Heated seat melted a hole right through to my leg

TurboTurtle

New member
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Location
Canada
TDI
2004 tdi Jetta
Hello, i know this topic has been brought up before but i didn't seem to find anything recent. I purchased my 2004 tdi jetta in 2015 and the first winter i attempted to use the seat heaters and i noticed a horrible burning smell and turned off the seat heater. When i got out of my car i looked at the seat and there was a melted hole right where my leg had been (luckily it didn't burn me) when i bought my car the VW dealer mentioned the seat heater malfunction but told me mine had already been done...which is obviously not the case. I took my car to another local VW dealer and they told me the seat heater was never an actual recall and they cannot do anything for me due to the mileage on my car which is now over 410,000 km. Is there anything i can do or am i just stuck without a seat heater unless i feel like burning myself? Should i just get a used seat from somewhere or is it likely the problem will occur again?
Help is appreciated!:)
 
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Nero Morg

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Location
OR
TDI
2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
As found in another post... Probably your best bet.

Just call VWGoA, give them your VIN #, they will tell you if recall was done. Also explain your problem. Suprisingly they sometimes will be on your side. 1-800-822-8987 Don't trust the dealer in what they say.
 

steve6

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2010
Location
Beaverton, ON
TDI
2003 jetta tdi
A 2002/2003 or newer is needed due to the side impact air bags, but its an easy swap. Make sure the keys off when doing it or the airbag light will come on
 

Nero Morg

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Location
OR
TDI
2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
You can swap out just the seat cover and cushion without unbolting the whole frame from the car, thus eliminating the need to mess with air bags.
 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
Correct me if I'm wrong someone, but when replacing airbags (which is basically what you're doing when swapping seats) don't you need to turn them off with vcds, hook them up and then re-activate them again in vcds? Also, is it not standard practice to have the car's battery disconnected while un-hooking/hooking up the connectors?
 

Nero Morg

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Location
OR
TDI
2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
Correct me if I'm wrong someone, but when replacing airbags (which is basically what you're doing when swapping seats) don't you need to turn them off with vcds, hook them up and then re-activate them again in vcds? Also, is it not standard practice to have the car's battery disconnected while un-hooking/hooking up the connectors?
Standard practice, yes, but not for our cars if you have VCDS. Turn off, swap, turn back on. Clear codes if present. In the manual it even says to disable with VagCom
 

Jnoelle

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2023
Location
Minneapolis
TDI
Eos
Looking for advice, please!
My daughter’s 2012 Eos heated seat just burnt through the leather and her brand new winter coat! The holes are about a quarter sized. Will a dealer replace the seat and her coat? It’s obvi old, but her first car.
 

CanadianALH

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2023
Location
Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta 5spd 2006 Jetta DSG (wifes)
Looking for advice, please!
My daughter’s 2012 Eos heated seat just burnt through the leather and her brand new winter coat! The holes are about a quarter sized. Will a dealer replace the seat and her coat? It’s obvi old, but her first car.
Likely not. I tried to get mine done and they said no. Maybe call Vw customer service not the dealer but unlikely unless it’s an open recall.
 
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