2011 Volkswagen Jetta Air Bags & Restraints Problems

Volkswagen Jettas between 2011-2014 received a recall for the clockspring issue that occurs. I just learned that I am experiencing the same issue and my car is the same year and make. Both the airbag light is on and the horn does not work properly which is a major safety risk. VW said they will not cover the repair however this is a serious safety issue which has clearly been a problem.

I have a clockspring issue in my 2011 Jetta, which was associated with the Volkswagen recall in 2015. I called VW of America and was told that my VIN was not one of the cars part of that recall, and they would not be able to assist me in fixing this issue. With this problem occurring and being associated with a recent recall, I feel as if Volkswagen should help me in fixing my vehicle as it is a safety issue.

MY PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT WENT OFF ON THE DASHBOARD AND MY HORN NO LONGER WORKS. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN THE SAME MONTH.

Extended warranty expired 6 months before the event. HOWEVEr, I read it as a recall (it was actually warranty) so I took it in BEFORE the warranty expired, there wasn’t a problem with it then so they could not fix it since again it was warranty and not recall. The problem being my horn stopped working. Took it to Volkswagen- they said it was clock spring. Clock spring could also short out my airbags along with other SAFETY issues. Not only am I at extreme risk so are others around me. Obviously it was a problem with others if they extended the warranty. A VW specialist dealing with recall and warranty told me the extension of warranty is different because a recall would mean there’s a safety issue. HOW IS A HORN AND AIR BAG NOT A SAFETY ISSUE?!?! unsure of the exact date I noticed however, it was after extension of warranty.

I STARTED UP MY CAR AND WAS DRIVING FROM WORK, ALL OF A SUDDEN I SEE A BUNCH OF MY WARNINGS LIGHT APPEAR ON THE DASHBOARD ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS DRIVING IN ALEXANDRIA CITY AND THE CARE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THE LIGHTS APPEARED. THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, AND EVEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT. 3 DIFFERENT SYSTEM HAVE FAULTS IS A CONCERN TO MY SAFETY. I WENT TO A MECHANIC TWICE AND THEN THE DEALERSHIP, FOUND OUT THAT THE REAR ABS SENSOR NEEDS TO BE CHANGED TO GET RID OF ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL. AFTER THAT WAS PART WAS CHANGED AND THE FAULT CODE WAS CLEARED THE TRACTION CONTROL AND TIRE PRESSURE STILL REMAINED. AIR BAG LIGHT CODE WAS CLEARED TOO. AFTER A MONTH DRIVING ALL OF THOSE SAME LIGHT REAPPEARED AGAIN AFTER I STARTED UP MY CAR, I WAS STATIONARY WHEN THE LIGHTS REAPPEARED AND WAS ABOUT TO DRIVE IN CITY. THE LIGHTS DID NOT GO AWAY AFTER DRIVING. A BIG JOB NEEDS TO BE DONE IN WHICH THIS IS AN MANUFACTURER ERROR WHICH VW NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF. I'VE SPENT CLOSE TO $1100 OF PART AND LABOR AND THIS PROBLEM STILL REMAINS. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY IF THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM MIGHT CAUSED MY AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY OR TRACTION CONTROL MAY NOT ASSIST ME WHILE DRIVING. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED LATE JULY AND THE SECOND OCCURRED SEPTEMBER 6.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH AND THE VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES THAT REQUIRED ANY TRANSPORT BY AMBULANCE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED PENDING AN OFFICIAL RULING FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TOW YARD. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

WHEN I PURCHASE THIS CAR 2 DAYS AFTER I PURCHASE THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON FLASHING THE CAR IDLES TOO HIGH WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH IT

THE RIGHT REAR SEAT BELT FAILS TO RETRACT. THE SEAT BELT WAS PULLED OUT TO BUCKLE AND FAILED TO RETRACT TO FIT THE PASSENGER. IT IS ALL THE WAY OUT AND CANNOT BE USED.

PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF EVEN WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. IF SOMEONE DOES NOT HAVE THE SEATBELT FASTENED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE BELL AND LIGHT WILL NOT COME ON.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED WHIPLASH, SHOULDER, BACK, AND LEFT KNEE INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOWING LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000.

THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR IS NO LONGER EFFECTIVE. THIS MEANS THAT IF I WAS TO GET INTO A COLLISION, THE CAR WOULD NOT SENSE THERE IS A PASSENGER AND THE AIRBAGS ON THAT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT DEPLOY. THIS SENSOR DOES NOT WORK AT ALL, AND THERE IS AN AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IN THE DASH.

On February 2, 2017, My car was stop in an intersection. A car coming in my direction swerved into my lane and hit me head on. The air bag was deployed, it exploded so violently that both of my hands were severly injured. There was a fracture in my right wrist. There was a laceration to the base of the thumb and my thumb finger almost fell off and required several stiches for my forefinger to be attached. The bones in my right arm was shattered into pieces and it required major surgery. My left arm requires a total of 4 surgeries. I have to undergo an eighteen (18) months of Physical Therapy for both my left and right hand. There was so much pain in my left arm and the doctor had to perfom an operation called "Proximal row carpectomy (PRC)". Proximal row carpectomy (PRC) is a motion-preserving treatment for the degenerated wrist. Three (3) very important bones in Proximal row carpectomy (PRC)surgery was removed. This surgery is done to alleviate (reduced) the pain in my arm. I was still lucky, fortunate that the car hit me in front. If my car was hit from behind, my upper body especially my head will be thrown forward and the explosion of the air bag would explode in my face and the xplosion could have killed me or break my neck. The exlposion of the air bag was very similar to the beirut explosion that was caused by ammonium nitrate which was sometimes used in the defected airbag. Very explosive. The air bag was supposed to protect me but in this case it caused tremedous damage to my both my left and right arm. After more than 5 years both of my hands have not fully recovered. It still hurts lifting some heavy object which I could easily lifted before the accident. I trully believe that the airbag is my car has a problem and it could be a Takata air bag that also need to be recalled. My neighbor’s teenage daughter is also driving the same year and model of my car and it always worry me to think what if the air bag is defected.

