I drove through little stagnant water about 6 to 8 inches on perimeter rd. West. After driving through the water, the car began running and idling roughly. The car eventually stalled on perimeter rd. West, immediately south of the blue plains tunnel site. A passing driver honked and yelled to get out of the car because it was on fire. We witnessed flames coming from the underside of the vehicle.
2001 Volkswagen Jetta: fire, smoke or burning smell
8 of the 668 complaints about the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 41 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Abs unit malfunction causing a stop brake light. This is a known problem that exists in all vw and audis fitted with a bosch ABS module. Nothing on my passat has worked right! I have spent about 3000 usd to fix a car so it can function like one, not the deal I was looking for when I went out to buy a car. Now this unit needs about 1400 usd before labor to fix? 5000 usd and some on a 2001 passat? Short of getting a horse and carriage, could vw just accept there is a problem with this unit and recall it already. Does someone have to be on fire, running down the free way and get on local news holding a vw or audi emblem for something to be done? Asking mechanics at dealerships if this is a known common occurrence elicits a chuckle one would only get if they were doing stand up. They know it, dealerships know it but will do nothing about it. Everyone is living off everyone's back pocket...we call it capitalism! So can this trickle down economics for once get to those who are in no position to see the future and realize the lemon they are buying is such before the fact! Guidelines and regulations are set for this not to happen, and when it does, they should be used to correct said issue.
Owner was driving volkswagen and noticed sparks coming from the glovebox area. He pulled over, opened the glovebox, but saw only smoke. He then opened the hood and observed flames on the left side of the bulkhead/firewall. Fire burned throughout the passenger compartment, the front undercarriage, and part of the engine compartment. Cause undetermined.
Owner was driving the volkswagen and observed smoke coming out of the dash vents and from underneath the dash. Vehicle caught fire and fd responded and extinguished fire. Fire then erupted again and fd personnel cut the battery cables. Fire originated at center of dash behind radio and climate control panel.
While driving smoke filled in car, flames appeared between driver seat & counsel. My 17 y/o got 2nd degree burns putting out flame. Airbag, driver side deployed while car was shut off and seat was being moved back. This caused pain to my husband's arm.
1 ) while driving with the seat heater on, the seat became burning hot, to a point where I had to get out of the seat. This is while I am driving at 65 MPH on interstate I-580. I have complained to vw with no avail. I have also found from other reports that this has happened to many other vehicles, to a point where some caught on fire. Vw refuses to address the issue, and the service dept even went as far as recommending me just swapping the passenger to driver side heat control. *jb 2) the failure of the seat heater almost LED to a accident at highway speeds. I was forced to drive while not completely seated to pull over . 3). Vw has done nothing to address the issue since they state my vehicle is out of warranty.
The consumer noticed that the driver's seat had become unusually hotter than normal. This caused the consumer to sustain minor injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. *ak the dealer wanted a non refundable fee to diagnose the problem so the consumer did not take it in for service. *tc the driver's seat had a faint burning smell. *sc
Something flew up from road and hit fuel line and cut it open so fuel was pumping out continously below the fuel tank. About 2 feet of plastic fuel lines are completely exposed on the bottom of car just forward of fuel tank. These lines should be shielded below with a metal or hard plastic plate. This could have been a very serious problem had the ejecting fuel caught fire.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger
- Alternative method for radio code retrieval.
- Battery Testing and Charging instruction
- 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
- Update to model year applicability.
- Updated to include model year 2014 thru 2018 applicability.
- Quick Reference of vehicle concerns
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta?
8 of 668 owner complaints about the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta (1%) 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 2001 Volkswagen Jetta?
There are 0 recalls and 41 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta
Check engine light 57Stalling 40ABS 27Power windows 27Loss of power 26No deployment 16Grinding brakes 13Brake failure 12Engine failure 12Misfire 12Oil consumption 12Won't shift 12Door locks 11Airbag light 10Jerking 10Headlights 9Transmission failure 9Wipers 8Fuel pump 7Overheating 7Hesitation 6Slipping 6Water leak 6Knocking 5
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