A woman claims that the seat warmer in her Volkswagen malfunctioned, showing dramatic evidence to underscore her concern.
The video documentation comes from creator Hales (@haleyy.stevenson), generating more than 1.5 million views as of Monday morning.
In the short video clip, she shows a hole in her seat ringed with a clear char mark. There is also a white sweater next to it with telltale burn marks. The on-screen caption simply reads, "Seat warmer was too warm," accompanied by a red heart.
She notes in the comments section, "Guess I need pink seat covers to hide the hole now!!"
Progressive took on the issue of heated seats in an article. It explained that they work via a heating coil under the seat cover.
"When you turn on the heated seat, electricity from the battery flows to the heating coil in the seat cushion to warm it up," it notes. "Heated seats in some vehicles have thermostats built into them to prevent overheating. The thermostat works just like the one in your home. When the cushion reaches a specific temperature, it turns off, and when the seat cools down, it turns back on until it reaches the thermostat's temperature again."
The article also warns that leaving a seat on for too long could result in it getting too hot or malfunctioning and starting a fire. It also notes that people could develop "skin rashes, lesions, or burns" if they sit on a heated seat for too long.
A Canadian woman in 2013 had an issue with her Volkswagen Jetta's heated seats documented by the CBC. She claims she was driving with her toddler in the car when the seat malfunctioned, her jeans started to catch on fire, and she had to pull over.
"It’s just such a safety hazard to be in traffic with a fire on your seat," she said in a stunning understatement. "If I'd pulled into oncoming traffic ... there are just so many things that could have gone wrong."
VW Canada told her that while there was a recall on her 2004 model for this issue, it had already been repaired. Seemingly, that repair did not take, and the woman sought to warn others of the potential problem.
Consumer advocate Phil Edmonston, quoted in the same article, said this has been a longstanding issue not just exclusive to Volkswagen. He said, "Overheating seats, or seats that burn your butt, have been in the industry ever since they started giving it as an option."
Commenters were eager to share their views.
"New fear unlocked," one said.
Another reflected, "Maybe I won’t put mine on the highest setting anymore."
Someone else reported a utility for seat warmers: "My friend had seat warm[ers] to warm up her food when she will eat lunch in her car."
"This is something else," another chimed in. "I used heated seats ALL THE TIME!! This never happens. You should make the dealer fix this."
One commenter claimed allegiance to a different brand, remarking, "My Subaru seat warmer would not betray me like this."
@haleyy.stevenson guess i need pink seat covers to hide the hole now!!
♬ original sound - Boosie fade
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment and to Volkswagen via email.
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The post ‘New fear unlocked’: Volkswagen driver issues warning after using car’s seat warmer appeared first on The Daily Dot.
