Noticed a smell as I was driving. Glance out window & noticed my back light was on fire. Pulled over, and tried to extinguish it with a shirt. Almost had it out, but couldn't quite extinguish it. Within 10 minutes the car was totally engulfed in flames. I had to stand there and watch my car burn. It took two fire trucks to extinguish it and I ended up with burnt hands( from melting rubber sticking to my skin), trying to smother it. How could something like this happen from a back light" I have had the car less than 1 year. It was in perfect condition, with only about 45,000 miles on it. I am out a car, with no recourse! I found that there was a recall back in April 2007, prior to my owning this vehicle. Although, their recall makes no mention of the car bursting in flames! this is a serious problem that needs to be looked into! I am lucky that I saw the fire when I did, or I could have been hurt even worse than I was. I am a carpenter and need my car to get to my jobs. I am out a car, lost a day of work, and now am working with bandaged hands, and the worst thing is...I called Volkswagen and got sympathy, and an offer to pay my medical bill, but I am still out a car! are they kidding? this is a serious electrical problem! what if I had my grandchild in the back seat of that car" once the headliner caught flames, it was all over. Flames were 20 feet in the air!

- Newfield, NJ, USA