2008 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG Complaints

SEATBELT LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING AND DOES NOT UNLOCK! MANY OF THE OWNERS OF THE SAME MODEL HAVE REPORTED THIS SEAT BELT (MIDDLE PASSENGER SEAT) LOCKING UP AND NOT BEING ABLE TO UNLOCK. THIS COULD BE A MAJOR HAZARD IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT AND FIRE THE PASSENGER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RELEASE THEMSELVES EXCEPT BY CUTTING THE SEATBELT! EVEN WHEN DRIVING NORMAL AND NOT BEING ABLE TO UNLOCK YOURSELF COULD BE DANGEROUS. THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT IS TO CUT THE SEAT BELT AND THE SEAT BELT IS NOT EASY TO CUT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE PROPER CUTTING TOOL. WE THE OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE WOULD LIKE NHTSA TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH THE MANUFACTURERS. I APPROACHED THE VW CUSTOMER CARE I WAS TOLD BY THE VW CUSTOMER CARE THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HELP ME AT ALL. MY VEHICLE IS BARELY OUT OF THE CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED WARRANTY BY MILES BUT IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY IF YOU GO BY THE NUMBER OF YEARS (LESS THAN 2 YEARS) BUT VW IS NOT CONCERNED OF THIS MAJOR MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR

WALKED OUTSIDE ON SUNDAY MORNING TO SEE MY REAR VIEW MIRROR WAS DANGLING BY WIRES. THEY SAY IT COST 700+ DOLLARS TO REPAIR BECAUSE OF THE RAIN SENSOR THAT IS BEHIND THE MIRROR. ORIGINAL FRONT GLASS AND MIRROR. THERE IS NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD HAVE FELL. IF IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ME WHILE DRIVING, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND ENDANGERED MY LIFE. THIS NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED TO A RECALL DUE TO MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH OTHER TOUAREGS. PLEASE REVIEW THIS CLAIM AS ANY OTHER BUT NOTE THAT IT COULD BE A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH SAFETY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND HARD WORK! *TR

2008 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE DRIVE SHAFT. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DRIVE SHAFT BEARING, CAUSED THE DRIVE SHAFT NOT TO FUNCTION. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER IT WOULD COST $2,000 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DRIVE SHAFT. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS EXHIBITING A VIBRATION UNDER THE GEAR SHIFT, WHILE DRIVING. UPDATED 05/23/13

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE HE COULD SMELL A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE FUMES. WHEN HE OPENED THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE THE SMELL WAS STRONGER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V035000, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE DELIVERY, HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 11,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ALL FOUR WHEELS WOULD VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY, SWAYING BACK AND FORTH. AFTER NUMEROUS TRIPS TO THE DEALER TO NO AVAIL, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE TIRES WERE OFF ROAD TIRES THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE. THE TIRES WERE SENT TO A TESTING CENTER AND WERE DEEMED SAFE WITH NO DEFECTS FOUND. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT WAS DISPLEASED BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES INSTALLED WERE OFF ROAD TIRES AND HE BELIEVED THE MANUFACTURER WAS LIABLE FOR REPLACING THEM FOR NOT INITIALLY INSTALLING THE CORRECT TIRES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 17,800.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG. THE VEHICLE HAD PIRELLI SCORPION STRS TIRES, TIRE SIZE 265/45ZR20. THE CONTACT OBSERVED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THAT THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE OVER INFLATED BY TWO POUNDS BEFORE THE VEHICLE COULD BE IN OPERATION. A FAILURE HAD NOT OCCURRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT DISAGREED WITH THE PRACTICE OF OVER INFLATING THE TIRES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,280.

