2003 Volkswagen Jetta Electrical System Problems
- 63
- 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 63 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 5 indicate injury
- 9 indicate fire
What owners report
- seat heater · 11 records
- fuse battery · 9 records
- side seat · 6 records
- light came · 6 records
- battery melted · 5 records
- alternator cable · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 18 |
| 60–100k mi | 18 |
| 150–400k mi | 10 |
| 30–60k mi | 9 |
| 1–30k mi | 4 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Fuel/Propulsion System
My car got hacked my charlie miller and chris valasek was seen over at my neighbors house on 4/29/2017 and my ex boss chris stutz jr is in charge of all the break in of my house and cars edwardsville police will not do anything because the police are friend of them i hope i don't get killed over these hacks but if that's what it will take to do anything about it
ODI 11014091
Electrical System
The fuse box on top of the battery melted due to overheating from the alternator cable. No excessive electrical load has been placed on the battery. Just normal use of the car causes this to melt.
ODI 11010108
Electrical System · Seats
When i was sitting in the driver's seat with the heated seat option turned to a 5 (high), while the car was warming up, i noticed some smoke coming from the right side of the seat. The heated seat started to burn through the cloth cover directly where my metal jacket zipper was making contact with the cloth seat surface. I immediately poured water on the seat to ensure a fire didn't start. I have not attempted to…
Fire reported
ODI 11002776
Electrical System
Drivers side seat heater ignited burning through seat trim and burning driver while operating vehicle. This occurred in a seat that the dealer indicated they had replaced under the initial recall (however date on seat is 11/25/2002 before car was delivered in 4/2003 - so dealer never actually replaced it . Seat retained and photos available for inspection.
1 injury
ODI 10993189
Electrical System
Takata recall burned fuse box caused alternator to go bad.
ODI 10887559
Electrical System · Power Train
Having worked in vw dealerships my transmission control module is failing at only 130,000 miles on it which has been an ongoing issue and complaint by many. When it acts up it won't upshift or will drop down into low gear and one has to worry about being rear ended when this condition occurs.
ODI 10860401
Electrical System
Engine battery fuse box melting. Replaced twice. Found out it alternator wiring is bad. I have a small child. Car has left me stranded on side of road several times due to faulty alternator wiring.
ODI 10824336
Electrical System
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…
ODI 10790767
Electrical System
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.
ODI 10763228
Electrical System
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.
ODI 10786157
Electrical System
The alternator cable melted the fuse block and the car almost caught on fire. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10659992
Electrical System
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. *tr
ODI 10622163
Electrical System
Battery fuse box melted. Engine overheated and cut off. *tr
ODI 10618049
Electrical System
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…
ODI 10760319
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
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. *tr
ODI 10599208
Electrical System
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…
ODI 10598985
Electrical System
Air conditioner stopped working . Found left fuse on fuse box on top of battery is black and melted. *tr
ODI 10604717
Electrical System
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. *tr
ODI 10565482
Electrical System
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. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10563793
Electrical System
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. *tr
ODI 10574021
Electrical System · Seats
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…
Fire reported · 1 injury
ODI 10563691
Electrical System · Engine
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. *tr
ODI 10557309
Electrical System · Engine
The temp sender on my 2003 volkswagen jetta failed for the second time. The first failure occurred at approximately 38,000 miles in 2007. *tr
ODI 10557308
Electrical System · Engine
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. *tr
ODI 10557306
Electrical System · Engine
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.…
Fire reported
ODI 10515974