I've had multiple issues with my vw jetta 2003 and have put thousands of dollars into the vehicle. My limit was that alternator cable melting the fuse box and the battery. The vehicle is unsafe and could have caught on fire and potentially injured individuals or caused great harm. The sad part able the entire scenario is the fact that I contacted volkswagen customer care that spoke with brea s. Which may not be an actual name because she could not provide it and she said that she had spoken to her leadership ashley and that they did not see this as a safety concerns and just because lots of other people had the same issue and mentioned it on a blog they were not able to help me. Now for me something that can cause a potential electrical fire for most people is a safety concern and the fact that this is a known issue with the volkswagen jetta and beetle models, it amazes me that vw customer care does not see it as there issue, brea was out of the auburn hills location in michigan. This really needs further attention.
2003 Volkswagen Jetta electrical complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 97, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked for a few days, the battery failed to make connection when starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but the failure was unable to be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 193,000.
The fuse box in these older jettas melts because it is on top of the battery, which can cause the car to shut off while driving. Its very dangerous.
Alternator harness wiring and fuse box are under-engineered for electrical conditions and output given by alternator. This is the second time in one year I have to replace the fuse box and alternator harness wiring due to risk of engine bay fire. Many other vw owners in this generation and different models also have this problem with their vehicles. I believe this should be recalled and it is extremely dangerous to go unnoticed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. While driving 50 MPH, the contact noticed smoke under the hood that entered the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stopped the vehicle and opened the battery fuse box where he found that there were overheated wires and overwhelming smoke. The contact stated that the failure was recurring and the smoke was emitting from the battery fuse box. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000. The VIN was not available.
The alternator cable melted the fuse block and the car almost caught on fire.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that there was a burning smell coming from the front of the vehicle as the battery light illuminated. The contact discovered that the fuse panel caught on fire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the alternator, the harness, and the fuse panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but failed to remedy the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,000.
There is a fuse box on the top of my battery as there was for all mk4 jettas, golf in all motor trims. The fuse box on top of the battery melted. When opened there was a black wire severed from the box. When turning the battery over the cable wire was arching. The wire was actually sparking. There are fuses in the original box but they never broke, tripped.
Battery fuse box melted. Engine overheated and cut off.
Air conditioner stopped working . Found left fuse on fuse box on top of battery is black and melted.
The rear door locks do not work with the key fob or the electrical switch ion the driver's door. This is a serious issue when you have children in the rear seat.
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.
I have a jetta that continually burns out the fuse box, which just happened again. The fuse box to replace costs around $100. Everytime. Due to this problem I am encountering additional repairs. Ignition coil etc. I even went and purchase a new battery for 160.00. Car will not run? Help.
Car had a burning smell coming from the engine. The engine light came on. While on the highway the car stopped moving forward and stalled in traffic, the battery light then came on. I turned the car off and restarted it. In a 30 mile round trip, this happened 3 times. Upon further inspection, the battery mounted fuse block had completely melted and was extremely hot.
The alternator cable got so hot it started a small fire in the fuse box on top of my battery. Completely melted/burnt the fuse box. I see there is a good pattern of this happening with these jetta and beetles.
Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH a burning plastic odor was present inside the vehicle before the passenger suddenly experienced a burning sensation coming from the seated area of the passenger seat. The contact indicated that the passenger side seat heater element had over heated causing a burn hole in the seat and causing a minor burn to the passenger. The contact stated that a small flamed to the passengers right pant leg had to be extinguished during the incident and the passenger seat burn hole measured approximately 1 inch in diameter. The vehicle was diagnosed at the dealer. The contact was informed that the defect was caused by a faulty heat element inside the seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 125,000. Jft
One of the two large cooling fans in the front of the engine failed. The part must be replaced to prevent engine overheating. The part number is 6x0-959-445-f.
The temp sender on my 2003 volkswagen jetta failed for the second time. The first failure occurred at approximately 38,000 miles in 2007.
