Alternator/generator/regulator problems of the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta

The fuse box on top of the battery melted due to overheating from the alternator cable. No excessive electrical load has been placed on the battery. Just normal use of the car causes this to melt.

"takata recall" burned fuse box caused alternator to go bad.

Engine battery fuse box melting. Replaced twice. Found out it alternator wiring is bad. I have a small child. Car has left me stranded on side of road several times due to faulty alternator wiring.

I've had multiple issues with my vw Jetta 2003 and have put thousands of dollars into the vehicle. My limit was that alternator cable melting the fuse box and the battery. The vehicle is unsafe and could have caught on fire and potentially injured individuals or caused great harm. The sad part able the entire scenario is the fact that I contacted Volkswagen customer care that spoke with brea s. Which may not be an actual name because she could not provide it and she said that she had spoken to her leadership ashley and that they did not see this as a safety concerns and just because lots of other people had the same issue and mentioned it on a blog they were not able to help me. Now for me something that can cause a potential electrical fire for most people is a safety concern and the fact that this is a known issue with the Volkswagen Jetta and beetle models, it amazes me that vw customer care does not see it as there issue, brea was out of the auburn hills location in michigan. This really needs further attention.

The alternator cable melted the fuse block and the car almost caught on fire.

Alternator harness wiring and fuse box are under-engineered for electrical conditions and output given by alternator. This is the second time in one year I have to replace the fuse box and alternator harness wiring due to risk of engine bay fire. Many other vw owners in this generation and different models also have this problem with their vehicles. I believe this should be recalled and it is extremely dangerous to go unnoticed.

The day before the car quit, it would not start after being parked in the mall parking lot. A battery pack got it started, and it was driven home, with the thought that it needed a new battery. The following day, it was being driven to the local sears, for a replacement battery, when the abs and airbag lights came on. 30 seconds later lots of warning lights came on, and the car sputtered and stopped dead in the lane of travel. It would not turn over, and power accessories would not work. I was stopped on a very busy 2 lane back road, with no shoulders or side streets, uphill, on a blind hill. After 1 1/2 hours of white-knuckle directing traffic, and calls my auto club, and the local police; a local police officer, and a local tow truck showed up and gave me a lift to my repair shop. The mechanic's diagnosis of the problem was a partially melted fuse pack, that sits on top of the battery, and an overly resistive cable between the fuse pack and the alternator. The solution was: the cable end linked to the fuse pack was re-terminated, and the melted fuse pack was replaced. Between the tow and the repair, it set me back about $300. 00. . Read more...

The alternator cable got so hot it started a small fire in the fuse box on top of my battery. Completely melted/burnt the fuse box. I see there is a good pattern of this happening with these Jetta and beetles.

All warning indicators (abs, cel, airbag, ecp, battery and other instrument dash panel lights) would flicker repetitively until the car lost all power. After inspection of the engine compartment it was found that the alternator cable that attaches to the fuse box located on top of the battery was melting the fuse box and causing power distribution problems. The Volkswagen dealer recommended that they both be replaced as the cable could have become high resistance thereby causing excessive heat at the fuse box. I had the alternator cable replaced with an oem part and the fuse box with an aftermarket part. On 10-9-13 with 104k miles while driving to work at 6am in the morning, the exact same symptoms were experienced again. Luckily I was on a side road and was towed to a dealer which said that all oem parts should be used and that this is common as they had just replaced the alternator cable on another Jetta of the same generation. I requested the dealer check the entire electrical system including the alternator because the parts that were installed last year should not go bad in 1 year, the dealer said there was no other issue. I am not the only one experiencing a melting fuse box. At the links below are others who have experienced the same thing, even across other vw models. There seems to be a serious problem of melting of fuse boxes which can occur at any time the vehicle is in operation. . Read more...

(prior incident) 05/27/08 at 32k miles alternator harness burned and melted fuse panel (while car operating at low speed returning home from local trip). Fuse failed to prevent overheating of terminal connector on alternator harness at fuse panel. Current incident: 08/06/10 at 47k miles the alternator harness that had been replaced at 32k miles burned and melted fuse panel again, and alternator was also damaged requiring replacement (car failed to start at home after being parked overnight). Fuse again failed to prevent overheating of terminal connector on alternator harness at fuse panel.

As we were driving home, all the lights on the dash started blinking. The accelerator pedal stopped working in the middle of a busy intersection. The car engine continued running, but it just stalled in the middle of traffic and could not accelerate to get out of traffic. So we coasted the car for about 1. 5 miles to a family members house. When we arrived, we turned off the car and tried to restart it, it would not start. After opening the hood we noticed that the fuse box/harness that sits on the battery was very hot. We opened it and saw the far left black wire/cable was burnt up and melting the plastic in the harness. The black wire was extremely hot. I had this problem before, it was 3 years ago, but I did not know where to look. I spent over $500 fixing what seems to me the same problem as before. On the dealership receipt it said "found generator harness at battery fuse box melted causing high resistance in voltage circuit. . . . . Replaced fuse box and generator cable". On that occurrence it was so bad the burns had ruined my battery causing it to leak. I called vw manufacturing, but they were not very helpful and just told me to call my local dealer for assistance. They said it was not a safety issue, even if there was a fire hazard. My car is currently being looked, looking for an underlying cause for this. . . If it is the cable or something else in the engine. The connection was reset but the wire/cable continued to get excessively hot.

2003 Volkswagen Jetta gl was found to have fried cable from alternator leading to fuse box on top of battery. Problem was found and fixed 3 years prior to being found again at the dealership. Both times cable and fuse box were replaced. Pictures of the second incident are available. Also found that this incident has happened on other Jettas as well. Worried that could potentially cause a fire.

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that there was a burning smell coming from the front of the vehicle as the battery light illuminated. The contact discovered that the fuse panel caught on fire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the alternator, the harness, and the fuse panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but failed to remedy the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,000.

Lost power, radio stopped working, a/c starting blowing hot air, epc light came on, battery light came on, abs light came on. Then the car would not crank. I thought the battery was dead so I jumped the car. I made it home then the car would not start the next morning. After examination I found that the fuse box on top of the battery had melted. The wire from the fuse box to the alternator overheated. Was told by two different Volkswagen dealerships in birmingham, al that this was a very common problem. If it is a common problem why is there no recall?.

Alternator wiring harness melted.

The consumer was driving on the highway when the abs light and the air bag light came on. She pulled off the road and the vehicle stalled . The vehicle would not start back. The mechanic informed the consumer the alternator cable burned the fuse box and cover. The consumer was concerned that if they same part will be put back on the same thing will happen again.