69EM Driver’s Side Air Bag Inflator May Explode – 2015-2016 Volkswagen Beetle & Beetle Convertible

December 21, 2022 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 22V945000

Driver’s Side Air Bag Inflator May Explode

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945

Manufacturer VolkswageneBay logo Group of America, Inc.

Components AIR BAGS

Potential Number of Units Affected 37,558

 

Summary

VolkswageneBay logo Group of America, Inc. (VolkswageneBay logo) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Beetle and Beetle Convertibles vehicles. The driver’s side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

 

Remedy

Dealers will replace the driver’s side air bag, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed February 16, 2023. Owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available; anticipated September 2023. Owners may contact VolkswageneBay logo’s customer service at 1-800-893-5298. VolkswageneBay logo’s number for this recall is 69EM.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

 

Check if your Volkswagen has a Recall

 


Affected Vehicles

CountryBeginning Model YearEnding Model YearVehicleVehicle Count
USA20152016BEETLE23,451
USA20152016BEETLE CONVERTIBLE14,107
CAN20152016BEETLE3,116
CAN20152016BEETLE CONVERTIBLE1,284

 

Problem Description

The driver’s frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

 

Corrective Action

Replace driverโ€™s frontal airbag.

 

Code Visibility

On January 05, 2023, the campaign code was applied to affected vehicles.

 

Owner Notification

Owner notification will take place in October 2023. Owner letter examples are included in this bulletin for your reference.

 

Repair Overview

Replace driverโ€™s frontal airbag.

 

 


Chronology :

January 15, 2020: Meeting to discuss this topic was held between VolkswageneBay logo and the NHTSA.

January 21, 2020: Follow-up meeting between VolkswageneBay logo and the NHTSA. As an outcome of the meeting, the NHTSA clarified its expectation of a recall of all SDI-D inflators in the VolkswageneBay logo Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles.

February 2020 – April 2020: VolkswageneBay logo and the NHTSA discussed the terms of a potential recall program internally and between the parties.

April 30, 2020 – May 5, 2020: An agreement between VolkswageneBay logo and the NHTSA to address the recall of vehicles equipped with Takata SDI-D airbag inflators was reached and fully executed by VolkswageneBay logo Group of America, Inc. and the NHTSA.

December 9, 2020: Pursuant to the schedule set out in the agreement with the NHTSA, VolkswageneBay logo’s Product Safety Committee decided to conduct a safety recall for MY 2012-2014 VolkswageneBay logo Beetle and Beetle Convertibles containing SDI-D inflators as original equipment.

December 14, 2022: Pursuant to the schedule set out in the agreement with the NHTSA, VolkswageneBay logo’s Product Safety Committee decided to conduct a safety recall for MY 2015-2016 VolkswageneBay logo Beetle and Beetle Convertibles containing SDI-D inflators as original equipment.

VolkswageneBay logo is not aware of any warranty or field claims relating to this issue.

 


4 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKEMODELYEAR
VOLKSWAGENeBay logoBEETLE2015-2016
VOLKSWAGENeBay logoBEETLE CONVERTIBLE2015-2016

 


9 Associated Documents

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-22V945-5586.pdf 645.873KB

 


Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-22V945-2507.PDF 217.148KB

 


VolkswageneBay logo – Dealer Advance Notice – January 2023

RCMN-22V945-6784.pdf 842.366KB

 


ISSUED Interim Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RIONL-22V945-9957.pdf 113.165KB

 


ISSUED Interim Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RIONL-22V945-2721.pdf 128.894KB

 


Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-22V945-6200.pdf 700.676KB

 


VolkswageneBay logo – 69EM Dealer Launch Notice – October 2023

RCMN-22V945-5668.pdf 213.305KB

 


ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-22V945-6565.pdf 153.796KB

 


ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-22V945-3395.pdf 132.787KB

 


Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=22V945&docType=RCL

 


1 Associated Investigation

Air Bag Inflator Rupture
NHTSA ID: EA15001
Dated opened: February 24, 2015

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers. All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.

During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers. Nonetheless, at ODI’s insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation. The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures. As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.

Takata’s initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida. Accordingly ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas. Takata’s testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions. During PE14-016 four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.

Also during PE14-016 four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina. Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls. Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity. Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing. All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.

The investigation now includes all manufacturers and vehicles known to be affected at this time. ODI’s investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.

The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

 


 

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