diff --git a/tests/test_missing_torchvision_vlm.py b/tests/test_missing_torchvision_vlm.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5bc72a21da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_missing_torchvision_vlm.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"""Regression test for unsloth#4202: detect missing torchvision so the loader can
+surface the real cause instead of a misleading collator error."""
+
+import importlib.util
+from unittest import mock
+
+from unsloth.models.vision import _missing_torchvision_error
+
+
+def test_error_text_mentions_torchvision_is_detected():
+    err = ImportError("Qwen3VLVideoProcessor requires the Torchvision library but ...")
+    assert _missing_torchvision_error(err) is True
+
+
+def test_torchvision_missing_is_detected_without_error():
+    with mock.patch.object(importlib.util, "find_spec", return_value = None):
+        assert _missing_torchvision_error(None) is True
+
+
+def test_torchvision_present_unrelated_error_is_not_flagged():
+    sentinel = object()
+    with mock.patch.object(importlib.util, "find_spec", return_value = sentinel):
+        assert _missing_torchvision_error(ValueError("unrelated")) is False
+        assert _missing_torchvision_error(None) is False
+
+
+def test_matches_real_environment():
+    # find_spec is the source of truth when no error is supplied.
+    expected = importlib.util.find_spec("torchvision") is None
+    assert _missing_torchvision_error(None) is expected
diff --git a/unsloth/models/vision.py b/unsloth/models/vision.py
index 182030c68b..85ed5ee0b1 100644
--- a/unsloth/models/vision.py
+++ b/unsloth/models/vision.py
@@ -449,6 +449,23 @@ def unsloth_base_fast_generate(self, *args, **kwargs):
     return output
 
 
+def _missing_torchvision_error(error = None):
+    """True if a VLM processor failed to load due to missing torchvision (#4202).
+
+    Checks availability directly first, then only the specific torchvision-required
+    error text (not any incidental "torchvision" substring like a model path)."""
+    import importlib.util
+
+    if importlib.util.find_spec("torchvision") is None:
+        return True
+    if error is not None:
+        error_str = str(error).lower()
+        return (
+            "requires the torchvision" in error_str or "no module named 'torchvision'" in error_str
+        )
+    return False
+
+
 def _construct_vlm_processor_fallback(tokenizer_name, model_type, token, trust_remote_code):
     """Construct a VLM processor manually when AutoProcessor.from_pretrained fails.
 
@@ -1154,6 +1171,7 @@ class FastBaseModel:
                     except Exception:
                         pass
 
+        _processor_load_error = None
         if (whisper_language and whisper_task) or auto_model.__name__.endswith(
             "ForConditionalGeneration"
         ):
@@ -1166,7 +1184,8 @@ class FastBaseModel:
                     task = whisper_task,
                     trust_remote_code = trust_remote_code,
                 )
-            except Exception:
+            except Exception as e:
+                _processor_load_error = e
                 tokenizer = None
         else:
             try:
@@ -1176,7 +1195,8 @@ class FastBaseModel:
                     token = token,
                     trust_remote_code = trust_remote_code,
                 )
-            except:
+            except Exception as e:
+                _processor_load_error = e
                 tokenizer = get_auto_processor(
                     tokenizer_name,
                     padding_side = "left",
@@ -1200,7 +1220,16 @@ class FastBaseModel:
             )
             if _fallback is not None:
                 tokenizer = _fallback
-            if tokenizer is None:
+            # Missing torchvision silently degrades the VLM processor to a text-only
+            # tokenizer; surface the real cause instead of the later collator error (#4202).
+            if tokenizer is None or not hasattr(tokenizer, "image_processor"):
+                if _missing_torchvision_error(_processor_load_error):
+                    raise ImportError(
+                        f"Unsloth: Could not load the vision processor for `{tokenizer_name}` "
+                        "because torchvision is not installed. transformers requires torchvision "
+                        "for this model's vision (image/video) processors. Please install it, "
+                        "e.g. `pip install torchvision`."
+                    )
                 import sys
                 print(
                     f"Unsloth: Warning - VLM processor fallback returned None for model_type={model_type_arch}",