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2002 Volkswagen Passat Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 636 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Volkswagen Passat, most often about the electrical (35% of complaints, typically around 14,500 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Passat model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2002 Volkswagen Passat problems
Electrical
220 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 14,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring, alternator/generator/regulator, horn.
2002 vw passant. I am told that all late 2001 and all 2002 models with 4 cylinder engines where supplied with defective ingition coils. This has resulted in my car breaking down three times. It either spontanisly (sp) loses power or loses all power and the car shakes. This is potentially deadly in high traffic…
2002 vw Passat, 1.8t has been returned to dealer for defective coil. This is the second coil failure in as many months. There are a total of four coils which are in the words of vw service deaprtment to be of poor qualitity and should be replaced in total. Vw corporate refuses to allow the dealers to replace all at…
Engine
148 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
The engine check light came on, and then smoke started coming out of the tail pipe. Consumer later had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and they found out that there was oil sludge in the engine. The dealer asked for maintenance record. Dealer told the consumer they would not provide service until all receipts were…
Tl contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat and smoke. The contact pulled off the road, waited until the vehicle cooled down, and drove to the nearest dealer. The mechanic stated that the primary fan had burned out. He also stated that it was a very common failure with…
Fuel system
73 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery, fuel injection system.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 08v156000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery) and immediately called the dealer. The contact was informed that they would repair the vehicle according to the remedy; however, if the heat shields and another…
The contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who inspected the vehicle and stated that there was a small fuel leak on the filler neck. The vehicle was included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id…
Brakes
64 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 64,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, power assist, disc.
About 9 months ago I was caught in a heavy rainstorm with my 2002 Passat 1.8t. Water flooded the battery compartment due to drainage hole located under the battery clogged with leaf debris. All power (steering, brakes, etc.) was lost and car stalled out on the highway. Now the car's brakes are malfunctioning in…
The contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Passat. The contact stated that the brake pedal was extremely stiff and would not respond when depressed. The contact applied the parking brake and the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the brake booster would have to be replaced. The…
Lights
33 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 55,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, turn signal, brake lights, fog lights.
Passenger original low beam light failed. Brought into dealer and problem was determined to be a melted wiring harness. I observed the harness behind the bulb and it was melted. Dealer replaced the harness. This was the original bulb and had never been serviced. Taking with the dealer he said they had replaced several…
The headlight lens on my Passat have become "clouded" over time resulting in reduced brightness from the headlamps and creating an unsafe driving condition at night. In discussing the issue with other Passat owners, it's clear that this is a common problem. The reduced brightness has become a true safety hazard over…
Body and structure
30 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
1) interior of car floods (3rd incident in 4 years)-first incident 11/2003 2) don't know what impact the pooling water has on integrity of vehicle 3) dealer claimed to have repaired problem.
2002 Passat began thumping and lurching while in motion and while idling. Check engine light came on. Acceleration was abnormally slow. Three inches of standing water appeared in right rear footwell. Dealer informed me acceleration problem was due to water in TCM. Tcm short circuited and then powertrain dropped. Water…
Visibility and wipers
27 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 46,500 miles. Parts named most often: sun/moon roof assembly, defroster/defogger/hvac system, windshield wiper/washer, windshield.
: the contact stated there was a leak from the sunroof that went under the floor mat on the passenger side affecting the computer that controlled the vehicle. It was taken to the service dealer, who determined a new computer was needed.
2002 Volkswagen Passat defective sunroof. Consumer states that she didn't drive the vehicle for one week and when she started driving it, there was a sloshing noise. She noticed the entire rear floorboard was flooded with water. The dealer informed the consumer the problem was inherent and there was definitely a…
Transmission
25 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: driveline, automatic transmission, axle assembly, manual transmission.
