2011 Volkswagen Touareg problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel/Propulsion System (3) · Engine (3) · Steering (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Touareg model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Unknown Or Other 2018-05-16 · campaign 18V329000 · 252 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages 2016-03-24 · campaign 16V170000 · 46,574 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: If the brake pedal dislodges, the driver may not be able to apply the brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (886)
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 2026-09-17 · V0116152014815_20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
suggested fuel additive
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-09 · SM 39-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-06 · TT 00-13-04_7 · Other
permission to change daily order upgraded to red order
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-04 · V0026012081638_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
differences between a leak and seepage
Electrical System 2026-07-15 · VOS-26-42 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a notice for software changes with the odis diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: a software fix is needed to correct the issue: da 0019 - hotfix 12-v battery test(s) – no battery diagnosis - inconclusive test result.
Engine 2026-07-09 · V1718062017813_24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
oil consumption measurement and electronic oil consumption measurement
Showing the 6 most recent of 886 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2021-11-04 · Engine“on my 2011 vw touareg tdi there is an exhaust leak. can be smelled within seconds of starting it. a turbo/egr pipe cracks and the result is a serious exhaust leak under hood right next to where air is drawn into the cabin for hvac. parts are backordered with no eta. even though when driving there is exhaust getting into the car the dealer and vw c…”
2021-03-19 · Engine · 100,032 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen touareg. the contact stated while driving 45 mph, the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to volkswagen of norwood (1280 providence hwy, norwood, ma 02062) where it was diagnosed with the catalytic converter needing to be replaced. the vehicle had been repaired under an unknown re…”
2020-06-14 · Power Train · 130,000 mi“this has happened multiple times, at low speeds, car goes into limp home mode randomly and creaks along at 8 miles an hour, most recently lost braking power and message comes up "hybrid error, pull over in a safe location." then when you turn it off and on again it works fine. this is not helpful as there is no information for the mechanic to go by…”
2020-01-04 · Engine · 56,000 mi“water found in the air intake box during air filter change on my 2011 vw touareg. bottom 3.5 inches of old filter was found wet when air box was opened. this is a serious issue as liquid water that enters the engine during operation can cause the engine to stall while in traffic resulting in a serious safety issue. water or filter material ingesti…”
2018-10-07 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 69,899 mi“the vehicle recently completed a 70,000 mile service at the local vw dealer. two days after the service, the vehicle began to exhibit the faint smell of fuel on the driver's rear side of the vehicle when parked. with each passing day, the scent of fuel continues to increase and now enters the vehicle cabin at low idle speeds (especially when exitin…”
2017-03-12 · Unknown Or Other · 820,000 mi“my diesel vw touareg needs the nox sensor replaced. why is this not considered part of the warranty for the emissions system ? sinde the epa has designated the vw diesels must be either buyback or replaced/repaired it seems apparent that this sensor is just as important to the function of the emissions system but it is not a covered part. this par…”
2016-05-31 · Unknown Or Other · 77,000 mi“while driving at approximately 60mph on a smooth two lane wide highway the front sunroof panel (panoramic) shattered. there were no other vehicles on the road, no overpasses and no trees above. it was around 65-70 degrees fahrenheit. it was not hailing or raining at the time. no objects were recovered from inside of the vehicle. the glass appe…”
2014-08-14 · Vehicle Speed Control · 30,000 mi“this is an ongoing problem since we took possession of the vehicle.unpredictable and inconsistent acceleration stumble': this occurs unpredictably and generally from a standing start. one depresses the accelerator and the car does not accelerate. it decelerates -then it recovers often abruptly. this puts the driver and passengers in peril of a …”
2013-09-11 · Steering · 9,000 mi“the steering wheel on this brand new car shakes persistently at any speed above 60mph making it unpleasant, if not dangerous, to drive. *tr…”
2013-08-28 · Unknown Or Other · 600 mi“at highway speeds, 60-75mph, the steering wheel shakes dramatically. dealer re-balanced, still shook. dealer replaced eagle ls2's at 32k miles with same tires and road-force balanced...still shook. based on others with same problem, i recommened they try gy latitudes...along with road-force balance and nitro fill, shaking has been gone for past …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.