Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Volkswagen Touareg owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
There is an ongoing issue with the drain from the air cleaner box clogging and water collecting in the box and then being ingested into the engine. On other occasions I had drained water from the box and changed the wet air filter to a dry one. Today (5/26/2021) I pulled out of my driveway and car started stalling. I got a transmission fault notification and immediately returned to my home. After raising the hood I noticed a noise from the left side of the engine bay and checked the drain for the air cleaner box. It was of course clogged. I opened the air cleaner box and approximately 6" of water ran out of the box. I restarted the engine and no longer had a transmission fault but an engine management warning. The engine while running was running roughly. …
Random engine hesitancy reducing acceleration while driving. Vehicle maintained by the dealer for all scheduled maintenance and service visits. Within 30 days of a manufacture's repair that dealt with the HVAC and air filter AND a service visit to change oil and rotate tires, the hesitancy during driving was more pronounced. The dealer's service center stated the air filter was flooded from an HVAC leak and a clog. I have found similar owners have had problems like this and VW will not address it systemically. I otherwise enjoy my vehicle, but am concerned that it will not accelerate when needed and is potentially dangerous without warning. It should not take loss of life or property to have this corrected.
2016 Touareg was towed to OStein VW service after engine would not accelerate and ran rough when got onto the interstate. OStein VW diagnostic was water into the air filter that got into engine and now need to replace engine block because of water getting into the air filter from the rain drain system system getting clogged for the Touareg. VW Service says can hear engine valves chattering. I see at NHTSA that at least 60 other complaints have been filed about this problem of water getting into the air filter.
The vehicle was left parked on my driveway for 4 days, during so heavy rainstorms passed over my area. When I went to go start the car after 4 days, a sunny dry day finally, its sputtered and suffocated when starting up. Having heard these vehicles have water problems with the air intake for the engine I immediately shut off the car. When I opened the air filter housing there were about 2 inches of water in the housing that undoubtedly got sucked into my engine when it was started. With the vehicle, not being driven at all during the rain, heavy spray from the road or other cars can be ruled out as a cause and I figure there must be a defect in the seal or design of the air intake. Especially, since vw china recalled these vehicles for the exact same issue earlier this year. …
During a rain storm and with my wife driving on a busy neighborhood throughway our 2016 vw Touareg lost all power from the engine and power steering. She was forced to stop on the side of the road and push the car to safety. Upon research we learned about a problem with water getting into the air filter and subsequently into the motor. The next day, after the rain cleared I unlatched the air filter and found water pouring out of the filter box and had completely saturated the air filter to that of a soaking wet sponge. I have towed the Touareg to the dealership and am awaiting the diagnostics. How could such a simple flaw remain such a major issue with out any action from Volkswagen? I only hope I do not have to pay for a new motor just because we drove in a daily summertime florida rain storm.
While reading a vw forum I became aware of a known problem with the air filter housing drain becoming clogged and the air filter becoming wet and water being ingested into the engine, hydrolocking the engine and requiring the installation of a new engine. I then checked my air filter and found the bottom 3" - 4" of the air filter completely soaked, to the point that water was dripping from the foam portion of the filter. I contacted vw and they have noted my concerns but there is currently no recall for this problem. I am now hesitant to drive the vehicle at all. As this has been a known problem for a number of years with this vehicle I am surprised that there is no recall in place.
Air intake water ingestion brand new vehicle with only 134 dealer miles on it. Went from delivery truck to driveway where it was parked (no plates yet, so has not been driven). Opened air filter box to inspect filter element...bottom 2-3 inches of the filter was soaked. This is consistent with complaints documented on the clubtouareg forum, and the recall issued by vw china. This also needs to be a recall in the USA since water ingestion May lead to hydro-locking and sudden and catastrophic engine failure at highway speeds.
Faulty air intake system allows water to be ingested. Air filter becomes soaked with water, and will ultimately fail if left unchecked. Bits of soggy filter media will damage turbocharger and possibly reciprocating components requiring engine replacement. Engine can fail at any time without warning, causing an unsafe condition. Water ingestion can occur with vehicle stationary or being driven in wet conditions. This is occuring in light rain, and vehicle has not been driven through standing water.
Engine light came on after driving three miles in dry weather. After seeing recalls in china about water entering the air filter box and saw that the bottom .25% was soaked. Saw many other Touareg owners on forums with same problem. Dealer towed vehicle in and falsely claimed car was sitting in water. Reset the engine code and charged me $50+ for a new air filter and delivered the car back to me, with the engine light still on. I've called the service manager and waiting on a call back.
At 18,293 miles the vehicle entered "limp mode" while under normal driving conditions. The problem was diagnosed as the engine air filter being saturated with water due to a clogged air box drain holding water. At 26,054 miles, the filter was again found to be saturated with water. This required replacement of the air filter a second time. Normal air filter replacement is recommended at 60,000 miles. At last replacement, vw dealer "modified" the air box drain to improve drainage
Engine complaints in other Touareg years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2016 Volkswagen Touareg?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2016 Volkswagen Touareg, 49% of the model year's 45 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2016 Volkswagen Touareg engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2016 Volkswagen Touareg, though it has 2 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 2016 Volkswagen Touareg engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 22,000 miles, and 58% before 25,000 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.