2012 Volkswagen Touareg Volkswagen Touareg 2012

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2012 Volkswagen Touareg repairs by problem area

Engine (50%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (3%)

Brakes and Traction Control (3%)

Suspension and Steering (5%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (26%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (11%)

Other (2%)

Chart based on 119 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2012 Volkswagen Touareg.

2012 Volkswagen Touareg repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (1%)

$500 - $999 (16%)

$100 - $499 (25%)

< $100 (57%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 75 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2012 Volkswagen Touareg

Engine not specified

Volkswagen Touareg in Virginia, United States
Apr 2012 - Nov 2012
May 2012 EGR Temp sensor, part on backorder dealer had to take off another vehicle due to the backorder! 
Nov 2012

10000 mi
Endless check engine lights, in shop half the time we owned it. VW bought it back. 
Volkswagen Touareg in British Columbia, Canada
Dec 2013 - Apr 2014
Apr 2014

19840 mi
at highway speed when you step on the gas to overtake , nothing happens , no shift up or down even with the gas all the way to the floor . 3 times I almost got rear ended cos i had just switched lanes. vw canada said this is normal.pls help. 

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2012 Volkswagen Touareg 4dr SUV

turbocharged 245hp 3.0L V6 Diesel 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD w/low range

Volkswagen Touareg in Ontario, Canada
Mar 2012 - Jul 2018
Jan 2018

86800 mi

C $1300
Alternator ceased 

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2012 Volkswagen Touareg 4dr SUV

turbocharged 245hp 3.0L V6 Diesel 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Volkswagen Touareg in Saskatchewan, Canada
Jun 2015 - Jul 2018
May 2016

63860 mi

C $620
Keyless entry and locking wasnt working 
Aug 2016

67120 mi

C $250
auto door locking failed again 
Oct 2016

73160 mi

C $900
defective DEF heater replaced by VW. Received a bulletin after repair that I would be refunded by VW 
Jan 2017

56560 mi

C $900
Waste gate stuck 
Volkswagen Touareg in British Columbia, Canada
Dec 2013 - Jul 2018
Jul 2018

34720 mi
Replace reductant tank heater under warranty 

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2012 Volkswagen Touareg 4dr SUV

turbocharged 225hp 3.0L V6 Diesel 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Volkswagen Touareg in Texas, United States
Jun 2012 - Dec 2016
Jun 2016

48000 mi

US $100
Ad blue injector nozzle clogged 
Volkswagen Touareg in Kansas, United States
Jun 2021 - Dec 2023
Apr 2022

75191 mi
Engine light came on. Fault code indicated the AdBlue system was low even though it wasn't Tech diagnosed and replaced an oxygen sensor. 
May 2022

76000 mi
The Ad blue no restart warning appeared on dash even though the Ad blue level is adequate. Car will not restart in 1,000 miles. Dealer kept car for 4 days and consulted Volkswagen technicians to determine cause. Eventually replaced the Ad blue injector. 
Volkswagen Touareg in New York, United States
Jan 2013 - Jun 2016
Feb 2013 Car would not start when cold. The only thing the dealer did was check all electrical connections. They could only simulate the condition once. Nothing additional was done but the weather did start to warm up. 
Volkswagen Touareg in California, United States
Jan 2013 - Jul 2017
Dec 2013

24000 mi
Left rear strut warranty replaced: noisy 
Oct 2014

34000 mi
Cracked vinyl on armrest of driver door where pushed repeatedly when opening door to exit vehicle. 
Jan 2015 Faulty automatic lock / unlock function on front passenger door 
Dec 2015

48000 mi
Reductant heating element failed 
Volkswagen Touareg in Alabama, United States
Jan 2013 - Jul 2018
Dec 2014

34000 mi
High pressure fuel pump 
Jun 2017

65000 mi

US $123
HPFP second time replaced charge was for fuel filter that VWA would not cover. I told VW it would have cost me no money if I hadn't brought the SUV in as soon as I saw the engine icon come on two miles from dealer instead it would have Cost warranty much more. I probably will not purchase another VW for this reason. I plan to turn it in the last day possible to lessen my per mile cost. I love the Touareg and the dealer's mechanic is the best too bad VWA is so bad. 
Jul 2018

79000 mi
Replaced the reluctant tank heater 
Volkswagen Touareg in Connecticut, United States
May 2014 - Jan 2018
May 2016

64700 mi
Ad blue (urea) preheater, I think, revealed by illuminated check engine light on the dash. 
Apr 2017

