2012 Volkswagen Touareg problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (5) · Fuel/Propulsion System (5) · Power Train (3)
🧭 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
21 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
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 (973)
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 973 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-03-23 · Steering“after driving the car for approximately 30 minutes without any problems and turning it off, it would not turn the ignition back on, release the parking brake or shift out of „p“. several towing companies were unable to tow the vehicle due to the manufacturer’s failure to provide instructions on how to release the shifter in case of a problem. othe…”
2025-02-20 · Electrical System“i was driving to church on the morning of 2/16/25 when i heard a very loud “boom.” i thought something had hit the car. it sounded like a gun going off. when i pulled over to see what had happened i realized the right side mirror had exploded. the glass was completely gone with only the glue left on the back plate housing. both mirrors were in t…”
2024-12-27 · Fuel/Propulsion System“while driving my family around, the car lost engine power and came to a stop on a busy roadway leaving us stranded until a tow truck could arrive. there were no warnings or indications that anything was wrong. one minute, it was driving fine and out of nowhere, the engine shut off in the middle of the road leaving us blocking a lane and creating a …”
2023-10-03 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 124,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen touareg. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled an oil odor and smoke odor in the interior of the vehicle. after a visual inspection, the contact observed oil leaking from underneath the engine compartment. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who d…”
2023-08-23 · Seat Belts · 178,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen touareg. the contact stated that the driver’s side seat belt unintendedly unlatched while driving at various speeds. additionally, the contact stated that the clockspring was defective, causing several failures with the vehicle. the contact stated while tilting the steering wheel, the vehicle drifted away from the…”
2022-08-09 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 119,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen touareg. the contact stated that there was an abnormal gasoline odor on the driver’s side of the vehicle. there were no warning lights illuminated. the contact looked underneath the vehicle at the gas tank and noticed that gasoline was leaking from the fuel tank onto the exhaust pipe. the vehicle was not diagnosed…”
2021-05-10 · Seat Belts · 90,000 mi“the driver seat belt does not latch properly and comes off while driving. multiple attempts are required for the seat belt to latch and be secure. this problem started around july 2020.…”
2019-11-02 · Engine · 90,000 mi“the catalytic converter completely separated from its own flange where it connects to the exhaust header. ultimately causing an exhaust leak and a check engine light. this occurred while driving and under normal operating conditions. driving on a local highway with a speed limit of 55 mph, which does not have excessive amount of pot holes) .…”
2018-08-06 · Vehicle Speed Control“there has been a substantial change/decrease in the performance of my 2012 touareg tdi resulting in significantly reduced fuel economy: previous avg fuel economy was approx 27mpg and is now barely averaging 16 mpg. noticed continual decrease in car performance after taking my car in for general maintenance to garcia vw dealership in santa fe, nm o…”
2018-02-06 · Power Train · 40,000 mi“this happened to this my 2012 touareg. the engine randomly died, even on freeway, which is too dangerous. the previous time in in jan,2018 and this time was on feb, 5th, 2018. i went to vw dealership, they couldn't find out anything. saying everything is normal and they couldn't suggest anything. but it is extreme unsafe for me to drive this ca…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.