NHTSA Complaint #10326935 — 2004 AUDI A6

I FILED A COMPLAINT ABOUT MY 2004 AUDI A6 IN DEC OF 2009. I REPORTED THAT MY BACK PASSENGER SEAT HAD ALMOST CAUGHT FIRE, AND WAS BURNT. BOTH MY SEAT CUSHION AND UPPER BACK CUSHION WERE BURNED. AT THE TIME I HAD NOT CONTACTED AUDI, YET FILED A COMPLAINT, BECAUSE I FELT AND STILL DO THAT THIS WAS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. SINCE MY LAST COMPLAINT I DID CONTACT BOTH MY DEALERSHIP (ROTH AUDI IN ERIE, PA) AND AUDI HEADQUARTERS AKA: AUDI CUSTOMER RELATIONS. THEY WERE VERY WILLING TO WORK WITH ME, SEEMED EXTREMELY CONCERNED AND SAID NOT TO WORRY BECAUSE I STILL HAD A WARRANTY LEFT ON MY CAR. WELL AFTER THE CAR RETURNED HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP THEY ONLY FIXED HALF OF THE PROBLEM! THE DEALERSHIP SAID AUDI TOLD THEM TO REPLACE THE BOTTOM CUSHION ONLY. THE DEALERSHIP PAINTED OVER THE TOP CUSHION AND I FOUND THIS OUT AFTER I BEGAN WIPING MY SEAT, BECAUSE I THOUGHT I HAD SMUDGE MARKS ON IT... NOPE PAINT WAS COMING OFF AND COULD SEE THE BURNED SEAT UNDERNEATH THE PAINT. I CALLED AUDI BACK, AND THEY HAD ME TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER TO BE ASSESSED AGAIN. AFTER 6 DAYS OR SO THE PERSON I HAD BEEN DEALING WITH FROM AUDI CUSTOMER RELATIONS CALLED TO SAY WE CANT REPLACE THAT PART OF THE SEAT BECAUSE THEY FOUND NO DEFECT IN THE HEATING ELEMENT. SO IN ESSENCE, THEY ONLY DID HALF OF THEIR JOB SINCE THE SEAT BURNED FROM ONE INCIDENT! I HAVE SINCE CONTACTED THE FTC, AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL RE: THIS ISSUE. I WILL NOT STOP THERE IF I DO NOT GET THIS RESOLVED. THE ENTIRE SEAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. CONSIDERING VW RECALLED MANY OF THEIR CARS FOR THE SAME REASON, AND AUDI IS OWNED BY VW I WOULD THINK THEY WOULD BE A BIT MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS. I HAVE VIEWED MANY FORUMS, AND FOUND THERE WERE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE WITH REGARDS TO THE HEATED SEATING EITHER CATCHING ON FIRE OF BURNING THE SEAT. I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF NHTSA IS HONESTLY LOOKING INTO THIS? THANK YOU. *TR