Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||||
| CSC-74B8 | 06/01/2009 | 10032411 | Volkswagen: heated seats install new passenger side seat heater switch. affected vehicles may have a seat heater element that can malfunction when the ignition switch is on and the seat heater switch is on. *pe | 03/17/2010 | |
| 060910 | 06/01/2009 | 10031384 | Volkswagen: revised expiration dates for seat heater customer satisfaction campaigns. affected vehicles may have a seat heater element than can malfunction when the ignition switch is on and the seat heater switch is on. models vv00 and | 01/05/2010 | |
| M2M200 | 06/10/2008 | 10025968 | Volkswagen: install driver's side seat heater repair kit. campaign expiration date is extended to 6/30/09. *pe csc letter was added to bulletin. 10/20/08. *pe updated 3/30/09. *pe | 09/18/2008 | |
| M3M300 | 06/01/2009 | CSC-M300 | 10025969 | Volkswagen: install new passenger side seat heater switch. *pe csc letter was added to bulletin. 10/20/08. *pe updated 3/30/09. *pe updated 3/17/10. *pe | 09/18/2008 |
| 748 | 10/01/2007 | 10023659 | 2003-2004 model year passat with heated seats install new passenger side seat heater switch. *nj | 01/22/2008 | |
| 720702 | 05/23/2007 | 10021951 | Seat heater is inoperative. *kb | 06/27/2007 | |
| 0601 | 04/21/2006 | 10020719 | Heated seat bottom cover replacement. *kb | 01/03/2007 | |
| 2 | 10/01/2007 | 10019324 | Heated seats may have a seat heater element that can malfunction when the ignition switch is on and the seat heater switch is on. install driver's side seat heater repair kit. *tt updated 2/20/08. *nj | 03/06/2006 | |
| M3 | 06/01/2007 | VZ | 10018809 | Customer satisfaction campaign circular - seat heater element can malfunction when the ignition switch is on and the seat heater switch is on. the seat heater mat may temporarily overheat and become inoperative. install new passenger side | 01/18/2006 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 12/03/2012 | 143000 | 1 | |
| When i turn my heated seat on the driver's side past level 1, there is one spot on the seat that gets painfully hot. i usually turn the heat off at that point. today i was so cold that i didn't want to turn the seat off, so i put my hand between the seat and my leg. when i took my hand out, it smelled like smoke. i called volkswagen, and they don't have any recall on these seats. i thought they might make a concession since it is a possible safety issue, but they wouldn't do anything for me. *tr | |||
| 12/03/2012 | 143000 | ||
| When i turn my heated seat on the driver's side past level 1, there is one spot on the seat that gets painfully hot. i usually turn the heat off at that point. today i was so cold that i didn't want to turn the seat off, so i put my hand between the seat and my leg. when i took my hand out, it smelled like smoke. i called volkswagen, and they don't have any recall on these seats. i thought they might make a concession since it is a possible safety issue, but they wouldn't do anything for me. | |||
| 12/01/2011 | |||
| Heater stopped working and blew cold air. brought car into vw dealer be serviced. heating system was flushed with cleaner. a couple of days after repair, car was driven with the passenger seat heater on and a 1 1/4 hole burnt through seat exposing burnt heating element and burnt foam. heater stopped working a couple of weeks after above repair. returned to dealer to redo repair and requested the seat heater and seat upholstery leather replaced. told that it would cost $1000.00 and that it would be the owner's responsibility. clearly the seat heaters on this car model are defective given all the complaints and prior recalls. vw replaced the driver's seat heater with a recall...which leads to the obvious question: why weren't the passenger side seat recalled as well? was this a calculation on the part of vw corporate....that the cost of replacing the driver seats through a recall was less that the liability due to burns/accidents/loss of life...but the cost of replacing the passenger seats through a recall was calculated to be more than the liability there? this does not smell good. class action suit seems appropriate. | |||
| 10/04/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Heated seat coils overheated and burnt seat on driver side. 1 year after recall was done by paul clark vw brockton ma, they told me the heaters in the seat are no longer under warranty and told me to call vw usa with my problem, | |||
| 03/14/2011 | 54000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 55 mph with the heated seat feature turned on the contact felt a burning sensation coming through the seat. the vehicle was pulled over and the contact noticed there was a hole burnt through the front drivers seat as well as a burn mark on his pants. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed and was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 54,000. sm. | |||
| 01/07/2011 | 112347 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen passat wagon with cloth heated seats. while using heated seat option, felt burning on right leg. found seat heater had melted right bolster of seat cushion. | |||
| 12/04/2009 | 33197 | 1 | |
| The driver's side seat heater in my 2003 vw passat is a potential fire hazard. i noticed what looked like a cigarette burn on the left seat bolster (i do not smoke). the following day, i smelled something burning in the cabin. when i got out of the car, there was a second burn hole about a half inch from the first hole. i have stopped using the heater, but it is a potential fire hazard. *tr | |||
| 04/08/2009 | 76900 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the driver's heated seat control module was activated. a high voltage of heat penetrated through the bottom of the seat and smoke suddenly appeared. the driver deactivated the heated seat control module. he burned his finger on the seat. the authorized dealer was notified of the malfunction. the manufacturer's customer satisfaction campaign m2 was referenced. the free remedy consisted of installing a repair kit for the heated seat. the remedy was performed on the vehicle in 2005; however, it was insufficient and did not prevent future failure. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 76,900 and current mileage was 77,000. | |||
