NHTSA complaint: 2001 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
I WAS ON VACATION, OVER THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND. ON MY WAY HOME, I WAS DRIVING ALONG WHEN FOR NO REASON AT ALL, MY PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG ALONG WITH THE SEAT AIRBAG, DEPLOYED. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO INSPECT WHY SUCH A THING WOULD HAPPEN . THERE WAS NO CLEAR SIGN AS TO WHY IT HAD GONE OFF. I HAD TO DRIVE HOME WITH THE SIDE CURTAIN HANGING DOWN, MY DOG HYPERVENTILATED ALL THE WAY HOME , DUE TO THE LOUD BANG OF THE DEPLOYMENT. WHEN I GOT HOME I IMMEDIATELY CALLED TULLEY VW AND TOLD THEM MY SITUATION, THEY TOLD ME MY CAR WAS UNDER WARRENTY AND TO BRING IT DOWN, THEY WOULD GIVE ME A RENTAL AND FIX THE AIRBAGS. I DID JUST THAT, ALTHOUGH A FEW HOURS LATER I RECEIVED A CALL STATING THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE COST OF THE AIRBAG, STATING THAT THEY INSIST I WAS IN A CRASH. THERE IS CLEARLY NO DAMAGE TO MY CAR, AND IT IS APPARENT THAT THERE MUST BE SOME KIND OF COMPUTER MALFUNCTION. I AM WONDERING WHAT I SHOULD DO IN MY NEXT STEP TO GETTING THIS RESOLVED UNDER MY WARRENTY. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN INTO ANY ACCIDENT AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY VW WILL NOT COVER THIS. *AK
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation