2000 Volkswagen Eurovan
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Owner complaints
25 complaints1 involved a fire1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Seat belts · Seats
I was driving in town on a city street on my way to church and the drivers side seat heater burned through and melted my coat a little bit. My back felt burned a little bit but went away after awhile so I did not have any lasting pain. But my good church coat was left with a slighty melted area on it. The passenger side did not burn because the heater doesnt work anymore.
- Fuel/propulsion system
The issue with the vehicle IS that an excessive amount of pressure and heat builds up inside the gas tank while driving at any speed and to even a greater extent when in stop-n-go traffic or sitting in the parking lot idling. The result IS that when opening the gas cap from hot fumes and fuel…
The issue with the vehicle IS that an excessive amount of pressure and heat builds up inside the gas tank while driving at any speed and to even a greater extent when in stop-n-go traffic or sitting in the parking lot idling. The result IS that when opening the gas cap from hot fumes and fuel spray out after running the vehicle for less than an hour. There are no check engine lights or checks in place to warn or prevent this from happening. It IS a major safety concern! I have been working with the VW dealer for over one year now but still no resolve. Under the direction of VW of america their certified mechanics have systematically replaced almost all of the components relating to the fuel system but to no resolve. At this point the problem still persist and the dealership IS reluctant to acknowledge that the gas tank IS actually heating up even though they have reproduced the results in their shop. I do have a video of the problem in action but am unable to share that with you through the document uploading system. By the way I am the original owner of the vehicle and have always had it serviced at the certified VW dealership.
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Fan for cooling the air conditioning unit (in engine compartment) blew apart, damaging electronic components adjacent to it. the other fan (for engine cooling) failed last year. *tr
- Equipment › Mechanical › Carrier/rack
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 volkswagen eurovan. the contact stated that the metal bracket, which holds the luggage rack onto the vehicle, was rusted. the manufacturer was notified and stated that it was caused by the weather. the current mileage was 90,000 and failure mileage was 30,000. updated 10/18/07 *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
Engine cooling fan on driver's (left) side broke and lost a piece, causing the fan to become unbalanced. the lack of balance caused severe vibration in the car. car IS currently in the shop for repair (replacement) of the fan. *tr
- Seat belts › Rear/other › Buckle assembly
My kid pulled on his seat belt to fasten it, and the male latch came detached from the belt. the latch IS made by trw-automotive, the world's largest provider of seat belt systems. it has the following identification: 0006 5980 trw. the seat belt that failed IS a lap-belt only (center-seat).…
My kid pulled on his seat belt to fasten it, and the male latch came detached from the belt. the latch IS made by trw-automotive, the world's largest provider of seat belt systems. it has the following identification: 0006 5980 trw. the seat belt that failed IS a lap-belt only (center-seat). the latch consists of two sliding metal parts and a plastic cover. when the plastic cover breaks, the belt comes loose from the male latch. the seat belt can fail in a crash resulting in injury from the crash. I reported this to VW customer care, 800-822-8987. they entered it into their database, and told me to go to a VW dealer to get a repair. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
My wife, on a recent drive from no. California to southern ca noted an unusual sound from under the hood. No overheating or other issues though. When she stopped she noted one of the plastic radiator fans was broken in multiple pieces. since she was away from home I told her to go to the local…
My wife, on a recent drive from no. California to southern ca noted an unusual sound from under the hood. No overheating or other issues though. When she stopped she noted one of the plastic radiator fans was broken in multiple pieces. since she was away from home I told her to go to the local dealer for repairs. They decided the entire fan assembly had to be replaced, and that the radiator had to be replaced as well. the parts alone were about $2300 total repair for this about $2900. when they returned the car she found that the ac was no longer working. So back to the dealer. They stated the ac compressor was bad (btw the ac worked well prior to the radiator event) so the compressor and evaporator/dryer were replaced another $1200 approx. then upon returning home to no. Cal. The ac still didn't work. Now we went to the local dealer and they stated the high and low pressure hoses to the ac were bad and needed to be replaced, parts alone $750 the dealer in long beach did kick in $300 for the labor and $150 for the freon recharge. the story continues... then the ac failed again. This time I noted that the right fan was rewired improperly and running backwards. This was rewired by the oakland dealer and thus far the ac seems to be working though sometimes it IS loud. The initial fan disintegration IS a defect and this has lead to a constellation of problems requiring new fan, new radiator, new ac. A radiator fan should not spontaneously disintegrate at 60.000 miles. This defect has been reported multiple time on your website and this should be a covered defect in these vehicles. *Jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
2000 volkswagen eurovan engine cooling fan broke apart.*mr while driving the vehicle began to vibrate violently. the consumer pulled off to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. upon inspection he noticed that one of the cooling fans had broken. the consumer did some research about found…
2000 volkswagen eurovan engine cooling fan broke apart.*mr while driving the vehicle began to vibrate violently. the consumer pulled off to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. upon inspection he noticed that one of the cooling fans had broken. the consumer did some research about found out that 1998-2000 eurovans had been recalled for the exact same problem but the consumer's vehicle was not included due to vin. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
Three times in the last 3 years (2003-2005) I have had to replace my engine cooling fans on a 2000 VW eurovan, twice because they exploded. in each case additional damage was incurred due to the flying pieces of fan. the VW dealers (in nj, va/fl, and pa) asserted that there was no history of this occurring, despite correspondence between VW and nhtsa in 2003. *nm
- Exterior lighting › Brake lights · Exterior lighting › Headlights · Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer
Dt:i brake light will come on . when the brake light comes on the headlights go off/the windshield wipers stop functioning, and air conditioner (a/c) stops. The new dealer could not find cause of the problem, and claimed that it was normal. It was happening quite frequently. consumer has…
Dt:i brake light will come on . when the brake light comes on the headlights go off/the windshield wipers stop functioning, and air conditioner (a/c) stops. The new dealer could not find cause of the problem, and claimed that it was normal. It was happening quite frequently. consumer has teenage children, and if this had happened on the interstate,one of my children could have died. If headlights had been turned on, and if I consumer pulled on them high beam would stick and stay on. Consumer would only have high beams. also, the windshield wipers will come on. *ak
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner
Air conditioning (a/c) failure. the ac system in my volks eurovan has failed three times over the last three years. each time it has been $1400 repair. I have talked to other eurovan owners and they are having the same problem. in fact the local dealership service center told me VW needs to…
Air conditioning (a/c) failure. the ac system in my volks eurovan has failed three times over the last three years. each time it has been $1400 repair. I have talked to other eurovan owners and they are having the same problem. in fact the local dealership service center told me VW needs to recall these vans because it IS a chronic problem. I called VW USA and they didn't offer any service. the van ac has failed on the following dates. dec 02, june 04, and mar 2005. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
I am an owner of 2000 volkswagon camper owner. My engine cooling fans came apart. I would like to know why it IS not recalled. in may 2004, I received from volkswagen a sticker to put at the side of the hood for warning the engine cooling fans may cause personal injury. It was not a recall notice.…
I am an owner of 2000 volkswagon camper owner. My engine cooling fans came apart. I would like to know why it IS not recalled. in may 2004, I received from volkswagen a sticker to put at the side of the hood for warning the engine cooling fans may cause personal injury. It was not a recall notice. on july 4 weekend, I planned with the family from san francisco to central california shaver lake for a retreat. We drive up on route 168. Suddenly we heard a loud noise from our 2000 VW camper. We ask each other what it was. We thought it might be something we hit underneath the camper. We still continued on our way. Within few minutes, another loud noises again. We know that must be something wrong with the camper. We pull to the side and I could hear a hum sound that I never heard before. I open the hood and found some hard-plastic parts near the hood. There were two fans and the noise was come from the fans. Both fans were incinerated except the center hub still spinning we have carefully watched the temperature gauge and drove to fresno, I brought to VW deal for repair in the morning but they do not have the part. We drove the camper back to san francisco on the freeway without stopping and watch the temperature gauge. I ran the internet to find out about the problem with the VW cooling fan. It had happened before. A recall was initiated in april 2004 on VW winnebago rialta, which IS similar with my camper with eurovan chassis except with wider body. the fans IS enclosed with hood on top, radiator at the front, engine at the rear, plastic pan at the bottom and body chassis on both side. There IS not way something will hit it and cause the damage to the fans. I glad that I did not stop and open the hood after the first noise. The second fan may break right then and the fracture parts might fly out and cause me serious injury. *ak
- Electrical system › Wiring · Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
Simultaneous failure of insulation on many wires in driver's door wiring harness caused sparks, and electrical malfunction of power windows, power locks, dash lights, and license plate lights. heat from excessive current and sparks could have resulted in fire. accident could have been caused by…
Simultaneous failure of insulation on many wires in driver's door wiring harness caused sparks, and electrical malfunction of power windows, power locks, dash lights, and license plate lights. heat from excessive current and sparks could have resulted in fire. accident could have been caused by driver leaning over to passenger side in order to operate passenger window. other problems such as dead battery, engine failure, or security failure could also be caused by defect.defect appears to be in design of wiring harness which flexes at the exactly the same point when door IS opened and closed combined with poor quality material used for wiring insulation. insulation has cracked and split apart on many of the wires in the door wiring harness allowing bare copper to come into contact randomly from wire to wire.*ak
- Electrical system › Wiring › Front underhood · Visibility › Power window devices and controls
Power windows failed to operate. This was caused by an electrical fire in the wiring harness that burnt the insulation.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling · Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Power steering fluid
Consumer stated that while he was driving cooling fan disintegrated and broke into a thousand pieces, and a piece got lodged in the power steering fan belt. this caused consumer to lose power steering. he called the manufacturer but could not get help. Consumer was told they would have to charge him at the tune of $1000.00 to repair the problem.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
Cooling fan blade broke into pieces, causing a piece to wedge between the serpentine belt, causing lack of power inside of vehicle. *ak pieces of the cooling fan blade also cut the electrical wires and vacuum lines. *ph *nlm
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
Our rialta 2000 HD had a catastrophic fan failure on june 6, 2003. the incident occurred in late afternoon while the temperature outside was above 100 degrees. the a/c was running full speed and we were ascending the siskiyou summit south of ashland, or. the first symptom was a thud as if we…
Our rialta 2000 HD had a catastrophic fan failure on june 6, 2003. the incident occurred in late afternoon while the temperature outside was above 100 degrees. the a/c was running full speed and we were ascending the siskiyou summit south of ashland, or. the first symptom was a thud as if we had run over something, but there had been nothing in the road. I saw what might have been a piece of one of the fans bouncing in the road behind us. fortunately there was not a vehicle directly behind us. any such close following vehicle could have been hit by this piece of engine debris. within seconds we noticed the a/c failing and the engine temperature climbing. we pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine. hot steam was coming from under the hood. the steam was from the coolant overflowing in the coolant reservoir and contacting the hot engine. the vehicle was not drivable. one or both of the fans had flown apart. both fans had lost all blades. pieces of the fan were at the bottom of the engine and on top of the protective pan. the flying debris had damaged the radiator and fan bracket (fan shroud). VW customer care said there were no records of other rialtas or euro-vans experiencing this type of failure. we have all our repair receipts. we took pictures of all the damaged parts. we kept the radiator, fan shroud, the two fans, and all pieces of fan blades we could find. at least one of the pieces of fan blade has a fracture line where it has not yet broken. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
Driving up the mountain during afternoon and primary cooling fan self disintegrated into pieces which knock off secondary a/c fan and caused overheat. After letting engine cool off, reconnected secondary fan and continue on trip for another 30 miles, then aair conditioning fan also self…
Driving up the mountain during afternoon and primary cooling fan self disintegrated into pieces which knock off secondary a/c fan and caused overheat. After letting engine cool off, reconnected secondary fan and continue on trip for another 30 miles, then aair conditioning fan also self disintegrated. Vehicle IS a 2000 VW eurovan conversion to winnebago rialta 2001 with 15,000 miles. If replacement are done by dealership, the same problem will continue to happen unless this fan problem are investigated by nhtsa and mandatory recall issued and replacement with better fans done by dealerships. Due to most of this disintegration happens during climbing uphill, overheating, cutting of hoses and cutting of wiring and loss of vehicle are possible, thus possess real danger for anyone which has these vehicles. Simple replacement of same type of fans will not solve the problem as it will only happen again down the road. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
On june 13, 2003 both of our rialtas electric cooling fans self destructed after staring the descend down eagle ridge mountain in tn. After a few scary minutes my wife successfully navigated the rv to safety with my two young children and sister aboard. because of the missing blades the unit…
On june 13, 2003 both of our rialtas electric cooling fans self destructed after staring the descend down eagle ridge mountain in tn. After a few scary minutes my wife successfully navigated the rv to safety with my two young children and sister aboard. because of the missing blades the unit continued to vibrate excessively for five minutes until it cooled down. Twenty minutes later my wife was able to restart the vehicle and everything appeared to be working in idle until the cooling fan attempted to start its cooling function again. My wife called a tennessee highway helper who stopped to look at the unit and immediately noted the missing fan blades and called for a tow. The rig was towed to VW of chattanooga tennessee who upon inspection determined it needed new fan blades which they did not have in stock. To help expedite the parts I also called dealers looking for parts. after contacting 5 VW dealers and sally eberle at VW; per your winnebago's service department recommendation, it became apparent that neither company acknowledged a historical problem with that engines designed cooling system. Mrs. Eberle mentioned that the engine IS designed to automatically shut down during a cooling fan failure. Luckily this was not the case during our descend down mt eagle. after contacting many VW parts departments I was surprised to find that they normally stock a replacement fan assembly for my particular vin number. off the web I have also made contact to date with two other rialta owners out of six who have experienced the same problem. Two of them have concerns about the safety of their repaired rialta. 1.) IS my unit safe? 2.) most important - has the problem been fixed??? *Jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
The vehicile was being driven up a hill on a typical august day here in austin, texas, when the right coolant fan blades disintegrated. The fan and motor assembly was replaced. Then 97 miles later the left collant fan blades disintergrated while pulling into a parking space at 5 miles per hour or…
The vehicile was being driven up a hill on a typical august day here in austin, texas, when the right coolant fan blades disintegrated. The fan and motor assembly was replaced. Then 97 miles later the left collant fan blades disintergrated while pulling into a parking space at 5 miles per hour or less. The second fan and motor assembly was replaced. Then I discovered that the right coolant fan was running counter to its correct operating direction. The motor direction was corrected by reversing the electical connector on the right coolant fan, thus correcting the polarity of the motor, but only after hours and miles of driving to find the solution. I believe that the coolant fans are defective as to design, manufacture, and materials and here IS why: 1. An attempt was made to design the electrical plug so that it would join its receptor in only the correct polarity direction, but the present design IS insufficient for the plug can be forced to connect with the incorrect polarity. Several design changes would indiviulally or collectively make an incorrect connection impossible. 2. There IS no separaton barrier between the two coolant fans such that debris from one fan blade failure can impact the adjacent fan blade probably causing damage to the second fan balde. The lack of such a barrier IS a defect in design. 3. The fan design of seven blades with an integral molded perimeter shroud, the selection of materials for the fan blades and shroud to-wit, plastic, and the manufacture of the fan part are all defective for coolant fans should last the life of the vehicle so long as there IS no physical injury to the blades. There was none in this case. These coolant fans disintegrated in the course of normal operations and under normal conditions. Dt
- Unknown or other
Consumer states that while driving in the daytime, the driver IS unable to read the instrument panel, this can cause serious problems due to the important information provided on the panel. mr the consumer states that the driver can't determine the speed, locate the gear position, gas, temperature, and switch to judge mileage. scc
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan
There are (2) electric motor fans which went into an overspeed condition when van was driven through high altitudes. fans disintegrated, causing engine to overheat. please describe details.*ak
- Visibility › Windshield
While driving 70 mph driver's rear side window shatterered for unknown reason. Dealer was notified. Feel free to provide any further information.*ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Drum
The vehicle currently has about 71,000 miles. On 10-9-01, it was inspected by mcnevin VW in berkeley, ca at 65,456 miles. The front brakes were said to have 80% remaining and the rears had 70% remaining. I took it to an independent mechanic at 70,558 miles and he said the front had less than 50%…
The vehicle currently has about 71,000 miles. On 10-9-01, it was inspected by mcnevin VW in berkeley, ca at 65,456 miles. The front brakes were said to have 80% remaining and the rears had 70% remaining. I took it to an independent mechanic at 70,558 miles and he said the front had less than 50% and the rears were at 20%. Since I've owned the van I've had the brakes replaced twice with the third today, 11-29-01. I called the berkeley dealer and he referred me to VW of america. The latter refused any assistence or information why this has happened so often. When I was notified the car needed new brakes at 27,866, I asked why so soon. The answer was that the camper conversion was too heavy for the existing brakes and I should expect to replace them at least every 30,000 miles. This wasn't revealed to me when I purchased the vehicle. The next change was 26,030 mile later. Now they need replacement at 16,800 miles later. The independent mechanic has used all certified VW parts. Approximately 60% of my driving IS long distance freeway with little braking. About 40% IS city driving at slow speeds with no panic braking. I do not drive with my foot on the brake and am very conscious of using the brakes because of the problem. I hope you can give me some direction in trying to find a reasonable solution with this other than selling the vehicle. In less than two years I will have spent approximately $1,800 for new brakes. Thankyou for your help. *ak
- Latches/locks/linkages
The latch on the poptop completely fell apart as we were driving on a highway at 50 mph. (we had only used the latch about a dozen times.) the safety back-up latch temporarily prevented the poptop from activating. we had to find the various parts. *Ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Engine cooling fan blade separation
The office of defects investigation opened a preliminary evaluation (pe)03-015 on april 15, 2003, based on three reports alleging that fan blades separated from the engine electronic cooling fan.all three vehicles were winnebago rialta class c motor homes built on a volkswagen eurovan chassis.during the pe…
The office of defects investigation opened a preliminary evaluation (pe)03-015 on april 15, 2003, based on three reports alleging that fan blades separated from the engine electronic cooling fan.all three vehicles were winnebago rialta class c motor homes built on a volkswagen eurovan chassis.during the pe investigation, volkswagen provided 125 additional reports of fan failures.the additional reports included 107 reports on rialta vehicles (all using a siemens manufactured cooling fan) and 18 reports on eurovan vehicles (15 using siemens fans and 3 using bosch fans).an engineering analysis investigation (ea03-013) has been opened for further study.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10253215Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253214Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253213Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10252204Air Conditioning Does not Operate
- 10243034VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243011VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242996VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242399VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242375VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242372VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242349VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10241340Engine Oils Which Meet Volkswagen Oil Quality Standard VW 502 00/505 00/505 01 and VW 504 00/507 00
- 10241339Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241335Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241333Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241311Gasoline Quality
- 10241266Squeaks, Rattles, Noise, Repair Materials
- 10241265Fuel Additive to Help Prevent Sporadic Misfire Faults
- 10241177Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
- 10239831Battery, Testing and Charging Using Midtronics VAS6161, MCR340V, InCharge 940, or GRX3000 Charger
- 10239789To detect which line(s) is inoperative, utilize a volt meter to check for 0 V, which will be present after the open in the grid line. The check must be performed with the engine running and heated rear window switched on. Switch OFF the ignition and visually locate the damage. Proceed with checking any other lines as necessary. Once the damaged line is identified, repair utilizing the Repair kit by Permatex ITEM 09117.
- 10239592Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239591Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239590Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239541Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.Only)
- 10239534HVAC, Unpleasant Odor
- 10239533HVAC, Unpleasant Odor
- 10239532HVAC, Unpleasant Odor
- 10239403If key blade is found to stick or bind when opening or closing, check position of roll pin that secures key blade to mechanism. If roll pin is sticking out on either side (as shown below), do not replace key. Instead, use appropriate sized punch and hammer to drive in the roll pin so that it is flush with edge of mechanism.
- 10239270Volkswagen Warranty Policies and Procedures ? April 2014
- 10239262In SAGA, the time units for the Volkswagen DoubleCheck labor operation were reduced in error from 50 time units to 30 time units during the system update posted on July 4th.
- 10238972The use of tire dressing gives your tires that shiny finish that completes the image of a clean (new) vehicle. There are many different tire dressing products available. When choosing a product please pay close attention to its contents. Always use a water based product.
- 10238960To clear static ECM fault P1250 ?Fuel Level Too Low?, add fuel to vehicle and complete a road test of at least 10 miles. Simply adding fuel without completing a road test may not allow fault to clear.
- 10238959To clear static ECM fault P1250 ?Fuel Level Too Low?, add fuel to vehicle and complete a road test of at least 10 miles. Simply adding fuel without completing a road test may not allow fault to clear.
- 10238935When performing SVM updates, the scan tool should be hardwired to the vehicle and the Bluetooth physically turned off. A hard wired internet connection is also recommended.
- 10238932If a needed service part is on back order, upgrade the daily order to a red order and check the ?Car Down? box to escalate the order. If parts assistance is needed, please call 800-767-6552 to speak with a VWGoA Parts Specialist.
- 10238931If a needed service part is on back order, upgrade the daily order to a red order and check the ?Car Down? box to escalate the order. If parts assistance is needed, please call 800-767-6552 to speak with a VWGoA Parts Specialist.
- 10238600Incorrect torque converter or flywheel/flexplate installation can result in transmission damage. When installing an engine, flywheel or transmission, please follow the installation procedures outlined in ELSA. For the flywheel/flexplate, please be certain the correct shim is installed between it and the crankshaft (reference VWIQ120). When installing a torque converter, press the torque converter hub through the seal as far as the first stop. Turn the torque converter while pushing toward the transmission using light force, until the cut outs in the torque converter hub lock into the pump wheel plate. The torque converter slides in. The torque converter is installed correctly if it is easy to turn by hand and if it fits evenly in the transmission bell housing. Additionally, it should spin freely when the transmission bell housing bolts are torqued to the engine block, prior to installation of the flywheel to converter bolts (reference VWIQ121).
- 10238572Fault code P1297 may be set and fuel mixtures may go lean if the vehicle is driven under load or revved up and then returned to idle.
- 10237766The DLC is intended for use with diagnostic scan tools and by emissions testing stations. However, aftermarket devices (i.e., drive data recorders) that connect to the DLC have now become available.
Every Volkswagen Eurovan model year
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