Front Seat Heater/cooler problems of the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta - part 1

When the seat heater is turned on, the seat catches on fire. When you look at the picture that is smoke coming from the seat, the holes were caused by the seat heater.

The electric seat heater malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat while in use. It no longer regulates. Dangerous for driving. Smelled like a fire!.

When I was sitting in the driver's seat with the heated seat option turned to a 5 (high), while the car was warming up, I noticed some smoke coming from the right side of the seat. The heated seat started to burn through the cloth cover directly where my metal jacket zipper was making contact with the cloth seat surface. I immediately poured water on the seat to ensure a fire didn't start. I have not attempted to use the seat heaters since this incident.

Driver side seat heater gets very got. On March 4, 2016 at 7:30am noticed a burnt smell as I parked my car (I had driven for about 20 mins). When I returned at 12pm for lunch, I noticed 2 burnt areas of my leather seat. March 5th, tried to use heater again but within 10 mins it got too hot to touch and burnt smell, really bad. I shut it off. I can't use this now. Very disappointed.

Someone left the passenger side seat heater on. I started smelling a burning plastic odor then I came across a small burn mark. Another person left it on, the whole became bigger but no scent.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph a burning plastic odor was present inside the vehicle before the passenger suddenly experienced a burning sensation coming from the seated area of the passenger seat. The contact indicated that the passenger side seat heater element had over heated causing a burn hole in the seat and causing a minor burn to the passenger. The contact stated that a small flamed to the passengers right pant leg had to be extinguished during the incident and the passenger seat burn hole measured approximately 1 inch in diameter. The vehicle was diagnosed at the dealer. The contact was informed that the defect was caused by a faulty heat element inside the seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 125,000. Jft.

Back in 2007 recall for heated seats in Volkswagen's. Issued recall fixed both drivers and passengers seats as new ones were ordered and shipped in from overseas, due to both catching fire and burning holes in seats one seat being the drivers burnt a hole in my jeans and burned myself. As of 3/5/12 drivers side seat is getting so hot it has burnt the material on the seat again as it started smoking. Quickly turned it off. Problem thought was fixed as recall in 2007, not fixed apparently.

Driver's seat heater malfunctioned. Right side of seat has small burn marks, is discolored, has exposed elements, and seat foam is melted. Two pairs of pants obtained singe marks on separate occasions. I drive the car to and from the city via interstate for 40 minutes each way. Seat heaters are typically on for about 20 minutes. Beginning in November when I used the seat heaters I could smell a slight burning smell. Since it was the beginning of the winter season I figured it was just heated dust on my seats from being inactive all summer. The final time I used the seat heaters (1/26/12) the smell got so bad that I had to open the sun roof for air. I also noticed the seats got hotter than usual and wondered if my seat back was heating at all. As was usual when the seat was hot enough I would manually turn off the seat heater. I did not know what was happening until one day when I noticed brown marks on the right side of my pants. I then looked at the seat and saw the damage to the seat. The driver's seat element was replaced in may 2006, the passenger seat August 2006, due to previous recall/warranty service.

My 2003 Jetta seat caught on fire while driving home. I was using my seat heater at the time. I was burned on my leg.

I currently own a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. Passenger seat heater gets extremely hot and very concerned due to burn risk to children as well as possible fire hazard.

My drivers side seat heater doesn't recognize the setting of 0-5. It's either on, or off. Meaning, 0-4 the seat heater doesn't heat the seat. But when I turn it to 5 on the setting within 10 minutes the seat gets so hot it burns my legs through clothing.

My seat heater failed in my 2003 vw Jetta, burning a hole in the seat under my left buttock. I was startled when suddenly there a strong burning smell in the car, then a hot spot in the seat occurred which caused me to have to quickly shift my seating posting and I immediately turned off the seat heater. Luckily I was driving slowly in the city and able to pull in the in a parking spot quickly and the seat or my clothing did not catch on fire. The seat was set to 3 on a scale of 1-5. The car has about 125k miles on it.

My 2003 Jetta driver side heated seat is failing. The problem started in January 2011. The driver side heater coil was recalled back in 2007 and had been replaced through the recall, however, the replacement part is faulty as well. This time, the heater coil has burned the leather seat and burned a hole in my north face down coat. Luckily the coat is thick so I did not get badly burned. I had contacted Volkswagen directly after this assuming they would replace the heated seat coil since the initial replacement from the recall was bad, they were not helpful and said the car was past warranty. Which it was by about 3 months. However, given the situation of a prior recall and replacement of the part with another bad part, I expected more from the company. I then went to my dealer who charged me $120 "diagnostic fee" to tell me the heat seater is faulty. They told me to take it up with Volkswagen. A second call and email to Volkswagen lead no where. This is a dangerous issue and replacement of one bad part with another bad part is not responsible. I see there are other complaints and investigations active on this same make, model and year car. I would like a credit for my diagnostic fee which anyone could see was a faulty seat based on the burn, and I expect Volkswagen to pay for a replacement seat cover and pad and bolster heaters as the seat is not usable as is and if it is used creates a very dangerous situation.

