1998 Volkswagen Passat Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 8about this part
- Share
- 2%of 331 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 85,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the air bags of the 1998 Volkswagen Passat, 2% of the 331 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 85,000 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was involved in a collision on 3/11 where a woman cut me off by making a left hand turn as she was headed toward me. The front passenger side of my car stuck the side of her car. The front right side of my car was smashed in but no airbag on the passenger side deployed. I was traveling about 30 MPH and have not idea how fast the other driver was going. My car has been declared totaled. My passenger sufferd a bruised chest from her seat belt. Should either of the airbags in my car have deployed? Thanks for your help.”
NHTSA complaint #10114236, filed 2005-03, 98,000 miles“1. Early on braking (intermittent) and now always at engine startup 2. The ABS brake comes on solid, the brake light flashes, and three beeps on engine startup. This indicates that the ABS braking system has failed. And indeed I currently have no ABS, although the brakes work, and the car cannot pass dc inspection because of the warining lights on the dashboard. 3. I have attempted to diagnose the problem by running the vag-com diagnostics on it. Vag-com cannot communicate with the ABS control module which indicates the ABS control module must be replaced. …”
NHTSA complaint #10104767, filed 2004-12, 85,000 miles“Dt: caller says without warning the airbag light came on. When caller called the manufacturer they told him he had some recalls on his car. He wanted to get a diagnostic done at the same time on the air bag problem as on the recalls. Manufacturer said to do a diagnostic and they would pay for it. Manufacturer said it sounded like it was a sensor problem, and this was a safety issue. Manufacturer said they will not pay for diagnostic because it shoed it was a low battery signal. …”
NHTSA complaint #10126463, filed 2005-06, 78,950 miles“Side driver's airbag inflated without collision. Because of debris lodged under the front carriage from something I may have run over, vw repair technicians suggest this may have been enough to trigger the airbag mechanism. This seems extremely unlikely and I am concerned that there was a malfunction of the airbag and would like this investigated. My insurance company has been contacted and will look at the car soon.”
NHTSA complaint #726934, filed 2000-08“At 70 MPH side air bags went off. Car filled with smoke swerved off road. Consumer contacted Volkswagen which was looking into the problem. The manufacturer was unwilling neither to investigate the cause nor to fix the deployed air bag.”
NHTSA complaint #883376, filed 2001-03Related service bulletins
- 10213836Jan 22, 2016Airbag Issues.
Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | 15% |
| 2020 | 4 | 22% |
| 2018 | 5 | 11% |
| 2017 | 28 | 25% |
| 2016 | 25 | 24% |
| 2015 | 88 | 36% |
| 2014 | 354 | 60% |
| 2013 | 382 | 51% |
| 2012 | 296 | 61% |
| 2011 | 5 | 31% |
| 2010 | 45 | 28% |
| 2009 | 12 | 8% |
| 2008 | 32 | 19% |
| 2007 | 106 | 40% |
| 2006 | 148 | 26% |
| 2005 | 4 | 3% |
| 2004 | 8 | 3% |
| 2003 | 23 | 4% |
| 2002 | 11 | 2% |
| 2001 | 26 | 6% |
| 2000 | 17 | 3% |
| 1999 | 21 | 3% |
| 1998 | 8 | 2% |
| 1997 | 1 | 3% |
Other parts of the 1998 Volkswagen Passat
90 complaintsSuspension
90 complaintsSteering
52 complaintsEngine cooling
39 complaintsElectrical system
28 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
27 complaintsFuel system
17 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
16 complaintsSeats
11 complaintsEquipment
8 complaintsBody and structure
8 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Volkswagen Passat
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology