My entire dashboard caught fire due to my a/c controls going out. My a/c dial started smoking before it finally caught fire. My dashboard is now melted where the a/c controls belong.
2008 Volkswagen Beetle: fire, smoke or burning smell
5 of the 60 complaints about the 2008 Volkswagen Beetle describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 81 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
I was driving with my child sitting in the passenger seat and we had the heated seats turned on the setting of 2. After a few minutes she yelled out “My butt is on fire!” She sat up off the seat to reveal a large black charred burnt hole in the leather seat!
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen beetle. While the vehicle was idling at a stop sign, the driver's side air bag spontaneously deployed without warning or impact. The contact stated that smoke emerged from the center console and the vehicle caught fire. The details of how the fire was extinguished were not provided. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified, opened case number: 180380670, and requested to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The car was sitting stationary in the on position. Noticed a burning smell. Looked under front of car and saw flames. Turned car off and went to safety. In minutes the front of the car was engulfed. The whole car burned and is a total loss.
The front passenger seat caught fire while I was driving. It started smoking then a flame came from the top of the seat. I put the fire out with my bottled water.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Diagnostic assistance for excessive static current draw
- Battery Testing and Charging using Midtronics VAS6161 and or GRX3000 Vas Charger
- Software Version Management (SVM) instruction.
- Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger
- Minimum battery charger requirements during software updates
- Software Version Management (SVM) instruction
- Battery Testing and Charging using VAS6161 and or GRX3000VAS
- Battery Testing and Charging using recommended VW test equipment.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2008 Volkswagen Beetle fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2008 Volkswagen Beetle?
5 of 60 owner complaints about the 2008 Volkswagen Beetle (8%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Volkswagen Beetle?
There are 0 recalls and 81 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2008 Volkswagen Beetle
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 Volkswagen Beetle?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history