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NHTSA recalls & complaints · 2004–2017

Volkswagen Touareg recalls, complaints and VIN decoding

NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns and 645 owner complaints for the Volkswagen Touareg, covering model years 2004 to 2017. The 2004 model year drew the most complaints (231), and Fuel/Propulsion System is the component owners name most often.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.

Decode your Volkswagen Touareg VIN

See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.

  • 12 recall campaigns on file
  • 645 owner complaints (unverified reports to NHTSA)
  • 14 model years with data (2004–2017)
  • most complaints: 2004 (231 for that model year)
  • top component: Fuel/Propulsion System (115 complaints)
  • latest recall 21V321000 (reported May 5, 2021)
  • 15 complaints reporting a crash (2.3%)
  • 13 complaints reporting a fire (2.0%)
  • 19 complaints reporting an injury (2.9%)
  • 0 complaints reporting a death (0.0%)

Volkswagen Touareg complaints by model year

14 model years · NHTSA complaints

The 2004 model year has the most complaints: 231 of 645, or 35.8%. Next come 2005 (75) and 2008 (56). The fewest are for 2007, with 9 complaints.

Owner complaints per model yearHighest yearOther years
Volkswagen Touareg owner complaints to NHTSA by model year, 2004–2017Column chart of 645 complaints across 14 model years. The highest is 2004 with 231. The full figures are in the table below the chart.2004: 231 complaints23120042005: 75 complaints7520052006: 37 complaints3720062007: 9 complaints920072008: 56 complaints5620082009: 19 complaints1920092010: 25 complaints2520102011: 16 complaints1620112012: 28 complaints2820122013: 30 complaints3020132014: 27 complaints2720142015: 24 complaints2420152016: 44 complaints4420162017: 24 complaints242017
Show the figures for all 14 model years
Volkswagen Touareg complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death
Volkswagen Touareg complaints by model year, with complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury or death
Model yearComplaintsReporting a crashReporting a fireReporting an injuryReporting a death
20042319560
2005750010
2006370100
200790010
2008561420
2009190000
2010251110
2011161010
2012281020
2013301000
2014271240
2015240000
2016440010
2017240000
All model years6451513190

Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.

Most-reported Volkswagen Touareg components

top 15 · NHTSA categories

Fuel/Propulsion System is the component named most often, in 115 complaints (17.8% of all 645), followed by Engine (105) and Electrical System (98).

Components named most often in Volkswagen Touareg complaints (top 15)
Components named most often in Volkswagen Touareg complaints (top 15)
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints
Fuel/Propulsion System11517.8%
Engine10516.3%
Electrical System9815.2%
Power Train8112.6%
Air Bags538.2%
Tires528.1%
Steering467.1%
Unknown or Other467.1%
Suspension335.1%
Vehicle Speed Control304.7%
Exterior Lighting294.5%
Engine and Engine Cooling284.3%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic264.0%
Fuel System, Gasoline243.7%
Seat Belts223.4%

One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.

What NHTSA owner complaints mean

These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.

  • They are reports, not findings. Each complaint is the submitter's own account. Its presence in the database does not mean NHTSA has confirmed a defect.
  • Counts are not defect rates. The data doesn't say how many vehicles were sold, so a raw count can't tell you what share of vehicles had a problem.
  • Popular models collect more complaints. A model sold in large numbers will usually gather more complaints than a rare one, simply because more people own it.
  • One complaint can name several components. Totals by component can therefore add up to more than the number of complaints.
  • Coverage starts in 1995. NHTSA's complaint file contains complaints received since January 1, 1995.

Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.

Volkswagen Touareg recalls

12 campaigns · newest first

Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name Touareg, newest first. The 12 campaigns cover model years 2004 to 2017. The 2004 and 2008 model years appear in the most campaigns (4 each).

  • 12 recall campaigns
Volkswagen Touareg recall campaigns covering each model year
DecadeYears ending in 0Years ending in 1Years ending in 2Years ending in 3Years ending in 4Years ending in 5Years ending in 6Years ending in 7Years ending in 8Years ending in 9
2004: 4 campaigns2005: 2 campaigns2006: 1 campaign2007: 3 campaigns2008: 4 campaigns2009: 2 campaigns
2010: 1 campaign2011: 2 campaigns2012: 2 campaigns2013: 2 campaigns2014: 2 campaigns2015: 2 campaigns2016: 2 campaigns2017: 1 campaign
Highlighted: the model years with the most campaigns.

  1. NHTSA campaign 21V321000

    Reported

    Unknown or Other

    Model year 2017

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

    Consequence:
    Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  2. NHTSA campaign 18V329000

    Reported

    Unknown or Other

    Model years 2011–2015

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.

    Consequence:
    If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  3. NHTSA campaign 17V583000

    Reported

    Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump

    Model years 2004–2007

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2004-2007 Touareg vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel filter flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak.

    Consequence:
    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel filter flange for cracks, replacing the flange if cracks are found. If no cracks are found, a protective cover will be installed onto the filter flange. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20Ai.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  4. NHTSA campaign 17V151000

    Reported

    Fuel System, Gasoline

    Model years 2007–2010

    Volkswagen Group of America Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Touareg vehicles. The fuel filter flange may crack and allow fuel to leak out.

