2016 Volkswagen Touareg problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (20) · Structure:body (4) · Service Brakes (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
26 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 2016-04-26 · campaign 16V243000 · 366 vehicles
Defect: 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 V
Risk: If the vehicle is driven on underinflated tires, the tires may fail suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
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 (600)
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 600 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-09 · Structure:body“the interior door release mechanism broke, trapping my wife in the driver's seat and unable to open the door. our vw dealer was not able to evaluate the broken mechanism for several days so we took the vehicle to a local repair shop. a disabled senior [xxx] was unable to exit the vehicle, unable to climb over the center console or into the back …”
2025-11-13 · Service Brakes“the car will stop (while driving) for no apparent reason. “phantom braking”. this is without any known objects/people approaching our vehicle. it’s a part of the electronic automatic braking system but obviously it is not programmed correctly. it is dangerous. a brief review on internet shows these sudden stops have caused accidents (people re…”
2025-08-16 · Unknown Or Other“my lane assist camera is not functioning and volkswagen is telling me the part is now obsolete and can't be repaired. it is part #7p6907217bxz1y. i took it to pompano volkswagen on 4/4/24 and have been waiting for the part which has been out of stock and they (gunther volkswagen since pompano closed) just told me on 8/8/25 the part is no longer ava…”
2025-05-19 · Unknown Or Other“unknown- simply picking up my kids and various alerts came on the dashboard including the abs brakes error, parking brake error, and others that i am not sure of. i just bought this suv on friday from dch acura of montclair, nj/ lithia motors in verona, nj [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(…”
2025-05-06 · Unknown Or Other“rear viewing camera does not display when vehicle is placed in reverse.…”
2025-02-05 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“vehicle manufacture (volkswagon) has quit supplying/manufacturing a safety guidence parts for my auto. 7p6-907-217-bx-z1y collision avoidance camera not available i would like my anti self collision guidance repaired, but no parts for my 8-9 year old car. part was on order (from 2024) and notified today not available and local car dealership o…”
2025-01-21 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking“my acc/aeb went out over 2 years ago. at the time this vehicle was out of warranty. the dealer ordered the part (camera) and charged me for it. i waited over a year for the part. during this time vw lost a class action lawsuit regarding this and notified me that this was now going to be covered under warranty. i returned to the dealer to file …”
2024-08-22 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“car has a design flaw. if car sits in the sun the emergency stop braking system will fail due to heat. the camera/computer board is mounted in the ceiling behind the rearview mirror. when the sun is out the system will fail do to heat. this problem is in volkswagons, audi's and porche's with various models. the issue is described in detail in multi…”
2024-01-10 · Lane Departure: Warning“the windshield camera that is responsible for the imaging used for many of the system on the 2016 touareg is a high failure item and has been constituently backordered from vw. when this camera fails, the advanced systems that were part of this option fail to operate. this includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and automatic em…”
2023-09-10 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i was driving to lunch one day when my 2016 volkswagen touareg tdi stalled in the middle of the road and was not able to be restarted due to a failed cp4 hpfp (high pressure fuel pump) this repair was major and everything that the diesel fuel touches was replaced such as fuel pump, lift pump, all fuel lines, fuel filter canister, injectors, fuel ra…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.