Front Seat Heater/cooler problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta - part 1

The contact owns a 2002 volkwagen Jetta. While operating the vehicle with the front seat warmers activated, the front passenger was burned when the seat warmer malfunctioned. Medical attention was not needed. The failure burned a hole through the front passenger seat. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 160,000.

While driving with seat heater on seat burned thru foam and seat cover also burned pants leg and wife's finger trying to put out the embers.

Both front seat heaters on any setting arc and have burned multiple holes on the outer lower seat upholstry.

While driving home at night, my son and I smelled smoke. We exited the vehicle, checked under the hood, but found nothing. We continued home and parked in the garage. Still smelling smoke, we re-inspected the vehicle, but were unable to determine an origin or any visible evidence. Both seat heaters were on during the drive home, but the seats showed no visual signs of damage after parking. Next morning we opened the vehicle to discover the cabin was filled with smoke with an approximate 1?hole burned up thru the passenger seat on the lower right bolster. Apparently the seat heater initiated a thermal event which erupted in a seat fire after we turned off the ignition and parked the car in the garage. Fortunately, the fire did not engulf the vehicle or it could have caught our home on fire, resulting in possible injury or death to my family. I believe we ?dodged a bullet? because the seat fire did not sustain itself and engulf the vehicle. Vw has agreed to repair the burned seat at their expense and make a mitigation repair. However, vw has declined my request to cover any similar mitigation repair to the other seat. In October 2004, the NHTSA odi concluded that ?driver-side seat heater may fail or malfunction due to normal vehicle use? but ?such failures do not pose a significant risk of injury or fire. ? the odi stated the investigation did not conclude ?that a safety-related defect does not exist? and ?the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. ? (ea04010) evidence and reports indicate that seat heater caused thermal events in both driver and passenger seats in the vw Jetta have been an issue for nearly 10 years now. Near misses continue to occur. I believe that a seat fire is a significant safety concern. I would encourage the NHTSA to re-examine the circumstances to determine if further action is warranted.

The contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the seat heater burned his body through his pants. The manufacturer stated that they would send an agent to inspect the vehicle and call him back. The failure mileage was 73,000.

While driving with the seat heater on in 2002 vw Jetta the seat heater overheated and burned through the leather seat and burned the driver. Smoke was present in the vehicle.

On my 2002 Volkswagen Jetta tdi, the driver side seat heater has burned a hole through the seat padding, seat cover and the jacket I was wearing. I have seen reports of similar issues with the Jettas on various website forums.

The seat heater in the driver's side of my 2002 Jetta burnt through the seat and my pants. I was still in the parking lot, so no other damage occurred. This could have been very dangerous if my wife or I was driving, or if the seat heater was on while the car warmed up without us in it. I'm pursuing my options with volkwagen at the moment. . . This is the last straw, never buy a vw, especially a Jetta. It has given us problems from the moment we bought it new.

: the contact stated while driving 35 mph under normal road conditions, the seat heater burned a couple of holes on the seat. The vehicle was not taken to the service dealer. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer on 11/29/06. Updated 12/15/06.

Turned on the seat heater. Seat started to feel quite warm, then I smelled smoke. Promptly turned off seat heater and looked at the seat. When I looked down I saw a small burn hole in the seat. Received a minor burn on my butt. Glad I was not yet on the highway.

2002 Volkswagen Jetta - front seat heaters much much too hot . . . Within 2 minutes of turning them on I could feel a dime size burn on my skin.

2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS - drivers side heated seat began to burn and smolder. Volkswagen stated there is an 'open campaign' on this issue and the dealership should correct.

2002 vw Jetta with leather seats - seat heater burned daughter's leg and made burn mark on the seat, smoke, but no fire. Is this a recall?.

My husband was driving to work one morning in our 2002 vw Jetta, with the seat warmers on. When suddenly he felt a burning sensation on his bottom. Turned off the seat warmer only to find out there was a burn hole in the seat from the seat warmers. Since then we have refused to turn it back on again.

Within two blocks of leaving my home and turning on my car seat warmer to a level 2 (of 5) my car seat was on fire and burned my rear. I had to jump out of my car in the middle of an intersection to figure out what was going on. This happened over a weekend and I have not received any communication back from vw.

Driver's side seat warmer burned through leather and to consumer's jeans. And felt a burn mark which was about a quarter of an inch wide in a circle shape.

My wife was driving in the middle lane of the freeway in our 2002 Jetta wagon. She suddenly felt her left leg becoming hot and thought there was something hot in her pocket. She reached down to find that the seat was on fire. Due to the shock of her hand and leg being burned she swerved across two lanes of traffic to the shoulder. She jumped out of the car and saw flames coming out of the seat bottom. There was a water bottle nearby in the car which she threw on the seat and doused the flames. At this point she called me frantic over the situation because the seat was still smoking. I told her to turn the seat heater off which stopped the smoke. . Read more...

1. While driving home from work late on March 2, 2005, I turned my drivers side seat heater on. I smelled something burning. The seat heater burned a hole completely through my seat, burning a ciggerette-burn size hole through my pants and scalding my buttock. 2. I was driving about 55 mph at the time, and am lucky that the fire in my seat did not cause me to crash, and injure myself or someone else. 3. I have waited to get it repaired by vw in case the investigators / lawyers need to see the damage.

Seat warmer had burned a 2" hole through the drivers seat on the left side. Was taken to dealership and seat was replaced.

Drivers side seat warmer caught on fire while driver and drivers coat was burned.

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 approximatelyâ¼" by â½" 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.

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.

I was driving home in my 2002 Volkswagen Jetta and I smelled something burning. Then I felt a burning sensation on my thigh. I stopped the car and looked at my seat to find out that my heated seats had caught on fire from the inside out. I poured water in the burning hole and it sizzled out. It burnt a hole in my seat, my skirt and left a red mark in my leg. Fortunately, I pulled over and put the fire out before any serious damages were incurred. I called the Volkswagen dealership and told him about the incident. The person I spoke to acted as if it was no big deal. He told me to bring my car in and if it was under warranty, the warmer and seats would be replaced at my 2 day inconvenience. To date, I haven't taken it in because I am determining what/if any legal action, I should take.

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.

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.

I have heated seats in my 2002 Jetta. My wife was driving last week and noticed a pain in her left leg. She realized that it was a burning sensation. She quickly turned off the seat heater and pulled over and got out of the car. The seat had melted and the cover was melting and beginning to burn. Fortunately she turned off the heater right away and got off the seat. I read other complaints of fire and burn injuries. Now I have a deformed seat cushion (due to melting) and a hole in the cover. I am in the process of contacting vw to see if they will replace this seat and heater. I just exceeded the mileage on my warranty.

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.

Seat warmer burned a hole in the seat and my pants. The hole was smoking and I had to pour pop in the hole to put it out.

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. . . . . . .

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.

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.

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.

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.

Driver's seat heater wiring caught on fire, burning the fabric. Vehicle will be taken to dealer for repairs.

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.