Dt: the check engine light came on while vehicle still under warranty, but the dealer said there was nothing wrong. After owning the car for one year the transmission had to be replaced. But it still transmission not work properly. . It jumped into gear. Also, the engine air bag, and thermostat lights kept coming on.…
Took car (2002 Volkswagen Passat) to local dealer for 65,000 mile service at which time they found a deteriorating axle problem. Informed by dealer that usually this issue is associated with a design flaw. Car out of warranty and repair was performed. In turn contacted volkswagan customer service department and was…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2002 Volkswagen Passat recalls
Fuel system: delivery
Risk: A heat shield that may contact the exhaust system can result in a vehicle fire. In addition, a fuel leak from a fuel line or fuel tank ventilation valve, in the presence of an ignition source, can lead to a vehicle fire.
Fix: Dealers will install additional underbody heat shields on vehicles with automatic transmissions to cover the possibly damaged areas and flash all 1.8t engines with a precautionary software update. Dealers will also inspect and adjust the fuel line routing on 1.8t vehicles and the fuel tank ventilation valve on 4motion/all wheel drive vehicles, and replace components if necessary free of charge. The recall began on june 13, 2008. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen is recalling 412,000 my 1999-2005 passat (5th generation) vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and produced after june 14, 1999. These vehicles may have an underbody heat shield that can become damaged. In addition, affected vehicles with automatic or manual transmissions may have a fuel line (1.8t engines only) or fuel tank ventilation valve (4motion/all wheel drive only) that can leak due to fracture.
Wheels and tires: tires
Risk: These vehicles should have been equipped with tires having the load rating index 97h.
Fix: Dealers will replace all four tires with the proper size tires. Owner notification began september 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
Certain sedans and station wagons equipped with 4.0l w8 engines fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." the affected vehicles are equipped with tires of the maximum load rating index 93h; however, they should have been equipped with tires with the load rating index 97h.
Fuel system: filler pipe and cap
Risk: Fuel leakage can occur increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will fit passat vehicles with a new wheel house liner that will better protect the car's filler neck. Jetta vehicles will be fitted with a different metal shield designed to enhance abrasion protection in the event of tire disintegration. Owner notification began june 13, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
On some passenger vehicles, the fuel tank filler neck can suffer abrasion damage if the rear tire goes flat and the vehicle is driven until the tire disintegrates.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine compartment fire
Summary
In july 2010, the agency opened pe10-027 to investigate allegations of coil on plug (cop) ignition coil fires in my2002-2003 vw passat vehicles.the investigation was upgraded in january 2011 to include all my2001-2007 4-cylinder vw passat, gasoline, turbo-charged vehicles.based on the analysis of vw's response, and including odi's consumer complaints, odi has since identified 135 unique engine fire reports attributable to the cop coils.after further review of the details as contained in each report, odi determined that 43 of the 135 fire reports were actual fire/flame incidents, 83 fire reports were thermal events (smoke, spark, heat or wire melt), and another 9 fire reports were undetermine
Engine compartment fire
Summary
Odi has received 11 complaints alleging that a fire started in the engine compartment of the vehicle that may be related to ignition coil failure, and 9 complaints of ignition coil failure that did not result in a fire.reports state that the vehicle hesitated or lost power, and the check engine or dashboard lights illuminated.the vehicles were repaired by replacing the faulty ignition coil(s). Some of the complaints indicated that the ignition coils were replaced more than once.the scope of pe10-027 focused on model years (my)2002-2003 passat vehicles.volkswagen provided data regarding their analysis of the vehicle fires and faulty ignition coils for these vehicles as well as other my passat
Fuel tank leak
Summary
Volkswagen (vw) is recalling certain vw passat 4motion and audi a6 quattro and allroad quattro all-wheel drive passenger cars.vw vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from november 22, 2000 through may 31, 2005 and audi vehicles subject to recall were manufactured from june 2, 2001 to june 1, 2005.the NHTSA recall number for the vw vehicles is 08v-156 (vw also is correcting defects related to heat shield and fuel line hazards for these vehicles and for 1999-2000 passats in this recall action.)the NHTSA recall number for the audi vehicles is 08v-157.since 2006, odi has received 17 complaints of fuel leaking from the subject vehicles' fuel tanks.the 400 complaints shown above may includ
Passenger engine compartment fires
Summary
The manufacturer notified NHTSA on 04-apr-08 that a safety recall action would be initiated to remedy the issue.in june 2008, the manufacturer issued a technical service bulletin (code 26e5/r5) regarding the specific procedures to be employed in this campaign.vehicle owner notification letters were sent beginning approximately june 13, 2008.the campaign was assigned NHTSA no. 08v-156.this recall affects all my 1999-2005, 5th generation gasoline-powered passat sedans and station wagons.approximately 412,000 vehicles are affected.corrective action will consist of installing additional exhaust system heat shielding to mitigate the potential thermal effects of engine ignition problems.based on t
Passenger/engine compartment fires
Summary
Many of the fire reports allege that the vehicle fire was attributed to ignition coil failure.vw provided additional data regarding its analysis of vehicle fires and a detailed description of the three different engines and ignition systems for the subject vehicles.odifinds the need to further investigate this issue.to facilitate acquisition and analysis of additional information, this investigationhas been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea07-014).
