The tire sidewall blew out. We were driving at 65 mph on an interstate highway in an urban area and had to change the tire in the triangular space between the highway lanes and an exit - very dangerous. These were sold as 60,000 mile tires, and this tire had 20,200 miles on it. It was maintained at proper pressure. Conditions were clear, dry, summer weather in Albuquerque, NM. The problem has not yet been confirmed by the service center, but we will be taking the damaged tire there because it is still under warranty. Tire size: 195 / 65 R 15
The worst 2002 Volkswagen Golf problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Airbags22
- Engine14
- Electrical11
- Lights11
- Visibility7
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags22
- Engine14
- Electrical11
- Lights11
- Visibility7
- Transmission4
- Body3
- Brakes3
- Fuel system3
- Seat belts3
- Steering3
- Tires2
- Locks1
- Seats1
- Suspension1
Recalls 3
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 07V063000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: hazard flashing warning lights: switch
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 04V584000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 02V031000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 2002 Volkswagen Golf
Defect investigations
Engine stalling
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 engine operated at reduced power.vw issued a customer satisfaction campaign (csc) on january 31, 2003 to instruct their dealerships to inspect the vehicles for any malfunctioning ignition coil packs and to replace them at no cost to the consumer.consumers were notified to bring their vehicles to their dealerships via owner letters mailed out on june 6, 2003.while vw initially instructed the dealerships to only replace the malfunctioning ignition coil packs, a revised csc was issued to dealerships in december 2003 and january 2004, instructing dealerships to replace all ignition coil packs regardless of their performance.a reminder to the dealerships was sent by vw on april of 2004.although the concerns of the petitioner could theoretically create a safety problem, the risk is very small, due to the engine still running on either 3, 5, or 7 cylinders.there are no reported crashes or injuries due to the alleged defect.once drivers are aware of the problem (loss of power due to one of the ignition coil packs malfunctioning), drivers are able to take precautionary and compensatory measures and still maintain control of their vehicles.in addition, four fires were reported to odi.these were ignition coil burnouts with no additional damage to the vehicle and were localized on top of the engine. During the last 24 months the number of stall and drivability complaints reported to odi has greatly diminished from a peak of 195 in january of 2003 to only 3 in august of 2005.this coincides with the csc released by vw.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
DP05004
Inadvertent side-airbag deployment
The subject vehicles are equipped with side-thorax and side-head curtain airbags to protect the front and rear outboard occupants in a side-impact crash.this investigation identified a total of 499 reports (482 owners reports and 17 warranty claims).the crash sensing system?s algorithm may recognize certain non-crash impacts (wheel, tire and undercarriage impacts) as deployable events.the 97 alleged injuries were minor in nature and consist of abrasions, bruises, ear ringing and headaches.there was no alleged loss of control crash as a result of side-airbag deployment.odi also obtained counts of alleged inadvertent side-airbag deployments from peer manufacturers.the data shows that the subject vehicles are not unique in being subject to such allegations.the complaint rate for non-subject individual model vehicles varies widely.the rate for the subject vehicles is comparable to three peer models, each with compact chassis/wheelbases.odi has not identified any component failure or manufacturing trend that may relate to a component or manufacturing issue.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
PE04081
Turn signal/hazard flasher failure
This investigation was opened on october 19, 2004, based on nine reports on 2000 through 2001 jetta and gti vehicles alleging that the turn signals and or hazard flashers fail to blink, or flash.some of the complainants reported that the lights would blink only a few times and then stop.several of the complainants reported that having the hazard flasher switch replaced repaired their vehicles.by letter of december 13, 2004, volkswagen notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall of 350,000 model year 2000 through 2002 jetta, golf and gti vehicles to repair the turn signal and hazard flasher system.vw reports 216 owner reports, 4 field reports and 4960 warranty claims on this population of vehicles. Volkswagen dealers will install a new hazard flasher switch/relay kit to remedy the defective vehicles.please see safety recall 04v584 for details.
PE04073
Technical service bulletins for the 2002 Volkswagen Golf 222
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
- Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
- Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
- Update model year applicability to include 2023.
- Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger
- This bulletin contains general instructions for software updates.
- Update engine oil quality standard lists (attachments)
- Tool number added to table
- Updated to include additional models and model year applicability.
- Parts are currently blocked from sale at this time.
2002 Volkswagen Golf fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9L 4‑cyl Diesel | FWD | 29-35 | 40-44 | 33-38 |
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 20-21 | 27-28 | 23-24 |
What 2002 Volkswagen Golf owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Certain conditions cause the electrics door locks to not function. When this happens, it is not possible to exit the car from the inside as the door handles are not operative creating a trapped situation potentially leading to injury or death if the case of a fire.
While driving at about 45 miles per hour, the side curtain and seat bolster airbags deployed on their own. There was no impact to the vehicle that preceded this incident. The airbags simply deployed by themselves. This seems to be a recurring problem with this generation of volkswagens: http://www.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/golf/2002/seat_belts_air_bags/air_bags-side_window.shtml
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen golf with a tdi engine. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact had to pop the clutch and kill the ignition, but the engine continue to operate until the vehicle ran out of fuel. The contacts mechanic inspected the vehicle and stated that the turbo charger seals were not leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 53,000.
Tl* the contact owns 2002 volkswagen golf. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start in rainy weather. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the ignition coil would need to be replaced. The contact located a voluntary manufacturers recall for the failure but was advised by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the voluntary recall. The failure mileage and current mileages were 150,000.
On saturday aug 7th I was driving my 2002 vw golf on the highway when the passenger side airbag deployed. The road was smooth with no bumps or potholes, nothing hit the car, it was totally spontaneous. Luckily there were no passengers in the car. I have contacted my local vw service shop and will take the car in so they can identify the cause of the deployment.
Passenger side curtain airbag deployed while traveling down the highway. No collision, consequences ringing in ears. Volkswagen made repair at no cost to me $3212.00.
Air bag light came on. When taken in for fix it was found to be a faulty switch in the driver side seat belt buckle. It was just recently replaced and so far no further problems.
While driving my wife was driving our 2002 vw golf the driver side window dropped. Turns out all over the internet there are complaints of the tabs holding the windows breaking. In fact when I was at the dealer I fellow overheard me and said he had the exact same problem on his 2001 vw gti. Vw had a tsb and extended the warranty by a few years on this but is should have been a recall. A window dropping is a huge safety factor for a number of reasons. The window is a protection device to shield you in an accident or from debris at 65mph and for your own personal safety if on the wrong side of town. I called the vw dealer to see if they would fix this problem they said yes they would fix it for free yet upon arriving I was told I was one month out of the extended warranty. The dropping of this window caused my wife to have to pull over on a busy expressway because she could not see in the rain with it blowing in her window. Once a gain a faulty window holding mechanism is a safety issue and should be a recall item.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen golf. While driving 70 MPH on the freeway, the passenger side air bag spontaneously deployed. There were no injuries, but the contact was concerned about the sudden explosion. He stated that the deployment occurred while he was using his cellular phone. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 70,000.
Compare the 2002 Volkswagen Golf
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Questions about the 2002 Volkswagen Golf
Is the 2002 Volkswagen Golf reliable?
Owners have filed 74 complaints about the 2002 Volkswagen Golf, 2.6 times a typical Golf model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2002 Volkswagen Golf year score?
The 2002 Volkswagen Golf scores 37 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Volkswagen Golf: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Volkswagen Golf?
Airbags, with 22 complaints, typically around 62,500 miles. Next is engine (14).
How many recalls does the 2002 Volkswagen Golf have?
3 recalls, covering exterior lighting and service brakes, hydraulic.
What year does the Volkswagen Golf have bad airbags?
The Volkswagen Golf model years with the most airbags complaints are 2001 (32 complaints), 2002 (22 complaints) and 2015 (21 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2002 Volkswagen Golf get?
Official estimates for the 2002 Volkswagen Golf range from 23 to 38 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.9L 4-cyl diesel, FWD) gets 29-35 city and 40-44 highway.
VIN decoder
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