Driver side seat heater overheating, burnt multiple holes in seat as well as burnt leg. Setting was placed on 2 of 5 when seat was burnt.

I am the owner of a 2003 vw Jetta. I was recently burned(11/2010) by the seat heater while driving and the car seat smelled like it was going to start on fire. My car had a recall not long after I bought it for the seat heaters. It is obviously a malfunction in the seat heater that vw has had numerous problems with based on the recall and the plethora of complaints on the internet. I can no longer use the heating unit. I took it to patrick motors in auburn, MA where I bought the car. They said it was out of warranty and they would charge me to look at it to see what the problem was and then maybe ask vwoa if they would help. I was not willing to pay more money for something that is obviously a manufacturing problem and has been documented as problematic.

My car driver seat is burned with some smoke because of faulty seat heater.

Recall for 2003 Volkswagen Jetta- seat heater defect causing seats to get too hot even causing fire in some instances. Brought my Jetta to riverside Volkswagen in riverside, CA. Inspection and repairs made in 2006. Yesterday, 1/25/2010, driver side seat heater started to burn a hole in seat. Did not burn all the way through as I turned the heater off before hand. Felt something that resembled a bee sting before realizing that it was the seat heater that was malfunctioning. Burning smell detected. Called vw riverside, said that it would not be a covered fix based on recall info. Complaint of failed initial repair.

I use my heated seats almost daily in the winter months. I used it this morning for about 20 minutes as I drove from home to the gym, then another 10 minutes as I drove from the gym to the store. When I got into my car after the store, it was still on the same setting (5), I had driven about 50 yards in the parking lot, when I felt a sharp pain in my left upper leg/butt. I moved slightly, then began to smell smoke. I felt around with my hand and felt the "hot" wire and the hole in my seat. It took me a moment to realize what it was, and then I immediately turned down the heated seat to off, thereby preventing further damage and pain. Luckily there was limited damage to my clothing and I was not seriously injured, but had I been driving on the highway, or not been able to figure out what was causing the pain so quickly, there could have been more severe consequences including injury.

Shortly after turning the drivers seat heater on, operator smelled something burning and felt her left leg burning. Shut heater off and took to dealer, who acted surprised that we had a problem!! they charged us to look at the seat, claiming the power supply wire under the seat had been pulled apart shorting out the grid wiring. Long story short, they claimed something must have been jammed up under the seat causing the problem. They offered to do the necessary repairs for $630. I thought their answer was creative, but after reading all the other complaints which are virtually identical(quarter sized hole in the seat cover), I'm calling [xxx]. I am disgusted with how vw has responded to all of us. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I turned on the driver's seat heater to 5 (highest setting) on my 2003 vw Jetta tdi when leaving my house at 7 am. I used this regularly to warm the seat for a few minutes on cold mornings, then would turn it off (lower settings never produced noticeable heat). Within one minute I felt a burning/electrical sensation in my upper left thigh. I was driving on a mountain road and the pain made me jump in my seat and nearly lose control of the car. I pulled over and turned off the seat heater (having heard of problems with the heater). The leather seat had a blister about the size of a cigarette burn but had not burned completely through. While I stopped the heater before it burned through the seat (and my pants), the real danger was in a possible accident from the burn/shock that caused me to momentarily lose control of the car. The seat heater is no longer safe to operate. My understanding from reading similar posts here and elsewhere is that the wiring is now broken in the seat (and many have had it break in the same spot). If I had not guessed the source of the problem quickly, or if someone were to unknowingly use the heat setter in the future, it could lead to a serious accident, personal injury, and car fire. Similarly, this poses a serious risk for other drivers of these vehicles who may not be aware of the problem and react too late. I request that the NHTSA urge vw of America to issue a recall on this dangerous and pervasive problem (many reports here and elsewhere, such as tdiclub. Com and vwvortex. Com). Vw has issued a recall on this problem in canada but not in the u. S. They also have a voluntary repair for passats of similar years, but not Jettas or golfs. Thank you.

The heated seats im my 2003 vw Jetta started to catch on fire.

