2003 Volkswagen Jetta Seats Problems
Owners have filed 100 complaints with NHTSA about seats problems on the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 54,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “seat heater” (40% of reports).
- 100seats complaints
- 54,500median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 42mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 22%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Seat heater: mentioned in 40 of 100 complaints (40%)
- Caught fire: mentioned in 16 of 100 complaints (16%)
- Burned hole: mentioned in 15 of 100 complaints (15%)
- Heated seats: mentioned in 11 of 100 complaints (11%)
At what mileage do seats problems happen?
Based on 81 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 100 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 53 a fire, 42 an injury.
Volkswagen Jetta seats complaints by model year
| Model year | Seats complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Jetta | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2021 Jetta | 1 | 1% | 1,900 |
| 2020 Jetta | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2019 Jetta | 2 | 0% | 14,000 |
| 2017 Jetta | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2016 Jetta | 1 | 1% | 72,000 |
| 2015 Jetta | 8 | 4% | 45,000 |
| 2014 Jetta | 3 | 1% | 45,000 |
| 2013 Jetta | 2 | 0% | 12,500 |
| 2012 Jetta | 2 | 0% | 38,000 |
| 2011 Jetta | 3 | 0% | 80,000 |
| 2010 Jetta | 3 | 0% | 18 |
| 2009 Jetta | 9 | 1% | 77,800 |
| 2008 Jetta | 6 | 3% | 106,000 |
| 2007 Jetta | 11 | 5% | 87,500 |
| 2006 Jetta | 25 | 4% | 106,500 |
| 2005 Jetta | 3 | 1% | 68,000 |
| 2004 Jetta | 22 | 10% | 90,000 |
| 2003 Jetta | 100 | 22% | 54,500 |
| 2002 Jetta | 101 | 14% | 45,000 |
| 2001 Jetta | 27 | 4% | 49,000 |
| 2000 Jetta | 17 | 4% | 99,000 |
| 1999 Jetta | 7 | 2% | 107,000 |
| 1998 Jetta | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1995 Jetta | 5 | 2% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists seats for the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
When the seat heater is turned on, the seat catches on fire. When you look at the picture that is smoke coming from the seat, the holes were caused by the seat heater.
The electric seat heater malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat while in use. It no longer regulates. Dangerous for driving. Smelled like a fire!
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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Volkswagen Jettas have seats problems?
No. NHTSA has 100 owner complaints about seats for the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta (22% of the 456 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta seats?
No recall currently lists seats for this vehicle.
At what mileage do seats problems start?
The median reported mileage is 54,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about seats problems on the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta?
The most frequent phrase is “seat heater”, in 40 of 100 complaints, followed by “caught fire” (16).
Other 2003 Volkswagen Jetta problems
See all 2003 Volkswagen Jetta problems or seats problems across all Jetta years.