    Consequence:
    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel filter flange if cracks are found. A protective cover will be applied to the fuel filter to prevent oxidization cracks from forming. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began August 3, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for the recall is 20Z4.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  5. NHTSA campaign 16V243000

    Reported

    Tires › Pressure Monitoring and Regulating Systems

    Model year 2016

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toureg vehicles manufactured July 7, 2015 to March 3, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) may be improperly calibrated and, as a result, the TPMS may fail to warn the driver that the tire pressure is low. Additionally, the tire pressures printed on the Safety Certification labels are incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

    Consequence:
    If the vehicle is driven on underinflated tires, the tires may fail suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will correct the TPMS settings and replace the safety certification label, free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2016. Volkwagen's number for this recall is 44M9.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  6. NHTSA campaign 16V170000

    Reported

    Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Pedals and Linkages

    Model years 2011–2016

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Touareg vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin may be missing a securing clip, allowing the pivot pin to move and the brake pedal to dislodge.

    Consequence:
    If the brake pedal dislodges, the driver may not be able to apply the brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal assembly to verify the presence of the securing clip and install any missing securing clips, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 46G4.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  7. NHTSA campaign 09V248000

    Reported

    Structure › Body

    Model years 2007–2009

    Volkswagen is recalling 14,416 MY 2007-2009 Touareg vehicles. The fastening struts on the roof edge spoiler can crack, causing the spoiler to become loose and possibly detach from the vehicle without warning, even though initially the spoiler may feel secure.

    Consequence:
    If this happens, the spoiler could cause injury by striking persons outside the vehicle or could become an obstacle to other drivers, possibly resulting in a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will install reinforcement wedges to the roof edge spoiler free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during August 2009. Owner may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  8. NHTSA campaign 08V035000

    Reported

    Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings

    Model year 2008

    On certain passenger vehicles, a fuel supply line was changed during production which could lead to insufficient sealing of the fuel supply line connector.

    Consequence:
    This condition could lead to a fuel leak. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel supply line, if necessary. The recall is expected to begin during February 2008. Owners may contact vwoa at 1-800-822-8987.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  9. NHTSA campaign 07V285000

    Reported

    Equipment › Other › Owners/Service/Other Manual

    Model year 2008

    Certain vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 138, "tire pressure monitoring systems." The owner's manual is missing the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) written instructions.

    Consequence:
    This standard specifies performance requirements for tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) to warn drivers of significant under-inflation of tires and the resulting safety problems.
    Remedy:
    Owners will be sent an owner's manual insert containing the required TPMS information. The recall began on July 6, 2007. Owners may contact VW at 1-800-893-5298.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  10. NHTSA campaign 04V592000

    Reported

    Seat Belts

    Model years 2004–2005

    Certain passenger cars fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "occupant crash protection." All three rear seat positions and the front passenger position are equipped with seat belt retractors that have a locking feature which converts the retractor from an emergency locking retractor (elr) mode to an automatic locking retractor (alr) mode for the purposes of child restraint installation. The belt may deactivate the alr mode with certain child restraints.

    Consequence:
    When involved in a crash, the child restraints may not be properly secured, increasing the risk of injuries or death.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will permanently install a 'clip' in each of the two rear outboard seat belts. The clips will prevent unwanted deactivation of the alr mode with child seat installations. The recall began on April 11, 2005. Owners should contact VW at 1-800-822-8987.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Show 2 more recalls

  1. NHTSA campaign 04V233000

    Reported

    Seat Belts › Rear/Other

    Model year 2004

    On certain sport utility vehicles, the rear seat belt latch attachment bolt may have been insufficiently riveted.

    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the belt buckle. Owner notification began on June 21, 2004. Owners should contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

  2. NHTSA campaign 03V266000

    Reported

    Electrical System › Wiring

    Model year 2004

    On certain sport utility vehicles, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) wiring harness may have been improperly routed during assembly. An improperly routed TPMS wiring harness may contact the parking brake cable spring.

    Consequence:
    If this happens, the TPMS wiring circuit could be interrupted, resulting in an inoperative TPMS, and causing a short-to-ground condition that could potentially result in a fire.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will inspect the TPMS wiring harness routing and, if necessary, correct the wiring harness routing. Owner notification began August 18, 2003. Owners should contact vwoa at 1-800-893-5298.

    Filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it; older campaigns, which NHTSA stores in capital letters, are shown in sentence case. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.

How to read this recall list

This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.

What each recall field means
What each recall field means
FieldWhat it tells you
Campaign numberNHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site.
ComponentThe system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software.
SummaryWhat the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered.
ConsequenceThe safety risk if the problem isn't fixed.
RemedyWhat the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free.
  • Some recalls carry an NHTSA consumer advisory, “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside”. Follow it until the repair is done.
  • A single campaign often covers several models or model years, so the same campaign number can appear in more than one list.
  • Recalls are shown as NHTSA publishes them. Very recent campaigns may take time to appear.

Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.

Volkswagen Touareg questions

5 questions

How many recalls does the Volkswagen Touareg have?

NHTSA lists 12 vehicle recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Touareg, covering model years 2004 to 2017. The most recent, 21V321000, was reported on May 5, 2021 and is filed under “Unknown or other”. The 2004 and 2008 model years are covered by the most campaigns (4 each).

Which Volkswagen Touareg model year has the most complaints?

The 2004 model year, with 231 of the 645 complaints in NHTSA’s file (35.8%). The next are 2005 (75) and 2008 (56). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.

What is the most common Volkswagen Touareg complaint?

Fuel/Propulsion System is the component named most often: 115 complaints, or 17.8% of all 645. Engine (105) and Electrical System (98) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.

Does every recall on this page apply to my Volkswagen Touareg?

Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Volkswagen dealer.

How many Volkswagen Touareg complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death?

Of the 645 complaints, 15 report a crash, 13 a fire, 19 at least one injury and 0 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.

Other Volkswagen models

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All Volkswagen models and WMI codesLook up recalls by year

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.