The thermostat on my 2003 volkswagen jetta failed for the second time. The first time it failed as at approximately 40,000 miles in 2009.
The safety light on the interior of the front passenger door that lights up when the door is opened failed on my 2003 volkswagen jetta. The dealer stated that the problem was a failure in the front passenger door latch mechanism. The door latch mechanism was replaced, and was not covered under warranty.
The rear o2 sensor on my 2003 volkswagen jetta failed causing the mil indicator to illuminate. The sensor had to be replaced, and is not covered under the extended warranty for emissions.
My 2003 volkswagen jetta has experienced a coil pack failure causing a reduction in power, and the engine to misfire. According to the volkswagen dealer, the housing of the coil pack was cracked which allowed moisture to affect its operation. The dealer also stated that there is no recall or replacement program for 4 cylinder engines experiencing this problem.
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.
Rear passenger doors fail to respond to key fob. Stay locked/ unlocked.
The car was parked for two days without being driven. While it was parked, neighbors ran over to report it was smoking under the hood. We saw that there were flames coming out from underneath the front of the car. Fire department came, but fire had already extinguished itself. Fire department disconnected the battery ground and said the wires going to the cooling fan had set on fire. All of this was spontaneous. Engine was not on.
Both front seats, the bottom right side bolster burned. The heated front seats will over heat, the failure appears to be confined to the right bolster on the bottom section of the seat. The heating elements get hot enough to burn through the seat material. Being the side of the seat I was able to shift my leg away and power off the heated seat. If left on the seats will start to smoke. I consider this a safety issue, I haven't tried , but it seems as though the seat could catch on fire if left on. The local dealer's service rep said just unplug it the option.
Driver's seat heater malfunctioned. Right side of seat has small burn marks, is discolored, has exposed elements, and seat foam is melted. Two pairs of pants obtained singe marks on separate occasions. I drive the car to and from the city via interstate for 40 minutes each way. Seat heaters are typically on for about 20 minutes. Beginning in november when I used the seat heaters I could smell a slight burning smell. Since it was the beginning of the winter season I figured it was just heated dust on my seats from being inactive all summer. The final time I used the seat heaters (1/26/12) the smell got so bad that I had to open the sun roof for air. I also noticed the seats got hotter than usual and wondered if my seat back was heating at all. As was usual when the seat was hot enough I would manually turn off the seat heater. I did not know what was happening until one day when I noticed brown marks on the right side of my pants. I then looked at the seat and saw the damage to the seat. The driver's seat element was replaced in may 2006, the passenger seat august 2006, due to previous recall/warranty service.
Hola mi hija tuvo una experiencie terrible con su auto.ella se dirigia a la universidad en su auto y de momento comenzo a salir humo pr el area donde esta el guia y el conta milla mas o menos por lo poco que no pudo explicar por lo afectada que estaba.inmediatamente ella se detuvo y se bajo de vehiculo para llamar a su papa y jucto en ese momento se incendio y estamos seguros que fue un problema de fabrica para que se incendiara de esa manera.gracias a dios que mi hija estaba fuera del vehiculo porque por lo que rapido sucedio no le hubiera dado de salir y la historia hubiera sido otra.hago este reporte para que no vuelva a suceder algo asi.porque mi hija esta sumamente afectada. Muchas gracias por su atencion.
My drivers side seat heater doesn't recognize the setting of 0-5. It's either on, or off. Meaning, 0-4 the seat heater doesn't heat the seat. But when I turn it to 5 on the setting within 10 minutes the seat gets so hot it burns my legs through clothing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta wagon. The contact stated that the speedometer failed to provide an accurate speed traveled. The contact also stated that when the cruise control switch was activated, it would cause the vehicle to surge forward abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they confirmed that the sensor in the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 170,000 and the current mileage was 211,000. Updated 12/14/11 the consumer stated the transmission was exhibiting an intermittent hesitation. Updated 12/20/11.
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