2002 Volkswagen Jetta Seat Heater/Cooler Problems
- 86
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 86 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 34 indicate injury
- 49 indicate fire
What owners report
- seat heater · 43 records
- seat warmer · 21 records
- side seat · 20 records
- caught fire · 16 records
- heated seat · 15 records
- turned seat · 13 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 33 |
| 1–30k mi | 20 |
| 60–100k mi | 12 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
| 100–150k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Seat Heater/Cooler
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkwagen jetta. While operating the vehicle with the front seat warmers activated, the front passenger was burned when the seat warmer malfunctioned. Medical attention was not needed. The failure burned a hole through the front passenger seat. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10936295
Seat Heater/Cooler
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the seat heater burned his body through his pants. The manufacturer stated that they would send an agent to inspect the vehicle and call him back. The failure mileage was 73,000.
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10276549
Seat Heater/Cooler · Seats
While driving with the seat heater on in 2002 vw jetta the seat heater overheated and burned through the leather seat and burned the driver. Smoke was present in the vehicle. *tr
1 injury
ODI 10235665
Seat Heater/Cooler
On my 2002 volkswagen jetta tdi, the driver side seat heater has burned a hole through the seat padding, seat cover and the jacket i was wearing. I have seen reports of similar issues with the jettas on various website forums. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10222478
Seat Heater/Cooler
The seat heater in the driver's side of my 2002 jetta burnt through the seat and my pants. I was still in the parking lot, so no other damage occurred. This could have been very dangerous if my wife or i was driving, or if the seat heater was on while the car warmed up without us in it. I'm pursuing my options with volkwagen at the moment...this is the last straw, never buy a vw, especially a jetta. It has given us…
1 injury
ODI 10174609
Seat Heater/Cooler
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph under normal road conditions, the seat heater burned a couple of holes on the seat. The vehicle was not taken to the service dealer. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer on 11/29/06. Updated 12/15/06 *jb
ODI 10174042
Seat Heater/Cooler
Turned on the seat heater. Seat started to feel quite warm, then i smelled smoke. Promptly turned off seat heater and looked at the seat. When i looked down i saw a small burn hole in the seat. Received a minor burn on my butt. Glad i was not yet on the highway. *nm
1 injury
ODI 10171863
Seat Heater/Cooler
2002 volkswagen jetta - front seat heaters much much too hot ...within 2 minutes of turning them on i could feel a dime size burn on my skin. *nm
ODI 10170923
Seat Heater/Cooler
2002 volkswagen jetta gls - drivers side heated seat began to burn and smolder. Volkswagen stated there is an 'open campaign' on this issue and the dealership should correct. *nm
ODI 10168740
Seat Heater/Cooler
2002 vw jetta with leather seats - seat heater burned daughter's leg and made burn mark on the seat, smoke, but no fire. Is this a recall? *nm
1 injury
ODI 10158901
Seat Heater/Cooler
My husband was driving to work one morning in our 2002 vw jetta, with the seat warmers on. When suddenly he felt a burning sensation on his bottom. Turned off the seat warmer only to find out there was a burn hole in the seat from the seat warmers. Since then we have refused to turn it back on again. *nm
ODI 10140889
Seat Heater/Cooler
Within two blocks of leaving my home and turning on my car seat warmer to a level 2 (of 5) my car seat was on fire and burned my rear. I had to jump out of my car in the middle of an intersection to figure out what was going on. This happened over a weekend and i have not received any communication back from vw. *nm
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10139133
Seat Heater/Cooler
Dt: driver's side seat warmer burned through leather and to consumer's jeans. And felt a burn mark which was about a quarter of an inch wide in a circle shape. *ak
1 injury
ODI 10125101
Seat Heater/Cooler
My wife was driving in the middle lane of the freeway in our 2002 jetta wagon. She suddenly felt her left leg becoming hot and thought there was something hot in her pocket. She reached down to find that the seat was on fire. Due to the shock of her hand and leg being burned she swerved across two lanes of traffic to the shoulder. She jumped out of the car and saw flames coming out of the seat bottom. There was a…
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10113994
Seat Heater/Cooler
1. While driving home from work late on march 2, 2005, i turned my drivers side seat heater on. I smelled something burning. The seat heater burned a hole completely through my seat, burning a ciggerette-burn size hole through my pants and scalding my buttock. 2. I was driving about 55 mph at the time, and am lucky that the fire in my seat did not cause me to crash, and injure myself or someone else. 3. I have…
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10118773
Seat Heater/Cooler
Seat warmer had burned a 2" hole through the drivers seat on the left side. Was taken to dealership and seat was replaced.*ak
ODI 10116204
Seat Heater/Cooler
Drivers side seat warmer caught on fire while driver and drivers coat was burned. *tr
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10207608
Seat Heater/Cooler
The heated seat on the drivers side of my 2002 vw jetta began to smolder at the "3" setting while i was warming the car up. It eventually burnt a hole in the left seat bolster approximately" by " in size. Usually i turn the seat heater on while i am defrosting the windshield in the driveway. Without someone in the car it could have caught on fire and either destroyed the car or caused major damage to the interior.*ak
Fire reported
ODI 10108359
Seat Heater/Cooler
While driving, noticed the seat heater was unusually hot and felt burning on my leg. I turned the seat heater off, and when i exited the vehicle, noticed two quarter-sized burn holes in the seat and a burn hole in my wool coat. Vw dealer will be replacing the seat, and i have been told that they will compensate me for my coat. *ak
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10108375
Seat Heater/Cooler
I was driving home in my 2002 volkswagen jetta and i smelled something burning. Then i felt a burning sensation on my thigh. I stopped the car and looked at my seat to find out that my heated seats had caught on fire from the inside out. I poured water in the burning hole and it sizzled out. It burnt a hole in my seat, my skirt and left a red mark in my leg. Fortunately, i pulled over and put the fire out before any…
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10110026
Seat Heater/Cooler
2002 vw jetta tdi with leather heated seats. Got so hot in left hip corner that i almost was burned through my clothes. Burning smell also noted. Immediately shut seat heater to off. *nm
ODI 10106553
Seat Heater/Cooler
Drivers side seat heater caught seat cushion on fire. Burned my pants and buttocks. Driving in traffic at time of incidence. Have not contacted dealer yet. Will do so tomorrow.*ak
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10106029
Seat Heater/Cooler
I have heated seats in my 2002 jetta. My wife was driving last week and noticed a pain in her left leg. She realized that it was a burning sensation. She quickly turned off the seat heater and pulled over and got out of the car. The seat had melted and the cover was melting and beginning to burn. Fortunately she turned off the heater right away and got off the seat. I read other complaints of fire and burn injuries.…
ODI 10110267
Seat Heater/Cooler
The driver's seat in my 2002 vw jetta gls 1.8t began smoldering this morning. I started my car to warm it up and began to clean the snow from the windshield. When i entered the car i noticed a strong "burning" smell. I quickly got out of the car and noticed the driver's seat was smoking. I was able to stop the burning by turning off the heated seat and putting snow on the area. I was sure it was the heated seat…
Fire reported
ODI 10104536
Seat Heater/Cooler
Seat warmer burned a hole in the seat and my pants. The hole was smoking and i had to pour pop in the hole to put it out. *jb
Fire reported
ODI 10108496