Which VW Vehicles Have Dangerous Takata Airbags?
- The Takata airbag recall is the largest automotive recall in U.S. history with more than 100 million vehicles affected worldwide.
- The inflators become unstable over time and can rupture / explode during an airbag deployment, shooting metal fragments into the cabin.
- The problem is responsible for at least 27 deaths worldwide.
Takata's inflators use a chemical called ammonium nitrate to inflate the airbag during a crash. The ammonium nitrate can become unstable when exposed to temperature fluctuations or high humidity, causing the inflators to explode with an unexpected amount of force. How much force? Enough to rupture the metal cannister during a deployment and spray sharp fragments out into the cabin during a crash.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at least 17 drivers in the USA have been killed and roughly 250 people have been injured by an exploding Takata inflator.
Which VW Vehicles Have Been Recalled? ∞
Given the scope of these recalls, NHTSA decided to spread out the recalls to get replacements to owners in the highest-risk regions or zones first. The last wave of inflator-related recalls is expected to begin in early 2020.
A zone is a group of states and territories where a vehicle was originally sold or registered at some point in time.
- Zone A: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Zone B: Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
- Zone C: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
| Make | Model | Years | Limited To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen | Beetle | 2012-2014 | |
| CC | 2009-2014 | ||
| Eos | 2012-2014 | ||
| Golf | 2010-2014 | ||
| Jetta SportWagen | 2010-2014 | ||
| Passat | 2006-2010 | ||
| 2012-2014 | Sedan | ||
| Tiguan | 2015 |
A few notes about zones:
- A vehicle can be recalled in more than one zone.
- When no zone is defined, the recall was more widespread. Possibly internationally.
- If you find this all very confusing, you're not alone my friend.
Generations Where This Problem Has Been Reported
This problem has popped up in the following Volkswagen generations.
Most years within a generation share the same parts and manufacturing process. You can also expect them to share the same problems. So while it may not be a problem in every year yet, it's worth looking out for.
2nd Generation Beetle
- Years
- 2012–2020
- Reliability
- 25th out of 46
- PainRank™
- 3.31
- Complaints
- 42
1st Generation CC
- Years
- 2009–2017
- Reliability
- 40th out of 46
- PainRank™
- 10.5
- Complaints
- 177
1st Generation Eos
- Years
- 2006–2016
- Reliability
- 31st out of 46
- PainRank™
- 4.3
- Complaints
- 76
6th Generation Golf
- Years
- 2010–2013
- Reliability
- 38th out of 46
- PainRank™
- 9.49
- Complaints
- 43
2nd Generation Jetta SportWagen
- Years
- 2011–2014
- Reliability
- 34th out of 46
- PainRank™
- 7.2
- Complaints
- 47
5th Generation Passat
- Years
- 2006–2010
- Reliability
- 45th out of 46
- PainRank™
- 19.98
- Complaints
- 216
6th Generation Passat
- Years
- 2012–2021
- Reliability
- 39th out of 46
- PainRank™
- 9.72
- Complaints
- 212
1st Generation Tiguan
- Years
- 2009–2016
- Reliability
- 41st out of 46
- PainRank™
- 13.87
- Complaints
- 307
Further Reading
A timeline of stories related to this problem. We try to boil these stories down to the most important bits so you can quickly see where things stand. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts for your vehicle over at CarComplaints.com.
In case you missed it during your eggnog and sugar cookie hangover (no judgement), VW announced the 2012-2014 Beetle needs to be recalled to replace their dangerously defective Takata airbag inflators.
The script is very much the same as previous Takata recalls. The propellant inside the inflators becomes extremely volatile due to heat and humidity exposure over time to the point that, when the airbag is deployed, the inflator actually explodes and sends shards of metal out into the cabin.…
keep reading article "2012-2014 Beetle Recalled to Replace Takata Airbag Inflators"Volkswagen and Audi are recalling 119,000 vehicles to replace dangerous Takata airbag inflators.
This campaign is part of an industry-wide effort involving more than a dozen automakers and 1.7 million vehicles. The chemical inside of Takata airbag inflators can become unstable over time, leading to violent and sometimes deadly airbag deployments. The recall is for both driver and passenger side inflators in the 2015-2017 CC, 2015-2016 Eos, and 2015 Passat.
keep reading article "Takata Inflator Recall for TT and R8 Vehicles"Your vehicle might be involved in one of the largest and most dangerous recalls in automotive history.
Volkswagen is recalling 850,000 VW and Audi vehicles with Takata inflators.
You've probably heard about Takata by now. They're the ones that made airbag inflators which sometimes explode with too much force and send metal shrapnel flying throughout the cabin. They're also the ones that have been linked to a number of deaths and injuries. Needless to say, there aren't a lot of Takata fans out there.
But wait, there's more ... replacement parts aren't expected to be available until later this year.
keep reading article "More Takata Inflators Recalled"Your vehicle might be involved in one of the largest and most dangerous recalls in automotive history.
Volkswagen is recalling 734 VW Tiguans and Audi Q5s with Takata airbag inflators.
You've probably heard about Takata's defective inflators by now. They're the ones that explode with too much force and sometimes send metal shrapnel flying throughout the cabin. Yeah, those. They've also been linked to a number of deaths and injuries.
While the majority of Takata airbag recalls have been for frontal airbags, this recall is for airbags mounted on the seats which deploy from the side.
keep reading article "Dangerous Seat-Mounted Takata Recall"**Th
re are 11 automakers that have recalled millions of cars with Takata inflators. So far, VW isn't one of them. However, that might change soon because
NHTSA documents say investigators want to know if an exploding side airbag in the 2015 Tiguan is related to previous Takata recalls.
The vehicle in question experienced a ruptured side airbag in a June crash when the driver struck a deer. Unlike Takata airbags that have killed and injured vehicle occupants, the Missouri driver wasn't injured and it's possible this airbag explosion is different than previous Takata airbag ruptures._"
In addition to the 2015 Tiguan, NHTSA will be determining which VW vehicles have airbags that contain ammonium nitrate.
keep reading article "The Feds Have Questions About Takata Airbags in VW Tiguan"