2002 VW Beetle Turbo 78,000
In the past two weeks my airbag light has gone on and the CEL, as well.
I ignored the airbag light because…well, basically the car ran fine and it sounded like an expensive diagnosis/fix.
I just wanted to know if anyone has had a similar issue with a similar make/age/model and what it was.
A couple weeks later we were pulling into the driveway and the car started running horribly. We parked and the next day the CEL went on when we took it around the block. Code was cylinder 1 misfire; PO301 I believe. Our mechanic replaced a coil and spark plug (only one since VW parts are pricey as all get out) and the car ran fine. Two day later-same issue. This time it’s cylinder 3. My husband replaced the spark plugs (all of them), and the car runs better, but not great. He ordered a coil for that cylinder and hopes that will fix it.
All you gurus-does that sound good or are we missing something basic?
I don’t know why anyone would drive around with an air bag light on. After all they can save your life. I had to have one repair on one when a sensor went bad, about $30.00.
Misfires could be the Mass Airflow sensor.
I would first call the dealer to see if this a warrantee / recall / service bulletin item.
Had the same rough running issue and they replaced it for free (a 250$ value).
Drive Safe!
Thanks! I’ll look into that.
78,000 miles. Get the full tune-up. It’ going to eat you alive with fixing a cylinder at a time. I don’t care what the manual says, turbos will eat plugs. And bad plugs will eat coils. Just change all the plugs every 60K. And, If they look badly worn out, change that to every 50K.
Plus, get the CEL checked as soon as possible when it comes on, not two weeks later. A lot of damage can happen in two weeks. Get the low down as soon as you can to figure if it needs immediate attention.
I have a 2001 VW Beetle Turbo 78,000 and I’m getting the airbag light but not the CEL. I was told that this car has a reputation for wiring harness problems that lead to airbag light problems. My mechanic was able to reset the light and now it seems ok, but he had to refer one of his customers to the dealer for a similar fix and it cost $1500. Any further information would be appreciated. I’ve also gotten different information about whether the airbag is still active when the airbag light comes on - some say yes and some say no. Any solid information?