| 03/24/2009 | 92400 | 1 | |
| Vehicle was hit from the rear by another vehicle. drivers seat slid all the way forward in its tracks and the seat back collapsed all the way flat. seat integrity should be maintained in this type of incident. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2009 | 75300 | 1 | |
| Turned on driver side heater to level 3. felt a burning on the left side of the seat and smelled a burning odor aprox 30 seconds after starting car. stopped car and found a small hole burned through the seat on the left rear side. m2 recall had already been checked at the dealer. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 1 | ||
| The car seat heater (driver's side) burned through the fabric, leaving 1 inch hole in the seat. there was no injury. this happened with normal use of the heater. *tr | |||
| 02/24/2005 | 61949 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving 35 mph, the contact smelled smoke and felt a tingling feeling on her back. she exited the vehicle and noticed small holes and smoke coming from the driver's seat. the manufacturer advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer for repair. the contact sent the receipt for her damaged fur coat and blue jeans to the manufacturer, but she has not received any reimbursement. the failure mileage was 61,949. | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - HEAD RESTRAINT | |||
| 11/13/2006 | 1 | ||
| 2003 vw passat driver leather seat caught on fire while operating car. it burned through the seat & scorched/damaged my coat. fortunately, i was only driving a few blocks & had pulled into a parking lot. i contacted vw consumer relations & was shocked at the response. it seemed routine to the manager. they may give me the replacement value of my coat if it needs to be replaced. i was told that a car would be given to me to drive at no charge while mine is being repaired. i explained that i do not feel safe to drive my car with an electrical malfunction under me and i was told that a tow would be provided at no charge. i will hold vw responsible the repair/replacement of the front seats & warmer electrical system, the costs of a rental or loaner car while mine is in repair, the cost to replace any damaged clothing, & any other costs associated with the incident yet to be determined. it is very upsetting to me to think that i was sitting on a fire while operating my car. what if my coat caught on fire??? i drive a very busy interstate to & from work. it was fortunate that i was on my lunch break driving a very short distance & not driving home. *jb | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - POWER ADJUST | |||
| 07/29/2005 | 3 | 03/24/2003 | |
| Dt: consumer owned volkswagen passat 2003. the driver's seat would automatically go forward while consumer was driving. consumer was unable to reach seat controls, but later she found that they would not work anyway. the seat motors were replaced twice. the last time was less than six months ago. on july 29, 2005 consumer's vehicle was involved in an accident. the seat pushed consumer into the steering wheel and she was not able to move. then vehicle struck something on the side of vehicle and came to a stop. consumer was able to manually move seat backwards. consumer stated that manufacturer knew about problem. consumer sustained neck injuries, and she was unable to walk with cane because of neck injury. suffered pain in head and shoulders.*ak | |||
| 06/21/2003 | 3500 | 1 | 04/01/2003 |
| This is portions of a letter sent to the customer complaint section of the www.vw.com website on june 22, 2003. i am writing to report a potentially serious passenger safety issue regarding the electric front seats in the 2003 volkswagen passat glx on a rainy afternoon, my six year old son and i got into the car in a parking lot. i put him into the rear passenger side of the car and he secured himself with the seat belt. i went around to the driver's door and entered, putting the umbrella into the foot well of the front passenger seat, with the handle resting on the front seat edge. as i started the car, without my noticing, the umbrella handle fell between the seat and inside door, activating the lever to recline the front passenger seat back. my son yelled something about the seat and i turned to see the seat back lowering toward his legs. he could not move out of the way because of the seat belt. without knowing what had happened, i could not immediately find a way to stop the seat from reclining further. i turned off the ignition and pulled the key out, but the seat continued downward onto his legs. at the last second i realized what had happened and pulled the umbrella handle off the seat lever as the seat back lowered onto my sons knees, pinning him into the rear seat. after i raised the seat, my son complained of pain in both of his knees. in checking out the seat later, i found that the front seat back has no stop, ratchet or release to prevent it from lowering forcibly into the rear seat cushion. the seat continues downward into the cushion until the motor strains to a stop. * nlm | |||
| 09/19/2002 | 3000 | 09/11/2002 | |
| I recently leased a vw passatt station wagon and things have gone wrong with it even before the car had 300 miles on it. the car has less than 5000 miles on it and it has spent some 10 days at the repair shop. defects have included a transmission that would disengage, heated seats that would not turn off, a/c and side mirrors that would not work, a module had to be replaced, the car had to be aligned, the front spoiler fell off, a speaker had to be replaced, part of the trim on the back was falling off, the memory settings on the driver's seat were not working, and the sun roof was rattling. the sales department has responded to all my calls by saying that i need to talk to the service department or to vw corporate directly. i have done both, when i called vw corporate they responded that as long as the car was driveable they would cover it under warranty and would not replace the car. they offered me a lube job as a settlement! | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||
