Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Airbag warning light or recall
Most reported: 2014 Volkswagen Passat with 354 reports. Across the 609 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 16,092.
- 16,092owner reports
- 609model years affected
- 45,000median miles
- 4,327involved a crash
- 134involved a fire
Airbag complaints split into a few kinds. The most common is an airbag warning light that won't go out. Others involve the passenger seat sensor switching the passenger bag off with an adult sitting there, an airbag that didn't deploy in a crash, or one that went off without a crash at all. A large share also come from owners waiting on a recall part.
Narrower explainers: Takata Airbag Recall (6,306) · Airbag Light On (2,433) · Passenger Airbag Sensor Problems (1,026)
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of airbag reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12014 Volkswagen Passat13 crashes1 firerecall35463% of its complaints53k mi
- 22015 Chrysler 20038 crashes2 firesrecall32717% of its complaints58k mi
- 32017 Chevrolet Traverse5 crashes1 firerecall26373% of its complaints38k mi
- 42014 Chevrolet Traverse5 crashesrecall25749% of its complaints70k mi
- 52014 GMC Acadia7 crashes1 firerecall24457% of its complaints84k mi
- 62014 Ford Mustang23 crashes1 firerecall24272% of its complaints25k mi
- 72014 Buick Enclave5 crashesrecall20473% of its complaints90k mi
- 82014 Jeep Grand Cherokee19 crashes1789% of its complaints67k mi
- 92014 Nissan Altima24 crashes2 firesrecall17817% of its complaints33k mi
- 102015 Nissan Altima23 crashesrecall17719% of its complaints32k mi
- 112017 Subaru Forester14 crashesrecall16428% of its complaints32k mi
- 122016 Chevrolet Traverse3 crashesrecall16356% of its complaints89k mi
- 132015 Chevrolet Traverse4 crashesrecall16252% of its complaints74k mi
- 142014 Jeep Patriot18 crashes14628% of its complaints41k mi
- 152017 Buick Enclave4 crashesrecall14581% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 162018 Tesla Model 315 crashes14214% of its complaints47k mi
- 172019 Volkswagen Atlas3 crashesrecall14129% of its complaints35k mi
- 182016 GMC Acadia3 crashesrecall13055% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 192021 Toyota RAV428 crashes1 firerecall12532% of its complaints30k mi
- 202014 Ram 150038 crashes1 firerecall1217% of its complaints50k mi
- 212016 Buick Enclave2 crashesrecall11078% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 222015 GMC Acadia4 crashesrecall10844% of its complaints89k mi
- 232015 Buick Enclave1 crashrecall10561% of its complaints95k mi
- 242015 Jeep Grand Cherokee13 crashes1038% of its complaints68k mi
- 252018 Volkswagen Atlas2 crashesrecall10022% of its complaints45k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe airbag. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12017 Buick Enclave4 crashesrecall14581% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 22016 Buick Enclave2 crashesrecall11078% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 32015 Mercedes-Benz GLK3502 crashes8474% of its complaints48k mi
- 42014 Buick Enclave5 crashesrecall20473% of its complaints90k mi
- 52017 Chevrolet Traverse5 crashes1 firerecall26373% of its complaints38k mi
- 62014 Ford Mustang23 crashes1 firerecall24272% of its complaints25k mi
- 72014 Volkswagen Passat13 crashes1 firerecall35463% of its complaints53k mi
- 82015 Buick Enclave1 crashrecall10561% of its complaints95k mi
- 92014 Mercedes-Benz C25011 crashes9358% of its complaints48k mi
- 102014 GMC Acadia7 crashes1 firerecall24457% of its complaints84k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- GMC Acadia567
- Chrysler 200483
- Ram 1500463
- Nissan Rogue374
When it happens
6,584 of the 16,092 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 20,000 and 73,444 miles; the median is 45,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of airbag, grouped by the model year of the car. 4,327 involved a crash and 134 a fire. 4,543 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 16,092 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
What the warning light means
Federal safety standard 208 requires every car with airbags to have a readiness indicator that monitors the system and is clearly visible from the driver's seat. The indicator watches its own system, so a light that stays on is the car reporting that its airbags aren't ready. The parts owners name in these reports include the occupant sensor, the inflator, the clock spring and the airbag control module.
How the system is supposed to work
NHTSA explains that in a moderate to severe crash the control unit sends a signal to an inflator, which fills the bag in less than a twentieth of a second. Frontal and side bags are generally designed for moderate to severe crashes, though they may deploy in a minor one. An airbag works once. After a deployment it has to be replaced, at an authorized repair center, before the car is driven again.
When to stop driving
A lit airbag light doesn't stop the car from driving, but it can mean you're driving without working airbags, so treat it as urgent. A recalled inflator is a different matter. NHTSA's air bag page says Takata inflators, installed in tens of millions of U.S. vehicles, can explode and cause serious injury or death, and it urges owners of recalled cars to get them replaced by a dealer right away. Some of those recalls carry a do-not-drive warning, which this site marks on the recall list.
What to tell the mechanic
Say when the light first came on and whether it flickers or stays solid. Mention anything recent that touched the dash, steering wheel or seats, such as a crash repair, seat removal or new seat covers. For a passenger-sensor fault, say who was sitting in that seat when the light or the "passenger airbag off" indicator came on.
Recalls, bulletins and warranty
Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first. It shows open safety recalls, though it leaves out recalls more than 15 years old and those run by some small manufacturers. By law a recall repair is free, and manufacturers must mail owners within 60 days of telling NHTSA about a recall. If the part isn't available yet, NHTSA's advice is to follow any interim safety guidance in the manufacturer's letter. NHTSA also warns that substandard replacement inflators made in China have caused deaths and injuries in the U.S., so have airbag work done at a dealer or an authorized repair center.
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.