NHTSA Complaint #10145534 — 1995 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

I WAS ON MY WAY BACK TO GALVESTON FROM HOUSTON (ON I-45) WITH MY SPOUSE AND A TEN MONTH OLD SON IN OUR 95 VOLKWAGEN JETTA GLX VR6. AFTER CROSSING THE LAND BRIDGE, I SUDDENLY FOUND A DENSE WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM MY VENTILATION PORTS AND A DIFFERENT SMELL STARTED COMING. I COULD HARDLY SEE THE ROAD. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT IT MUST BE THE HEAVY DEW (HUMIDITY) ADSORBED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THEREFORE, I SLIGHTLY INCREASED THE TEMPERATURE RANGE OF THE HEATER BUT THE SITUATION BECAME WORST. THE CAR WAS WITH A SPEED 55 MPH. I SENSED THE DANGER IN CONTINUING TO DRIVE AND I PULLED OVER, OTHERWISE I COULD HAVE CRASHED. I WAS TOO SCARED AS MY FAMILY WAS WITH ME. I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I ALSO SAW THAT THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE INDICATOR WAS FLASHING. THEN I REALIZED THAT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT MUST HAVE GONE WRONG. I CLEANED THE WINDSHIELD AND SLOWLY REACHED HOME AS I WAS VERY CLOSE TO GALVESTON. IT WAS A NIGHTMARE FOR ME. I THANK GOD THAT NOTHING WRONG HAPPENED. THE NEXT DAY, I CONTACTED THE AUTO MECHANICS TO ASK WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND TO ESTIMATE THE COST TO FIX IT. HE TOLD THE HEATER CORE BROKE AND REPAIR IS VERY COSTLY. I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THE PRICE. HE ADVISED TO BY PASS THE HEATER. SO I DID. NOW, MY CAR IS WITHOUT HEATER. IN THESE COLD DAYS I CAN''T TAKE MY FAMILY OUT ANYWHERE. I HOPE MY EXPERIENCE WILL HELP THE OTHER DRIVERS IN THE STATES SPECIFICALLY THOSE WHO ARE DRIVING SIMILAR CAR AS MINE. I ALSO HOPE THAT THE PART WHICH FAILED ON MY CAR WILL BE RECALLED AND GET FIXED. I PRAY NOBODY SHOULD GET IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION AND MENTAL STRESSES I WENT THROUGH. *JB