RoadVitals

1998 Volkswagen Eurovan

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Jul 29, 2002
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Volkswagen Eurovan, most frequently naming the steering and visibility categories. 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 56 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Steering150.0%
  • Visibility150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE03015ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

ENGINE COOLING FAN BLADE SEPARATION

Opened Apr 15, 2003
Closed Aug 15, 2003

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE)03-015 ON APRIL 15, 2003, BASED ON THREE REPORTS ALLEGING THAT FAN BLADES SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINE ELECTRONIC COOLING FAN.ALL THREE VEHICLES WERE WINNEBAGO RIALTA CLASS C MOTOR HOMES BUILT ON A VOLKSWAGEN EUROVAN CHASSIS.DURING THE PE INVESTIGATION, VOLKSWAGEN PROVIDED 125 ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF FAN FAILURES.THE ADDITIONAL REPORTS INCLUDED 107 REPORTS ON RIALTA VEHICLES (ALL USING A SIEMENS MANUFACTURED COOLING FAN) AND 18 REPORTS ON EUROVAN VEHICLES (15 USING SIEMENS FANS AND 3 USING BOSCH FANS).AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS INVESTIGATION (EA03-013) HAS BEEN OPENED FOR FURTHER STUDY.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Visibility
Filed Jul 29, 2002

SINCE PURCHASE OF VEHICLE, CONSUMER HAS HAD TO REPLACE THE HEATER/AIR CONDITIONING FAN SPEED CONTROL RESISTOR TWICE. THE PREVIOUS OWNER REPLACED IT TWICE ALSO. THIS TIME THE MECHANIC STATED HE WAS CONCERNED THAT IF THE RESISTOR HEATED UP DUE TO A MALFUNCTION, THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE. *JG

NHTSA ID
566778
Steering
Filed Jul 3, 2000

CONSUMER WAS IN THE DRIVEWAY BACKING OUT, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN STEERING WHEEL CAME OFF. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND HE REPAIRED THE STEERING WHEEL.*AK THIS IS A NEW VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH IT IS ON A 1998 VOLKSWAGEN CHASSIS WINNERBAGO SOLD IT AS A NEW 1999 RIALTA MOTORHOME.

NHTSA ID
864671
Incident
May 1, 2000

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

V171901201285565

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards

V171901201285562

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

V171901201285560

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.

V941901201152119

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Update model year applicability to include 2023.

V271901201189422

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger. Updated to include additional model year applicability.

V171901201285534

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Update engine oil quality standard lists (attachments)

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Volkswagen Eurovan by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2004100—
2003151251.8
2002350245.6
2001211246.6
2000250139.9
1999170143.7
1998Viewing201—
1997141038.1
1996000—
1995600—
1994000—
1993823160.1
1992100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.