2010 Volkswagen Touareg problems
Owners have filed 37 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Volkswagen Touareg. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 49% of complaints. After that come engine (22%) and drivetrain & axles (5%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 37 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 49% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 62,000 miles 30 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 30 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 62,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 55,000 miles (15 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2010 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Volkswagen Touareg with enough data (23 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
A koni north america ("koni") shock absorber bent, which compromised safe vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a collision, causing a crash. These shock absorbers were purchased in april 2011 from neuspeed. The defective absorbers were manufactured with an incorrectly welded bracket which caused the shock absorber to catastrophically bend and rest on the drive shaft, thereby compromising vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a crash. Koni model numbers: 8245 1146l 8241 1146r 8245 1147
During the process of filling the almost empty tank with diesel fuel, an electrical short (per report of the local fire department that was called in) created heat that was able to melt part of the tank in the area of the filling nozzle, completely melted the rubber strap holding the fuel cap and melted/burned the splash ring on the fuel dispenser. The metallic ring of the filling nozzle turned so hot, that fumes/smoke became visible.
On wednesday january 22, 2014 I was driving west on us route 9 in barrington nh at approximately 11am in my volkswagen touareg 2010 tdi. There was nothing unusual about the performance of the car before I felt a strange lag and then a warning light started flashing to stop the car. Before I could pull off the road the car lost power and died. Since the warning to stop the car came up I did not try to restart the car.
There is a very strong fuel smell from inside the car as well as from the outside. After warmng up the car, there is visible fuel leaking from underneath. This happens whether is car is in motion or stationary. It leaks more and smells stronger when the weather is warm. This is a huge fire hazard as well as damaging to your health by breathing the fumes from the leaking fuel. It is progressively getting worse.