Volkswagen bulletin VOS-25-04
What it saysThis is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication for the airbag control module. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Volkswagen filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 8, 2025, received Feb 6, 2025, about the air bags. It names 13 model years (2016–2022). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication for the airbag control module. For trouble code DTC B10001B. Driver airbag igniter resistance too high -N95
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VOS-25-04 | Service bulletin | Jan 8, 2025 | 11013855 |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 13 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,249 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 116 of them name Air Bags — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI, the 22 owners who gave an odometer reading for Air Bags reported it at a median of 41,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Steering wheel "Clock Spring" has failed at 76,000 miles. Heard an clicking sound when turning leading up to issue, then a POP sound. Airbags, horn, cruise control, and other wheel controls all dead. I see this is a common problem, obviously a bad part from VW, and a MOJOR safety risk since Airbag will not deploy.
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Mar 8, 2024 · ODI 11576160
At around 38,000 miles (4 years into my lease), the airbag warning light came on in my 2021 Volkswagen GTI. Pasadena Volkswagen inspected the vehicle and confirmed the airbag control module had failed due to water intrusion from a clogged A/C drain tube, with a repair estimate of $1,974.
2021 Volkswagen Golf / GTI · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Oct 2, 2025 · ODI 11690962
I was parking my car and then I heard a loud crack. Then I noticed my car's airbag malfunction warning notice came up on the dashboard along with other failures. I can see on the edges of the horn panel on the left that its slightly detached, so it seem the airbag has somewhat inflated.
2021 Volkswagen Passat · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Nov 24, 2025 · ODI 11701230
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the air bags
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against these Volkswagen models under the same component group (air bags), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| V6919012010479_17 | Service bulletin | Jun 11, 2026 | Inquiries |
| VOS 25 18 | Service bulletin | Feb 12, 2025 | This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: Th… |
| VOS-24-129 | Service bulletin | Nov 5, 2024 | This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication for the airbag control module. For trou… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Volkswagen, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Volkswagen VOS-25-04 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the VOS-25-04 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Volkswagen warranty extension on file lists the ones Volkswagen has filed.
Which vehicles does VOS-25-04 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 13 model years: 2021 Volkswagen Golf / GTI, 2020 Volkswagen Golf / GTI, 2019 Volkswagen Golf / GTI, 2018 Volkswagen Golf / GTI, 2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI, 2016 Volkswagen Golf / GTI and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.