2004 Volkswagen Passat seats problems
35 complaints about seats have been filed for the 2004 Volkswagen Passat, which is 10% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the 3rd most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 35 10% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 75,000 miles 26 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 13
- Injuries and deaths
- 14 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When seats problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 26 seats complaints that report mileage, the median is about 75,000 miles, and 35% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 13 fires, 14 injuries.
What owners wrote
Turned on seat heater to 1 while waiting for car to warm up. Noticed a burning smell and felt a hot burning sensation on my buttocks. Turned off seat heater and got out of the car. There was a 5/8' hole burnt through the seat with some smoke still coming out of it. The seat heater had been on less than 1 minute. Will contact dealer later today to resolve the issue. Cw.
I own a volkswagen passat 2004 model. On november the 11th 2008 after working the night shift at mbusi in vance, alabama, I got in my car to go home. I turned on the heated seat just as I have done for the past 4 years only this time I got more heat than I wanted. My heated seat caught fire and burned my leg. In attempt to extinguish the fire, I wrenched my back by stomping out the fire with my foot. I did not have anything close to me to use with my hands so they would not get burned.
Other problems reported for the 2004 Volkswagen Passat
- Engine 74 complaints
- Fuel system 62 complaints
- Transmission 31 complaints
- Electrical system 24 complaints
- Air conditioning & heating 20 complaints
- Lighting 19 complaints
- Brakes 16 complaints
- Body & structure 16 complaints