| 03/14/2011 | 54000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving approximately 55 mph with the heated seat engaged, the contact felt a burning sensation coming through the seat. the vehicle was pulled over and the contact noticed there was a burned hole through the front driver seat as well as a burn to his pants. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed nor repaired. the failure and current mileage was 54,000. | |||
| 01/02/2010 | 79000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns 2003 volkswagen passat. the buttons used to adjust the heated seats have malfunctioned and feel as if they are shocking the driver when they are engaged. the leather around the coils has melted a hole in the drivers seat. although, the contact has not turned the heated seats on the coil continued to smoke and become heated while driving. the failure mileage was 79000 and the current mileage was 79200. | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 102500 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen passat. while driving at an unknown speed with the heated seat feature activated, the contact noticed that the heater burned through the seat and through his clothing. his leg was burned. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the heated seat motor needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 102,500. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen passat with coolant system and heated seat recall. consumer states that the coolant system was under warranty. the heated seats were repaired but now don't work at all. she also states that the gas has been burning out very fast. *kb the consumer stated she was smelling fumes inside the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 03/05/2005 | 32251 | 2 | 05/01/2003 |
| 2003 volkswagen gls passat with several problems. consumer states that they have had problems with the fuel pump, cam shaft sensor and more. *kb the vehicle stalled on 2 occasions due to a faulty fuel pump. the consumer soon discovered there was a recall on the fuel pump, however the consumers vehicle identification number was not included in the recall. the front cv boot and timing belt were replaced. the vehicle also had a transmission leak. the drivers heated seat malfunctioned. *jb | |||
| 02/20/2008 | 42000 | 1 | 12/16/2007 |
| The seat heater in my 2003 passat gls burnt my leg on the lowest setting. it also melting a hole in the cloth interior and discolored other spots. at this point it has not been replaced so the seat is available to look at. *tr | |||
| 02/17/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Defect with the driver side heating coil in the seat - today during a 5 minute drive i began to smell something burning on the interior of my car and felt a burning sensation on my leg. i immediately stopped the car and turned it off to investigate. upon existing the vehicle i saw burning embers on the seat and a 1/4 hole. i was forced to smother out the fire. i have since turned off the heaters and refuse to use them until the problem is rectified. *tr | |||
| 11/29/2007 | 49237 | 1 | 04/01/2004 |
| At approximately 9:35 pm, november 29, 2007, i entered my 2003 vw passat and started the engine. the air temperature showed 39 degreesf so i switched on the control for the heated seat on the driver's side to high. approximately 10 minutes after starting the car it smelled like something was burning. i am a non-smoker. it became apparent that the smell was from inside the car and i began to evaluate possible sources for a fire since the smell seemed too close to be coming from the engine compartment. i began to feel around the seat since i knew the seat warmer was on and suddenly realized that an area under my left thigh was hot. further investigation, with my hand, revealed that my coat felt burned or melted and the seat was extremely hot to the touch. i immediately turned off the seat heater. the area seemed to cool off slightly so i continued home - about a 10 minute drive. after arriving home i checked the seat and my coat. the seat was still warm to the touch 25 minutes after the switch had been turned off. there is a hole in the leather seat approximately 0.5 inches in diameter, with flecks of black soot around the edges, about 4.75 inches from the back of the seat and 2.5 inches in from the left side of the seat. my coat has an area approximately 0.5 inches in diameter that is either melted or the seat is melted onto my coat. the incident will be reported to the local volkswagen dealer on 30 november 2007. *tr | |||
| 09/19/2007 | 105000 | 1 | 08/23/2003 |
| Normal operation of automobile, drivers side seat heater placed on setting level 2. fire began within the drivers side seat and burnt a quarter size hole through the fabric of the seat. *tr | |||
| 04/18/2007 | 1 | 05/30/2003 | |
| I had taken my car to the dealer to replace a fuel pump. when the car was returned to me there was a hole burned into the driver side seat. the rep at the dealer said the seat warmer in the driver side seat had burned completely through the seat. he had seen it happen before. but my seat warmer was not on at the time. i don't need to use it in southern california weather. the problem will need to be fixed but the manufacturer should be made to cover the cost. *jb | |||
| 04/07/2007 | 46400 | 1 | 10/12/2003 |
| The seat heater that comes with this model car, shorted out while i driving the car. it burnt through the leather seat, my trousers and burnt my wallet. at no time was there an open flame. if it wasn't for my wallet, i probably would have been burnt. if my pants were flamable, i would have had a major problem. the volkswagen dealer will replace the defective, driver side , heated seat at no charge.*ak | |||
