Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2001 Volkswagen Eurovan submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
RELIABLE INTERNET AUTOMOTIVE SOURCES HAVE LISTED EXCESSIVE WEAR OF THE INTERMEDIATE (BALANCE SHAFT) VALVE TIMING CHAIN SPROCKET IN EARLY 2001 24-VALVE VR6 ENGINES. THE INADEQUATELY HARDENED SPROCKET TEETH WILL VEER EXCESSIVELY, SUCH THAT CHAIN "JUMPEDS" A TOOTH AND SINCE THE VR6 IS AN "INTERFERENCE" VALVE-TRAIN ENGINE, THE ENGINE WILL ESSENTIALLY BE IRREPARABLY DAMAGED. *TR
ENGINE COOLING FAN BLADE FAILURE. THE LARGER OF THE 2 FAN BLADE WHEELS HAS A LARGE MISSING PIECE WHICH HAS SOMEHOW DISINTEGRATED WITHOUT ANY REASONABLE EXPLANATION. I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EUROVAN ENGINE COOLING FAN BLADE, HOWEVER A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED, WHILE THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE RIALTA, WHICH USES THE SAME FAN AS THE EUROVAN. *TR
TRAVELING WITH TWO OTHER RIALTA MOTOR HOMES VISITING JOSHIA TREE NP WHEN I HEARD A BANGING SOUND LIKE SOMETHING HITTING UNDER MY RIALTA. I IMMEDIATELY NOTED AN INCREASE IN WATER TEMPERATURE AND THEN THE RED WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, OPENED THE HOOD, BUT COULD NOT SEE A BUSTED HOSE, BUT THERE WAS ANTIFREEZE ON THE GROUND. I HAD A SPARE GALLON WITH ME AND FILLED THE RESERVOIR TO RECOMMENDED LEVEL, DROVE ABOUT 3-4 MILES AND HAD TO REPEAT PROCEDURE. AGAIN I WENT ABOUT 3-4 MILES AND HAD TO USE WATER THIS TIME. A PARK RANGER GAVE ME THE NAME OF A REPAIR SHOP IN TWENTYNINE, PALMS WHICH WAS ABOUT 3 MILES AWAY. I REFILLED THE RESERVOIR WITH WATER TO GET ME TO THE SHOP. UPON INSPECTION, A HOLE WAS FOUND IN THE RADIATOR. WHEN THE COOLING SYSTEM WAS DISMANTLED, ONE COOLING FAN HAD COMPLETELY DISINTEGRATED AND THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE SHROUD APPARENTLY WHERE PART OF THE FAN BRACKET THAT HAD BROKEN OFF WENT THROUGH THE SHROUD INTO THE RADIATOR. PARTS HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR, SHROUD, BRACKET AND ONE NEW FAN. THE OTHER FAN HAS A CHIP OUT OF ONE BLADE BUT IS NOT BROKEN. A FRIEND TOLD ME OF A RECENT RECALL FROM VW (ASSIGNED RECALL NO. 04V-107) REGARDING FAILURE OF THE ENGINE COOLING FANS, WHICH MAY FRACTURE AND BREAK APART. I HAVE ALSO NOTED THAT THE BRACKET PARTS NUMBER HAS CHANGED FROM 7D0-121-206A TO A 7D0-121-206D. ONE CAN DEFINITELY SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO, WITH THE LATER BEING REDESIGNED AND REINFORCED. I PURCHASED THE RIALTA IN APRIL OF 2001. THE BRACKET, SHROUD AND RADIATOR ARE AVAILABLE, BUT I PREFER NOT TO CARRY THE RADIATOR WITH ME DUE TO SPACE CONSTRAINTS AND WEIGHT. I AM TRAVELING FOR AT LEAST TWO MORE MONTHS. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IA WINNEBAGO RIALTA ON A VOLKSWAGEN ENGINE. THE REPAIR SHOP MAY RETAIN THE RADIATOR IF NECESSARY. BAILEY'S AUTO REPAIR AND TOWING. TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA 92277. 760/367-7716. ASK FOR FRED. *TR
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING SMOKE WAS SMELLED. THE SMOKE WAS DISCOVERED COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. THEY DETERMINED THE SEAT HEATER BURNED THE SEAT. THE HEATER AND SEAT WERE REPLACED. AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, WHILE DRIVING HOME THE ENGINE BLEW AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED AND DETERMINED THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED; HOWEVER NO ADDITIONAL REPAIRS WERE MADE.
INTERMEDIATE DRIVE GEAR WHICH CONTROLS CAM SHAFT AND VALVE TRAIN FAILED DUE TO NON HARDENED METAL . TOTAL FAILURE OF ENGINE WAS TO ENSUE, ACCORDING TO VOLKSWAGEN(MAKER OF VEHICLE), IF DRIVEN FURTHER. THE CAR WAS BEING USED TO TRANSPORT MY FAMILY TO SEATTLE ,WA FROM SANTA ROSA,CA. THE FAILURE OCCURRED 500 MILES FROM HOME AND 75 MILES FROM NEAREST DEALER. WAS ADVISED BY VW THAT A VW DEALER MUST SERVE AS THE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER . THE FAILURE OCCURED IN WINTER AND WITH VIRTUALLY NO WARNING--THE "CHECK ENGINE " LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE MADE A GROANING SOUND. THE VAN (EUROVAN 2001) WAS TRANSPORTED BY TRUCK TO CORVALLIS,OR FOR REPAIRS. VEHICLE IS PRRESENTLY STILL THERE AND UNDERGOING GEAR REPLACEMENT. I WAS TOLD BY THE VW SERVICE ADVISOR AT CORVALLIS THAT VW HAD BUILT AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF ENGINES WITH THIS DEFECT BUT DID NOT KNOW IN WHICH VEHICLES THEY WERE PLACED. THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION HAS 27,000+/- ORIGINAL MILES ON ENGINE AND ALL SERVICES RECOMMENDED BY VW WERE MADE AT VW DEALERSHIPS. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER.*AK
AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR FAILURE AT JUST OVER 25,000 MILES. OTHER VOLKSWAGEN EUROVAN DRIVERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR FAILURES, INCLUDING SEIZING OF THE COMPRESSOR, IMMEDIATE LOSS OF THE COMPRESSOR DRIVE BELT, AND A RESULTING LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.*AK
VW USED PLASTIC IN THE EUROVAN'S OIL FILTER HOUSING. DURING TWO OIL CHANGES (5,000 MILES AND THEN AT 64,000 MILES) THE PLASTIC OIL FILTER HOUSING WAS CRACKED DURING ROUTINE OIL CHANGES WHICH THEN CAUSED OIL LOSS AND SUBSEQUENT ENGINE DAMAGE/FAILURES. AS A RESULT OUR EUROVAN HAS SPENT 5 MONTHS IN THE SHOP FOR ONE ENGINE REBUILD AND THEN ONE ENGINE REPLACEMENT!*JB
THE ENGINE FELL FROM THE VEHICLE DUE TO A MISSING BOLT, ALSO THE TRANSMISSION WAS INOPERATIVE. *JB THE CONSUMER FOUND THAT THE ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT PRIOR TO PURCHASE. THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON, THE CONSUMER'S DAUGHTER HEARD A LOUD RATTLE AND VIEWED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. ON ANOTHER OCCASION WHEN THE CONSUMER HAD COME TO AN INTERSECTION, WHEN ACCELERATED, THE VEHICLE HAD MADE A NOISE THEN WOULD NOT MOVE. THE BOLTS HAD SPRAYED OVER THE ROAD. SCC
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.
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