10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 9
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 5 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 92,325 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Right passenger side window is blocked inside door
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
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
- Edwardsville, IL, USA
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.
- Portland, OR, USA
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 use the seat heaters since this incident.
- Seattle, WA, USA
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.
- Houston, TX, USA
Iam the original owner and have always kept my Jetta in the garage. I moved 3 and a half years ago and my car is no longer garaged. My headline is starting to detach from the inside of the car and the leather throughout my car is cracking. I noticed there was a classss action lawsuit regarding the sunroof drain getting clogged causing damage to the car. Who can I contact to see if I qualify for this action. At the time of the recall I did take my Jetta to a dealership and they said everything was fine, is this because my car was garaged and now its outside exposed to the elemets, which has caused this damage? thank you,
- Lodi, CA, USA
"takata recall" burned fuse box caused alternator to go bad.
- Winchester, KY, USA
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.
- Newton, NJ, USA
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.
- Biloxi, MS, USA
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 actual name because she could not provide it and she said that she had spoken to her leadership ashley and that they did not see this as a safety concerns and just because lots of other people had the same issue and mentioned it on a blog they were not able to help me. Now for me something that can cause a potential electrical fire for most people is a safety concern and the fact that this is a known issue with the Volkswagen Jetta and beetle models, it amazes me that VW customer care does not see it as there issue, brea was out of the auburn hills location in Michigan. This really needs further attention.
- Sterling Heights, MI, USA
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.
- Alamogordo, NM, USA
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.
- West Palm Beach, FL, USA
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 go unnoticed.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
The alternator cable melted the fuse block and the car almost caught on fire.
- Jupiter, FL, USA
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.
- Middletown, CT, USA
Battery fuse box melted. Engine overheated and cut off.
- Norfolk, VA, USA
Air conditioner stopped working. Found left fuse on fuse box on top of battery is black and melted.
- East Greenville, PA, USA
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.
- Massapequa Park, NY, USA
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 of travel. It would not turn over, and power accessories would not work. I was stopped on a very busy 2 lane back road, with no shoulders or side streets, uphill, on a blind hill. After 1 1/2 hours of white-knuckle directing traffic, and calls to: My auto club, and the local police; a local police officer, and a local tow truck showed up and gave me a lift to my repair shop. The mechanic's diagnosis of the problem was a partially melted fuse pack, that sits on top of the battery, and an overly resistive cable between the fuse pack and the alternator. The solution was: The cable end linked to the fuse pack was re-terminated, and the melted fuse pack was replaced. Between the tow and the repair, it set me back about $300. I also found a blog that listed many other VW owners with the same problem: forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4986219-fuse-box-above-battery-melting. I also discovered a class action law suit that was filed in 2012, that was based on this problem: gotaclassaction.com/Volkswagen-named-in-class-action-over-fuse-boxalternator-cable-assembly/. I hope that the current repair holds for the near future. Clearly, a fuse should blow before the overall fuse pack melts.
- Newtown Square, PA, USA
- Banning, CA, USA