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 WATER BOTTLE NEARBY IN THE CAR WHICH SHE THREW ON THE SEAT AND DOUSED THE FLAMES. AT THIS POINT SHE CALLED ME FRANTIC OVER THE SITUATION BECAUSE THE SEAT WAS STILL SMOKING. I TOLD HER TO TURN THE SEAT HEATER OFF WHICH STOPPED THE SMOKE. THE ONLY REASON I KNEW ABOUT THE SEAT FIRE PROBLEM WAS BECAUSE OF WEBSITES LIKE "WWW.VWVORTEX.COM" AND "WWW.PASSATWORLD.COM/FORUMS". ON THOSE TWO WEBSITES YOU CAN FIND NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS OF VW SEAT FIRES DUE TO HEATED SEATS. I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANYTHING FROM THE NHTSA OR VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. MY WIFE NOW HAS A BURN ON HER HAND AND LEG DUE TO THIS ISSUE, NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT THIS SEAT FIRE COULD HAVE CAUSED A SEVERE CAR ACCIDENT DUE TO DISTRACTION. *AK