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
While exiting the vehicle noticed that the driver's seat was burned. Also, driver's coat was burned. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The cause has not been determined. *ak ......*ak
Fire reported
ODI 10105186
Seat Heater/Cooler
On the morning of 12/15/04, before going to work, i started my 2002 volkswagen jetta to warm up. I also turned on the seat warmer to its highest setting (5). About 5 minutes later i got in the car to go to work. I was about 1.5 miles from my house when i smelled something burning. Then i felt a sharp pain in my left leg. When i put my hand in between my leg and the car seat, i got a tar-like substance on my hand. I…
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10104932
Seat Heater/Cooler
I have a 2002 volkswagen jetta tdi. My boy friend was in the driver's seat for a maximum of 5 minutes when the seat heater burnt a hole through the seat, his jeans, and left a smoking black ring in his leather wallet. There were no events leading up to this failure, it just happened. So, now i have an expensive car seat, jeans, and a wallet that are ruined. The seat will cost more than six hundred dollars to fix and…
Fire reported
ODI 10104168
Seat Heater/Cooler
I used the heated seat feature on my 2002 vw jetta. 12-11-04, i noticed a burn hole on the left side of the seat. I placed my finger over it and burnt my finger. I also have a good jacket that has a burn mark on it. I will be contacting my vw dealership on 12-13-04 to let them know of this problem and have them replace my seat and coat! I think the fact that the nhtsa is waiting for a fatality or two before making…
ODI 10102777
Seat Heater/Cooler
Pulling out of the drive at work. I smelt something, like burning. I put car in park. Felt burning sensation on upper left thigh/ butt. Looked down and there was a growing hole with small flame. I turned off my car, noticed my jeans were burnt, jumped out, and the small flame was still visible in the hole. Once i figured out it was the seat heater i turned off the switch wich was only set at 2 out of 5 levels. Only…
Fire reported
ODI 10102468
Seat Heater/Cooler
Driver's seat heater wiring caught on fire, burning the fabric. Vehicle will be taken to dealer for repairs. *ak
Fire reported
ODI 10103123
Seat Heater/Cooler
The heater element in the driver's seat of my 2002 vw jetta vr6 burned through the leather and left a quarter size burn hole in the seat of my car and the seat of my pants. Fortunately my wallet formed a barrier between me and the heat source. The car was taken to a vw dealer in massachusetts and i am currently waiting for a new seat cushion and heater element. If anyone should ask what really "burns me up", i tell…
Fire reported
ODI 10102941
Seat Heater/Cooler
Front passenger's seat caught on fire through the nylon fabric, burning the passenger. New seat will be replaced by manufacturer.*ak
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10102061
Seat Heater/Cooler
My wife and i own a 2002 jetta gls 1.8t with heated seats. While driving i felt my leg getting extremely hot and i smelled something burning. I pulled over and found a hole in my pants and a hole in my driver's seat. The seat was still smoking when i pulled over. My wife turned off the heated seats and the seat stopped smoking. I contacted two volkswagen dealerships and they stated they were aware of something like…
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10102321
Seat Heater/Cooler
I turned on my drivers side seat warmer. After about 2 minutes, there was a noticable smoke in the car and extreme heat coming from the left side of the drivers seat. I immediately turned off the seat warmer. After pulling in the garage, there was a small burn on my pants and a 1/4" hole burned through the fabric on the seat. Volkswagon states that the heater element shorted out, has not done anything to resolve the…
Fire reported
ODI 10100690
Seat Heater/Cooler
I have a 2002 jetta 1.8t. I started driving my car and turned on my seat warmer to 3 and within 30 seconds saw a stream of smoke coming from my seat. I quickly turned off the seat warmer and stopped the car and go out. A hole was burned throught my seat and my jeans that i was wearing were burned as well. I turned it back on for a second and saw a small flame ignited.*ak
Fire reported
ODI 10100405
Seat Heater/Cooler
Approximately 2 minutes after turning on driver's side seat heater, noticed burning smell, followed shortly thereafter by heat sensation on my left thigh. Immediately turned heater off, pulled car off road, and got out. Found dime sized burn pattern in leather seat. Searched nhtsa website the next day and found that this is a common problem on 2002 jettas. Called dealer to schedule a repair appointment.*ak
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10100261
Seat Heater/Cooler · Sun/Moon Roof Assembly
Seat heater malfunctioned, burned through the leather seat and burned me while i was driving. I safely pulled the car to the side of the road. The replacement components also malfunctioned, burning the leather seat and once again, burned me. Also, the sunroof has plastic guides that keep breaking, i have had these plastic components replaced three times since i purchased my car in 2002, and i don't use my sunroof…
1 injury
ODI 10102765
Seat Heater/Cooler
My car, a 2002 volkswagen jetta was parked and running and the driver seat caught on fire for no apparent reason due to most likely the heating element in the seat. I am filing this complaint because if i was in the car i may have been injured or killed due to the defect. I just want someone to know so that other people are safe in the future. *jb
Fire reported
ODI 10098759
Seat Heater/Cooler
Heater in the driver's seat burned through the seat and driver's coat while driving. *ak
ODI 10099855
Seat Heater/Cooler
Vehicle was equipped with heated seats which malfunctioned. The heat coils burned straight through the driver's seat, causing second degree burns to the driver. *ak
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10103544
Seat Heater/Cooler
Seat heater on 2002 jetta 1.8t overheated creating hole in driver's seat. Hile driving normally the witht he seat heater in position 1 ( lowest - highest is 5) seat got too hot to the point felt as though would burn. There was no fire or smoke but little burning smell. Car was sent to ardmore vw for service and they tested seat heater. Got call from sa that the seat heater was gone and that it burnt through the seat…
ODI 10100075
Seat Heater/Cooler
Upon turning on the seat heater, the driver's side seat caught fire, burning through the seat cloth, foam, and driver's clothing.*ak
Fire reported
ODI 10096350
Seat Heater/Cooler
Volkswagen 2002 jetta faulty seat warmers. On the morning of oct 11, 2004 i turned the seat warmer on to setting number 2. Roughly 1-2 minutes later while driving down the road it began to smell like something was burning. I felt a burning on my leg and began to see smoke. I immediately pulled over and got out of the car. There was a dime size hole in the seat where the seat had burned through. There was also a burn…
Fire reported
ODI 10093924
Seat Heater/Cooler
Our 2002 volkswagen jetta tdi had sparks coming from the drivers side seat heater that burned two holes in the seat.
Fire reported
ODI 10097993
Seat Heater/Cooler
The front passenger side seat heater burned a hole in the seat. . The driver's side heated seat caught on fire while driving. *ak *jb *nm
Fire reported
ODI 10099683
Seat Heater/Cooler
1 & 2. My 2002 vw jetta's driver side heated seat started on fire. I noticed the fire when i felt a burning sensation as my pants were catching fire. I immediately turned the seat off & pulled over. The seat had a dime to quarter size burn hole in it and if i turned the heated seat back on i could see the wire arcing.3. The volkswagen dealer replaced the seat 5 days later.*ak
Fire reported
ODI 10096224
Seat Heater/Cooler
2002 vw jetta tdi with heated cloth seats. Driver side seat heater overheats in a small spot, causing burning (brown coloration) of the seat and the start of a burnt leg on the wife (just what i need...one more thing to hear about...). Passenger seat works fine. Driver seat heater no longer used as problem is repeatable. *nm
ODI 10107690
Seat Heater/Cooler
Driver's seat heater was overheating and burning through the seat cover. Dealer was contacted.*ak
ODI 10094605
Automatic Transmission · Seat Heater/Cooler
Vehicle was equipped with an asr light and when driving on a smooth road the asr light will come on ,and the vehicle will down shift. Took vehicle to the dealer, and was told that after examining the vehicle there was nothing they could do. They were completely baffled, cleared out the codes, and replaced the brake light modules, but were unable to solve the transmission problem. Also, heated seats overheated.…
ODI 10092935