My 2004 Jetta TDI seat wamer caught fire, driver side.  I immediately turned the seat wamer off and smothered the fire with a towel.  Burned a hole about the size of a dime in my leather seat.  Tried to respond to Vlandic but you left no e mail address on your profile.  Obviously the seatwmer and electrical systems on the VW's have dangerous fire problems that need to be addressed by VW.  Regarding recalls, auto makers will not respond if they believe the problem is in a smaller percentage of vehicles sold.  Even if the problem could be linked to fatalities.  The only alternative is a Class Action suit initiated through an individual and a law firm willing to take on and organize the long fight.  Manufacturers know that the actual chances of that are slim.  It can take years for Class Actions to come before a Judge.  So the manufacturer frequently waits until the Class Action begins to develope before addressing the problem publicly.  But yes in the Board Room, they know about any problems that their vehicles have, you can be sure.   Your best chance is to appeal to the dealer for a 'Good Will' safety repair or to turn it in as a claim to your insurance company.  If the insurance companies receive enough specific like claims, they will take on the manufactuer in court - for sure. 

--- (Edited on 1/24/2007 11:42 am [GMT-0600] by livingstone) ---