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2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA — SEATS

fire1 injured · 694791 · 2008-11-02

Vehicle

Make
VOLKSWAGEN
Model
JETTA
Year
2003
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Component
SEATS
Miles at failure
61,000
Speed
5 mph

Severity

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

Narrative

I USE MY HEATED SEATS ALMOST DAILY IN THE WINTER MONTHS. I USED IT THIS MORNING FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES AS I DROVE FROM HOME TO THE GYM, THEN ANOTHER 10 MINUTES AS I DROVE FROM THE GYM TO THE STORE. WHEN I GOT INTO MY CAR AFTER THE STORE, IT WAS STILL ON THE SAME SETTING (5), I HAD DRIVEN ABOUT 50 YARDS IN THE PARKING LOT, WHEN I FELT A SHARP PAIN IN MY LEFT UPPER LEG/BUTT. I MOVED SLIGHTLY, THEN BEGAN TO SMELL SMOKE. I FELT AROUND WITH MY HAND AND FELT THE "HOT" WIRE AND THE HOLE IN MY SEAT. IT TOOK ME A MOMENT TO REALIZE WHAT IT WAS, AND THEN I IMMEDIATELY TURNED DOWN THE HEATED SEAT TO OFF, THEREBY PREVENTING FURTHER DAMAGE AND PAIN. LUCKILY THERE WAS LIMITED DAMAGE TO MY CLOTHING AND I WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED, BUT HAD I BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, OR NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS CAUSING THE PAIN SO QUICKLY, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES INCLUDING INJURY. *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10247476
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown