2003 Volkswagen Jetta: ABS light or ABS activating

Filed Jun 17, 2014 · Electrical · 116,898 miles · PA

The day before the car quit, it would not start after being parked in the mall parking lot. A battery pack got it started, and it was driven home, with the thought that it needed a new battery. The following day, it was being driven to the local sears, for a replacement battery, when the ABS and airbag lights came on. 30 seconds later lots of warning lights came on, and the car sputtered and stopped dead in the lane of travel. It would not turn over, and power accessories would not work. I was stopped on a very busy 2 lane back road, with no shoulders or side streets, uphill, on a blind hill. After 1 1/2 hours of white-knuckle directing traffic, and calls to: my auto club, and the local police; a local police officer, and a local tow truck showed up and gave me a lift to my repair shop. The mechanic's diagnosis of the problem was a partially melted fuse pack, that sits on top of the battery, and an overly resistive cable between the fuse pack and the alternator. The solution was: the cable end linked to the fuse pack was re-terminated, and the melted fuse pack was replaced. Between the tow and the repair, it set me back about $300.00. I also found a blog that listed many other vw owners with the same problem: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4986219-fuse-box-above-battery-melting . I also discovered a class action law suit that was filed in 2012, that was based on this problem: http://gotaclassaction.com/volkswagen-named-in-class-action-over-fuse-boxalternator-cable-assembly/ . I hope that the current repair holds for the near future. Clearly, a fuse should blow before the overall fuse pack melts.

Filed Oct 10, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 94,000 miles · NJ

All warning indicators (ABS, cel, airbag, ecp, battery and other instrument dash panel lights) would flicker repetitively until the car lost all power. After inspection of the engine compartment it was found that the alternator cable that attaches to the fuse box located on top of the battery was melting the fuse box and causing power distribution problems. The volkswagen dealer recommended that they both be replaced as the cable could have become high resistance thereby causing excessive heat at the fuse box. I had the alternator cable replaced with an oem part and the fuse box with an aftermarket part. On 10-9-13 with 104k miles while driving to work at 6am in the morning, the exact same symptoms were experienced again. Luckily I was on a side road and was towed to a dealer which said that all oem parts should be used and that this is common as they had just replaced the alternator cable on another jetta of the same generation. I requested the dealer check the entire electrical system including the alternator because the parts that were installed last year should not go bad in 1 year, the dealer said there was no other issue. I am not the only one experiencing a melting fuse box. At the links below are others who have experienced the same thing, even across other vw models. There seems to be a serious problem of melting of fuse boxes which can occur at any time the vehicle is in operation. (with pictures) http://forums.fourtitude.com/showthread.php?4562591 http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4682918-why-s-my-fuse-box-melting http://newbeetle.org/forums/questions-issues-concerns-problems-new-beetle/28982-battery-fuse-box-melting-04-new-beetle.html http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4705261-battery-light-flickering-on-acceleration http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4829541-burnt-black-cable-fuse-box-on-top-of-battery.

Filed Aug 13, 2008 · Electrical · 115,000 miles · AL

Lost power, radio stopped working, A/C starting blowing hot air, epc light came on, battery light came on, ABS light came on. Then the car would not crank. I thought the battery was dead so I jumped the car. I made it home then the car would not start the next morning. After examination I found that the fuse box on top of the battery had melted. The wire from the fuse box to the alternator overheated. Was told by two different volkswagen dealerships in birmingham, al that this was a very common problem. If it is a common problem why is there no recall?

Filed Jul 10, 2008 · Electrical · 62,000 miles · VA

Driving home from work. Has made two stops. On the way to my home my ABS and airbag lights came on, radio froze, then car shut off. Was advised fuse panel on the top of the battery had melted. Mechanic found no reason for this to happen. No other issues.