| 02/09/2007 | 91350 | 1 | 12/23/2002 |
| Driver's side seat heater burned hole through seat cover. burn through could have resulted in personal burn, however, i stopped prior to any injury. dealer is considering replacement of all damaged parts. *nm | |||
| 01/31/2007 | 60543 | 1 | 04/12/2003 |
| Tl*- while the contact was driving the vehicle with the seat warmer on, in a 2003 volkswagon passat, it burned a hole on the front driver seat. the contact had a slight burn on her coat and had to shut the vehicle off completely and kept the seat warmer on zero in order for the seat not to continue to burn. the contact currently has vehicle at dealership. the current and failure mileage were both 60543 miles. | |||
| 02/01/2007 | 52000 | 1 | 08/30/2003 |
| While pulling out of my garage this morning, i smelled something burning. i exited my vehicle and noticed my front heated seat burned through the fabric and caught fire (small flame). i had to put it out with my hand. afterwards, i noticed the seat sparking. i called the dealership and they said to bring it in for review by the service manager. it was on the 2nd setting and also burned on my jacket. *jb | |||
| 11/15/2006 | 71200 | 1 | 02/27/2003 |
| 2003 volkswagen passat v6 (heated seats)- heating element burned hole in leather seats while driving vehicle! had to pull over to side of road as the seat became very hot and started to scorch my pants. despite a number of recalls (and complaints filed by others- many listed on the nhtsa site) for both passats and jettas, volkswagen of north america refuses to pick up the cost of the $1100. repair (or any of the cost for that matter) because they insist my vin is outside of the range of vehicles affected and my vehicle is out of warranty. there is clearly a safety problem here and vw knows it. they say a different heating element was used in my car so it isn't part of the recall. who cares which element was used? it still resulted in the same problem- a burned seat. *jb | |||
| 01/09/2007 | 1 | ||
| Drivers side seat heater shorted out and burned a hole in seat cover. seat was dry and tempeture set at low. *nm | |||
| 12/22/2006 | 56175 | 1 | 10/03/2003 |
| Was using the heated drivers seat as i was driving down the highway in cold weather. the seat began to overheat, caught on fire, burned a hole in my pants, and burned through the padding and seat fabric in my 2003 vw passat. i quickly turned off the seat and pulled off the highway as soon as possible, and put out the smoldering seat. the seat, padding, heating elements, and my pants are completely ruined. *jb | |||
| 11/30/2006 | 26850 | 1 | 10/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph, a burning smell was noticed and the driver seat was hot. the contact noticed two holes were burned in the seat. the dealer was notified. | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 75000 | 2 | |
| My driver seat started on fire while driving. i was lucky to have had a can of soda on hand to pour on it because the flames were coming from deep inside the interior of the foam padding inside the seat. i was not injured, but based on the size of the flames, could have easily lost my entire car if i had not been on a slow road (able to stop quickly) and douse it with something wet. i noticed that the seat warmer was on so immediately shut it off. several days later i turned the warmer back on to see what would happen - within 60 seconds smoke and sparks were visible from the hole caused by the original fire. there were real flames and my car was full of smoke. had i not been able to put them out quickly and had my children strapped into their car seats at the time this complaint would probably be a death notice. *jb | |||
| 11/03/2006 | 120000 | 1 | 06/10/2003 |
| Driver's side car seat started smoldering then flames appeared. turned off car seat heater and extinguished with water. *jb | |||
| 10/28/2006 | 102900 | 1 | 09/01/2003 |
| I had just began leaving a supermarket parking lot when i felt a burning sensation on my left upper thigh. i reached down to determine why and then smelled something burning. looking down, i saw a burn hole in the driver seat, left side, toward the back of the seat. it looked like a cigarette burn. i immediately turned the seat heater off, which was on 3, pulled over and extinguished the smoldering with my hand. the dealers initial response was that my car was out of warranty but they would see if it could still be covered at no charge. i'm waiting on a response. this seems to be a relatively common failure based on the complaints that have been filed and is definitely a safety issue. *jb | |||
| 10/30/2006 | 77000 | 1 | 10/30/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated after 15 minutes with the driver side seat heater on, the seat began to smoke and then smoldered. the vehicle was driven home and was turned off. the driver sustained minor injuries. the vehicle had not been seen by a mechanic. | |||
| 10/25/2006 | 46500 | 1 | 05/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the front driver seat's heater element burned through the seat and caught the contacts clothes on fire. the contact sustained burns to the legs. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer. updated 12/01/06. *jb | |||
| 10/24/2006 | 76205 | 1 | 08/23/2003 |
| The heated drivers leather seat element burned through the leather and burned a hole in my pants. i felt the burn and got out of the car, and turned off the seat heater. i was parked in my driveway waiting for the windows to defrost. the car is a 2003 vw passat 1.8t. i called a vw dealer, and they said to bring it in for inspection. *nm | |||
| 10/24/2006 | 32000 | 1 | 06/21/2003 |
| 2003 vw passat heated seat burnt through the leather. i had burnt sensations while driving and smelled burning..very scary and dangerous. good thing i was quick thinking and turned off the heated seat immediately. *nm | |||
