Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 10/20/2011 | |||
| On 10/20/11, i started my car and turned on the driver seat heater to 2, to warm the seat. i proceeded to drive to a 9 am appointment within 2 miles from my home. after driving just a couple blocks, i smelled a slight burning smell, but thought it normal since i had not used the seat heater in quite some time; it was just like turning the heat on in a home after several months of non-use. within a few short blocks, i felt a sting in my left leg and thought it could have been a pine needle, so i shifted my body position to alleviate the issue. after a couple more short blocks, another stinging sensation. at the next stop sign, i reached down with my hand to feel what could be causing the stinging of my leg. i felt a hot spot in the left side of my seat and turned off the seat heater since my seat had warmed enough to be comfortable, but i did not think my seat was burning, so i continued on to my appointment. i went in to my appointment and came out to my car an hour and a half later. i noticed what looked like a small cigarette burn in the seat and a horrible smell in the car. i returned home and told my boyfriend about the incident. | |||
| 04/25/2011 | 81500 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 volkswagen pssat. the contact stated the driver side seat warmer ignited a fire and burn his seat. no one was injured. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the repair. the manufacturer was contact who stated they will discuss the repairs with the dealer and give him a return call on what it will cost. the failure mileage was 81,500....mw | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 94800 | ||
| Small hole has burned into the drivers side seat when heated seats activated. when the seat is activated, it burns through to my skin, making heat feature not usable. | |||
| 02/06/2010 | 139200 | 1 | |
| I own a 2005 volkswagen passat gls. the factory installed seat heater malfunctioned the other day producing smoke, burning my buttock (and finger when i reached down) and burning two pea sized holes on the driver | |||
| 10/05/2009 | 160000 | 1 | |
| Seat heater remained on after switched to the off position. heat increased to uncomfortable level, in-dash switch became too hot to touch, and smell of burning plastic filled cockpit (no smoke though). *tr | |||
| 01/26/2009 | 52000 | 1 | |
| I had a 2005 vw passat heated leather seat burn my leg and seat. caused by faulty seat heater. *tr | |||
| 04/30/2005 | 1 | 04/19/2005 | |
| Customer notices a metal on metal squeaking noise coming from driver and passenger front seats. noticeable when there is any weight shift of the occupant in the seat such as during acceleration, bumps, corners, etc. customer unable to determine if the metal on metal noise is from seat back, seat springs or seat mounting. customer is concerned that this will lead to a weakening of the metal components and the seat will fail during an accident. *nm | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||
| 04/25/2011 | 81500 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volkswagen passat. the contact stated the driver side seat warmer ignited a fire and burned through the seat. there were no injuries. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the repair. the manufacturer was contact who stated that they would discuss the repairs with the dealer and give him a return call on the repair costs. the failure mileage was 81,500. | |||
| 01/25/2009 | 70000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 volkswagen passat. the contact stated that the heated seats on the driver side of the vehicle caught fire. he was able to extinguish the fire. the dealer stated that they would notify the contact if there was a related recall and he has not received a response from the dealer. the failure mileage was 70,000. | |||
| 12/29/2007 | 36000 | 1 | 07/27/2007 |
| (1) turned on drivers-side seat heater while driving (2) smoke began filling the vehicle, and (3) i turned off the heater, but a hole was burned through the left side of the driver's seat and through my left rear pant pocket as well. *tr | |||