Filed Sep 17, 2007 · Lights · OR

May of 2004, vehicle begins "lunging" when pressing the accelerator. According to dealership findings there was a tsb on this issue and software was outdated and updated by dealership. This seemed to have corrected the problem until october 2004 when the "lunging" began occurring again. According to dealership, a brake light switch code was found in the ABS section of the computer and the switch was replaced to resolve the issue. March of 2005, "lunging" symptoms returned. Dealership claimed they could not find a problem this time. Reported same issue again september of 2005, issue not diagnosed once again. Brake and tail lights have been replaced at least 6 times up to january 2006. Dealership could not find any issues, but swapped circuit boards from one side to the other and checked resistance of the circuits. Swapped bulb sockets and claimed issue resolved. Reported same "lunging" issue as above, again february of 2006. Dealership claimed throttle body extremely dirty. Issue resolved for brief stint. June of 2006 tail lights continue to burn out. Dealership claims no issue found. May of 2007, brake light switch replaced under recall campaign. Light bulbs have not burned out since this replacement. Vw of america, inc. Refuses to pay for service charges incurred to swap circuit boards even though it is clearly due to faulty brake light switch replacement back in october of 2004 (same defective switch was used as replacement). There is a clear line leading to the switch being the cause of almost all listed problems. Once the recall was complete, the issues have ceased.

Filed Sep 21, 2006 · Electrical · 49,100 miles · MA

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle had problems crossing the united states border from canada due to a required certificate of conformity from vw of america stating that the vehicle conformed to us federal motor vehicle safety standards, california air emission regulations and us epa emission regulations. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle met all of the above except the speedometer must be kept in reading MPH (which it does), the odometer must be labeled (it is labeled in km), the dashboard brake warning light and antilocking brake system warning light must be marked brake and ABS in letters at least 1/8 of an inch high. The vehicle's brake and ABS indicators are images , which the contact clearly understands having driven the vehicle for 3 years, and the contact did not understand how changing the images to words can significantly affect the safety of the vehicle. The cost for the replacement of the instrument cluster ranges from $500-700. The vehicle was a 2003 volkswagen jetta wagon tdi.

Filed Aug 1, 2006 · Brakes, Electrical · 65,000 miles · NC

My situation is very similar to odi id number : 10136903. I have a 2003 jetta. I was driving about 65 MPH, my ABS warning light turned on, air bag warning light turned on, and my radio turned off. After stopping my car, it wouldn't start again. I had it towed to mechanic, who determined that my fuse panel (above the battery) had melted and he was very surprised that my car hadn't caught on fire. He replaced the fuse panel. A few days later, my car failed to start again. A jump start started it. Next day, my car failed to start again. A jump start started it. I drove it straight to mechanic. My alternator, which was fine last week, is now fried (after two drives), most likely because the fuse panel burnt it out. The alternator in my 2003 jetta is a 90 amp alternator. Vw stopped making these because they aren't powerful enough for the cars. I repeat, 90 amp alternators are no longer made for my car because it requires 120 amp alternator. Hmm.

Filed Jul 20, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · 108,841 miles · NH

I have a 2003 volkswagen jetta tdi gls. I should note that this vehicle has been faithfully serviced by the dealer following the maintenance schedule listed in the user manual. The vehicle currently has 109,000 miles. While driving the vehicle a few days before the incident date listed on this complaint, the A/C ceased to function properly. There was no cool air coming out of the vents. Also, when the vehicle was shutdown, the radiator fans would continue to run upwards of 15 minutes. Neither event has occurred before. I brought my vehicle in to a vw dealership on the incident date to have its normal 110,000 mile service and to have the issues (noted above) diagnosed. I received a call from the dealership later in the day on the incident date stating that a failure in the coolant level sensor caused coolant fluid to be wicked into the vehicle's wiring harness leading to contamination / corrosion of the engine and body harness. The quote to repair was approximately $6,000. This problem is a latent defect in the design. The service department told me that the vehicle was un-drivable until the repairs are made. The service advisor also confirmed that because the problem was with the harness itself, any electrical component could be affected such as the airbags, ABS, SRS, etc. Also, from my own research I found some people who experienced this problem have also had smoke or fires inside the vehicle. Vw issued a technical service bulletin (id# c 97-01-01) for a similar issue on 1999.5 - 2001 model year jettas, but never for the 2003 and never a recall campaign on the defective design. Vw has refused to assist in the cost of repair to the vehicle as well.

Filed Oct 25, 2005 · Electrical · 52,000 miles · OH

Dt: the consumer was driving on the highway when the ABS light and the air bag light came on. She pulled off the road and the vehicle stalled . The vehicle would not start back. The mechanic informed the consumer the alternator cable burned the fuse box and cover. The consumer was concerned that if they same part will be put back on the same thing will happen again. *ak

Filed Jun 8, 2004 · Brakes · 17,000 miles · MA

Vehicle was towed twice because the defect described in the ABS ecu recall 02v03100 occurred while driving. This vehicle was not includedin the recall due to model year and VIN.