| 10/22/2006 | 23000 | 1 | 05/17/2003 |
| While my husband was driving our 2003 awd passat wagon with myself and two children in the car, the driver seat caught on fire. at the time it caught fire, the heated seat was on setting 3 for no more than 5 minutes. luckily, my husband was able to pull off the road, exit the vehicle, and turn off the heated seat before he was burned and/or a large fire erupted. *nm | |||
| 10/07/2006 | 42981 | 1 | 12/14/2005 |
| I turned on the driver's heated seats when i felt them hotter than usual, seconds later i smelled something burning and then i saw smoke coming up from the left side by my seat. i jumped out of the car and found flames visible coming from inside the seat. i put the fire out. i called the dealership and they are supposed to fix it. *nm | |||
| 02/20/2006 | 67001 | 1 | 03/25/2003 |
| My 2003 volkswagen passat has a seat warmer. one morning, it began to burn on my leg; i noticed the leather in one corner was melting. one of the wires for the seat heater was malfunctioning and pressing against the seat. i notified my local dealer and vw of america. they were unwilling to fix the problem because the car was no longer under warranty, even though it was only three years old. it seems to me that this is not only a defect, but also a safety hazard. *jb | |||
| 05/03/2006 | 1 | ||
| Use of driver's side seat heater created burning sensation in the region of my left hip and scent of singed/burning material arose from the seat. the seat heater was immediately turned off, however a burning smell persisted for 3-5 minutes. i have use this feature in the same vehicle without incident for 2.5 years prior to this occurrence. *jb | |||
| 02/09/2006 | 24617 | 1 | 09/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving at 20mph, the seat warmer started smoking although, no flames were visible. the vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and the ignition was turned off. the contact noticed a hole in the seat from where the smoke was coming from. the vehicle was towed to the dealership where proper repairs were made. | |||
| 02/06/2006 | 60000 | 1 | 02/17/2003 |
| Heated seat in car malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat. no injury occurred, but if left unattended this could be a fire or safety hazard. *nm | |||
| 01/02/2006 | 32875 | 1 | 08/24/2003 |
| The heated seats in my 2003 vw passat had a malfunction and burned through the cushioning and pants that i was wearing. looks like a large cigarette hole on the left side of my front driver seat. *nm | |||
| 11/22/2005 | 1 | ||
| While driving with heated seats on, noticed burning in my left thigh. smelled smoke, burned my index finger in smoldering hole in seat. turned off heater and noted just light smoke. vw says it was a recall item, but i never received notice (original owner). they will replace it. *jb | |||
| 11/18/2005 | 47000 | 1 | 10/26/2002 |
| On the morning of nov. 18, 2005, i was driving my 2003 volkswagen passat though my neighborhood. it was a cold morning, so i had the driver-side seat warmer activated at level 4 (highest setting is 5). after several minutes, i noticed the smell of something burning. at first i discounted it as merely the smell of the car's heater or something external. but i soon felt excessive heat on my buttocks and stopped the car, leaving it running. when i got out and looked at the seat, there was a smoldering hole about one-quarter of an inch in diameter on the back-left surface of the leather seat. the seat warmer unit had burned a hole though the seat surface and, were it not for my wool pants, could have burned my skin. i immediately took the vehicle to the service department of my local dealer, gossett volkswagen. the service assistant told me this problem was not uncommon and that it the heating element and seat would be replaced at no charge. however, because some of the necessary parts had to be ordered, i will take the vehicle back to the dealer at a later date. the service assistant instructed me not to use the seat warmer feature in the interim. while i am concerned about the obvious equipment failure, i am more concerned that such an event could ignite the seat cover, the driver's clothing or other combustible items, possibly causing an accident and/or bodily harm. *nm | |||
| 11/05/2005 | 1 | 03/28/2003 | |
| I recently was notified of volkswagen's customer satisfaction campaign m2 concerning seat heaters for 2002-2003 vw passats. i have had less than an adequate response from both the dealer and the vw customer care center. you can download a copy of the original letter from vw from my ftp server using the following link: | |||
| 10/14/2005 | 114700 | 1 | |
| I drive a 2003 vw passat and while driving a two lane road the seat heater inside the leather seats ignited burning through the seat, burning a hole in my pants and burning my behind causing me to swerve off the road and exit the vehicle to avoid other injury as the seat burned. this has been apparently reported hundreds of times yet vw refuses a recall. vw agreed to replace the seat and pants but refused any other compensation for injuries sustained. *jb | |||
| 10/28/2005 | 1 | 12/28/2002 | |
| Dt: the contact stated the driver's seat burned the contact's leg while using the seat heater. also, she pulled the muscles in her back and hip when she jumped out of the vehicle. the vehicle is at the dealership being repaired. she is concerned that the same type of seat is being used to replace the current seat. *ak | |||
| 10/25/2005 | 25000 | 1 | 04/01/2004 |
| While driving, i turned on the driver's seat warmer to position 5, within 1 minute, i smelled something burning, smoke was rising from my seat, i felt a hot burning sensation under my left upper thigh and realized the seat warmer was on fire. i stopped the car, turned off the seat warmer. the seat warmer burned through my leather seat and left damage about the size of a quarter. contacted local vw dealer (martens volkswagen, bethesda, md) was asked to bring car in immediately, electrical system checked, seat warmer disconnected, driver's seat will be replaced. *jb | |||