71000 mi

US $570
Brake wear dash light came on. Pads only rep!aced because this VW diesel likely will be bought back. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Ontario, Canada
Jan 2015 - Jan 2015
Jan 2015

142600 mi

C $480
apparently the flap settings were set back to factory, I had commented that there was little heat to the floor and rear passengers. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Connecticut, United States
Dec 2015 - Dec 2016
Jul 2016

90000 mi

US $200
AdBlue heater unit failed. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Florida, United States
Sep 2016 - Feb 2018
Oct 2016

70000 mi

US $320
Check engine light illuminated on the drive home from buying car. NOX sensor was at fault. Replaced sensor and module with cost split between dealer and owner. Dealer tried to push this on VW as covered under emission warranty, VW said no. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Oregon, United States
May 2021 - Jun 2022
Jul 2021

113000 mi
Both the auto-fold windows and the master window controls did not work properly. Dealer didn't fix it initially. a few sensors, none of which were impeding the vehicle from driving master switches to operate windows; plus inability to fold exterior mirrors inward battery was completely dead - even though the shop claimed it was new; would not hold a charge; still suspect that there's a drain even when turned off rear tail lights - which seem to go out fairly often (inner) 
Volkswagen Touareg in Nebraska, United States
Mar 2015 - Mar 2016
Apr 2015

67300 mi

US $110
AdBlue system (diesel exhaust fluid). Heater went out. Repaired last December. 
Mar 2016

97000 mi

US $100
Some exhaust sensor went out. Check engine light came on. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Oregon, United States
Jun 2017 - Jun 2018
Jul 2017

56000 mi

US $500
temp sensor for particle filter 
Volkswagen Touareg in Colorado, United States
Oct 2014 - Aug 2017
Apr 2016

70300 mi

US $465
Fuel pump control module replacement. Located above fuel tank, only accessible by removing exhaust, axle, fuel tank, then reinstall and align rear end. Found when scanning for codes. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Illinois, United States
Oct 2012 - Jul 2017
Jun 2013

21000 mi
Vibration in front end at highway speed 
Volkswagen Touareg in Ontario, Canada
Nov 2011 - Jun 2018
Jan 2012

1240 mi
Audio system had random static pop noise (bang from speakers). Dealer replaced amplifier. 
Feb 2012

1860 mi
Fender flares (dealer installed parts) began to separate from the body. Apparently this problem has resulted in an installation / design change by VW. Update: after over two months I am still awaiting parts from Germany to complete the fix. 
Jun 2012

11160 mi
Dealer obtained new fender flares and adhesive (2+ month wait for new adhesive from Germany!). Dealer body shop removed old, misaligned flares and installed new flares. 3 weeks later (June 24, 2012) and new flares are separating from body 
Jul 2012

11860 mi
Loose fender flare re-glued. Appears to be holding up now. 
Feb 2013

20120 mi
Intake runner flap sticking. New part installed. Under warranty. 
Jul 2013

26100 mi
Fender flares again. Started separating very slightly. Took back to have more glue applied behind the flares. 
Oct 2013

33160 mi
Remote controlled windows would go up, but not go down except for driver's door. Replaced a module. Shop drained battery and couldn't get brake lights working. Battery replaced, but brake lights took two more days. All is good now. 
Sep 2014

42780 mi

C $80
Bracket holding rear bumper cover broke. Not sure how, no other damage detected. Dealer replaced for cost of the part. No labor charges. One week later and it is again partly broken. Need to return for further work. NOx sensor reading caused engine light to appear. Computer reset by dealer. No trouble since. 
Dec 2014

51460 mi
Noise when releasing brake while in park. New parts required so I need to go back. NOx sensor issue leading to engine light. Had appeared previously but was just reset by dealer. This time they ordered a new sensor and installed it the next (second) day. Radio/GPS/Entertainment system needs a software update. Touareg has been to the dealer 3 times to attempt update. On last attempt I was told that the dealership has the wrong disk (a computer type CD) and so I will need to return. Repair for rear bumper cover. Completed. 
Jan 2015

37920 mi
Dealer obtained correct update software disk for my radio/entertainment system and applied it successfully. Noise when releasing brake while in park. New parts obtained but noise is still present. Dealer is arranging to have a manufacturer's regional "level 2" technician take a look to see if he can repair... but it means another trip. 
Feb 2015

52860 mi
Regional technician attempted to quiet the click in the brake/shift lock mechanism. New parts but still makes the noise. No further attempts will be made. 
Mar 2016

