Lets talk about airbag deployment

[wesman790]

Hi all,

I have a 2003 Golf TDI which I bought largely due to the enthusiasm on this message board. The car has about 46,000 miles on it and until recently it has performed well for me aside from a few electrical problems.

Last week, I was driving on a 4 lane divided highway when the side curtain airbag deployed. Furtunately, I was lucky enough to be able to get the car pulled off the road without further incident. I had the car towed to the dealership, and after a week of fooling around with the car they determined that they will not cover it under warranty. VW states that something contacted the drivers side rear shackle which caused the airbag to deploy. I looked at the car, and there was a dent on the shackle. A tech in the shop stated "those sensors are very sensitive." I don't recall running anything over.

How sensitive are the crash sensors? Is it reasonable that something contacting the suspension should cause an airbag to deploy? Has anyone else had an airbag deploy in a similar situation? Should I be worried in the future about an airbag deploying because i hit a pothole? Or run into a curb?

This situation is unacceptable to me. Am I off my rocker? I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you.

 

[compu_85]

This is not the first time this has happened. People have gone over potholes and had all the bags deploy. I think the gov't looked into this... but VW was able to keep them from ordering a recall.

-Jason

 

[wesman790]

This is not the first time this has happened. People have gone over potholes and had all the bags deploy. I think the gov't looked into this... but VW was able to keep them from ordering a recall.

-Jason

Yes, I searched and saw that there was an investigation, but apparently the number of VW's that had airbags deploy was not inconsistent with other vehicle manufacturers. That makes you feel great, doesn't it?

I just can't believe that something hitting the suspension should cause an airbag to deploy.

 

[CsTDI]

The side airbag deployed in my Jetta. There is a sensor behind the rear wheel well. Deployment makes sense to me if you get hit in the rear quarter but obviously not so great if it deploys when you don't.

I payed for my repair and located a used seat without much of a problem. I went that way- rather than a replacement airbag, charge, seat stitching... The seat wasn't too difficult to find either. I don't know what is involved, if anything, with the rear sensor but you need a vagcom to reset the airbag code when eveything is corrected. If you don't have one perhaps one of the members here can help you

 

[CsTDI]

The side airbag deployed in my Jetta. There is a sensor behind the rear wheel well. Deployment makes sense to me if you get hit in the rear quarter but obviously not so great if it deploys when you don't.

I payed for my repair and located a used seat without much of a problem. I went that way- rather than a replacement airbag, charge, seat stitching... The seat wasn't too difficult to find either. I don't know what is involved, if anything, with the rear sensor but you need a vagcom to reset the airbag code when eveything is corrected. If you don't have one perhaps one of the members here can help you

 

[CsTDI]

The side airbag deployed in my Jetta. There is a sensor behind the rear wheel well. Deployment makes sense to me if you get hit in the rear quarter but obviously not so great if it deploys when you don't.

I payed for my repair and located a used seat without much of a problem. I went that way- rather than a replacement airbag, charge, seat stitching... The seat wasn't too difficult to find either. I don't know what is involved, if anything, with the rear sensor but you need a vagcom to reset the airbag code when eveything is corrected. If you don't have one perhaps one of the members here can help you

 

[turbonem]

re-airbag deployment

this also happened to me.your car is defective.

our airbags deployed the pass seat and side curtain with only a swerve,no impact whatsoever.

I was also told "you hit somthing" BS

I was able to get vw to pickup the bill for $4200.00

It may have been to my advantage having my kids (four and seven year olds) showing and comparing pictures of our with airbags deployed in a perfectly good car in the dealers showroom to prospect buyers(It was the angle I used).

the man I spoke to at VWOA name was tom moritz and I was told he deals with "airbag deployment for minimal cause".he was at 1 (800)822-8987.

I don't know if he is still there.

the owners manual clearly shows what part of the car needs to be impacted to cause side curtin airbag deployment and NO PART OF THE SHADED AREA IS UNDER THE CAR!!!!!

my name is matt and I would like to help you any way possible.

call me if I can help you. (719)836-3655

 

[blackjet]

I also had a side curtin airbag go off for no aparent reason. however, just before it went off i smelt something funky in my cabin. It smelled like something was burning, more specificly like an elecrical burning. It seemed to be coming from the center console but i never found out for sure. I'm wondering if that bit of information might lead someone to an explanation.

 

[wesman790]

Thanks for the input everyone. It looks like my airbag wasn't an isolated incident. I wonder how many of these things have to go off before VW admits there is a problem?

 

[jaberoo]

Our side airbag (driver side) went off when swerving to avoid a baseball size rock. Like others found, the dealer claimed the sensor had been hit. The estimate was $3600. My insurance paid up (a one car accident) but I know and you know that this is a flaw in the system. VWOA should have covered it and some (like Turbonem) are fortunate enough to get them to do that. Good luck.

 

[Zero10]

Wow, I really feel like unhooking mine right now...
This does not make me feel safe in my golf.

 

[compu_85]

I'd rather have the bags deploying more often then they needed then not deploying at all!

