Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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).
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
Tl* - the contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Touareg. The vehicle was pulling to the right. When the car needed an alignment the vehicle pulled in both directions, right and left. The vehicle was purchased in August 2003 , and the failure has occurred since it was purchased. There have been 8 alignments performed on the vehicle. The vehicle has been serviced 25 times, and the mechanicwas unable to diagnose the failure. Due to the warranty the dealer and Volkswagen authorized the tires to be replaced on two occasions for uneven wear at 9,000 miles. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle should not be released from the dealer if it wasn't repaired. Therefore, they were unable to assist him with further diagnosis. The contactwas requesting that volkwagen purchase the vehicle from him due to the ongoing failure. …
Door handles stick on all four doors. Last year, my husband was in the passenger seat as I went around a corner, the passenger door flung open and my husband almost fell out. Luckily he was wearing his seat belt. The door handles were replaced by the dealership. However, the door handles have started sticking again. I have to pull the handle and let it go quickly to loosen the handle so it closes fully. I noticed with 1000 miles on my vehicle that there was a pull in the front end. I took it to the dealer and they said it needed to be aligned. They refused to pay for the alignment, my tires were completely worn to the tread bars with 15,000 miles on all four, they were cupped. The manufacturer replaced 2 tires and I paid for 2 tires and a 4 wheel alignments.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Touareg. The warning tone of the tire pressure monitoring system sounds intermittently. In addition, the headlights failed, and the vehicle pulled to the right sporadically and without warning. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. The contact possessed the repair invoices. The failure mileage began at 100. The consumer stated the failures continue, she has had multiple problems with this vehicle brake rotors replace at 15,000 miles, brake pads had to be replaced at 18,000 miles, two tires replace at 16,000 miles, tps lights continue to go on and off been fixed, four new tires at 30,000 miles. The consumer states that there have been 9 recalls and tps lights still in failure. Update 05/04/07
Dt: contact state the tires wore out after only 14,000 miles. The service dealer realigned the vehicle and replaced the tires. The consumer stated there were no indications that vehicle was out of alignment until the tires wore out and made noise, and at low speeds the steering wheel vibrated. The tires were rotated at the service dealer before the problem with the alignment became evident. Also, they replaced a defective stepper motor. Consumer asked the dealer if this would be a recurring problem, and they could not give him a straight answer. It was the recommendation of the manufacturer, and was fixed according to Volkswagen standards.
Volkswagen 2004 Touareg sport utility 4d has serious alignment problems resulting in premature tire wear on all 4 tires! Front 2 tires are down to metal showing with only 19,880 miles. Car has been in for all scheduled services and rotations. Almost lost control of car while driving! Also, pre-mature wear of front & back brakes & pads due to the alignment/tire problems! Condensation on front windshield that defogger does not remove. Fuel injection recall that on service bulletin stated it could result in a fire if not fixed! Tire pressure monitoring system failure, ESP failure, computer software failure!
My 2004 vw Touareg has been diagnosed with premature failure of the front suspension bushings. The vehicle has never been used off-road. The vehicle has 55K miles on it. I believe that this is an inherent defect in the polymer used for the bushings and it should be replaced at vw's expense. Vw has not been responsive to my request. I have had many cars in my life, and this type of failure has never occurred, even with up to 105K miles. The repair is estimated to cost $1700. This type of failure could lead to a serious accident by the failure of the suspension system and loss of vehicle control.
My 2004 v8 Touareg is absolutely the biggest lemon ever built. It has been in the dealership for 11 full weeks this year with a variety of issues. The two most significant which have taken vw 5 weeks each to identify and resolve are the electrical system was completely malfunctioning and the pump to change the suspension has a leak. Vw has been completely in the dark on these major problems and only after repeated trips to the dealer and many denials from vw did the admit that this car is an over engineered and poorly built car.
Driving 2004 Touareg equipped with air suspension. Speed 55 starting right hand sweeping turn the right side air suspension blew out dropping the front end to bump stops causing rear of truck to bounce and go sideways causing loss of control of vehicle. Apparently there is a TSB to change the material of the connector that blew out, however dealership is not willing to perform it unless I pay for anything they May break in the process of the repair. Corrosion is causing failures in the northeast.
Screeching brakes. The brakes were screeching for the past three months and the vw dealership replaced the pads and disc. After three attempts, I was told that the screeching is normal. Also, since I bought the SUV in setptmber 2004, I have been having an alignment problem which resulted in excessive tire wear. The dealer did numerous alignments and I changed all four tires( 3 times), but the problem still exists. The vehicle only has about 28,000 miles.
Suspension complaints in other Touareg years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the suspension of the 2004 Volkswagen Touareg, 9% of the model year's 231 complaints. The component named most often is front (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Volkswagen Touareg suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension 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 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 57% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension 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.