Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Volkswagen Passat submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V078000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
I WAS DRIVING MY PASSAT ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 60MPH, SUDDENLY AN OTHER DRIVER CUT ME OFF. TO AVOID HIM I SWITCHED LANE BUT THE TRAFFIC WAS MOVING SLOW AS I WAS APPROACHING A CONSTRUCTING SITE. I HIT A CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHICH CAUSED OTHER 2 CARS AHEAD TO BE INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT. THE DAMAGE WAS SEVERE AS THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS CRASHED INCLUDING THE ENGINE AND THE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED, HE HAD A SHOULDER DISLOCATION. WHAT SURPRISED ME ARE THE AIRBAGS, THEY NEVER DEPLOYED EVEN THOUGH I WAS DRIVING 60 MPH. AFTER FEW DAYS VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA SENT AN ENGINEER TO INSPECT THE CAR. AFTER HE LEFT I NOTICED THE SEAT BELTS ARE LOOSE AND THE BOTTOM COVER IS OPENED, IT SEEMS LIKE HE DID IT IN PURPOSE. BEFORE HE CAME THE SEAT BELTS WERE FINE. WHAT MOST SURPRISED ME IS HIS DECISION THAT THE AIRBAGS CAN'T DEPLOYED IN THIS CASE. I SHOWED HIM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR WHERE IS THE CHASSIS, IT WAS BENT FROM THE DIRECT IMPACT OF THE FORCES THAT CAME THROUGH THE BUMPER WHICH ALSO CAUSE THE FRONT BEAM TO TWIST, BUT NEVER GAVE ME A SATISFIED EXPLANATION. PEOPLE WHO TRY TO BUY THIS CAR AND HAVE KIDS PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS SAFETY ISSUE, MY FAMILY WAS BLESSED TO GET OUT OF THIS ACCIDENT JUST WITH A SHOULDER DISLOCATION, WHICH COULD BE WORST. MY NEXT STEP IS LAWSUIT AGAINST VW. *TR
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. *TR
SIDE CURTAINS AIRBAG DEPLOYED FOR A NON-CRASH IMPACT WHILE DRIVING ON A ROAD AT CITY SPEED AFTER A SNOWSTORM. THERE WAS NO COLLISION. THERE IS EVIDENCE OF VERY MINOR UNDERCARRIAGE DAMAGE TO FRONT RIM OF LESS THAN $225. CONSEQUENCE IS OVER $2800 IN DAMAGE TO INTERIOR OF CAR FROM AIRBAG, AND SURCHARGE FROM INSURANCE TOTAL COST TO US WITH AIRBAG DAMAGE, SURCHARGES, AND CAR RENTAL WILL BE OVER $5000. THE CRASH SENSING ALGORITHM SEEMS TO BE TOO SENSITIVE AND MAY RECOGNIZE CERTAIN NON-CRASH IMPACTS (WHEEL, TIRE AND UNDERCARRIAGE IMPACTS) AS DEPLOYABLE EVENTS. *TR
DT: THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO CAUSE FOR THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THIS OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 2, 2005. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED MINOR PAIN, CUTS, AND BRUISES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED YET. *AK
DTL: LEASE A 2004 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT, HAD A HIGH SPEED (40 MPH) COLLISION. ONLY THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. NO WARRING LIGHTS OR FAILURES WITH THE AIR BAGS BEFORE. TWO OTHER VEHICLE INVOLVED BUT THEY FLED SEEN. *NM
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. *AK 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. *BF *NM
2004 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT REAR-ENDED A VEHICLE @ 40 MPH AND DRIVERS AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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