2000 Volkswagen Jetta Heating & air conditioning Problems

The contact owns a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving with the front driver’s side seat heater activated, the seat became extremely hot. The contact started smelling a burning odor coming from the seat. The contact felt a hole in the seat, which burned the contact's middle finger. The contact immediately pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact’s back started burning due to the extreme heat of the seat back. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a hole in his jacket and approximately four holes that had formed in the front driver seat due to the seat heater failure. The contact was not treated for the burns to his back. The contact stated that two dealers were notified of the failure but neither provided immediate assistance. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 489,000.

NHTSA ID

11617892

Incident

Oct 3, 2024

Mileage

489,000 mi

FOR TWO DAYS, I SMELLED AN ODOR SUCH AS A STARCHED IRON IN MY CAR. I TURNED THE HEATED SEATS OF FOR A FEW DAYS. TODAY I TURNED IT BACK ON AND THE SMELL CAME BACK. I TOOK MY JACKET OFF AND IN ONE PART OF THE SEAT, MY BACK WAS BURNING. THE DRIVERS HEATED SEAT IN MY 2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA BURNED THROUGH INTO THE EXTERIOR. THE HEATED SEAT CAUSED TWO HOLES IN MY SEAT AND A LARGE BROWN BURNT STAIN. IF I HAD NOT DISCOVERED THIS, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY IT WOULD CREATE MUCH MORE DAMAGE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10211964

Incident

Dec 14, 2007

DRIVING CAR, USING SEAT HEATER, STARTED SMELLING BURNING SMELL. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO STOP, THE LEATHER SEAT HAD BURNED. I AM NOT SURE WHAT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED IF I HAD NOT TURNED THE SEAT HEATER OFF WHEN I DID (FIRE, BURN ME). WENT TO DEALER TODAY, THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE AND I WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR MYSELF. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE AND VW OF AMERICA SHOULD REPLACE/REPAIR AT THEIR COST. *TR

NHTSA ID

10203218

Incident

Sep 15, 2007

Mileage

99,000 mi

(2) THE SEAT WARMER ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT FAILED AND BURNED THROUGH THE SEAT COVERING. THE HEATER LEFT A BURN ON MY PANTS THE SIZE OF A DIME. THIS ALSO CAUSED ME SOME DISCOMFORT. (3) I CONTACTED VW OF AMERICA AND THEY INSTRUCTED ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO BRING THE CAR IN AND HAVE IT FIXED AT MY EXPENSE. I OWN A 2000 VW JETTA. *NM

NHTSA ID

10164655

Incident

Feb 9, 2006

I STARTED NOTICING A BURNING SMELL IN THE CAR WHEN I TURNED ON THE HEATED SEATS AND THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT WOULD GET VERY HOT, EVEN WHEN SET ON A LOW SETTING. ONE DAY I DECIDED TO TRY IT OUT TO SEE IF IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY OR NOT AND THE HEAT BURNT HOLES THROUGH THE MATERIAL COVERING THE SEAT . *JB

NHTSA ID

10149170

Incident

Jan 30, 2006

1) I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, SEE #2 AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY. 2) TODAY I FOUND THAT THERE WAS SOME KIND OF SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT. IT LEFT A PEA-SIZED BURN IN THE UPHOLSTERY. LUCKILY, I USE A SMALL DRIVING PILLOW FOR MY LOWER BACK WHICH BORE THE BRUNT OF THE FIRE INSTEAD OF MY BUTT. I HAD FOUND THE PILLOW WAS STUCK TO THE SEAT, AND WHEN I PULLED IT OFF THE BURN WAS REVEALED. THE PILLOW WAS DAMAGED. 3) I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE FAILURE AS OF YET. I AM RESEARCHING MY OPTIONS TO DETERMINE IF THE MANUFACTURER WILL REPLACE IT FOR ME. *NM

NHTSA ID

10145557

Incident

Dec 17, 2005

I AM THE PRIMARY REPAIR PERSON FOR THIS VEHICLE. OVER ITS HISTORY, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPONENT FAILURES THAT IN MY OPINION ARE UNACCEPTABLE FOR A VEHICLE WITH THIS MILEAGE AND AGE. I PERSONALLY KNOW THE OWNER, AND KNOW THAT IT IS NOT OPERATED UNDER UNUSUALLY HARSH CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR COSMETIC CRASH EARLY ON, OTHERWISE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO UNUSUAL OUTSIDE FACTORS. AT THIS POINT, THE CAR HAS ONLY 37,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. PRIMARY USE IS ON LONG TRIPS. THE VEHICLE IS PARKED AND STORED FOR ABOUT 3-6 MONTHS EACH YEAR. FIRST PROBLEM: AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM LEAK: THE EXPANSION VALVE FAILED, REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. CHECK ENGINE/ MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT: HAS COME ON SEVERAL TIMES, EACH TIME WITH THE SAME DTC, A MANUFACTURER SPECIFIC CODE RELATED TO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. THE POWER WINDOWS HAVE FAILED, ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN FREE REPAIR OF THE WINDOWS WITH A REVISED RETAINING CLIP, AS THIS PROBLEM OCCURS FAR TOO OFTEN, AND FINALLY, THE REAR BRAKE PADS HAVE WORN COMPLETELY WITH THE FRONT PADS IN VIRTUALLY NEW CONDITION. THIS IS ACCOMPANIED BY ALL FOUR ROTORS BEING EXCESSIVELY PITTED, WITH LARGE AREAS OF THE ROTOR FACE ACTUALLY FLAKING OFF. MY RESEARCH SHOWS THAT I MAY END UP NEEDING TO REPLACE THE REAR CALIPERS, AS WELL, DUE TO POOR DESIGN. *JB

