NHTSA Complaint #10761778 — 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

THE FIRST TIME MY RADIO CAUGHT ON FIRE, IT WAS THE SUMMER OF 2014. MY CAR WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT WHILE I WAS AT WORK. WHEN I ENTERED THE CAR TO DRIVE HOME, I TURNED STARTED THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A EXTREMELY LOUD SOUND, MUCH LIKE AN EXPLOSION. THE MIDDLE DASH WHERE THE RADIO IS LOCATED BEGAN POURING SMOKE. AFTER THE INCIDENT, I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, WHO "FIXED" THE PROBLEM (THEY REPLACED THE STOCK RADIO FOR ANOTHER VW STOCK RADIO). SPRING OF 2015, THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED. MY CAR WAS PARKED AT WORK, I STARTED THE CAR AND THE RADIO BEGAN POURING SMOKE. I AGAIN, HAD THE ISSUE "FIXED" BY THE DEALERSHIP. AUGUST 2015, AGAIN THIS HAPPENED AND SEPTEMBER 2015 AGAIN. WHEN I INSISTED THAT VW MUST FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE UNDERLYING ISSUE, THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM AFTER THE AUGUST 2015 INCIDENT. WITH THIS INCIDENT NOT ONLY DID THE RADIO BURN OUT, MY BATTERY WAS DRAINED OUT. THE EXPLANATION I WAS GIVEN WAS THAT THE POWER LINE TO THE RADIO WAS NOT SHUTTING OFF, THEREFORE THE RADIO WAS OVERHEATING AND THE BATTERY WAS BEING DRAINED. WITH THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT, I RECEIVED MY CAR BACK ON A MONDAY AND THE RADIO AGAIN CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED OUT ON THE FRIDAY OF THAT SAME WEEK.