This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
While driving, noticed the seat heater was unusually hot and felt burning on my leg. I turned the seat heater off, and when I exited the vehicle, noticed two quarter-sized burn holes in the seat and a burn hole in my wool coat. VW dealer will be replacing the seat, and I have been told that they will compensate me for my coat.
The heated seat on the drivers side of my 2002 VW Jetta began to smolder at the "3" setting while I was warming the car up. It eventually burnt a hole in the left seat bolster approximately" by " in size. Usually I turn the seat heater on while I am defrosting the windshield in the driveway. Without someone in the car it could have caught on fire and either destroyed the car or caused major damage to the interior.
2002 VW Jetta tdi with heated cloth seats. Driver side seat heater overheats in a small spot, causing burning (brown coloration) of the seat and the start of a burnt leg on the wife (just what I need...one more thing to hear about...). passenger seat works fine. Driver seat heater no longer used as problem is repeatable.
2002 VW Jetta tdi with leather heated seats. Got so hot in left hip corner that I almost was burned through my clothes. Burning smell also noted. Immediately shut seat heater to off.
- Stockton, CA, USA
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Drivers side seat heater caught seat cushion on fire. Burned my pants and buttocks. Driving in traffic at time of incidence. Have not contacted dealer yet. Will do so tomorrow.
On the morning of 12/15/04, before going to work, I started my 2002 Volkswagen Jetta to warm up. I also turned on the seat warmer to its highest setting (5). About 5 minutes later I got in the car to go to work. I was about 1.5 miles from my house when I smelled something burning. Then I felt a sharp pain in my left leg. When I put my hand in between my leg and the car seat, I got a tar-like substance on my hand. I then realized that the seat warmer malfunctioned and was melting my seat! it melted synthentic onto my wool coat and pants, as well as my skin. I was able to get it off without having to go to the er. I contacted a service manager at metro VW in irving tx. He said he could help me fix the seat, but to call customer service regarding the other damages. He added that C.S. would act like this was the first time it happened, but he knew it was a regular problem. C.S. did offer to have my seat fixed as well as replace my coat, but when I mentioned a recall so this wouldn't happen to others, they said it was not financially feasible, and the government was not mandating a recall, so they were not going to do anything about it.
The driver's seat in my 2002 VW Jetta gls 1.8T began smoldering this morning. I started my car to warm it up and began to clean the snow from the windshield. When I entered the car I noticed a strong "burning" smell. I quickly got out of the car and noticed the driver's seat was smoking. I was able to stop the burning by turning off the heated seat and putting snow on the area. I was sure it was the heated seat which caused the seat to burn because a portion of the heating element is exposed and it was sparking. I now have a hole the size of a penny on the seat.
While exiting the vehicle noticed that the driver's seat was burned. Also, driver's coat was burned. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The cause has not been determined.......
I have a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta tdi. My boy friend was in the driver's seat for a maximum of 5 minutes when the seat heater burnt a hole through the seat, his jeans, and left a smoking black ring in his leather wallet. There were no events leading up to this failure, it just happened. So, now I have an expensive car seat, jeans, and a wallet that are ruined. The seat will cost more than six hundred dollars to fix and the jeans and wallet another couple hundred dollars to replace. Nothing has been done to correct the problem. I have contacted two dealers, one where I purchased the car and another where I currently reside, and both are saying that it will not be fixed because my car is 2,000 miles over its warranty. I have spoken to Volkswagen's customer care center and they have offered reimbursement for the jeans and wallet, but nothing for the seat. I feel that this is not a normal "wear and tear" problem and should be fully covered by the manufacturer.
The heater element in the driver's seat of my 2002 VW Jetta VR6 burned through the leather and left a quarter size burn hole in the seat of my car and the seat of my pants. Fortunately my wallet formed a barrier between me and the heat source. The car was taken to a VW dealer in Massachusetts and I am currently waiting for a new seat cushion and heater element. If anyone should ask what really "burns me up", I tell them the seat of my VW Jetta.
I used the heated seat feature on my 2002 VW Jetta. 12-11-04, I noticed a burn hole on the left side of the seat. I placed my finger over it and burnt my finger. I also have a good jacket that has a burn mark on it. I will be contacting my VW dealership on 12-13-04 to let them know of this problem and have them replace my seat and coat! I think the fact that the NHTSA is waiting for a fatality or two before making this a recall is just ridiculous.
Seat heater malfunctioned, burned through the leather seat and burned me while I was driving. I safely pulled the car to the side of the road. The replacement components also malfunctioned, burning the leather seat and once again, burned me. Also, the sunroof has plastic guides that keep breaking, I have had these plastic components replaced three times since I purchased my car in 2002, and I don't use my sunroof that often, probably less than 30 times/year.
Vehicle was equipped with heated seats which malfunctioned. The heat coils burned straight through the driver's seat, causing second degree burns to the driver.
Pulling out of the drive at work. I smelt something, like burning. I put car in park. Felt burning sensation on upper left thigh/ butt. Looked down and there was a growing hole with small flame. I turned off my car, noticed my jeans were burnt, jumped out, and the small flame was still visible in the hole. Once I figured out it was the seat heater I turned off the switch wich was only set at 2 out of 5 levels. Only then, when both my car and seat heater switch off did it die out. Took directly to dealership where they said they fixed it and used "updated part" but would not explain to me what this meant or what they did. They would not give me information or claim that this would not happen again.
My wife and I own a 2002 Jetta gls 1.8T with heated seats. While driving I felt my leg getting extremely hot and I smelled something burning. I pulled over and found a hole in my pants and a hole in my driver's seat. The seat was still smoking when I pulled over. My wife turned off the heated seats and the seat stopped smoking. I contacted two Volkswagen dealerships and they stated they were aware of something like this happening tovolkswagens before. This resulted in damage to the car, my pants, a minor burn to my leg, and caused me to question the safety of this vehicle.
I turned on my drivers side seat warmer. After about 2 minutes, there was a noticable smoke in the car and extreme heat coming from the left side of the drivers seat. I immediately turned off the seat warmer. After pulling in the garage, there was a small burn on my pants and a 1/4" hole burned through the fabric on the seat. Volkswagon states that the heater element shorted out, has not done anything to resolve the issue.
I have a 2002 Jetta 1.8T. I started driving my car and turned on my seat warmer to 3 and within 30 seconds saw a stream of smoke coming from my seat. I quickly turned off the seat warmer and stopped the car and go out. A hole was burned throught my seat and my jeans that I was wearing were burned as well. I turned it back on for a second and saw a small flame ignited.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Westfield, MA, USA