| 10/24/2005 | 54800 | 1 | 08/30/2002 |
| After turning on driver's side seat heater to 5, within 2 minutes noticed burning smell, felt hot burning sensation on left buttock and smelled and saw smoke. one centimeter burn hole in seat. terrible burning smell in car. turned off seat heaters immediately, seat smoked for 10 more minutes. *nm | |||
| 08/25/2005 | 64900 | 1 | 09/01/2002 |
| On a cool night about a week ago, i turned on the heating element in my 2003 volkswagen passat gls 1.8t (driver's side seat). after about 30 seconds i felt a sharp burning sensation in my left thigh, and smelled a burning smell. i stopped the car, shut off the seat heater, and when i got out of the car i noticed a small burned hole in the left side of the driver's seat base. the heating element burned through, damaging the seat (and burning my thigh). this is a dangerous problem that needs to be addressed by vw before someone gets seriously hurt! i am making arrangements to have the problem fixed (including a full seat replacement to fix the damaged !). *jb | |||
| 03/11/2005 | 17800 | 1 | 06/28/2003 |
| Drivers seat caught on fire within 30 seconds of starting vehicle, left cigarette size burn hole in seat, drivers pants, and left burn mark on drivers buttocks. *nm | |||
| 04/04/2005 | 32000 | 1 | 01/01/2003 |
| I was driving my 2003 vw passat down the highway in dallas morning rush hour. i turned my heated seat on and i was forced off the road by an extreme heat on my backside/leg. i did not know if the seat was on fire or what. the seat had melted leather and left a superficial burn on my rear end. the seat will spark and smoke if the heater is turned on. i want out of this lease!!! the car is not safe and upon research this is happening a lot. | |||
| 04/29/2005 | 36000 | 1 | 10/24/2002 |
| I turned on my seat heater one morning, i smelled smoke and the leather seat was smoking. the seat heater malfuntioned and almost burnt me as well. i pulled over and it burnt a hole completely through my leather seat!!! | |||
| 02/28/2005 | 24000 | 1 | 12/22/2002 |
| Seat heater overheated, burning seat cover and driver's leg.*ak | |||
| 01/14/2005 | 21000 | 1 | 07/15/2002 |
| While driving in town with the driver's seat heater on 5, my wife felt a burning sensation on her thigh and burned her finger when she reached down to feel what was happening. she pulled over and found a 2cm hole burned through the leather. when i took the vehicle to herb easley motors (our local vw dealer), the service manager insisted that the burn was from an external source (no one in our family smokes...). he refused to fix the problem (vehicle has 22,000 miles and is under full warrant)y, and he claimed his vw regional representative had told him they would not cover repair of the vehicle. when i contacted vw consumer care, they arranged for me to work with cable volkswagen in oklahoma city. cable told me they have fixed dozens of these seats, and they knew exactly where the problem was without my telling them (they also said they have only seen the problem in the driver's seat, which is contrary to what others here are saying...). i had to drive 150 miles for cable vw to inspect and order parts, and we are now awaiting backordered parts for the repair (they've warned me it could take months for the parts because of the volume of repairs being made). vw insists there is nothing they can do to compensate me for having to go to another state to have the problem fixed or the two months of infuriating runaround from herb easley, their authorized service location.*ak | |||
| 01/07/2005 | 1 | 07/29/2002 | |
| Front driver's seat heating devise malfunctioned. the heater burned a hole through the seat, and through my shirt. after 8 weeks, the seat was replaced and a fix was done to the passengers side seat. the new seat does not heat well.*ak | |||
| 02/09/2005 | 30000 | 1 | |
| A hole was burt into the driver's seat when the seat heater was left on. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 03/05/2005 | 31540 | 1 | 02/04/2003 |
| My wife and i had made 2 short drives within the span of about 1/2 hour with the passenger seat heater set at various intervals from 5 (high) to 3 (medium) and then we stopped to eat (~45 minutes). on the trip home, within 2 minutes with the seat heater set to 5, my wife felt a burning sensation on her leg and we smelled some kind of odd odor. she shut the seat heater off and moved off the hot spot. upon further inspection, the cloth seat had been burned through. my wife also had a burn on her leg. the dealership told me that vw has changed manufacturers and will replace the defective seat as the car is under warranty. i asked about the driver's side but because there is not an official recall, they cannot replace it. i'm sure a driver's seat going amok could cause a crash. consequently, even though this was an extra charge item on the car, we'll be afraid to use the seat warmer for fear it too will overheat and burn us. note: not sure if was there a fire should be yes. there was no flame but there sure was a burn.*ak | |||
| 03/05/2005 | 1 | ||
| Driving my 2003 vw passat i had the seat warmer on. i simultaneously smelled burning and felt burning in my butt. i turned off the seat warmer immediately. i was on the highway with my wife and 7 year old son. we were near an exit and exited the highway. i pulled to the side of the exit ramp and discovered that the heating element had burned through the seat. the hole was a bit smaller than a dime. the smell was pungent but cleared out when we opened the window.*ak | |||
| 02/20/2005 | |||
| While driving with the seat heater turned on, noticed that the seat became very hot, and it starting feeling like it was burning my legs. smelled smoke, and realized the seat was burning; the seat heater had burned a hole through the fabric of the seat under my legs and was filling the car with smoke. i managed to turn the seat heater off, which stopped the seat from further burning. i called the dealership where i had purchased the vehicle and set up an appointment to have the seat replaced. | |||
