The car just started on fire while I was driving and nearly killed me and my boyfriend lucky someone was honking and flagging down and when we tried stopping the car wouldn't brake and we had to jump out when it was still rolling. We were bout to get on the high way lucky someone stopped us be we did so.
2003 Volkswagen Golf: fire, smoke or burning smell
5 of the 26 complaints about the 2003 Volkswagen Golf describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 19%
- recalls
- 0
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
- 20171
- 20161
- 20153
- 20131
- 20121
- 20112
- 20101
- 20061
- 20042
- 20035
- 20021
- 20011
- 20001
- 19991
- 19944
- 19901
What owners say
I had the hatch open on my golf and started to smell an electrical fire. I seen smoke coming from the cargo light and when I opened the taillight access panel there was a small fire that I immediatley put out. Thankfully I caught it in time and didn't close the hatch and walk away. It could have been much worse. I have pictures I can send upon request.
1) I turned on my heated seats for the first time since last spring. 2) once the seat was on for less than 30 seconds I felt a sharp pain in my buttocks and felt the seat. The seat was very hot and I turned off the heated seat. The heated seat got so hot it melted a piece in the seat. The car smelled like there was a fire in it, like wires burning. I pulled over to make sure the car wasn't on fire. 3) the heated seat had been recalled by vw and was fixed in 2005. This was the "fixed" part that burnt. I took the car to the dealership where the car was purchased and the recall was fixed before. After taking my car to the shop they said that the seat literally flamed up and needed to be replaced as it wasn't safe. They stated that I still needed to pay 25% of the labor and parts because the recall had expired and the "fixed" part was no longer under warranty. Vw paid for 65% and the dealership paid 10%.
Driver's side seat heater caught on fire burning consumer's leg. Manufacturer was notified.
While driving at 5 MPH consumer smelled smoke. Driver's seat overheated. Consumer parked the vehicle and exited before the seat burst into flames. The fire was extinguished, and no injuries were sustained.*ak consumer almost had an accident while trying to steer the vehicle to safety.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger
- This bulletin contains general instructions for software updates.
- Update vehicle metadata to include pull ahead models
- Alternative method for radio code retrieval.
- Battery Testing and Charging instruction
- Update content and include additional models and model year applicability.
- This information bulletin contains instructions for checking the pins/terminals for contacts and nano...
- Tip for Scan tool concerns that may occur duing a test plan
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Volkswagen Golf fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2003 Volkswagen Golf?
5 of 26 owner complaints about the 2003 Volkswagen Golf (19%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Volkswagen Golf?
There are 0 recalls and 35 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
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