70 MPH crashed into the entire driver's side of the vehicle causing the vehicle to spin approximately 3 - 4 times before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. No air bags had deployed. The vehicle was towed and deemed totaled by the insurance company. A police report was filed. The driver had received injuries to their right leg, however, no medical attention was sought. The dealer had not been contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11579350

Incident

Feb 22, 2024

The contact owned a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she was involved in a multi-vehicle accident pileup after a utility truck that was two vehicles ahead of her suddenly braked. The air bags had failed to deploy. The contact's daughter did not require medical attention but had sustained a headache from the impact. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 121,640.

NHTSA ID

11514254

Incident

Feb 24, 2023

Mileage

121,640 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and depressing on the horn, the horn failed to make a sound. The contact stated that the air bag, ABS, and Electronic Steering Control (ESC) warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the clockspring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the horn to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11493034

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

Mileage

100,000 mi

2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. Part number 5K0953569AL air bag clock spring failed leaving air bag and horn unusable. Dealerships say this is the most back ordered Volkswagen part. Many wait lists have several thousand people waiting with no end in sight. No one can provide a ship date. These cars cannot legally be on the road and cannot be sold back to a dealership because they won’t pass inspection. This part has been involved in a recall previously with the same issues, but not all affected cars are covered under the recall. I am personally unable to find a solution and my car has been unusable and unsafe. When I realized how normal and not unique my exact situation was, I felt the need to report this problem on behalf of the tens of thousands of people who are without safe vehicles, including myself. I am hoping that the recall can be extended to these other cars desk with the exact same clock spring issues so that we can be provided with solutions that can get our cars back on the road safely. Thank you for your time.

NHTSA ID

11485524

Incident

Aug 26, 2022

Air bags failed to deploy on my 2014 volkswagen jetta. I hit a Guardrail head on at 50-60 mph pushing it 8 feet back. I sustained a large laceration on my forehead eventually needing 6 staples and 6 stitches to close it up. My passenger got abbrastions to her head from hitting the window. Which is now cracked and broken throughout. The air bag light came on my dashboard but no air bags were ever deployed. Having just bought this vehicle 6 months ago from a dealership and them verifying that everything was in working order has me wondering what to do about this? $18,000 for a trip to the E.R that night. Needless to say I'm pretty disappointed and know that if the airbags would have properly went off it would have made things Alot easier!!

NHTSA ID

11430240

Incident

Aug 14, 2021

EVERY SINGLE LIGHT ON THE DASH IS TURNED ON EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NO PROBLEM, AND THE SPEEDOMETER METER DOESN'T MOVE. I GOT THE ISSUE FIXED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO SAID THE COMPUTER ONLY NEEDED TO BE RESET, BUT THE VW DEALERSHIP INSISTS THAT I STILL HAVE A BIG ISSUE THAT CAN EFFECT THE USAGE OF MY BRAKES, AIRBAGS, EVERYTHING, AND WANTS TO CHARGE ME $3500 FOR A NON-PROBLEM. SINCE THE SENSORS ARE ALL ON, I DON'T KNOW WHEN TO FILL UP OIL OR GAS, AND I WON'T BE ALERTED IF I HAVE A FLAT TIRE OR THERE'S AN ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE. THEY ALSO MENTIONED THAT SINCE THE SENSORS ARE DEAD IT MAY NOT DEPLOY MY AIRBAG SYSTEM. I'VE BEEN TOLD IT'S NOT WORTH FIXING, MY CAR ONLY HAS 49,537 MILES AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION; THIS IS ABSURD.

NHTSA ID

11408036

Incident

Dec 1, 2020

Mileage

49,400 mi

IF I DRIVE WITH THE CAR THE BRAKE-WARNING LIGHT, ABS LIGHT AND AIRBAG LIGHT TURNS ON. IT ALARMS. I BROUGHT IT TO DEALER AND THEY ASKED GERMANY BUT THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WRONG IS. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE WITH THESE LIGHTS. THEY RESET THE COMPUTER BUT IT HAPPENS AFTER 20 MILES AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11354828

Incident

Aug 20, 2020

Mileage

103,500 mi

PROBLEM WITH AIR BAGS. CODE 9437201 WILL RESET BUT COMES BACK.

NHTSA ID

11353793

Incident

Aug 7, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

I BEEN TRYING TO GET MY STICKER SINCE LAST YEAR ....I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO CAUSE OF THE RE CALL. I BEEN DRIVING EXPIRES TAGS....AM ANNOY ALREADY WITH THIS RECALL T THE DEALER SHOULD HAD TOLD ME SINCE THA BEGGING...MY CAR KEEPING LOSING OIL AND AND. CAN I JUST GET A REFUND

NHTSA ID

11322909

Incident

Apr 30, 2020

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT THAT CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE BUT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MY ESTIMATION IS THE DRIVER WHO HIT ME WAS GOING 40-45 MPH.

