RoadVitals

2002 Volkswagen Passat Wagon Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
7
Latest Feb 20, 2018
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.
2
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Sep 4, 2012

What this page shows

Our database holds 7 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Volkswagen Passat Wagon. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

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

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–7 of 7

Fuel system
Filed Feb 20, 2018

FUEL LEAKING FROM FITTING ON TOP OF TANK NEAR FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT.

NHTSA ID
11073872
Incident
Feb 16, 2018
Mileage
135,000 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 6, 2017

DIDNT EXPLAIN FULLY THE FIRST TIME, SO HERE GOES. MY VW HAS ENGINE FAILURE, VW HAD A LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM SOME YEARS BACK BECAUSE OF A ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM. THE ENGINE RAN HOT BECAUSE IT WAS A TURBO POWERED ENGINE, PLUS NOT HAVING ENOUGH OIL TO KEEP IT COOL. CAUSING THE OIL TO BREAKDOWN AND MAKE SLUDGE WHICH CLOGGED UP THE OIL PUMP AND STARVED THE ENGINE OF OIL LEADING TO ENGINE FAILURE. THIS IS WHAT IM EXPERENCING RIGHT NOW, I HAVE ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO SLUDGE. VW LOST THAT LAWSUIT AND STILL WONT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DESIGN FLAW, IM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON MY CAR, IT RAN PERFECT. ALL MAINTENANCE RECORDS ARE DOCUMENTED, THE CAR IS IN ALMOST PERFECT CONDITION FOR A 2002. I WANT VW TO FIX WHAT THEY CREATED, I DONT HAVE 3000 DOLLARS TO BUY AN ENGINE FOR IT. ITS NOT MY DESIGN! I WAS DRIVING DOWN ATLANTIC AVE IN RALEIGH NC GOING 45 MPH WHEN MY ENGINE DIED, HAD TO PUSH MY CAR OUT OF TRAFFIC INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT.

NHTSA ID
10958738
Incident
Feb 22, 2017
Mileage
105,000 mi
Engine
Filed Feb 27, 2017

ENGINE FAILURE, CAR WAS DRIVING PERFECT NO PROBLEMS. ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STARTS VIBRATING AND SHAKING OUT OF CONTROL. CALLED MY MECHANIC HE TOLD ME TO BRING IT BY, I STARTED ON MY WAY TO DRIVE TO THE SHOP SO HE COULD TAKE A LOOK. CAR DIED 1 MILE FROM SHOP WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. I WAS GOING 45MPH WGEN IT FAILED, I HAD TO GET OUT THE CAR PUSH IT OUT OF TRAFFIC BY MYSELF. A VW PASSAT WAGON! HEAVY? YES VERY MUCH SO. GOT IT TOWED MY MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT AND SAID IT WASNT GETTIN ENOUGH OIL.

NHTSA ID
10957389
Incident
Feb 22, 2017
Mileage
105,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Jun 21, 2015

MOTOR VEHICLE LIGHT: ABS BRAKE LIGHT ON. MECHANICS TELL ME THESE COMPUTER ARE ALWAYS DEFECTIVE. REPAIR COST 750.00. MILEAGE 235,000. LOTS OF COSTLY REPAIRS. LIGHT CANNOT BE RESET SO I HAVE TO PAY THE ABOVE AMOUNT TO FIX IT AND BE ABLE TO RESELL IT. THIS ABS HAS BARELY BEEN USED. COMPANY SHOULD FIX IT [XXX]/ [XXX]@AOL.COM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *JB

NHTSA ID
10726421
Incident
Jun 2, 2015
Mileage
235,000 mi
AirbagsBody & structureBrakes
Filed Feb 10, 2014
Crash reported

I WAS DRIVING UP SOMEWHAT OF A HILL AND HAD TO SLOW DOWN DUE TO A BIT OF TRAFFIC FLOW. I HAD REALIZED I WAS A LITTLE CLOSER THAN I THOUGHT SO I BRAKED A LITTLE HARDER THAN USUAL. MY BRAKES WERE GRABBING ON TIGHTLY TO THE GROUND LIKE THEY SHOULD BUT THEN SEEMED TO HAVE GIVEN OUT AT THE LAST COUPLE SECONDS. MY CAR HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, RESULTING IN BOTH MY FRONT AIRBAGS GOING OFF. THE AIRBAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND SWUNG OUT AND HIT MY RIGHT HAND, RESULTING IN SOME MINOR BURNS AND SCRAPES. I THEN STARTED GOING BACKWARDS AFTER THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS HIT. I HIT MY BRAKES TO STOP MY CAR FROM ROLLING AND THERE WAS NOTHING. MY CAR WOULD NOT LET ME BRAKE. SO I WENT TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK, AND THEN THE CAR WOULD NOT PARK. FINALLY THE CAR STOPPED ROLLING BACKWARDS AND WE WENT TO GO MOVE THE CAR OUT OF THE STREET ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER. THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE AT THIS POINT, SO I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR OUT OF PARK AND PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. THE BRAKES ARE WORKING FINE NOW FOR THE MOST PART AND THERE HAD BEEN NO PREVIOUS BRAKE PROBLEMS. THERE WAS NEVER A LIGHT INDICATOR THAT SAID THAT MY BRAKES NEEDED TO BE CHECKED NOR HAD THEY FELT DIFFERENT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10563783
Incident
Feb 7, 2014
Mileage
96,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Apr 29, 2013
Crash reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT WAGON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED IN ORDER TO SLOW DOWN; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE THEN CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO PERSONAL INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 151,000.

NHTSA ID
10509823
Incident
Apr 10, 2013
Mileage
151,000 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Sep 4, 2012

LEFT REAR TIRE COMPLETELY SEPARATED AT THE SIDEWALLS , LEAVING 2 RUBBER RINGS AT EACH SIDE OF THE RIM, 3 INCH WIDE. CAR WAS GOING 65 MPH WITH NO LOAD, EXCEPT DRIVER. NO PRIOR PROBLEMS OR VISIBLE CRACKING. AIR PRESSURE WAS CHECKED BEFORE TRIP AND FOUND IN COMPLIANCE WITH CAR SPEC. *TR

NHTSA ID
10473787
Incident
Aug 30, 2012
Mileage
103,000 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .