The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE PASSENGER DETECTION FUNCTION OF THE PASSIVE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) MAY BECOME DISABLED.
The risk
SHOULD THE PODS CONTROL UNIT MALFUNCTION, THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WILL NOT WORK AS DESIGNED AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT OCCUPANTS IN A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE PODS. OWNER NOTIFICATION ORIGINALLY BEGAN OCTOBER 3, 2003. VW HAS DETERMINED THAT ADDITIONAL VEHICLES NEED TO BE REPAIRED. THE RECALL FOR THE ADDITIONAL VEHICLES IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON DECEMBER 17, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VWOA AT 1-800-822-8987.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen New Beetle | 2004 |
Components: AIR BAGS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen New Beetle | 2004 | 12 | 2 |
Other air bags recalls in 2003
10 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the air bags; VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC filed 204 campaigns in all.
| 03V426000 29 Oct 2003 | AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. |
| 03V421000 24 Oct 2003 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
| 03V322000 26 Aug 2003 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 03V321000 26 Aug 2003 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 03V150000 25 Apr 2003 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 03V144000 9 Apr 2003 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 03V082000 6 Mar 2003 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER MANUFACTUR INTERNATIONAL |
| 03V061000 27 Feb 2003 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003