NHTSA ID

10118321

Incident

Apr 22, 2005

Mileage

21,000 mi

A/C WILL NOT GET COLD. WE TESTED THE PRESSURE AND THERE IS A LEAK. MY CAR ONLY HAS 29,000 MILES AND IT IS GOING TO COST AROUND $800 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10118265

Incident

Apr 22, 2005

MY CAR HAS 58,000 MILES ON IT AND LIKE MANY OTHERS ON THIS SITE IT HAS SUFFERED PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM WITH EACH ONE GETTING MORE SERIOUS. I HAVE REPLACED A MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR,GLOVE BOX,TURBO PARTS,AND SOME PLASTIC CLIPS ON THE ARM REST. BUT, WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER, FUEL GAUGE STARTED ACTING UP, AND THE FACT THAT THIS CAR HAS STALLED ON US THREE OR MORE TIMES RECENTLY (WHILE OUT DRIVING),THEN SAFETY BECOMES AN ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER COMING AND GOING OR THE STALLING PROBLEM, AS FOR THE FUEL GAUGE, WE JUST FILL UP FOR EVERY 280 MILES PUT ON THE TRIPMETER. *AK

NHTSA ID

10096068

Incident

Oct 19, 2004

Mileage

55,000 mi

BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALER IN DECEMBER 2000. AT 5,390 MILES W/WARRANTY TOOK MY CAR IN B/C THE A/C WAS HAVING PROBLEMS. 7,255 MILES-A/C IS NOT COLD- FOUND SYSTEM LEAK-EXPANSION VALVE LEAK. 13,247 MILES-AC NOT COLD AGAIN. FOUND EXPANSION VALVE LEAKING- FREON-REPLACED O RING RECEIVER AND DRIER AND EXPANSION VALVE. 34,684- A/C LOUD AGAIN. 60,760 MILES- FAULTY AIR FLOW VALVE-REMOVED AND INSTALLED AIR FLOW SENSOR- WARRANTY. 88,850 MILES-A/C PROBLEMS AGAIN! 88,850MILES- A/C NOT COLD BLOWING WARM AIR, CUSTOMER TURNED A/C ON AND SQEAKING NOISE HEARD, TURNED BACK OFF, STOPPED NOISE, TURNED BACK ON BLOWING WARM AIR AND SQEAKING NOISE HEARD AGAIN. TOOK CAR IN FOR THE A/C PROBLEM A TOTAL OF 8 TIMES! WROTE OFFICIAL COMPLAINT LETTER TO VW DEALERSHIP. MANAGER FOUND THE WHOLE A/C SYSTEM WAS LEAKING! MANAGER SAID IT WOULD COST $3,725 DOLLARS! ( B/C WARRANTY HAS BEEN EXPIRED) TO FIX THE A/C UNIT. THEY OFFERED TO PAY FOR 50% OF THE PRICE. WE ARE NOT SATISFIED. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING B/C THE VW "QUALIFIED" TECHNICIANS ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE CAR, ENTRUSTED THE CAR INTO THEIR CARE, BUT EVENTUALLY LED THE CUSTOMER TO BIGGER PROBLEMS! THE CAR HAD ALL THE MAINTENANCE SERVICES DONE ON TIME! FAILURE OF THE TECHNICIANS BEING ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM DOES NOT SHOW THAT THEY ARE QUALIFIED..WHAT DID THEY CHECK??? WHY TELL THE CUSTOMER THAT JUST BECAUSE WARRANTY EXPIRED THAT THERE IS NO OLBIGATION BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY ANYMORE WHEN THEY ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TOUCHED THE SYSTEM AND ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT?? BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE! UNACCEPTABLE! ALREADY NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND THE PRESIDENT OF TAKING LEGAL ACTION. NO CAR BUYER SHOULD HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THIS KIND OF HORRIBLE TIME CONSUMING PROBLEM. AFTER PAYING THE FULL VALUE OF THE CAR. INVESTING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A NEW VW CAR THIS RESULT IS NOT GETTING WHAT WE PAYED FOR. THE CAR DOES NOT MEET UP TO THE STANDARD OF THEIR MOTTO "VW DESIGN AND INTENT".

NHTSA ID

10086672

Incident

May 13, 2000

Mileage

5,390 mi

TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE PART. HOWEVER, TWO WEEKS LATER THE PART FAILED AGAIN. *AK THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND THE VEHICLE HAD RUN INTO A POLE AT A GAS STATION ON THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE. THIS PROBLEM REMAINED THE SAME. THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON ALONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. OTHER PROBLEMS WERE: THE TIRE PRESSURE HAD TO BE RESET ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, REAR PADS, A/C WAS NOT COOLING, GLOVE BOX, POWER WINDOWS, CONSOLE, POWER SUNROOF, INTERIOR TRIM, STEERING/SUSPENSION, DRIVEABILITY, TRIM ELECTRICAL, SOUND SYSTEM, AND HEATING/COOLING. *SC THE CONSUMER DID NOT REPORT ANY DAMAGE TO VEHICLE WHEN SHE HIT THE POLE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10074085

Incident

Apr 15, 2004

Mileage

38,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING I HEARD A SQUEALING NOISE COMING FROM MY A/C. TURNED FAN OFF AND SQUEALING STOPPED. TURNED FAN BACK ON AND SQUEALING STARTED AGAIN THEN SOMETHING FEEL OFF MY CAR AND THE A/C WOULD NOT BLOW COLD AIR. JUST GOT BACK FROM FIRESTONE AND THEY SAID THAT I NEED A NEW A/C CLUTCH AND COMPRESSOR AND IT WOULD COST $864.30. MY CAR IS NOT OLD ENOUGH AND DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH MILES FOR THE CLUTCH TO FAIL AND TO NEED A NEW COMPRESSOR. *AK

NHTSA ID

10072665

Incident

May 15, 2004

Mileage

55,000 mi

PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER HAD A CIGARETTE SIZE BURN HOLE IN IT. WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER SMELLED A BURNING ODOR, WHICH BECAME STRONGER AS TIME PROGRESSED. ALSO, SMOKE CAME FROM THE SEAT. WHEN HEATER WAS TURNED OFF THE SMELL AND THE SMOKE CEASED. *AK VEHICLE WAS TAKEN AT THE DEALERSHIP. *LA

NHTSA ID

10055981

Incident

Nov 20, 2003

Mileage

98,000 mi

2000 VW JETTA GLX. AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. CLIMATE CONTROL READS NO PROBLEMS AND FREON LEVELS CHECK FINE A/C CYLINDER PRODUCES HIGH PITCH SQUEALING NOISE. FINAL DIAGNOSTIC NOT COMPLETE FOR ROUTE SOURCE OF PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

10030239

Incident

May 20, 2003

Mileage

20,000 mi

MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW MADE A LOUD NOISE AND FELL INTO THE DOOR WHEN I TRIED TO ROLL UP THE WINDOW NOTHING HAPPENED. I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN AND THEY FIXED IT BECAUSE MY CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. 18 MONTHS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN AND THEY TOLD ME SINCE MY CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT. I REMINDED THEM THAT THIS HAPPENED BEFORE AND SHOUL NOT HAPPEN TO THE SAME WINDOW AGAIN IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD. THE DEARLERSHIP TOLD ME THEY ONLY WARRENTY THEIR WORK FOR ONE YEAR AND THAT THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. SO I CALLED AROUND AND FOR QUOTES AND WAS TOLD BY SEVERAL COMPANIES THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH JETTAS. I HAD TO PAY $300 TO GET IT FIXED. ONE MONTH LATER IT HAPPENS AGAIN ONLY THIS TIME IT HAPPENS TO MY DRIVER SIDE WINDOW. I CALL THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY BASICALLY TELL ME TOUGH LUCK. NOT ONLY HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ME BUT IT HAS HAPPENED TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO ALSO OWNS A JETTA. LASTLY MY AC GOES OUT RIGHT AFTER ALL MY OTHER PROBLEMS.*AK

NHTSA ID

765661

Incident

Nov 1, 2000

RIGHT FRONT WINDOW FAILED TO GO UP OR DOWN AND THE LEFT REAR WINDOW POPPED WHILE CLOSING DUE TO BROKEN LIFTERS. THE LEFT FRONT WINDOW FELL INTO THE DOOR. THE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED TWICE. *YH *CB

NHTSA ID

566761

Incident

Jul 31, 2000

ENGINE MOUNTS FAILED. *YH

NHTSA ID

562187

BOTH REAR DOOR PANELS VIBRATE--DEALER UNABLE TO FIX. ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED--TEMP. SENSOR REPLACED BY DEALER. PROBLEM RE-OCCURRED TWO DAYS LATER--DEALER REPLACED TEMP. SENSOR. PASSANGER FRONT WINDOW WENT DOWN AND WOULDN'T GO UP--DEALER FIXED. THREE MONTHS LATER, WINDOW WENT DOWN AGAIN--DEALER FIXED. AIR CONDITIONER EMINATES MUSTY SMELL--DEALER SAYS PROBLEM IS DUE TO A PLUGGED DRAIN HOLE IN A/C UNIT--WILL NO FIX. REAR PASSANGER DOOR LEAKS A THICK, GREASY SUBSTANCE. B-PILLAR TRIM VIBRATES ON DRIVER SIDE.*AK

NHTSA ID

748381

Incident

Dec 20, 2000