One problem related to water pump has been reported for the 2002 Volkswagen Passat. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Volkswagen Passat based on all problems reported for the 2002 Passat.
On August 24, 2006 my 2002 vw Passat with 64777 miles was taken in to replace the spark plugs. No problem so far, I picked up the car a got as far as two blocks when the temp gauge pegged out. I immediately stopped the car and checked for leakage, no leakage was noticeable I drove the car back to the dealership and was informed that the water pump failed. I had fork out nearly $1000 dollars to get the car back on the road. The service manager showed my the failed pump and was astonished that the impeller was made out of plastic. To add insult when I contacted vw and request some type of relief for the expense. I requested a written response which I never received only a terse phone call. Vw's response was sorry for your loss.