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2002 Volkswagen Cabrio

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →
23Owner complaints

Model-year median: 14.5

0Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
29
199916
200038
200123
2002
Compare all Cabrio years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Electrical System
9Air Bags
4Engine And Engine Cooling
3Exterior Lighting
3Visibility
3
All reported categories
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
2Structure
2Tires
2Engine
1Interior Lighting
1Power Train
1Seats
1Service Brakes, Air
1Steering
1Unknown Or Other
1Vehicle Speed Control
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 12 of 23 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports

Engine complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
50,213 miles · Aug 19, 2014
Electrical SystemEngineSteeringFire

WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE IT JUST STOPPED WOULD NOT START. WENT TO LIFT THE HOOD IT WAS HOT AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE HAD A FIRE. AT A VW DEALER FOR OVER 2 WKS AND THEY STILL CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT. SO FAR THEY SAID IT APPEARS ENGINE HARNESS FIRE HAD STARTED AT THE STARTER AND THIS PART IS DISCONTINUED THERE IS A REPAIR KIT. VW CLAIMS …

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WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE IT JUST STOPPED WOULD NOT START. WENT TO LIFT THE HOOD IT WAS HOT AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE HAD A FIRE. AT A VW DEALER FOR OVER 2 WKS AND THEY STILL CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT. SO FAR THEY SAID IT APPEARS ENGINE HARNESS FIRE HAD STARTED AT THE STARTER AND THIS PART IS DISCONTINUED THERE IS A REPAIR KIT. VW CLAIMS A LOT OF ITEMS MUST BE REPLACED AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO GUARANTEE IT WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM. YOU WOULD THINK YOU SEND IT TO A DEALER AND THEY COULD FIX IT BUT I GUESS NOT BECAUSE THEY CALLED ME TO TELL ME ALL THEY DID SO FAR HAS NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. I PURCHASED THIS CAR FOR MY DAUGHTER IN MARCH 2014 WITH 50,000. MILES. I KNOW THIS IS MY FIRST AND LAST VW I WILL OWN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10626270

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.