NHTSA ID

11318221

Incident

May 24, 2019

Mileage

25,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON THE OVERPASS THE CAR CUTOFF ALMOST HIT FROM BEHIND BY A DUMP TRUCK WOULD NOT CRANK BACK UP FOR 7 MINUTES. AIRBAG LIGHT ON SHOW MALFUNCTION OF AIRBAG

NHTSA ID

11292087

Incident

Dec 30, 2019

Mileage

719,974 mi

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG NOT WORKING/OFF NOTICE ALONG WITH ABS OFF NOTICE AND UNDERINFLATION NOTICE ALL HAPPENED SIMULTANEOUSLY UPON STARTING CAR AND REMAINS ON. CAR ONLY HAS BEEN DRIVEN 18000 MILES SINCE NEW

NHTSA ID

11282851

Incident

Nov 15, 2019

Mileage

18,000 mi

MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN HIT OR IN ANY ACCIDENT. NOW THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS NO LONGER WORK.

NHTSA ID

11254242

Incident

Sep 9, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE WHAT COMPONENT OF THE AIR BAG WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,000.

NHTSA ID

11241816

Incident

Jul 1, 2019

Mileage

61,000 mi

CLOCKSPRING WENT BAD ON A 5 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON, HORN AND STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS DONT WORK.

NHTSA ID

11218454

Incident

May 31, 2019

Mileage

20,000 mi

TAKATA RECALL, AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON RANDOMLY AND WILL NOT GO AWAY

NHTSA ID

11217687

Incident

Dec 1, 2018

Mileage

55,000 mi

DEFECTIVE AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE. POWER IS CUT TO THE CONTROL MODULE AND AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT

NHTSA ID

11175709

Incident

Mar 15, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION, WHIPLASH, AND HEAD INJURY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS NOT INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN TO A BODY SHOP. VOLKSWAGEN OF MURRIETTA (LOCATED AT 41300 DATE ST, MURRIETA, CA 92562, (951) 249-7072) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

11171904

Incident

Nov 15, 2017

AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS STOPPED WORKING IMMEDIATELY AFTER SIGNAL PRESENTED.

NHTSA ID

11156419

Incident

Aug 2, 2018

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I REVERSED (AT AN ANGLE) INTO A PARKING SPOT AND THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED MAKING A CLICKING SOUND. THE SOUND ENSUED WHEN MAKING ANY TURNS WITH THE VEHICLE. ONE DAY, WHILE PARKING, THE STEERING WHEEL CLICKED AND THERE WAS A SNAP SOUND. UPON RE-ENTERING MY VEHICLE, THE AIRBAG ERROR LIGHT CAME ON AND ALL STEERING-MOUNTED CONTROLS WERE DISABLED. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH, THIS ISSUE IS RELATED THE TO THE CLOCK SPRING ISSUE (RECALL) FOR VOLKSWAGEN VEHICLES. HOWEVER, THE MODEL AND YEAR (JETTA HYBRID, 2014) OF MY CAR IS NOT LISTED UNDER THE RECALL LIST. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH MY LOCAL VW DEALER, AND THEY HAVE BASICALLY TOLD ME THE ISSUE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE CLOCK SPRING EXTENDED WARRANTED VW ISSUED.

NHTSA ID

11155691

Incident

Nov 10, 2018

Mileage

85,000 mi

DRIVER AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON DASHBOARD WHILE CAR WAS IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY IN POURING RAIN WEATHER. CAR HORN IS ALSO CURRENTLY NOT WORKING/ABLE TO BE USED IN EVENT OF EMERGENCY OR WARNING. AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON FOR ABOUT 6 SECONDS AND THEN GO OFF REPEATEDLY THEN FINALLY STAYED ON FOR GOOD. APPEARS TO BE A CLOCK SPRING ISSUE FROM RESEARCH THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN INITIALLY COVERED AND COMPLETED IN 2015 MANUFACTURER RECALL. VIN IS ALSO NOT INCLUDED IN CURRENT TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL EITHER.... NO PREVIOUS ISSUES TO NOTE PRIOR TO SYMPTOMS BEGINNING...

NHTSA ID

11150951

Incident

Nov 12, 2018

Mileage

67,000 mi

STATIONARY, IN MOTION, AND WHEN TURNING--AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, HORN DOESN'T WORK, CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH DOESN'T WORK AND STEERING WHEEL BUTTONS DO NOT WORK. PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TWO MONTHS AGO--WITH ONLY 30K MILES. AT 34K MILES WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED.

NHTSA ID

11120062

Incident

Aug 7, 2018

DEFECTIVE CLOCK SPRING. BROKE UNDER NORMAL STEERING WHEEL OPERATION WHILE PARKING VEHICLE AT LOW SPEED, THIS IN TURN CAUSED STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS TO BECOME INOPERABLE AND ACTIVATED AIR-BAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT.

NHTSA ID

11103858

Incident

Jun 1, 2017

Mileage

56,000 mi