| 02/14/2005 | 33000 | 1 | 12/02/2002 |
| While driving 30 mph driver's heated seat burned through the seat and consumer's pants. no injury was reported, and the dealer was notified.*ak | |||
| 02/10/2005 | 37000 | 1 | 09/30/2002 |
| Seat heater in 2003 vw passat was turned on. approx. 3 minutes later the heater burned my jeans, and my skin. i looked down to see what was happening and saw smoke coming out of my seat. i turned the seat heater off and extinguished the smoldering seat. went to vw dealership and they had to order the part b/c there are none available in the us right now. *jb | |||
| 12/21/2004 | 46000 | 1 | 02/05/2004 |
| Driver seat fire. remember firestone, luckily i was not on the highway because it may have caused me to crash into another car and kill someone else or someone in my family as the electric shock from the seat was unbearable - let alone my left pant leg burn through to my skin. it blows me away that vw has not recalled all vehicles with same heating elements. should this occur to an elderly person things may not turn out so successfully. please publish immediately! thank you. david m. gilblair sr. *jb | |||
| 01/22/2005 | 14800 | 1 | 06/03/2003 |
| While driving the vehicle i noticed a burning smell and felt a stinging sensation in the rear of my left thigh. i touched the seat and found it had become very hot c in one spot and immediately turned off the seat heater which had been set on 5. upon arriving home i found the heater had burned a hole through the leather seat. car is under warranty and dealer said new seat cover and padding will be ordered for replacement. *jb | |||
| 02/04/2005 | 47500 | 1 | |
| Seat caught fire due to heating element inside seat. my wife was in the car when i left to go to an atm and she swatted out the flame coming from the drivers side seat. the seat heater was left on position 3 of 5 for less than 5 minutes when the incident occurred. *jb | |||
| 01/10/2005 | 29700 | 1 | 12/01/2002 |
| While driving 25-30 mph the heater in the driver seat over heated and burned a hole through the seat and the consumers wool coat. the dealer and the manufacturer were both notified. *jb seat cover and element had to be replaced. *tt | |||
| 01/31/2005 | 1 | ||
| Drivers heated seat caught on fire. *ak | |||
| 01/28/2005 | 37000 | 1 | 10/24/2002 |
| Driving with my driver side seat heater on - smell a burning - feel the seat - quick burn to my hand - seat heater burnt hole through leather seat - immediately shut-down heater. *ak | |||
| 01/08/2005 | 20000 | 1 | 02/14/2001 |
| While driving the car we noticed a faint burning smell after a short ride. the next morning i went to clean snow off of the car and noticed a burn hole about 1/2 in diameter in the seat. i turned the car on and began cleaning the snow off the car and called my fianc | |||
| 01/06/2005 | 22000 | 1 | |
| Consumer smelled an odor in the vehicle. consumer asked her spouse to check it out. consumer turned seat heater on and the seat started to burn. the seat slightly scorched the consumer.*ak the passengers coat was burned by the seat. *tc | |||
| 12/28/2004 | 1 | ||
| Seat warmer on my 2003 vw passat burned through the leather seat (drivers side), burned through my pants and left a mark on my skin. *jb | |||
| 12/18/2004 | 51000 | 1 | 07/15/2002 |
| Heated velour seats caught fire and burned small hole in seat. *nm | |||
| 12/17/2004 | 1 | ||
| Driver's side heated seat burned through seat cushioning, through leather covering, through pants pocket, and through wallet contained in the pocket. hole in the seat 2-3 inches deep and 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter. hole in pants was 1/2 inch in diameter, leaving burn mark. the seat heating mechanism had been turned on high. smoldered, but no open fire. *jb | |||
| 12/14/2004 | 1 | ||
| Seat heater burned through the fabric, burning the driver on the leg. consumer had to pull over to pour water on it since smoke and sparks were on it. consumer will contact dealer for repairs.*ak | |||
| 12/14/2004 | 23000 | 1 | 04/20/2002 |
| Seat heater was on high when i felt my bottom heating up and when i lifted my bottom off of the seat the car filled with smoke. i drove straight to the dealership (luckily under warranty) and sure enouch there was a burn in my leather seats. they are ordering me a new seat heater!! didn't seem to mind the fact that i was burned.*ak | |||
| 10/15/2004 | 23000 | 1 | 11/15/2002 |
| Heated seats overheated and burned a hole (about 1/4 diameter) through the driver's seat. vehicle had 23k miles, so the malfunction was covered in full by the warrantee. the dealer replaced the heating coils and seat cover. old part is not available. | |||
| 11/12/2004 | 21500 | 1 | 01/15/2003 |
| The heater in the driver seat over heated and burned through the seat and the consumer's pants while the vehicle was at a stop position. the dealer was notified. *nm *sc *jb | |||
| 11/04/2004 | 1 | ||
| While driving 40 mph consumer noticed that the passenger's heated seat burned. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. consumer extinguished the fire by turning off the heated seat. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that passenger's seat needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 11/05/2004 | 1 | 01/27/2002 | |
| 2003 vw passat; heated seat burned through cushion and started smoldering. dealer replaced seat. said there was a short in the heating element.*ak | |||
| 10/24/2004 | 28000 | 1 | |
| While driving driver's seat warmer burned through the seat and started to burn the consumer's clothing.*ak | |||
| 10/22/2004 | 13140 | 1 | |
| 1.) driver's seat heater was activiated. 2.) driver's seat heater burned through seat leather and scorched driver's pants 3.) dealer contacted, appointment set for warranty evaluation. dealer stated we've had a few of these occur.*ak | |||
