Fuel System complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 4% | 3,000 miles |
| 2015 | 2 | 8% | 45,000 miles |
| 2014 | 1 | 4% | 4,000 miles |
| 2013 | 8 | 27% | 35,000 miles |
| 2012 | 8 | 29% | 73,000 miles |
| 2011 | 5 | 31% | 70,000 miles |
| 2010 | 18 | 72% | 55,000 miles |
| 2009 | 11 | 58% | 88,000 miles |
| 2008 | 25 | 45% | 95,000 miles |
| 2007 | 2 | 22% | 111,000 miles |
| 2006 | 13 | 35% | 91,000 miles |
| 2005 | 23 | 31% | 99,000 miles |
| 2004 | 33 | 14% | 95,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The car just suddenly stopped while driving on the hwy 91 in los angeles in rush hour traffic. Vehicle suddenly lost power and within 10 seconds complete stop and stall on the highway. Towed to vw dealers and I was informed that is failure of the high pressure fuel pump . Https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/feds-close-probe-into-vw-Audi-tdi-vehicles-for-high-pressure-fuel-pump-failure.html
Add blue heater system on the diesel engine went bad after less than 42000 miles. I thought this was part of the emission system in this car but vw does not see it this way. They want over 1,000 to fix this on a car the lied about in the first place. Seems to be a big money maker for something to make the car exaust clean.
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Touareg. The contact stated that there was an abnormal gasoline odor on the driver's side of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact looked underneath the vehicle at the gas tank and noticed that gasoline was leaking from the fuel tank onto the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 17V151000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.
While driving my family around, the car lost engine power and came to a stop on a busy roadway leaving us stranded until a tow truck could arrive. There were no warnings or indications that anything was wrong. One minute, it was driving fine and out of nowhere, the engine shut off in the middle of the road leaving us blocking a lane and creating a dangerous situation. The dealership is claiming that the high pressure fuel pump suffered a catastrophic failure and that the entire fuel system needs to be replaced, which is going to cost more than $13,000.
This has happened multiple times, at low speeds, car goes into limp home mode randomly and creaks along at 8 miles an hour, most recently lost braking power and message comes up "hybrid error, pull over in a safe location." then when you turn it off and on again it works fine. This is not helpful as there is no information for the mechanic to go by to solve the problem. We have replaced the catalytic converter, both fuel pumps and pre-fuel pump mechanisms and still the odd error message lack of car running. I am thinking about using it as a planter in my yard, currently is it living with the mechanic waiting to behave badly again, so he can try and the problem, but not driveable by an ordinary citizen. It has happened, while slowing down, while turning, all at low speeds, but that doesn't really help much. I still can't drive it. It has 138K on a hybrid engine. …
The vehicle recently completed a 70,000 mile service at the local vw dealer. Two days after the service, the vehicle began to exhibit the faint smell of fuel on the driver's rear side of the vehicle when parked. With each passing day, the scent of fuel continues to increase and now enters the vehicle cabin at low idle speeds (especially when exiting major roads of travel).
Previous recall in 2017 regarding fuel filter housing cracks and seals has failed. In 2017 it was approved to allow VW to use cellophane sticky tape to cover the fuel filter crack in plastic housing. It has failed. The car has 43,000 miles, the cabin has strong odor smell. The left rear wheel arch has extremely strong gasoline smell. How was VW able to get approval to fix a serious fuel leak with sticky tape?
I have a 2010 VW Touarge V6, recently it started leaking fuel out, after taking the car to VW dealership, they told me the fuel was leaking out from the fuel filter flange. VW had a recall on (2007-2010 VW Touarge) fuel filter flange back in 2017 (see below) https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCRIT-17V151-3759.pdf They acknowledges that there was a flaw in the fuel filter flange that the plastic part could crack and leak out fuel after some years. Back in 2017, I took the car to VW dealership and the recall repair they did on my car was to install a protective film on the flange (since they deemed that the flange was not broken when examined during the recall repair at the time). Now 4 years later, the flange is cracking and leaking fuel out, obviously the recall fix (protective film) did not stop the flange from cracking or fuel from leaking out. …
Related recalls (3)
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.
Fuel system, gasoline
Volkswagen Group of America Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Touareg vehicles. The fuel filter flange may crack and allow fuel to leak out.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel filter flange if cracks are found. A protective cover will be applied to the fuel filter to prevent oxidization cracks from forming.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain passenger vehicles, a fuel supply line was changed during production which could lead to insufficient sealing of the fuel supply line connector.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel supply line, if necessary. The recall is expected to begin during February 2008. Owners May contact vwoa at 1-800-822-8987.
NHTSA investigations
High-Pressure Fuel Pump Failure
The Office of Defects Investgation (ODI) opened EA11-003 on February 7, 2011, based on 160 complaints to ODI and Volkswagen involving high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failures in model year (MY) 2009 through 2010 Volkswagen Jetta and Golf and Audi A3 TDI vehicles and questions regarding fuel sample results provided by Volkswagen as part of its response to PE10-034.During EA11-003, ODI analyzed design information,…
Frequently asked questions
Which Volkswagen Touareg years have fuel system problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2004 (33), 2008 (25), 2005 (23), 2010 (18) and 2006 (13) model years. Fuel System complaints make up 14% of all complaints for the 2004.
Is there a recall for Volkswagen Touareg fuel system problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 17V-583 (fuel pump, Sep 20, 2017); 17V-151 (fuel system, gasoline, Mar 8, 2017); 08V-035 (hoses, lines/piping, and fittings, Jan 28, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Touareg fuel system problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles; 22% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the fuel injection system (4 mentions), followed by the delivery › fuel pump (1).
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.