Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Volkswagen Touareg owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
I was driving on the highway @ 70mpr when all of a sudden without warning the car starts acting sluggish for a min then back to normal, and randomly for the next hour or so does(I had a ways to go) this a few more times. I got to my destination and let her rest for the night. The next morning it was doing fine except now the emission control light came on and stayed on. By this time it was time for the 100,000 mile maintenance to be done and it did great until about 6 months later I was driving @ 35mpr when it started loosing power, tho I only lost a little bit of power steering was forced to come to a stop, which just happen to be a one way bridge, baby in the car and had to push myself the rest of the way across it. …
I was driving a short distance from my house (2 miles) when I noticed my car not driving normally. I had driven it the 3 previous days with no problem. I finished my errand, then proceeded to head home. It was noticeably getting worse. I smelled something at a stoplight, not sure if it was my car, or car alongside of me. I saw a light had come on, on my dashboard (ck. Engine?) and looked at the gauges, everything was normal. I decided to head home first to have my neighbor follow me up to repair shop. Parked in driveway, went inside my home to call her, looked out my open front door about 5 minutes later where I saw smoke and smelled it. Ran out, my auto was seriously smoking heavy brown smoke, ran next door to call 911, and auto burst into flames and caught house on fire also. I am now in a hotel because of major fire and smoke damage.
Airbag warning light comes on after changing battery. Local mechanics can't turn it off. Dealer wants large amount to "diagnose" the problem. Several other owners have the same issue with the seatbag warning system coming on randomly...very dangerous...and vw knows about the problem. Has been happening for years. The other issue is with the engine...the 2004 Touareg engine blew at less than 50K...dealer said we must have driven the car when it was hot. Just nonsense. Several others have had major problems with the touaregs.. Engine problems and the transmissions/engines surge on slowing down or even speeding up. Tons of problems with the vehicle line and vw America and Germany will not do anything about. The engine blew when it was about 100 degrees outside.. We always service our vehicles regularly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Touareg. While driving at 45 MPH, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the brake pedal was difficult to depress. The contact had to apply force to the brake pedal in order to stop the vehicle. All warning lights illuminated on the instrument cluster. The vehicle was taken to a dealer multiple times. The contact was unsure about what repairs were performed however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Multiple engine light failures for over 4 years. Engine light came on and engine shut down immediately while wife was on the freeway. Very dangerous...essentially no warning. Have replaced wiring harness in the vehicle and have had it in the shop for electrical issues many times. Unsafe handling and acceleration...car jumps forward at stops while it is downshifting. Think the transmission, tires and brakes should be tested. Think you will find they are defective. Engine blew up at 44,000 miles. Very dangerous car..and you will find other touaregs with similar issues. Should be recalled.
I brought a Volkswagen Touareg. This vehicle has a lot problems with the brake and engine. So I filed a lemon request. Last month, vw asked me to drop this vehicle to vw dealer to investigate the brake problem. On March 23, the vw expert test drove my Touareg and had an accident because the brakes failed. There is a police report. The rear wiper made a clicking noise. Updated 05/04/06. The check engine light illuminated. The dealer replaced the engine control module. The transmission control module was updated. Updated 06/01/06.
The Touareg made some rattling noise while I was driving at 35 MPH. As soon I stopped and made it my destination and turned off the car the car wouldn't start up. I took it to the dealership and the dealership couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't start. Finally, after a well over a week, they determined that I needed to replace all six fuel injectors. The fuel injectors got replaced now the car turns on but as soon as you step on the gas the car dies.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Touareg. The contact stated that the oxygen sensor emmissions warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle would not accelerate fast enough due to an RPM malfunction. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed, but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 134,447.
My vehicle has an electronic throttle control which is extremely sensitive and from a standing start, does not respond to small incremental input on the accelarator pedal. Instead, once the pedal is depressed enough, the throttle responds and the vehicle lunges forward. This type of throttle response is dangerous, in that in a parking lot, or when parallel parking, or when in stop-and-go traffic during rush hour, it's virtually impossible to get the vehicle to move forward slowly (under 10 MPH). Sooner or later, the action of the throttle will cause a driver to either hit another vehicle or perhaps a pedestrian. I have contacted vw of America and filed a complaint with them as well. They did not indicate if they are working on resolving this problem or not. …
Engine complaints in other Touareg years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg, 13% of the model year's 231 complaints. The component named most often is engine (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Volkswagen Touareg engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Volkswagen Touareg engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 31,000 miles, and 47% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.