2012 VW 2.0L (jetta a4) cooling fans got burned

hello everybody!! :woohoo:

I have a problem with my jetta its 2012, 2.0 automatic a4 :dry: ... I know that in some countries that car wasnt sold by VW but it has basically the same systems you could find on any VW a4 from the late 2000s. the problem is as follows....

while the car was turned off, I started smelling like burning wires, and I noticed that even smoke was coming out from the left fan motor... I was out so I decided to take the car back home....while I was on my way back, I noticed that the engine temperature was about 95-100 degrees (Celsius) and rising, (because the fans were not runing)... so I parked and waited for the engine to cool down, but then I noticed that the second fan motor was also starting to smoke too...
Ive seen videos and sugestions that the thermostat and or the coolant control unit´s relay could be faulty... but i dont think that would be the case, because either the fans would stay on the whole time or they wouldnt turn on at all, and they got burned, like if they got short circuited or something.... and as a side note those fans are very loud and I didnt notice them being ON on strange times or acting funny before they got burned...

I even took the battery off so it could stop smoking those motors.... I also checked the fuse over the battery (30 amps) and it was ok not even dirty...

I know that after a short circuit that big its quite probably that I have to change almost everything related to the cooling fans system, but im a little lost here and open to sugestions if anyone experienced such thing ..

also every other thing on my car works fine and im a little waffled as to why the fuse didnt pop out like it should and it just let the whole thing to burn... and I dont want to change everything just for it to get burned again soo heeeeelp! haha

cheers and thank you everyone!

First of all to reassure you are unlikely cooked the engine .
Most modern cars are designed to run a lot hotter than older models so 95 to 100c is in the normal range as 50% Coolant mixture boils at about 120c under pressure. On most cars the thermostat will keep the coolant at a miniumum 88 to 93cc even in freezing conditions. On a lot of cars the cooling fan will only come on at slow speed at 105c and in some cars the fan only runs at full speed (or the second fan cuts in) above 112c or even 115c.
On cars with AC switching the AC on will start a cooling fan running.

For two fans to burn out is strange are you 100% sure the smoke and smell was coming from the fans? and not a very small coolant leak when the radiator is under pressure?
Very fine coolant leaks when the system is hot and under pressure cannot usually be seen as once the hot coolant escapes to atmospheric it instantly flashes off into steam --- strange as it may seem dry steam is invisible.

With only basic tools the I would start with a visual inspection of the radiator and fan wiring and check the fans spin freely -- take great care do not put your fingers near the fan blades when the battery is connected. If I found nothing I would then check the ressistance of each fan with a DMM. If the ressistances were similar I would reconnect them and the start the engine and then turn the AC on full cold while ready to turn the engine off or pull the fuse or disconnect the battery if things go wrong. At least one of the fans should start when the AC is running. If no sign of distress I would switch the AC off and allow the engine to get hot enough to switch the fans in --- this will be surprisingly hot.

Beyond that without a diagnostic unit to command the fans on and off if you are 100% sure the smoke was coming from the fans change the fans -- but both fans failing at the same time seems unlikely to me as they should be able to run at full speed for extended periods.

Welcome to the forums!

I like Andy's suggestions, especially the part about checking the fans for debris or rubbing. I've seen cooked fan modules on other newer VW products due to the fan bearing failing, causing the fan blade to rub on the shroud.

The function of the fans with the AC on will tell us a lot about the condition of the electrical system.

Beyond that without a diagnostic unit to command the fans on and off if you are 100% sure the smoke was coming from the fans change the fans -- but both fans failing at the same time seems unlikely to me as they should be able to run at full speed for extended periods

I also found that peculiar. I thought of some other European designs where one fan is a motor which drives it's companion via belt, but this doesn't look like that set up.
I've only ever seen fans smoke when jammed up, I wonder if they turn by hand. I also like Andy's suggestion of checking for debris.
The fact that you say the fans are "very loud" when operation suggests that they may have been failing for some time now.