-Jason

 

[l1o9s7t6]

I'd rather have the bags deploying more often then they needed then not deploying at all!

-Jason

You haven't had to pay for it yet. Mine has depolyed, I did hit something, but again the system was not designed to deploy if you run over something. it is for SIDE IMPACTS. Mine came in at a cost of $4500 drivers side.

 

[wesman790]

I'd rather have the bags deploying more often then they needed then not deploying at all!

-Jason

The airbag system is designed to cut the fuel to the engine when an airbag deploys. If you are driving down a divided highway with a 55 MPH speedlimit during rush hour, bad things can happen from the engine suddenly stopping. Combine that with the reduced visibility you have after an airbag deploys, and it can make for a bad day.

All bets are off if the drivers side front airbag happened to go off.

I understand that you like the airbags as a safety feature. They aren't really a safety feature if they work improperly.

 

[Zero10]

I'm about ready to go remove mine...
I thought I was really smart for ordering a car with rear side airbags as well, figured it would be better for whoever is in the back if something bad happens, but apparently it's worse if nothing bad happens.

I've driven cars without airbags for years and years, so I am relatively new to airbags, but honestly, this scares me...

 

[madrean]

I'm about ready to go remove mine...
I thought I was really smart for ordering a car with rear side airbags as well, figured it would be better for whoever is in the back if something bad happens, but apparently it's worse if nothing bad happens.
I've driven cars without airbags for years and years, so I am relatively new to airbags, but honestly, this scares me...

what are the odds of this actually happening? i wonder what the average # of miles is when this happens?
i have > 100k mi now and it's never happened to me.
is it typical or am i just really lucky?
i know one thing-- i get a really uneasy feeling when i have my 1 y/o son on my lap in the drivers seat. even without the key in the ignition...
(not to be interpreted as me driving with him in my lap!!! )

 

[wesman790]

what are the odds of this actually happening?

Well, I see a lot of MkIV VW's on the road, so i am going to assume the odds are low. The fact of the matter is that when it does happen, VW should own up to it and repair the damage without any hassle. The same is true for any car manufacturer.

 

[blackjet]

is ther any harm in not fixing a side airbag besides the obvious non-deployment... it costs quite a bit, especially for someone who might not have 3000+ lying around... i tried to clear my airbag light with a vag-com but a warning came up saying that it might cause problems if i altered any airbag settings.. will my other airbags not deploy in a collision?

 

[blackjet]

like i said, my side curtain airbags deployed and ive yet to have it repaired... will the other bags deploy during an accident if the airbag light is on... is there any harm in leaving the bag deployed and not fixing it until i get the funds to? thanks for an answer

-brad

 

[Oberkanone]

kaboom!

http://cbs2chicago.com/investigations/local_story_038190628.html

VW tends to try to ignore problems until they become a customer satisfaction and media disaster.

 

[PDJetta]

like i said, my side curtain airbags deployed and ive yet to have it repaired... will the other bags deploy during an accident if the airbag light is on... is there any harm in leaving the bag deployed and not fixing it until i get the funds to? thanks for an answer

-brad

Does your state have safety inspections? Virginia, where I live, has them (annualy). If the "air bag" light is on, the car is rejected and you can not renew your registration and plates.

--Nate

 

[Losha]

I have 2001 VW Golf TDI with 128000 miles on it and haven't had that problem yet, I pray it will never happen unless its in accident. I don't know how hard you have to hit the location where is sensor, but I know I have hit couple times rear quarter petty hard into snow bank (like to slide around on snow) and nothing hapend same thing I slid into parked car with front bumper no air bags deployed.

 

[schnabba]

I wonder if the sensor was defective. I have had a left rear side crash sensor go bad - threw a code that triggered the MIL / CEL. I replaced the sensor - little things are expensive.

Didn't make the airbag deploy though.

same year golf as yours.

 

[blackjet]

My airbag deployed a couple years ago as I stated above but I've yet to do anything about it (college is expensive). My airbag light has been on and ive ignored it till now but a recent loss has got me thinking.
Since ive had a deployment and the light its on, will my other airbags go off if i get in an accident tomorrow. Is there anything i can do with my vag-com to turn the light off or test this system. When i scan the system for problems it tells me the airbags have deployed but i havent found a way to clear the codes.

 

[Keith_J]

My airbag deployed a couple years ago as I stated above but I've yet to do anything about it (college is expensive). My airbag light has been on and ive ignored it till now but a recent loss has got me thinking.
Since ive had a deployment and the light its on, will my other airbags go off if i get in an accident tomorrow. Is there anything i can do with my vag-com to turn the light off or test this system. When i scan the system for problems it tells me the airbags have deployed but i havent found a way to clear the codes.

Yes, the other airbags should be fine. The light is nothing more than a continunity check on all the airbags. And if you try to clear codes, it will go through a self-diagnosis and find one missing continunity. If you want to make it go away, you need to jumper the initiator...I don't have my Bently handy but will look and post later.