2004 Volkswagen Jetta: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Apr 25, 2018 · Electrical · 123,414 miles · SC

Alternator wire melted part of the battery top fuse box. Cable was very hot and may have caught fire if I hadn't smelled it first. Had to replace the alternator cable harness and fuse box panel.

Filed Mar 28, 2018 · Seats · 91,000 miles · IL · fire · 1 injury

I turned on the driver side seat heater and it caught fire burning a hole in the seat and burning me. I was driving at the time in the city. I pored water all over me and the seat and turned the heater off.

Filed Mar 5, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 115,000 miles · GA · fire

While driving down road early in morning approx 2 miles from house I just left from my 2004 jetta shuts down total loss of all power I pulled car over in a church parking lot I smelled smoke and could see smoke coming from fire wall I raised hood and pulled battery cable off I could see smpoke filling inside of my car walked around to driver door to get my phone and I seen fuse box on fire.another vehicle stopped to help me and he approached my car and then called police ,full flames were coming from my car within 5 min so I stood back and watched my car burn .fire dept showed up and put fire out my car is a total loss. Ive had issues with alternator,fuel pump,air bag light, headlights are really dim even on bright.nothing but issues with this car since I got it. 115.000 miles only on this car .so many isues I can see why its low milage

Filed Sep 30, 2016 · Seats · IA · fire

My clothe seats caught on fire today while driving it for only 25 minutes the seat warmer was only set on number 2. I was so retried and panicked but managed to pull over to the side of the road and hit it with my hand until it went out. It did burn my hand. My vehicle was in motion then I stopped. It was in a city street filled with cars and construction workers.

Filed Jan 28, 2015 · Electrical, Seats · 180,000 miles · NM · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen jetta. While driving approximately 50 MPH, there was smoke coming from the heated seats on the front passenger side the contact stated that there was a hole burned into the front passenger seat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired . The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 05/31/17*lj updated 06/02/2017

Filed Feb 16, 2014 · Seats · 130,000 miles · NJ · fire

The car ran into a big puddle of water and the engine stall. When trying to restart the car the car it started with severe hesitation in engine. Tried stepping on gas to keep engine going the exhaust got real loud and the smoke started filling up the cabin. Stepped out of car to find that the car caught on fire. The flames can be seen on under side of the car, in the middle section right under the armrest area between the two seats. Thankfully I was able to escape unharmed. I think thats a manufacturing or design defect that allowed the heat from exhaust to penetrate inside the cabin where it reached the floor carper that caught fire.

Filed Feb 7, 2014 · Seats · 199,000 miles · OH

Setting: -4f, 5:45am driving to work, seat heater on. I was driving to work and had noticed a particularly hat spot on my lower right back when the seat heater was set to 5, on the 1-5 dial. I turned down my seat heater during the drive to 1, when I got to work in the parking lot and leaned forward I got the intense smell of burning. I turned around to find a 5-6 inch long section on the lower right than side of the drivers seat had burned and charred. It had been getting particularly how recently in that location, but this is the first I noticed the burning of the seat cushion. Definite fire hazard.

Filed Jan 9, 2012 · Seats · 84,000 miles · WA · fire

While driving home on friday january 6 at around 230pm, my vw jetta wagon's driver's side seat heater, set on "4," overheated and ignited the seat material, which burned through and began to burn my pants. Smoke began to fill the cabin; luckily I was only a few blocks away from home. When the smoke began, I smelled a plastic burning smell, and veered sharply off the road, thinking the car might burn. I shut off the seat heater control, then drove to my home, one block away. I shut off the car, got a fire extinguisher from inside, then returned to the car. The smoke had just about stopped; a dime-sized burned hole was in my seat, as well as a slight browned area on my pants. I have made an appointment with the dealer to have it looked at, and have filed a case with vw of america case # [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Feb 9, 2011 · Seats · 150,000 miles · WA · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen jetta gls (na). The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the driver side heated seat caught fire. The contact turned the seat warmer off. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop but there were no codes produced for the failure. The contact called the manufacturer who advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and took a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Feb 8, 2011 · Seats · 51,000 miles · VA · 1 injury

The driver's side heated seat in our 2004 vw jetta tdi became extremely hot near the driver's right thigh and there was a electrical burning smell in the car. My wife, who was driving at the time, had a minor surface burn as a result. Fortunately, she was wearing jeans, which prevented it from being worse.

Filed Dec 20, 2010 · Seats · 120,000 miles · ME

Heated seat burned. Electrical burning smell and extreme hot spot on upper right thigh.

Filed Nov 10, 2010 · Engine · 101,000 miles · AR · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen jetta. The contact had to replace the ignition coils and the cylinders in the engine. The coils were replaced several times and failed again after one month. The mechanic stated that this was a major problem with this make and model vehicle. The first failure occurred in february 2010 when the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle was repaired six times within a year. All of the coils do not fail at the same time, but the all four coils have been replaced more than one time. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 101000 and the current mileage was 135000.