AI Damage2004 Volkswagen Touareg: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg filed 231 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 231
- involving a crash
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 22% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 21% of all complaints
- 3 Tires 16% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 12% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 10% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 10% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 50 complaints (22% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 49 complaints (21% of all).
- Tires: 36 complaints (16% of all).
- Air bags: 27 complaints (12% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 23 complaints (10% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.2 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 4.2 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 5 L · diesel · turbo · 10 cyl
- automatic, 6-speed
Drive: AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 231 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 50 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 49 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 8 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Takata I was driving perfectly fine and I came upon a turning to make the left and out of no where my car start sliding out of control I tried to control it because there was a ditch close by where I was it was sliding to the right tried to spin the steering to the left but the car was just doing what it felt like I…
Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration while attempting to maneuver into a parking space, crashing into a wooden structure.
As I gently pushed down on the accelerator to inch into the spot, the car lurched forward at a very high rate of speed crashing into a wooden garbage box. I jammed on the brakes before going through the fence. I was incredibly lucky that I was no longer aiming at the tree.
On march 23, the vw expert test drove my touareg and had an accident because the brakes failed. There is a police report. The rear wiper made a clicking noise. Updated 05/04/06. The check engine light illuminated. The dealer replaced the engine control module. The transmission control module was updated.
Driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a fire hydrant. Left side (driver's side) wheel sheared off. Driver was not injured. Vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic stated that a cause could not be determined at this time.
6/04 & 9/04 - took vehicle in to dealership to check brake efficiency & squealing noise. Both times dealership reported no problem and brake noise was created by brake dust & was normal. 2/05 - brakes failed and caused car accident.
Parking lot the brakes failed and the steering wheel locked, there was an alert on the control screen but I am not sure what it said. As a result the car drove over a fire hydrant and hit the trunk of a car parked next to the hydrant. Both front wheels were damaged and the drivers side wheel came completely off.
I have contacted Volkswagen about my recall over a month ago the man claimed he ordered the parts and would be in contact but has never contacted me ever since and since then my vehicle has completely stopped working and the gas smell is at a very dangerous level
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,751 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Touareg has 46 complaints (14 years in the data). This year has 231, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, electrical system, tires. Total complaints: 231. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (11%), hesitation when accelerating (9%), jerking, harsh shifts (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2004 Volkswagen Touareg from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2004 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.