63860 mi

C $830
Battery cell died, needed new battery. AdBlu heater repair kit required. Initially required to pay cost of repairs but then received notice of a Canadian recall. Submitted paid invoice to VW Canada for reimbursement. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Oklahoma, United States
Dec 2011 - Dec 2016
Sep 2012

11000 mi
Check engine light was on. 
Jul 2013

29300 mi
Interior trim clips broke. 
Mar 2016

85000 mi

US $785
DEF Heater replaced 
Aug 2016

98000 mi

US $900
Sensors on exhaust were throwing code of malfunction. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Maryland, United States
Feb 2012 - Aug 2016
Apr 2012 Check engine light came on. Dealer found code for AdBlue system but could find no problem. Reset and no problem since. 
Jun 2014

36000 mi
Ad blue tank heater, replaced under warranty 
Oct 2014

41500 mi

US $145
noise coming from steering wheel, replace power steering pump, still making noise, thought air in power steering fluid lines, flushed but still making noise, Second flush fixed. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Washington, United States
Nov 2011 - Sep 2013
Jun 2012

7000 mi
Glow plug light started blinking. Dealer replaced fuel pump control module. 
Oct 2012

10700 mi
Blinking glow plug light - previous repair did not fix. Dealer replaced in tank fuel pump. Motorized sunshade wouldn't close. Turns out the system was never initialized during pdi. Dealer performed initialization/reset of sunshade, all is well. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Connecticut, United States
Nov 2011 - Dec 2013
Nov 2013

18900 mi

US $150
Wobbly right front tires. No amount of balancing could fix the problem. Had to instead purchase $1400 worth of Michelins. Moonroof sunshade will not close. Pinch control makes it return to open at about 12". This has been an issue since the day I purchased the vehicle and is still not fixed. Service tech removed moonroof to fix the sunshade problem and broke the trim on the moonroof. This lead to the moonroof itself activating pinch control in the dark on a night when we got 3" of rain, all of which went into the vehicle. Driver side A pillar trim was falling off. Driver side rear panel clip broke just behind wheel. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Florida, United States
Nov 2011 - Sep 2018
Mar 2014

26000 mi
strut on tail gate needed replacement 
Nov 2014

29400 mi
ad blue heater replaced 
Jan 2017

33300 mi

US $100
Fuel door not opening 
Oct 2017

54000 mi
Ad blue heater need replacement again. Covered under extended warranty. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Illinois, United States
Nov 2011 - Feb 2018
Sep 2012

11000 mi
Rear door electric lift was malfunctioning 
Sep 2013

24000 mi
Key fob got stuck in ignition 
Dec 2014

32000 mi
Adblue heater needed to be replaced 
Aug 2015

37100 mi

US $500
Fuel pump problem 
Feb 2017

55000 mi
turbo was replaced 
Volkswagen Touareg in Pennsylvania, United States
Nov 2011 - Aug 2017
Sep 2012

5000 mi
Orange "Check Engine" light came on (constant, not flashing). I was told I could continue to drive the car. The problem was the AdBlue (diesel additive) pump which was replaced under warranty, 
Nov 2015

27000 mi
Yellow check engine light came on constantly. Diagnosis said: AdBlue system heater failed. Replaced as a courtesy by VW since out of warranty. 
Volkswagen Touareg in New Jersey, United States
Apr 2012 - Sep 2012
May 2012 Emission control light on. Was reset by dealer and so far has not reappeared. Difficult to remove key fob from ignition after turning off car. Apparently need to pause for a second, wait for a click and then remove. Rear view mirror fell off while car was parked overnight- fell straignt down and damaged Nav screen. Dealer repaired/replaced damaged parts under warranty 
Jun 2012

1000 mi
Emissions control light came on again (had come on in May and sales dealer chose to reset rather than investigate). Readings showed EGR sensor was defective and needed replacement. Emissions control light on now for the third time (car has only 600 miles on it). Dealer did extensive testing, determined that EGR system needed replacing, perhaps was wired incorrectly or had defective solenoid. Lemon law here we come 
Volkswagen Touareg in Virginia, United States
Mar 2012 - Aug 2017
Jun 2012

1000 mi
Check engine code appeared. Software update required. 
Dec 2016

25000 mi

US $900
leaking master cylinder 
Jan 2017 failed Adblue pump 
Volkswagen Touareg in Washington, United States
Jul 2012 - May 2018
Oct 2012

