NHTSA Complaint #10222633 — 2004 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

PURCHASED THE CAR NEW ON JAN 2, 2004. THE AIR BAG LIGHT 1ST CAME ON IN SEPT 2004 AND WAS REPAIRED. SINCE THAT POINT, THE AIR BAG LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED NEARLY EVERY 6 MONTHS, AND REPAIRED. EVERY, TIME, THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP, IT HAS BEEN A CRASH SENSOR OR SEAT MODULE REPLACEMENT. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT VW SEVEN TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. IN NOVEMBER 2007, OUR CAR WAS AT 54,000 MILES, THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AT 50,000 MILES, THE LIGHT ONCE AGAIN ILLUMINATED. AFTER A PROTRACTED BATTLE WITH THE DEALER AND VW REGIONAL, THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE CONTROL MODULE. AND AGAIN, WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALER, "THIS SHOULD DO IT". JUST THIS PAST WEEK, THE AIR BAG LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED. ONLY THIS TIME, THE DEALER CLOSED THEIR DEALERSHIP AT THE START OF THE YEAR AND WE'RE STARING AT A $1200 REPAIR BILL. CERTAINLY, TO DRIVE AROUND WITHOUT AN AIR BAG ISN'T EXACTLY A SMART THING TO DO, BUT I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE THIS WON'T COME BACK ON 6 MONTHS AFTER THE REPAIR, BASED ON THE HISTORY ABOVE. IN MY EYES, THERE IS A SYSTEMIC DEFECT IN THE SYSTEMS THAT CONTROL THE AIR BAG. *TR CRASH SENSOR.*PCO