1) SEATBELT INDICATOR SOUNDS WHEN DRIVES BELT IS CONNECTED AND IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE VEHICLE; NO ONE OR ITEMS ARE IN ANY OF THE OTHER SEATS (SAME ISSUE AS IN THE 2006 JETTA). 2) WIPER MOTOR FAILED - WIPERS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN FUNCTIONING. 3) HEADLINER IS SEPARATING AND DROOPING IN REAR AND OBSTRUCTING THE VIEW THROUGH THE REAR VIEW MIRROR (SAME ISSUE AS IN THE 2006 JETTA). 4) IGNITION COIL'S AND MAP SENSOR ARE CONTINUOUSLY FAILING (SAME ISSUE AS IN THE 2006 JETTA).

THE CLOCK SPRING GOT DEBRIS IN IT, PUSHING THE RIBBON OFF THE GUIDE WIRES AND CAUSING A KINK. THIS CAUSES A FAULT IN THE AIRBAG CONTROLS AS THERE IS UNRELIABLE CONNECTIVITY WITH THE COMPUTER. THUS, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN TURNS ITSELF OFF. VW VOLUNTARILY RECALLED 420,000 CARS FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM, INCLUDING SOME VEHICLES WITHIN OUR SAME YEAR AND MODEL. FROM VW'S RECALL NOTICE: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE STEERING WHEEL CLOCK SPRING COULD BECOME CONTAMINATED WITH LONG HAIR OR LONG FIBERS WHICH MAY CAUSE A DISPLACEMENT OF THE INTERNAL GUIDE LOOPS. WHEN THE GUIDE LOOPS ARE DRAGGED OUT OF POSITION, THEY MAY APPLY TENSION TO THE INTERNAL FLAT CABLE AND CAUSE IT TO TEAR. SHOULD THE CABLE TEAR, THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TO THE DRIVER'S FRONT AIRBAG MAY BE LOST, CAUSING THE AIRBAG MONITORING INDICATOR LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. IN A CRASH THAT WARRANTS A DRIVER FRONT AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT, THE AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY, LEADING TO A RISK OF DRIVER INJURY. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR VEHICLE, VERBATIM. OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE AFFECTED RECALL. I WAS TOLD BY A VW TECH THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL BECAUSE THE PART INCLUDES A COMPUTER MODULE FOR THE HIGHLINE DISPLAY. THIS CONTROLS ALL STEERING COLUMN-MOUNTED BUTTONS (RADIO, ETC), AND MUST BE MANUALLY REPROGRAMMED FOR EACH MODEL IT'S INSTALLED IN. THE PART COST INCREASES FROM $115 TO $375 AND THE LABOR FOR INSTALLATION INCREASES FROM $100 TO OVER $400. SO BY NOT REPLACING THE HIGHLINE MODULES, VW WILL SAVE SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS. MEANWHILE, PEOPLE ARE RIDING AROUND WITHOUT FUNCTIONING AIRBAGS BECAUSE VW CAN'T DESIGN A STEERING COLUMN THAT KEEPS LONG HAIR FROM GETTING TANGLED IN THEIR CLOCK SPRINGS. THE DESIGN FLAW ISN'T IN THE CLOCK SPRING ITSELF BUT IN THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY THAT CAN'T BLOCK DEBRIS FROM GETTING DOWN INTO THE CLOCK SPRINGS TO BEGIN WITH.

THE AIRBAG LIGHT WENT ON WITH THE CAR BEING IN ANY TYPE OF ACCIDENT. THERE WAS RECALL FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL AND YEAR FOR MY CAR. HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER DECIDED THAT MY PARTICULAR CAR WAS NOT TO BE INCLUDED FOR THE RECALL.

IN A ACCIDENT WHERE I WAS STOPPED AND HIT IN THE REAR AND PUSHED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. HEAVY FRONT AND REAR DMG AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, JUST SOME SMOKE CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE DASH LIKE IT WAS ON FIRE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO AN IMPOUND LOT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

I OWN A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA THAT WAS DIAGNOSED BY A VW DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE AIRBAG CLOCK SPRING FAILURE THAT IS IDENTICAL TO YOUR RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V483000. MY AIRBAG LIGHT REMAINS ON AT ALL TIMES AND WILL NOT DEPLOY IF NEEDED. THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME THAT MY VIN AND THAT THIS VEHICLE'S MAKE AND MODEL WERE NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL-YOUR CAMPAIGN STATES OTHERWISE, PLEASE HELP OR ADVISE. VOLKSWAGAN

AIRBAG LIGHT ON, VW MECHANIC DIAGNOSED STEERING WHEEL CLOCK SPRING FAILURE, AND INDICATED THE AIRBAGS MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY. THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE ON THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN THE LIGHT APPEARED AND THE PROBLEM PERSIST, VW DEALERS ACKNOWLEDGE ISSUE BUT WONT FIX AS THIS VIN'S PARTS WEREN'T COVERED BY THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL RECALL.

AIRBAG ICON COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, DIAGNOSIS SHOWS DRIVERS AIRBAG HIGH RESISTANCE, RESETTABLE. FIX IS CLOCK SPRING REPLACEMENT. VOLKSWAGEN DEALER SAYS VIN ISN'T IN CURRENT RECALL BUT IS PROBLEM IS VIRTUALLY THE SAME ERROR AS OTHER SPORTWAGENS RECALLS AND IS A SAFETY ISSUE NOT TO MENTION THE COST.