Most common 2004 Volkswagen Touareg problems
Share of the 231 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Volkswagen Touareg complaints by model year
Best Touareg years: 2007, 2009, 2011. Years to avoid: 2004, 2005, 2016. Compare all years →
2004 Volkswagen Touareg recalls (4)
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
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.
Remedy: 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.
Seat belts
Certain passenger cars fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." all three rear seat positions and the front passenger position are equipped with seat belt retractors that have a locking feature which converts the retractor from an emergency locking…
Remedy: Dealers will permanently install a 'clip' in each of the two rear outboard seat belts. The clips will prevent unwanted deactivation of the alr mode with child seat installations. The recall began on April 11, 2005.
Seat belts › Rear/other
On certain sport utility vehicles, the rear seat belt latch attachment bolt May have been insufficiently riveted.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the belt buckle. Owner notification began on June 21, 2004. Owners should contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Electrical system › Wiring
On certain sport utility vehicles, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) wiring harness May have been improperly routed during assembly. An improperly routed TPMS wiring harness May contact the parking brake cable spring.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the TPMS wiring harness routing and, if necessary, correct the wiring harness routing. Owner notification began August 18, 2003. Owners should contact vwoa at 1-800-893-5298.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg:
SRS warning light illumination
My 2004-05 (to 11/2004) touareg vehicles have a potentially faulty/loose side air bag wiring connector that can cause the wiring circuit resistance to exceed the design limit and illuminate the supplemental restraint system (SRS) air bag light.on 02/2005, vw issued a technical service bulletin (TSB #69-05-02) to address this condition by replacing the connector with a direct connection.vw's testing has shown that…
Exterior door handle malfunction
Vw issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) dated June 10, 2005, describing a condition of exterior door handle sticks in the opened position after the door is opened.vw described the cause of the problem to be a potential for increased friction between the door handle and the lock cylinder housing . . . Because some guide nubs that were molded into the plastic door handle . . .
What 2004 Volkswagen Touareg owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 50 →
I was parking the vehicle in a tight parking lot and maneuvering around a tree in order to pull further up into the space. As I gently pushed down on the accelerator to inch into the spot, the car lurched forward at a very high rate of speed crashing into a wooden garbage box. I jammed on the brakes before going through the fence. I was incredibly lucky that I was no longer aiming at the tree. It was as though the car suddenly wanted to peal out in a manner that was totally out of Sync with the amount of pressure on the gas pedal. It just started speeding toward the fence/box. Looking back on it, I believe that this happened a couple of days before as I started to accelerate after stopping at a stop sign. Though the reaction of the car was similar, it was not nearly so pronounced. It felt as though the car was tripping over itself. …
Driving along in a residential neighborhood under slight acceleration and a loud thumping noise begins in the transmission hump under the armrest - felt like something heavy had become wrapped around the driveshaft and was causing intense vibration above 30mph. Park the car and tow to repair shop and learn the drive shaft had broken and required complete replacement. This is a vehicle that has never been offroad and vast majority of miles are commuting on the freeway and general around-town driving. No way should a well-maintained vehicle doing light highway driving suffer a driveshaft failure at only 105K miles. Clearly a defect that the manufacturer should be responsible for. Repair bill was approximately $1600.
Electrical system all 49 →
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't catch back on fire could have been worse and still could be. Somebody could get hurt and I have kids.
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 driver side fuse panel were failed. I replaced the #2, 5 amp, fuse and no changes were noticed. Then I replaced the #12, 25 amp, fuse and I heard a number of systems clicking and powering on; the lights flickered. Then I smelled burning and saw a puff of smoke come from under the dash. I immediately pulled the fuse . After troubleshooting, I found the body control module 7L6-937-049-K had caught fire internally and started to burn through the casing. Had I not pulled the fuse and disconnected the battery, this could have been catastrophic. …
Wheels & tires all 39 →
Takata I was driving perfectly fine and I came upon a turning to make the left and out of no where my car start sliding out of control I tried to control it because there was a ditch close by where I was it was sliding to the right tried to spin the steering to the left but the car was just doing what it felt like I ended up hitting in the rail where the ditch was and pushing the car back into the middle of the road bear in mind I had my children in my car no one can give me an explanation to my my car just spiral out of control and I know I was not driving fast I am not a fast driver one thing is to be done and check out with this vehicle before it claim the life of anyone that god my love and my kids was spared the brakes speed control and body of the car was affected as well but it is not allowing me to select all of the options above
From the date of purchase( in December of 2003), TPMS has been "on" in yellow/orange color indicating that the tire pressure in all/various locations need adjustment. After inspection by myself, gas station attendants, tire shop companies, and vw dealerships, I finally gave up. In the beginning, the dealership ( where I purchased the car) would not officially admit to the problem, but after a couple of years, in a very informal way, they claimed the this technology was brand new and that it has its flaws! That I should not take those warnings too seriously. Unaware of any recalls, I gave up on this topic. Now, I just want to be on the record!
2004 Volkswagen Touareg engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0L 10-cyl turbo diesel | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 3.2L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 19 / 15 |
| 4.2L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 12 / 17 / 14 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg a good car?
Based on 231 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 Touareg rates avoid: 6.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the Touareg at the same age. It is one of the Touareg years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg?
The transmission & drivetrain — 50 complaints, 22% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the electrical system (49) and wheels & tires (39).
How many recalls does the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg, the most recent from September 20, 2017 (fuel pump). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Volkswagen Touareg?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2007, 2009 and 2011. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2004, 2005 and 2016. See the full Volkswagen Touareg years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Volkswagen Touareg problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 35,000 miles; 57% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.