There are 3 stored owner reports matching the air bags & restraints leading-label group for the 2004 Volkswagen Golf in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)DRIVING A 2004 VW GOLF GL AT ABOUT 30 MPH AND REAR-ENDED AN SUV. THE FRONT END OF THE GOLF WAS SMASHED IN ALL THE WAY TO THE RADIATOR. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT RELEASE AT EITHER THE DRIVERS NOR THE PASSENGER SIDE. *TR
DEFECTIVE SIDE AIRBAG. THEY SAID IT IS TEARING OUT AND THE WANT $600.00 TO FIX SOMETHING 3-4 YEARS OLD. *JB
I BOUGHT A NEW VW GOLF IN FEBRUARY 2004. AT ABOUT 6:30 P.M. ON 4/1, I DROVE OVER A POTHOLE (OR SOME BUMP IN THE ROAD) WHILE DRIVING ON STORROW DRIVE IN BOSTON AND SUDDENLY TWO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF MY CAR AND MY SEAT BELT APPEARED TO RECOIL. THE TWO AIRBAGS THAT DEPLOYED WERE THE SIDE AIRBAG AND THE CURTAIN AIRBAG. I BROUGHT MY CAR INTO A BOSTON DEALER/SERVICE DEPARTMENT THE FOLLOWING MORNING. AFTER INSPECTING THE CAR, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE CAR (EXCEPT OF COURSE THE DEPLOYED AIRBAGS AND BROKEN SEAT BELT), BUT THAT THERE WAS "CRASH DATA" ON THE CAR'S COMPUTER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WENT ON TO SAY THAT THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY SITUATION BECAUSE THE CAR DETECTED A CRASH (DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE WAS ADMITTEDLY NO DAMAGE TO THE CAR), CAUSING THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.