Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags?

The other day I was driving, hit a small bump in the road, and my driver's side-curtain airbags deployed, along with the one in the side of the driver's seat. This was a completely unprovoked event - no collision with anything at all! I could have been seriously hurt by the deployment while driving. Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags that I need to know about? I feel VW should take care of this, not my insurance company.Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags?I've worked with the VW's on and off over a 25 year span, from 1980 to 2005 (at dealership service departments) and can tell you that no, the air bag deploying is not a continous issue for them. In my service history (working with many makes of vehicles, foreign and domestic), air bags can deploy when driving over bumps; I've seen it on nearly all the makes I've worked with over the years. I'm not certain what sets it off; I suspect that it maybe the quick action of the suspension diving down hard very quickly and causing a noise or sound or an upward jolt causing contact in the crash sensor or possibly something hitting the floor of the vehicle (most crash sensors are built into the floor). I cannot confirm this, however, I've talked with a lot owners over the past 20+years since airbags have become widely available and that is only my guess on the matter. If this were a early GM product,(with an air bag) some of the crash sensors were in the frnt of lower radiator support, so even something hitting the bottom of the radiator could set it off. Its better that the air bag went off than not; the sensors are supposed to activate quickly to prevent injury. Make sure that when the air bags are replaced that the crash or impact sensors are replaced also and that the entire system has a function check, not just a clearing of the air bag code. I hope this helps, a car nut.Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags?
Thanks for the feedback to all who answered. An update - the NHTSA website has numerous airbag complaints similar to mine for the 2002 VW cars, and the tow trucker operator who took my Jetta to the dealer for repair told me he had just taken another Jetta last month in for the same issue.

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Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags?What year and model is your VW? This is a problem with some VW's, don't let anyone tell you it isn't. The airbag system should be designed to only deploy when a significant impact should occur. VW should replace the defaulty airbags should no evidence of collision appear. I would consider a case against against VW if the problem isn't take care of outside your insurance.



http://www.myvwlemon.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML鈥?/a>Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags?
No, VW has not got history of such sort. Airbag deployment depends on the level of impact and speed of vehicle (sudden deceleration/vibration etc). Has your car had previous accident before? It could be that "crash data" was already stored so with that little bump impact the aibag got. If you believe non of the above happened in this case, then you could take the matter up with the manufacturer, but you will have to work through the dealer for this case to be dealt with in the most professional manner. The factory will then request your onboard airbag control module for crash analysys (what caused the deployment etc) so a conclussion could be drawn. I hope this info helps.Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags?Not at all, it seems like a total fluke. Call VW of America and file a complaint. You can get some serious issues resolved by talking to them (more so than the dealer).Does VW have a history of malfunctioning airbags?
contact Volkswagon of America and pose your question. The car will have to be checked out by a dealer to determine the problem.