| 10/19/2004 | 61000 | 1 | 03/05/2003 |
| I am a school teacher and was on my way to work on tuesday october 19, 2004 at approximately 7:30 a.m. i was smelling a strong smoke odor as i started driving and as i continued to drive i looked over to my passenger seat and there was smoke smoldering through the seat. as i noticed this happening to the car, i turned off the passenger heated seat (and thankfully no one was in it). no one was injured! within minutes my car stalled on a major expressway and i was stranded. nothing has been done yet with my vehicle. i have been without a vehicle for almost two entire weeks. it's very unfair that a vehicle under two years has failed in this way. this situation was very unsafe. nothing has been done to provide complete coverage of my car. i'm waiting to hear from volkswagen. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 22000 | 1 | 10/01/2002 |
| I wanted to note that on october 1st, my heated seat on my 2003 volkswagenw passat malfunctioned. it actually burned through the seat, filled my car with smoke, and left me with a small burn on my thigh. luckily, i am fine. but, this should never have happened, and i was lucky i wasn't driving down the highway at a high rate of speed. feel free to contact me if you need further information.*ak | |||
| 09/20/2004 | 12000 | 1 | 10/10/2002 |
| I have a 2003 volkswagen passat with heated leather seats. i turned the seat heaters on this morning when i was going to work and they started to burn my back side. they burnt throuigh the leather. they did turn off but if they didn't i would have had a car fire. i called hobart's volkswagen in warrington, pa and they said there was no recall on these seats. they are taking the car in this afternoon and will repair it. this is a very dangerous problem if it is widespread! sincerely, mike and marta grothman newtown, pa. *ak | |||
| 05/16/2004 | 15700 | 1 | 11/23/2002 |
| It was chilly the evening of may 15, 2004. i started the car, turned the seat heater control from 0 to 5, and drove about 5 minutes from my brother's house to a hotel. when i turned off the car i forgot to turn down the seat heater control. it remained at 5. the next day (may 16), i made a series of 4 short trips with the car. each trip was about 5 to 10 minutes of driving. on the 5th trip, i started the car. after driving about 1 block, i noticed an odd smell. after driving 1 more block, i definitely smelled something burning, and i felt like i was sitting on a hot coal. when i looked down i saw smoke coming from the same area -- my pants were smoldering! i stopped the car and got out. there was a hole burned through the leather in the driver's side seat. the area was still smoking. my jeans were scorched. i turned the seat heater control from 5 to 0 and let the car sit for awhile to make sure the car did not catch on fire. on may 17, i called the dealer. i explained what happened and made a service appointment to correct the problem. the appointment is scheduled for may 22. *ak | |||
| 04/02/2004 | 14500 | 0 | 02/08/2003 |
| In 2003 vw passat gls wagon, the heating element in the heated seat burned a hole through the seat fabric in passenger seat. driver noticed burning smell and turned off heater (which was set to highest setting). | |||
| 02/22/2004 | 17000 | 1 | 11/25/2002 |
| Driving my 2003 passat for 1-2 minutes, i smelled something burning. i noticed that the seat was getting extremely warm. i checked the seat heater setting, it was on 1 (of 5). i turned the switch off, but continued to smell the burning smell and feel the heat. i pulled over and noticed a hole in the driver seat and discovered that the heat had burned a hole through my pants as well. the car was inspected by the dealer and parts were ordered to replace the element and seat cover. i also reported the failure to vwoa.*ak | |||
| 11/22/2003 | 25000 | 1 | 07/01/2002 |
| On a sat. morning (nov 22nd 10 am) my fiancee and i got in her 2003 vw passatt. it was a cold day and i was driving. both of us turned the seat heaters within her leather seats on level 5 (high). very shortly after, i felt a burning sensation in my left rear end area. we then smelled smoke. we stopped the vehicle and i jumped out quickly as i could feel my left rear end burning only to see that the seat heater had burned a hole through the leather seat and through my pants and burned my rear end! ouch! no joke! i have taken pictures of the seat, my nylon pants, and my rear end! we immediately called theillan vw of bay city michigan where the car was purchased and spoke to a salesman. the car was repaired yesterday. i was then given a copy of autobeat daily from wednesday december 10th, 2003 and on page 10 there is an article which reads nhtsa probes smoldering vw seat warmers i then thought i would submit this complaint formally to inform nhtsa that the article reads that just 2002-2003 jettas were being probed. this happened on a passatt as well. the vin below is incorrect as i don't have the vin with me at this time. *la | |||
| 09/19/2002 | 3000 | 09/11/2002 | |
| I recently leased a vw passatt station wagon and things have gone wrong with it even before the car had 300 miles on it. the car has less than 5000 miles on it and it has spent some 10 days at the repair shop. defects have included a transmission that would disengage, heated seats that would not turn off, a/c and side mirrors that would not work, a module had to be replaced, the car had to be aligned, the front spoiler fell off, a speaker had to be replaced, part of the trim on the back was falling off, the memory settings on the driver's seat were not working, and the sun roof was rattling. the sales department has responded to all my calls by saying that i need to talk to the service department or to vw corporate directly. i have done both, when i called vw corporate they responded that as long as the car was driveable they would cover it under warranty and would not replace the car. they offered me a lube job as a settlement! | |||