3000 mi
Popping sound periodically coming from audio speakers regardless of audio state (on/off). VW tech suggested dealer replace/add a ground point. 
Apr 2013

10800 mi
Intermittent popping/thumping noise from audio speakers. Dealer performed software update per TSB 91-13-01. Problem has not returned. 
Dec 2013

23000 mi
Vehicle wouldn't start on several occasions and had to be jump started. Dealer determined battery was defective and replaced. 
Mar 2016

58000 mi

US $485
Replace leaking turbo boost hose and coolant hose (turbo boost hose leaked oil onto coolant hose, replaced out of caution) Ad-Blue heater replaced. In-tank fuel pump replaced. 
Volkswagen Touareg in California, United States
Sep 2012 - Sep 2017
Oct 2013

31200 mi
Glowplug lamp was flashing. Fuel pump replaced. 
Mar 2014

35000 mi
Drivers seat heater overheats regardless of temperature setting then shuts off. 
Aug 2014

42600 mi
Seat heater would overheat and then shut off. Seat cover was replaced. 
Mar 2015

53000 mi

US $160
Steering wheel shakes at high speeds. Rumble and vibration when turning tightly. Rear washer not working. 
Jul 2015

55800 mi

US $100
Check engine light came on. No other symptoms. Adblue heater short. Replaced heater. Extended warranty covered all but $100 deductable. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Georgia, United States
Sep 2012 - Aug 2014
Aug 2014

13000 mi
airbag light came on for passenger seat position sensor. Replaced passenger seat harness. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Oregon, United States
Jun 2012 - Mar 2015
Jul 2012 Steering wheel shimmy 
Nov 2013

18000 mi
EGR Temperature Sensor Replacement. 
Dec 2014

27000 mi
Got Adblue mileage warning after 5,000 miles rather than the usual 9,500 miles so either the adblue tank wasn't completely refilled by the dealer during the 20,000 mile service or twice the usual amount of adblue is being injected. 
Feb 2015

27000 mi

US $132
Car wouldn't start so needed roadside assistant to jumpstart. Took it to dealer and they diagnosed the problem. Battery wouldn't hold a charge. Past 24,000 mile Battery warranty but dealer got VW to pay. I paid for the installation. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Ontario, Canada
May 2012 - Jun 2018
Jul 2015

48360 mi
Replaced heating element for Adblue system. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Colorado, United States
Jun 2012 - Feb 2014
Nov 2012

3400 mi
Check engine light came on, dealer said it was related to a recall, updated software, light has stayed off. Apparently recall was out there when I bought the car, dealer did not address it at the time. 

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2012 Volkswagen Touareg 4dr SUV

280-horsepower 3.6L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Volkswagen Touareg in Florida, United States
May 2012 - Dec 2014
Mar 2013

25000 mi
Bad Fuel Injector. Engine had carbon build up valves. Carbon Build up cleaning not covered by warranty. VW America paid for carbon cleaning as a good gesture. 
Mar 2014

60000 mi
Had spark plugs replaced and one of the new spark plugs was bad. 
Volkswagen Touareg in Washington, United States
Jul 2013 - Dec 2016
Jan 2014

21000 mi
1.Car lurches forward when engine cold. 2. 20000 mile tune up 
Dec 2016

54000 mi

US $250
bad thermostat 
Volkswagen Touareg in Virginia, United States
Sep 2016 - Jan 2022
Jan 2018

56000 mi

US $250
Replaced Door lock system 
May 2018

56000 mi

US $500
Replaced passenger seat warmer element 
Jul 2018

62000 mi

US $700
Bad thermostat; replaced under powertrain warranty 
Jan 2021

87500 mi

US $180
Serpentine belt replacement 

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2011.5 Volkswagen Touareg 4dr SUV

turbocharged 340hp 4.1L V8 Diesel 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD

Volkswagen Touareg in South Africa
Jul 2015 - Jun 2016
Jan 2016

39680 mi
Software upgrade Aircon not working al the time even after software upgrade. 

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2011.5 Volkswagen Touareg 4-door

turbocharged 6-cylinder diesel automatic AWD

Volkswagen in Great Britain
Sep 2012 - Oct 2012
Oct 2012

38000 mi
Car would not start because key would not work to unlock steering & handbrake. Dealer has no idea what happened as it suddenly kicked back to life when putting the dash back in, said it was probably a fuse malfunction, have as much idea as I 

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2012 Volkswagen Touareg Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2012 Volkswagen Touareg problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.