WHEN TAKING FOOT OFF OF BRAKE PEDAL, BRAKES HANG UP AND MAKE A SQUEALING SOUND, INDICATING THE BRAKES ARE NOT RELEASING AS THEY SHOULD. V.W. TOLD US TO REPLACE BRAKES TO SOLVE PROBLEM, DID SO AND DID NOT SOLVE PROBLEM, WROTE V.W. A LETTER AND ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE OR CONCERN FROM V.W. CONCERNED COULD HAVE BRAKE FAILURE IN EMERGENCY. *TR

2008 VW TOUAREG LOUD SQUEALING NOISE EMITTED WHEN VEHICLE COMING FROM A COMPLETE STOP AND MOVING UNDER 10 MILES. MADE 2 ATTEMPTS TO DEALERSHIP BUT TO NO AVAIL. DEALER HEARD THE NOISE BUT UNABLE TO RESOLVED MATTER. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 2 WHICH WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH PIRELLI TIRES. AT APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES, I NOTICED A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING AND TOOK MY CAR IN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER FOUND NOTHING WRONG AT THAT TIME. THE CAR STARTED TO PULL TO THE RIGHT AT ABOUT 20,000 MILES AND AGAIN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WOULD NOT ALIGN THE TIRES BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY HIGHS AND LOWS IN THE TIRES ALTHOUGH I HAD DONE EVERYTHING REQUIRED BY THE DEALER. I CALLED PIRELLI WHO SAID THAT THE TIRES SHOULD BE ROTATED EVERY THREE TO FOUR THOUSAND MILES BUT VW SAYS THAT THEY ONLY ROTATE AT 10,000. AFTER FILING A COMPLAINT WITH VW THE DEALER OFFERED TWO NEW TIRES BUT I HAD TO PAY FOR THE OTHER TWO. NOT A SATISFACTORY SOLUTION AS THE DEALER WOULD NOT GIVE ME THE TWO TIRES WITHOUT MY PERSONAL PURCHASE OF TWO MORE. THE DEALER CLAIMED THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE PIRELLI SUGGESTED ROTATING AT 3,000 MILES. *TR

I PURCHASED AN '08 VW TOUAREG 2 V8 WITH THE MUCH LAUDED BI-XENON AFS II HEADLIGHTS. I FULLY UNDERSTAND BI-XENON BRAND HEADLIGHTS AND HIDS IN GENERAL ARE IN DESIGN TRANSITION AND ARE SUPPOSED TO OFFER MORE ILLUMINATION, AND THUS BETTER SAFETY, THAN PRIOR HALOGEN HEADLIGHT DESIGNS. HOWEVER, MY REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE WITH BI-XENON HEADLIGHTS STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT NHTSA OVERLOOKED SOMETHING THAT HAS PLACED MANY MOTORISTS, MYSELF INCLUDED, AT RISK. BECAUSE OF THE "VERTICAL CUTOFF" PRESENT IN THE LIGHT PATTERN OF LOW BEAM BI-XENONS, THE UPHILL SIDE OF ROADWAY DIPS AND VALLEYS ARE NOT ILLUMINATED. THIS IS AN EVER-PRESENT DANGER FOR THOSE OF US WHO TRAVEL RURAL, COUNTRY ROADS, AT NIGHT, WITH ABUNDANT WILDLIFE PRESENT (OR PETS, CHILDREN OR JOGGERS). OF COURSE, UTILIZING THE HIGH BEAMS CAN COMPENSATE FOR THE BLIND SPOTS CREATED BY THE VERTICAL CUTOFF. HOWEVER, WHEN ON UNFAMILIAR COUNTRY ROADS, TRAVELING THE SPEED LIMIT, I FIND THAT I AM CAUGHT OVERDRIVING THE HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION WHEN ENCOUNTERING DIPS AND VALLEYS, AND CANNOT REACT QUICKLY ENOUGH WITH HIGH BEAM RESPONSE TO MAKE ME FEEL SECURE. THERE IS ALSO THE ISSUE OF BLINDING ONCOMING MOTORISTS WITH MY HIGH BEAMS OR EVEN THOSE I'M APPROACHING FROM BEHIND. I BELIEVE THE NHTSA APPROVAL OF BI-XENONS HEADLIGHTS ON THE VW TOUAREG WAS A MISTAKE. THE VEHICLES NEED TO BE RECALLED. THE ALLEGED ADDED ADVANTAGE OF BI-XENONS ON LEVEL OR ASCENDING ROADWAYS IS NEGATED BY THE BLIND SPOTS CREATED IN DIPS AND VALLEYS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DESCENDING. I WOULD GLADLY RETURN TO HALOGEN TYPE HEADLIGHTS FOR RURAL SETTINGS. *TR