2004 Volkswagen Touareg problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems (21) · Fuel/Propulsion System (21) · Power Train:automatic Transmission (17)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Touareg model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
163 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2017-09-20 · campaign 17V583000 · 73,941 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (260)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2023-08-21 · V171901201285565 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
update to volkswagen engine oil standards
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/Lubrication 2023-05-30 · V171901201285562 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
volkswagen engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/Lubrication 2023-04-24 · V171901201285560 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2022-12-12 · V941901201152119 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
update model year applicability to include 2023.
Electrical System 2022-12-06 · V271901201189422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
battery testing and charging using special tools vas6161 & grx3000vas charger. updated to include additional model year applicability.
Electrical System:software 2021-12-15 · A002155201173212 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin contains general instructions for software updates.
Showing the 6 most recent of 260 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-11-09 · Fuel/Propulsion System“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 …”
2025-09-04 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the flange for the fuel does not leak from that i can see couse if it was leaking it would be on the ground.…”
2024-10-24 · Exterior Lighting“hello: this is the 2nd vw touareg this year to repair so far, this one is a 2004 model that i have had to replace complete left & right xenon headlamp assembly very pricy. wiring insulation turns brittle, cracks & falls off inside the headlamp assembly, this allows the bare wires to touch & short causing fuses to blow shutting off headlamps while …”
2023-04-24 · Exterior Lighting · 🔥 fire“my suv was sitting for a few days at the airport and i when i got in the car, it started fine but the headlights, interior lights, power folding mirrors and the voltmeter were not working. i had to leave the car there since it was night time. the next day i drove it home in daylight and started checking fuses. i noticed two fuses (#2, #12) on the d…”
2022-06-14 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen touareg. the vehicle had previously been serviced at the dealer under nhtsa campaign number: 17v583000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the fuel pump failed after the recall repair was performed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with fuel pump failure. the vehicle was not repaired and remained at …”
2021-11-25 · Exterior Lighting · 🔥 fire“leaking gas caught on fire put it out but now i have no head lights no high beams replaced everything still nothing. all lights on dash go crazy kills battery all the time and had to replace something in the rear end. overall it has cost me $2500 and i still have no headlights at all and leaking gas. it’s my only vehicle i hope next time it doesn’…”
2021-06-28 · Air Bags · 90,000 mi“the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen touareg. the contact stated while driving approximately 75 mph, the driver’s side curtain air bag deployed inadvertently. due to the inadvertent air bag deployment, the vehicle failed to restart. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not made awa…”
2020-11-17 · Exterior Lighting · 110,000 mi · 🔥 fire“light went out on dark road. nearly crashed. found insulation on wires for lights deteriorated. harness was melted lower in the fender. online search found same issue is common and included fires.…”
2020-08-09 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 1 mi“suv is not getting gas to engine…”
2019-12-04 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 85,000 mi“there is a strong smell of gasoline outside of the car after the car has been driven (or while it's driving, but it's not often i'm outside of the car while it's running). this is due to the plastic housing on the fuel pump that has developed a crack, and is leaking gasoline. this is similar to another recall, 17v583000, which is for the fuel fil…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.