Water/ice in brake booster
Summary
During this investigation, volkswagen of america (vw) identified a problem with water accumulation in the fresh air plenum that could, in certain circumstances, result in reduced brake power assist in model year (my) 2002 passat vehicles.vw indicated that problem is caused by leaves and other debris clogging the plenum drains, which may result in water filling the plenum to the level of the brake booster air intake.the booster air intake is located in the fresh air plenum in the my 2002 passat vehicles, but not in the my 2001 or 2003 vehicles which draw booster air from the cabin.vw testing showed that brake assist could be reduced if water enters the booster and freezes.vw is addressing the
Engine stalling
Summary
By letter received on june 24, 2005, mr. Ronald m. Strickland of raleigh, nc, submitted a petition requesting that the agency investigate the performance of the ignition coil plugs on model year (my) 2000-2003 volkswagen jetta, golf and passat sedans.the petitioner alleges that he had experienced multiple stalling events as a result of one or more ignition coil plugs malfunctioning on his 2002 vw jetta sedan.as a result of the engine stalling, the petitioner experienced a loss of power steering and increased braking efforts when he pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road to control the vehicle.after a few minutes parked on the shoulder he was able to restart the vehicle although the
Passenger air bag lid failure
Summary
This investigation involves the volkswagen (vw) passenger supplemental inflatable restraint (psir) lid utilized in my 1998-2002 vw passat.the psir lid may detach from the instrument panel during air bag deployment.the office of defects investigation (odi) of the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) opened the preliminary evaluation on may 23, 2003 to determine whether alleged psir lid detachment presents an unreasonable safety risk to passengers in the vehicle.odi?s investigation reveals that detachment of the psir lid during air bag deployment may occur for two reasons: 1) the shape of the psir lid, and the length of the attaching tether, may snag the air bag during deploy
Passenger sir door mounting stud failure
Summary
Odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe03-021) based on two reports of failed bolt studs that attach the passenger supplemental inflatable restraint (psir) door cover to the instrument panel (ip) on the volkswagen (vw) passat (model years 2000, 2002).vw has indicated to odi that it has no additional reports.vw implemented a process change on march 1, 2002.this process change consisted of changing the bolt application that fastens the psir door to the ip from a weld on application to a press on application.vw also changed the material of the bolt.vw stated that the changes were made to ease production by eliminating a welding process.odi has upgraded its investigation to engineering analysis
Questions about the 2002 Volkswagen Passat
- What are the most common problems with the 2002 Volkswagen Passat?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (220 complaints, typically around 14,500 miles); engine (148 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); fuel system (73 complaints, typically around 90,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2002 Volkswagen Passat have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 7, 2008 (fuel system). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2002 a bad year for the Volkswagen Passat?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Passat model year since 2000, with 636 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.