Electrical System Problems of Volkswagen Eurovan

The heating elements in the seat which heat the seat when turned on (seat heaters) caught fire and burned through the seat, almost burning my backside. Car was stationary. Warming up the engine for about 8 minutes in the morning before driving to work.

See all problems of the 2003 Volkswagen Eurovan 🔎.

The front passenger seat heater burned through the seat fabric. The burn-through location is on the vertical surface of the seat, mid-line, at about the lumbar height. Please refer to the attached photograph. A passenger was seated in the aforementioned seat when the burn-through occurred. The vehicle was in motion at highway speed at the time of the burn-through, but the passenger was not injured.

See all problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan 🔎.

I was driving my daughter to school today and we had put the heated seats on in my 2002 vw Eurovan. As we approached the school my daughter yelled ouch and grabbed her back. We discovered a hole in the seat that had burned through the seat fabric and burned a hole in her north face jacket. It had started to heat up her shirt but luckily she felt it before it got even hotter. This could have caused a severe burn to her back. She had a large red patch on her lower back but nothing more. This is a major hazard to the passenger and driver - as both seats are heated and could have this problem at any time. I have read multiple complaints online and there are some as recent as this year already. It sounds to me that vw will not do anything to remedy the situation, which is ridiculous as it is a safety issue. I have never received a recall for such a problem and it sounds to me like many others have not either.

Heated front passenger seat smoldering. No fire. Manufacturer will not correct. Out of warranty. Passenger seat heating element previously replaced under extended vehicle warranty. Heating element burned through cloth fabric. I believe this to be a manufacturer defect that does present a fire danger and there should be a recall.

Consumer stated that when the engine was turned on, all the electical items such as the radio, air conditioner, heater and clock in the vehicle became inoperative and when the radio was turned on it shorted out.

See all problems of the 1999 Volkswagen Eurovan 🔎.

This vehicle had previously had many electrical problems and other defects, though this has been the worst, the most scary thing that happened with this car, and the think that could have caused a serious accident, potentially injuring or killing ourselves or others. Fortunately, it happened at a deserted intersection on a rural road. But the engine did not stop racing, bucking, with the car lurching forward until the key was turned so that engine stopped altogether. Upon starting the car again, the same thing happened. We therefore had to sit at the intersection, partway out into traffic until trying again, the engine started normally. We have conmplained about this over and over and are told that the engine is working according to specifications. I forgot to include the date. It was Thursday evening September 26th, 2002. We were in canada and previous problems with the car had yielded the information that we could not get service for our vehicle in canada as it was not sold there. Thus, far from home, we nevertheless had to return to milwaukee after the incident. We have driven the car very little since that day and have repeatedly tried to get someone to understand that this vehicle is not safe to drive and not safe to be on the road. The incident occured following going down a very steep hill (a 12% grade as I recall) in low gear and then shifting back into drive and needing to come to a stop at a "t". It was at the "t" that this occurred. Even though no problem has been diagnosed which might have led to this incident, it occurred once! once was enough. Mind you, we were near the end of a 24 day camping trip and we had gone up and down many mountains, using the low gear repeatedly with such a problem. It could have happened while passing or on a mountain curve. We want the car taken out of service if nothing can be explained or fixed! dt.