AFTER TAKING CAR IN TO BE SERVICED FOR AN OUT TAIL LIGHT IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE FUSE BOX WAS MELTING AND CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. SERVICE MANAGER AND INTERNET SEARCH SHOWS THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM THAT VW IS AWARE OF. *JS
2013
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WE RENTED THE VEHICLE FROM HERTZ AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WHEN WE PARKED THE CAR TO GO TO A RESTAURANT, WE COULD NOT UNLOCK THE DOORS AND THUS COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. WE PHONED HERTZ AND WERE TOLD WE COULD EXCHANGE THE CAR FOR A DIFFERENT CAR AT THE AIRPORT. ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT, WE KEPT SEEING SPORADIC WARNING SIGNALS ON THE DASHBOARD THAT VARIOUS DOORS WERE OPEN. THEY WERE NOT OPEN. THE ATTENDANTS AT HERTZ HAD TROUBLE UNLOCKING THE DOORS AS WELL. FORTUNATELY, WE CONTACTED OUR DAUGHTER BY CELL PHONE WHO DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE CAR ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THERE IS A HIDDEN KEYHOLE ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR THAT WAS COVERED BY A SNAP-ON PIECE OF MOLDING. OUR DAUGHTER WAS ABLE TO COMMUNICATE HOW TO ACCESS THE KEYHOLE TO THE HERTZ ATTENDANTS WHO THEN SUCCEEDED IN OPENING THE DOORS. THE WINDOWS WERE OPERATIVE, BUT WERE TOO SMALL FOR OLDER FOLKS LIKE OURSELVES TO USE AS AN EGRESS, CERTAINLY NOT WITHOUT HELP. THIS IS POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS SITUTATION SINCE IT COULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO EXTRACT PASSNEGERS FROM A VEHICLE THAT SUFFERS AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, PASSENGERS COULD ARRIVE AT A DESITINATION LATE AT NIGHT AND WITH INSUFFICIENT FUEL, AND FIND THEMSELVES UNABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR OR DRIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR HELP. *TR