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2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA — SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

fire1 injured · 506021 · 2004-11-10

Vehicle

Make
VOLKSWAGEN
Model
JETTA
Year
2003
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Component
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Miles at failure
24,000
Speed
35 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

I WAS DRIVING MY LEASED, 2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA, (EQUIPPED WITH COLD WEATHER PACKAGE), ON A VERY BUSY ROAD IN LATE AFTERNOON ON A COLD AUTUMN DAY JUST OUTSIDE OF BOSTON. I TURNED MY DRIVER SIDE SEAT WARMER ON THE HIGHEST LEVEL, (5) AND IN ABOUT 5 MINUTES I FELT A SHARP PAIN ON THE BACKSIDE OF MY LEFT THIGH AND THOUGHT SOMETHING HAD STUNG ME AT FIRST. I REPOSITIONED MYSELF IN THE SEAT, AND COULD SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW DARK BROWN SMOKE POURING FROM THE SEAT AND REALIZED THE SEAT WAS ACTUALLY BURNING ME. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE SEAT WARMER OFF, PULLED OVER, (AGAIN IN VERY BUSY TRAFFIC IN WATERTOWN, MA), AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO FIND A DARK BROWN, DIME-SIZED BURN MARK IN THE SEAT!!! THE HEAT ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH THE SEAT AND BURNED A SMALL BROWN MARK INTO MY BLUE JEANS AND SUBSEQUENTLY, LEFT A SMALL WELT ON THE BACKSIDE OF MY THIGH. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR NOW BECAUSE I AM NOT SURE IF THERE ARE OTHER ELECTRICAL DEFECTS WITH THIS CAR THAT MAY PUT MY LIFE, AND MY PASSENGERS LIVES IN DANGER. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP I LEASED THE CAR FROM AND THEY SEEM VERY EAGER TO REPLACE THE SEAT AND TO CLEAR THIS MATTER UP IMMEDIATELY.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10098593
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown