2017 Volkswagen Passat Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
On 1/17/23 I was parking in a parking dot by backing in as I was in reverse I had to turn my steering wheel slightly and noticed that I heard a sound like crunching leaves as I drove in the spot. I proceeded to pull forward and reverse again to make sure I was not hearing wrong. As I left work and turned out the parking lot I heard it again but I noticed that my air bag light popped on and it was saying my front assist was not working and saying air bag error. So by the time I got home I realized that my steering wheel functions were not working at all. Then on top of that my rear detection system is not working properly either I realize that today. I have checked for recalls on the car and have an appointment set for 1/19/23. But this all happened in a matter of a few minutes at (1/19/23) the car will be at the dealership on 1/19/23 for an inspection. I travel for wrk and canβt afford or risk any mishaps
The airbag light is on. It is an orangish color. The controls on front of the steering wheel do not work. That means the horn, cruise control, radio controls, voice controls do not work.
Hit a deer head on while travelling at about 40 mph on a rural highway. Airbags did NOT deploy, despite front end damage.
There was big impact front accident with other car, and the air bags did not function. The air bag failed.
ABS light, airbag light, front end assist light, steering light all on
Initially heard clicking sound while turning the vehicle followed by airbag warning light. Then noticed driver assistant system not available warning, loss of horn, cruise control, automatic braking, and lane departure warning. Service center has inspected and informed me that the clock spring has failed(common problem with VW).
Turned right after a traffic light while driving. Heard clicking noise from steering column and noticed that the airbag warning light came on. Further investigated and realized that the horn, front crash avoidance, vehicle voice control, cruise control, and all controls on the steering column were not working. No horn. No front crash avoidance. No airbag. After a short period of online research, I recognize that this is neither an isolated issue nor the first time VW has had this problem. Prior safety recalls have required repair of broken clock springs that render multiple pieces of safety equipment useless. This is a manufacturing error or part malfunction that should be repaired by VW at their expense.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2017 Volkswagen Passat has 7 Air Bags complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.