Dt: caller had a heavy duty truck. Caller said he could not stop the vehicle in an emergency if the brakes failed. Caller had it in the shop several times. The dealer told him they could not find what was wrong with it. Manufacturer said to take it to a local dealer, who guessed at what was wrong and replaced parts, but they never solved the problem.*ak the consumer stated the jake brake was very weak. Updated 12/07/05
The worst 2002 Volvo VNL problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes1
Recalls 7
Steering: linkages: drag: link: connection
- What is wrong
- Volvo trucks is recalling certain model year 2001-2006 vnl and vnm trucks manufactured with a trw sealed drag links. Certain factors can exist, which if left untreated may result in a ball socket separation.
- Risk
- Ball socket separation at the drag link results in complete loss of steering, and therefore can result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the ball socket or the drag link as required if necessary. As parts are limited, volvo trucks mailed an interim owner letter on september 2, 2010. The safety recall began on february 14, 2011. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 10V282000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
- What is wrong
- Volvo trucks is recalling 127,764 my 2001-2008 vhd, vnl, vnm, and my 2005-2008 vt trucks. A seal may fail allowing water and contaminants to seep into the windshield wiper motor.
- Risk
- If this happens a short circuit may occur, which over time could possibly lead to a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Volvo will replace the wiper motor free of charge. Since this recall involves a large number of vehicles, volvo will release the recall in stages as parts are received. Priority will be given to the vehicles located in the regions/states that have a corrosive environment. The recall began on september 30, 2009. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 09V173000 · Recall details
Equipment: recreational vehicle/trailer
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy-duty trucks, when the bunk is raised into the stored position, an object left on the bunk may inadvertently turn on a bunk lamp.
- Risk
- This could possibly result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a bunk lamp with a push button on/off switch. Owner notification began on december 24, 2003. 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 volvo truck at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 03V516000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks, the wiring harness connected to the chassis mounted electrical inverter may allow water to enter the inverter and cause an electrical short in the inverter.
- Risk
- This could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these vehicles. Owner notification is expected to begin during august 2003. Owners should contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 03V260000 · Recall details
Trailer hitches: fifth wheel assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with jost international jsk 37u series fifth wheels, a fatigue crack can develop in the bracket pin weld under certain loading conditions.
- Risk
- If left undetected or corrected it could lead to the separation of the fifth wheel top plate from its mounting structure, possibly resulting in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the bracket pins and repair instructions free of charge. 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 jost international at 616‑846‑7700 or by email to [email protected] or volvo truck at 800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 03V204000 · Recall details
Suspension: front
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with truck hub units manufactured by skf exclusively for use on arvinmeritor's ff98x series non-drive steer axles, the hub unit bearings can wear prematurely.
- Risk
- Seizure of the bearings can cause wheel separation or wheel end fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace all front axle hubs. An interim notice to owners was mailed on june 25, 2003. Final owner notification began on october 6, 2003. 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 volvo at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 03V199000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: tail lights: switch
- What is wrong
- Certain heavy duty class 8 trucks fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the two tail lamps, back-up lamp,and license tag lamp were mounted on insufficiently rigid mounts.
- Risk
- It may not allow the driver of a rearward approaching vehicle to have full view of the lamps.
- Remedy
- Dealers will attach the two tail lamps, back-up lamp, and the license tap lamp on stiffer brackets. Owner notification began october 31, 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 volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 02V238000 · Recall details
See all 7 recalls for the 2002 Volvo VNL
Defect investigations
Volvo Sleeper glass de-bonding
ODI opened Recall Query RQ11-001 after a review of EWR Field Reports identified lower bunk window separations on the subject vehicles.Volvo had issued three recalls for sleeper window separations since 2003.Additionally, Volvo had issued two bulletins for sleeper window issues during the same time period.The frequency of related actions led ODI to open this formal investigation.An Information Request (IR) letter was sent to Volvo on 23 June 2011.Volvo responded on 17 August 2011 and then provided updated warranty information on 9 January 2012.Volvo provided production change data and warranty information which was correlated to vehicle build month and failure date.ODI analyzed the data to determine if additional production time frames should have been included in previous recalls.ODI also requested information from its network of fleet owners.The response from this network reaffirmed the accuracy of the updated warranty information.Based on the information and data received, ODI has concluded that all production periods have been appropriately addressed by Volvo's previous recalls and no additional recall action is required at this time.
RQ11001
Drag Link Failure
EA09-003 is closed with the submission of Volvo's recall 10V‑282 recalling approximately 111,034 Model Year (MY) 1998 through 2005 VN and VNL class 8 trucks.Volvo announced recall 10V‑282 in response to the federal safety agency's recall request letter dated June 3, 2010 (available at the federal safety agency's web site . the federal safety agency found that these vehicles were designed and manufactured with a TRW ball joint that does not meet the combined performance requirements and foreseeable inspection practices of the U.S. market.The ball joint in the steering system that connects the driver's side steering arm/knuckle to the drag link can fail resulting in a total loss of steering on the vehicle.Volvo changed the size and supplier of the ball joint used on these vehicles starting with the 2006 MY vehicles.The failure rates on the vehicles manufactured with the larger ball joint are significantly less than the subject vehicles.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by ODI that no safety defect exists in the vehicles that are not included in Volvo's recall.ODI will continue to monitor the incidence of drag link failures in other MY Volvo trucks.Note:The recall request letter dated June 3, 2010 associated with this investigation describes 49 incidents of ball joint separation.After a comprehensive review of the data it was discovered that the number of separations that the federal safety agency was aware of was 41 with a failure rate of 36.9 R/100K.The 41 separations resulted in 23 crash allegations.
EA09003
Integral hub and bearing assembly
The companies involved in this matter are: skf (hub mfr), arvinmeritor (front axle mfr), and volvo (manufacturer of class viii tractor/trucks).skf identified manufacturing defects for specific build dates on front axle hub and bearings (wheel bearings) supplied to arvinmeritor.as a result, arvinmeritor notified volvo of axles supplied with possible defective front hub assemblies.as a result of that notification, 433 trucks are being recalled by volvo for defective front axle wheel bearings which may fail in such a way that a wheel separation or wheel bearing fire occurs.see attached summary report for additional details.
PE02095
Technical service bulletins for the 2002 Volvo VNL 66
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- CBR: Volvo VHD & VN Models
- Barksdale Leveling Valve, Leak Test
- CBR: Programming Failure
- Engine Control Module (EMS) Software (MSW) Information – August 2022; Improvement List (Change Log)
- Warranty Automated Manual Transmission ( AMT, I-Shift, mDrive ) Control Housing Assembly; Guidelines For...
- (Back Office)
- DTC U012100
- Programming Failure
- AMT Control Housing Bench Testing
- Volvo Chassis
What 2002 Volvo VNL owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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Questions about the 2002 Volvo VNL
Is the 2002 Volvo VNL reliable?
Owners have filed 1 complaint about the 2002 Volvo VNL, fewer than a typical VNL model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Volvo VNL?
Brakes, with 1 complaint.
How many recalls does the 2002 Volvo VNL have?
7 recalls, covering steering, visibility and equipment.
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