Air bag light is on

Hi Marlene,

Unfortunately the air bag light doesn't really help you figure out what is wrong. There are impact sensors to detect a crash, connections to the airbags themselves and frequently seat and seat belt sensors, any of which can fail and turn that light on.

However, standard OBD-II scanners won't give you information about airbag systems. It takes a Volkswagen-specific scanner called VCDS, or VAG-COM Diagnostic System, to look at the airbag system and get the fault information. If you can find someone with a VCDS scanner they'll be able to read out the errors; otherwise you may have to take it to a shop for a diagnosis.