Drivers side heat seater failed about 2 months ago. It got hotter than normal when on setting #3, I turned it off, and from that point on it didn't work. Two days ago, I had the drivers side seat heater replaced at the kaiserslautern, germany vw dealership. While driving home from work, the seat became extremely hot while only on setting #2. It was so hot, that I smelled something burning, and could not sit down while driving because of the extreme pain to my buttocks. I reached down with my hand to confirm the heat and also burned my hand. Note that I was only running the seat heater on level 2 of 5 for approximately 5 minutes. Upon inspection of the seat, there is now a hardened plastic feeling area where the leather on the seat was the hottest. Had I not immediately turned off the heater, it is very likely that the entire seat would have caught on flames. Additionally, since this occurred while driving and I was unable to properly sit in the seat, an accident could most certainly have occurred on the spot. I immediately spoke with the dealership and they said they will replace the heater but not the seat. They say the damage to the seat is not extreme enough to replace the entire thing. However, I feel it is their obligation to replace it because the damage was caused by their installation of a factory item that has already failed once.

Had the driver's side heat seater on. Felt a shocking sensation and smelled smoke. Pulled over, turned off heat seater and exited car. There is a hole burned in the seat and it took over 5 minutes for it to stop smoking.

1. 2003 Jetta wagon passenger heated seat got extremly hot and then quit working.

Driver's electric seat heater element in 2003 Jetta caught fire burning hole in leather seat and burning driver.

- the contact stated that the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta station wagon, caught on fire. The contact stated that while driving 20-25 mph the driver's side seat caught on fire while the seat heater was operating. The seat sustained a hole the diameter of a pencil. The seat burned passenger buttocks, but didn't catch his clothing on fire.

Driver turned on the seat heater on a cold evening after starting the car. The driver-side seat heater begins to overheat and smoke with three minutes. The driver almost hit a parked car while attempting to avoid being burned by the seat. The drivers no longer use the seat heater on the driver side, at a loss of $300.

Since I have had my Jetta the seat warmers have been hot. I contacted the dealership who advised that is how they work. Since then my seat warmer has burned a hole in the cloth seat and has burned me. It also creates sparks when turned on.

The heated seat on the driver side of my 2003 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr sedan burned a hole through the seat and through my wife's jacket.

While driving driver smelled and could see smoke and realized drivers seat was on fire. Driver managed to pull over and put out fire on seat. Volkswagen of America did nothing - told owner they had nothing to say. Dealer replaced seat.

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that there was a recall on the heating switch for the seats in her daughter's vehicle. The failure was replaced with a new switch, but the switch failed a few months later. The switch burned through the leather seat and would not shut off. The failure occurred while driving 55 mph. The contact's daughter sustained blisters, a scar, and minor burns. A police report was filed. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 60,000 and failure mileage was 50,000.

I have had this car since 10/31/02. I purchased it new. I bought it for my teenagers to drive as they begin since it is a safe car. Last weekend, (12/17/05) I was personally driving the car, and the seat warmer on the driver's side got so hot that it actually burned a hole in the seat, and the car smelled terrible for several days after. I think that having to fear an electrical fire in my car is outrageous.

I own a 2003 vw Jetta 1. 8t with front heated seats. Drivers side seat caught fire due to a short in the seats heater 2 days ago on 12/13/2005 after the heater was on for less than 2 minutes. Burning a small hole trough the seat to the bottom area of my left side (buttock) I have come to find since this happened, my NHTSA has been investigating 2002, 2003 vw Jettas for seat fires with this exact problem for over a year now. Why, as the original register owner of this model was I not informed of this investigation and the possibility of a fire inside my car, while me, my wife and my 5 year girl are in it! the problem with the above is that it was not a possibility, it just was a matter of time and in my case, the time was December 13th at approximately 7pm at night. This car has been a problem since the first 3,000 miles, with water pumps and door latches, firmware updates, violent shaking of the vehicle in cold weather starts, electrical problems ranging from entirely immobilizing and stranding me to the car partially being immobilized the vw Jetta to automatic transmission shifter issues which include the cars shifter being able to be moved when the key is not even in the ignition to a position in the shifter selector because a cable was never connected to prevent that, that should also be a NHTSA safety issue too on this car. But first I want you for the love of god contact the owners of these cars before real tragedy happens if that all ready has not happened. I have just talked Volkswagen customer care advocate at vw America, they have not warned their customers of this, who will. Again since this has happened I see many people on the internet have experienced the same thing. Please notify the owners first, then contact me second. Please!.

: the contact stated the seat warmer overheated and started smoking. Although a small hole formed in the seat cushion there was not visible evidence of a fire other than smoke.

The seat on my 2003 vw Jetta caught fire today. As a result, there is a nickel-size burn in my seat and my pants.