2002 Volkswagen Eurovan: problems, recalls and reliability
0 recalls and 35 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine and engine cooling (31% of complaints); the 2001 and 2003 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly
0
recalls
35
owner complaints
4
fire reports
69,000
typical failure mileage, mi
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
No recall campaignsOne of the most complained-about Eurovan years (#2 of 6, age-adjusted)Weak spot: engine and engine cooling (31%)4 fire reports
Common problems
Computed from 35 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
Engine And Engine Cooling (engine, radiator, overheating)31% · 11 complaints
Seats17% · 6 complaints
Electrical System (battery, wiring, electronics)14% · 5 complaints
Equipment6% · 2 complaints
Tires6% · 2 complaints
Engine (engine mechanics)6% · 2 complaints
“****note - need more information. Contacted consumer - 8/6/20**** problem: radiator fan blades are broken and/or missing. Radiator overheated. Took to vw dealer today, and was told fan blades were broken and/or missing.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2020
“The front passenger seat heater burned through the seat fabric. The burn-through location is on the vertical surface of the seat, mid-line, at about the lumbar height. Please refer to the attached photograph. A passenger was seated in the aforementioned seat when the burn-through occurred. The vehicle was in motion at highway speed at the time of the burn-through, but the passenger was not injured.”Owner report · Seats · Dec 2015
“2002 winnebago mounted on a volkswagen euro van chassis. Consumer writes in regards to loosing one of the fasteners to a wheel rim *tgw the volkswagen dealer provided the consumer a replacement wheel bolt that was 25% shorted than the factory bolt (30mm long versus the original 40 mm long). When questioned. The parts employee indicated the shorted bolt was specified for the 2002 eurovan. The consumer then contacted winnebago to see if the eurovan was modified to handle the extra weights of the motor home, and thus longer wheel bolts were necessary to keep the wheel on the vehicle. Winnebago informed the consumer that chassis questions needed to be referred to volkswagen.”Owner report · Wheels · Nov 2012
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen euro van. Whenever the contact drove the vehicle at 35 mph the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the engine fan blades broke. The current and failure mileages were 73300.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jan 2010
“I traveling approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel and engine compartment of my 2002 vw eurovan began to shake violently. An inspection revealed that a piece of one of the of the two radiator fans was missing. The missing piece did not go through the radiator. *tr”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jul 2009
“Heated front passenger seat smoldering. No fire. Manufacturer will not correct. Out of warranty. Passenger seat heating element previously replaced under extended vehicle warranty. Heating element burned through cloth fabric. I believe this to be a manufacturer defect that does present a fire danger and there should be a recall. *tr”Owner report · Seats · Jan 2009
“Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen eurovan. Before the vehicle was driven off the dealer's lot, the air conditioning motor failed. The dealer charged $1,512 to have it replaced. The current and failure mileages were 56,965.”Owner report · Equipment · May 2008
“Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen eurovan. The contact noticed vibration in the steering wheel and heard a noise coming from the engine compartment. The failures would occur only when the engine was running. The cooling fan failed, but the vehicle did not overheat. The speed was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 112,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Aug 2007
“Radiator fan blade exploded/partially disintegrated without warning. VIN [xxx] had only 16000 miles on it, and no work has been done to the engine to disturb the fan blade. *tr updated 07/10/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · May 2007
“Radiator fans disintegrated while driving and made a hole in radiator. This is a vw eurovan 2002, and there was a recall on this for model years 1998-2000. Vw has refused to include mine in the recall. The repair cost $2060. *nm”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jul 2006
When filing, owners marked a crash in 0 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2002 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
Body stylesVan
How other years compare
Check your exact Eurovan by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan reliable?
NHTSA has 35 owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns on record for the 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan. The most complained-about area is engine and engine cooling (31% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2002 Volkswagen Eurovan problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 69,000 miles or less.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.