2002 Volkswagen Jetta Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Jetta years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 702 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. That ranks 3rd out of 32 Jetta model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (148 complaints, 21%), typically at around 34,000 miles. Complaints mention 31 crashes, 71 fires, 75 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 7 defect investigations involving it.
- 702owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 7NHTSA investigations
- 31complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 Volkswagen Jetta problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 148 | 21% | 34,000 | “ignition coil” (25%) | — |
| Air Bags problems | 108 | 15% | 50,000 | “side curtain” (20%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 104 | 15% | 50,000 | “catalytic converter” (8%) | $1,700 |
| Power Train problems | 103 | 15% | 70,000 | “automatic transmission” (14%) | $6,100 |
| Seats problems | 101 | 14% | 45,000 | “seat heater” (37%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting problems | 50 | 7% | 71,358 | “brake switch” (44%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 46 | 7% | 65,050 | — | — |
| Visibility | 45 | 6% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 19 | 3% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 17 | 2% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 17 | 2% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 15 | 2% | 13,909 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 12 | 2% | 44,660 | — | — |
| Suspension | 10 | 1% | 79,751 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 10 | 1% | 87,371 | — | — |
| Steering | 8 | 1% | 71,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 7 | 1% | 93,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 1% | 118,750 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 1% | 64,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 1% | 142,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 1% | 102,272 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 3 | 0% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 0% | 6,682 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 0% | 12,043 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 2 | 0% | 24,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 0% | 183,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 20,480 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 24,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 Volkswagen Jetta recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.
Risk: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on april 27, 2007, and will be conducted in several staggered mailings through september 21, 2007. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the vin number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with automatic or manual transmissions and cruise controls, a brake light switch on these vehicles may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly during safety recalls 03v-265 or 04v-096.
Risk: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on november 27, 2006. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the vin number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.
Exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the hazard switch and flasher system function may degrade over time because of distortion and material transfer of the contacts of certain hazard switch relays which occurs due to substantially increased electrical current load from higher wattage turn signal bulbs.
Risk: This may result in intermittent or inoperative turn signal and hazard flasher function.
Fix: Dealers will replace the hazard flasher switch/relay kit. The recall began on march 31, 2005. Owners should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, a brake light switch on these vehicles may malfunction.
Risk: If this happens, the brake lights could become inoperative, or come on and stay on, even though the vehicle is parked.
Fix: This recall has been superceded by 06v-183. Owners who have had a remedy performed under this recall should return to their dealer for the redesigned remedy. Owners should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Problem: On some passenger vehicles, short circuits can occur within the electronic control unit of the anti-lock braking system (abs).
Risk: This can result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the abs control unit. Owner notification began march 8, 2002. 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Brake light switch failure (RQ06004) — opened Feb 28, 2006, closed Aug 7, 2006, led to recall 06V183000.
- Engine stalling (DP05004) — opened Aug 11, 2005, closed Dec 8, 2005.
- Inadvertent side-airbag deployment (PE04081) — opened Dec 16, 2004, closed Apr 1, 2005.
- Turn signal/hazard flasher failure (PE04073) — opened Oct 19, 2004, closed Dec 16, 2004, led to recall 04V584000.
- Driver side front seat overheats (EA04010) — opened Mar 30, 2004, closed Oct 21, 2004.
- Brake light switch (RQ03010) — opened Dec 17, 2003, closed Mar 1, 2004, led to recall 04V096000.
- Driver seat overheats/burns (PE03052) — opened Nov 19, 2003, closed Mar 30, 2004.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I was driving on the freeway and the airbags deployed. No one hit me and I don't hit anyone.
While the vehicle is in motion, it "jerks" or makes a shaking movement. While the vehicle is in motion, the "door ajar" light stays on although all doors have been opened and closed. While stationary, the vehicle brake light is not working. While stationary and in motion, the vehicle's check engine…
While maintaining speed at or above 40 mph and with 1/4 tank or less of fuel remaining, my jetta will consistently stall out and turn off from fuel starvation. This has happened to me between 40 and 80 mph several times, both in the city and on the highway. I have replaced the crankshaft position…
Known melting fuse box on top of battery. From schematics, appears s180 fuse (coolant fan) as predominant point of failure. Issue has been reported (via web) across numerous models and years. Called vw for fix; as techs appear void of a general consensus to problem/fix. Unfortunately, vw refuses to…
Simply wanted to let you know that my daughter rear ended another car at 40mph and completely crunched in her front end (car is totaled), but the airbags did not deploy. We didn't think anything of it until the state farm agent mentioned that she had airbags on the car.
Other Volkswagen Jetta years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Jetta | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 Jetta | 30 | 2 |
| 2024 Jetta | 45 | 0 |
| 2023 Jetta | 43 | 0 |
| 2022 Jetta | 43 | 1 |
| 2021 Jetta | 69 | 4 |
| 2020 Jetta | 54 | 6 |
| 2019 Jetta | 549 | 11 |
| 2018 Jetta | 31 | 2 |
| 2017 Jetta | 159 | 6 |
| 2016 Jetta | 161 | 4 |
| 2015 Jetta | 194 | 7 |
| 2014 Jetta | 387 | 4 |
| 2013 Jetta | 517 | 4 |
| 2012 Jetta | 500 | 5 |
| 2011 Jetta | 607 | 7 |
| 2010 Jetta | 852 | 4 |
| 2009 Jetta | 889 | 6 |
| 2008 Jetta | 188 | 4 |
| 2007 Jetta | 201 | 4 |
| 2006 Jetta | 580 | 4 |
| 2005 Jetta | 248 | 4 |
| 2004 Jetta | 231 | 2 |
| 2003 Jetta | 456 | 2 |
| 2002 | 702 | 5 |
| 2001 Jetta | 668 | 6 |
| 2000 Jetta | 439 | 4 |
| 1999 Jetta | 349 | 6 |
| 1998 Jetta | 192 | 2 |
| 1997 Jetta | 54 | 1 |
| 1996 Jetta | 31 | 1 |
| 1995 Jetta | 220 | 4 |
See all Volkswagen Jetta problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.
Similar Volkswagen models
Embed this 2002 Volkswagen Jetta badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta?
Owners most often report electrical system, air bags, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 148 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Jetta model years, the 2002 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.