Volkswagen Touareg engine failure problems

Filed Aug 31, 2023 · Electrical, Transmission · MN

Due to a leak in either the sunroof or the windshield water continuously drips down every time it rains onto the floorboard of the driver side of this vehicle, creating a sopping wet floor board that has 2 inches of water, which in turn soaks the whole electrical system for this vehicle. I mean the water continuously drips from the time you purchase this vehicle until forever I guarantee that anybody who has a v8 version of the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg has a sopping wet driver, side floor board! The water never has a chance to dry, especially in colder climates Mine went into limp mode due to this electrical system, failing. VW MECHANICS told me I needed a whole new engine w! When I did my research and I found out that this is very common on this model, and if there are some wires that inevitably get corroded from all the water that ruins the electrical system underneath the driver side floor board, and therefore the wires become corroded and severed which creates a real problem for the electrical system to function

Filed Jun 21, 2021 · Engine · FL

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 the federal safety agency that at least 60 other complaints have been filed about this problem of water getting into the air filter.

Filed Jan 4, 2020 · Engine · 56,000 miles · PA

Water found in the air intake box during air filter change on my 2011 vw touareg. Bottom 3.5 inches of old filter was found wet when air box was opened. This is a serious issue as liquid water that enters the engine during operation can cause the engine to stall while in traffic resulting in a serious safety issue. Water or filter material ingestion into the engine can also result in catastrophic engine damage requiring engine replacement. This appears to be a known issue by vw with no action taken to date, despite numerous complaints from owners regarding this issue. I request that the federal safety agency investigate this issue and compel vw of north america to provide a fix and conduct a recall campaign as has been done in china and germany.

Filed Dec 10, 2019 · Engine · 23,000 miles · GA

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.

Filed Aug 26, 2019 · Fuel system · 163,000 miles · CA

On june 3, 2019 I was traveling southbound on the I-5 near tulare, california, at approximately 75mph when an indicator light came on that I had never seen before. Less than a minute later, I began to lose power and was unable to accelerate. I quickly moved to the right lane and prepared to exit the freeway less than a mile ahead. A few seconds later, the engine completely shut off. I was forced to coast off the freeway, no power, no power steering and quickly losing my brakes. I was lucky that there was an open parking lot immediately off the freeway that I was able to coast into. After safely coming to a stop, I attempted to look up the indicator light icon in the vehicle manual. Unable to find the code / reason for the engine failure, I called for a tow truck. The nearest vw dealership was 45 miles away so I opted to have the vehicle towed to a local european car service shop in tulare, frank's automotive. As luck would have it, they had a vw master trained technician on staff. He ran the codes, checked the engine and determined that my high pressure fuel pump had failed. He said the pump literally disintegrated and sent bits of aluminum 'shrapnel' throughout my entire fuel system. The entire fuel system would need to be replaced. He indicated that this was a known issue and that there was partial recall as a result. Unfortunately, my particular model was not included in the recall and vw declined to assist. The repair ended up costing me more than $8,000. If vw had given me a warning about this issue, I would most certainly have had the pump replaced before it catastrophically failed. Vw needs to be held accountable for these failures. When the pump fails, it's catastrophic!

Filed Jun 4, 2019 · Engine · 39,800 miles · WA

When driving the check engine light came on. At the service center at the dealer, the dealer indicated that the air filter had become wet with water. 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. The service only required replacement of the maf sensor. Even though my vehicle has only been owned for less than 8 months is under warranty, I have to pay for repairs (~$650). 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.

Filed May 9, 2019 · Engine · 36,000 miles · OR

Water and debris was ingested in to air filter box resulting in water-soaked air filter and the potential for catastrophic engine failure. It is unknown how long the problem has been occurring because I had never checked my air filter before. The vehicle has periodically been driven in rain over the last few years but never driven in deep or standing water. It appears that drains are not able to drain properly and water is entering the box somehow when it shouldn't be be able to.

Filed Feb 19, 2019 · Engine · 134 miles · FL

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.

Filed Dec 4, 2018 · Engine · OR

Water ingestion into air intake from design flaw. Changed air filter based on warning thread located at club touareg online. If you drive a 2011-2017 touareg please check your air filter. Many owners have reported complete engine failures and vw refused to take responsibility. Vw issued recall in china but are denying problems here in na. My air intake tube leading up to the airbox was full of water and the bottom 2-3 inches of the air filter itself was falling apart, soaking wet and moldy. It was basically sitting in water. Our vehicle in only used on road for commuting - never off road or on deep water situations. I'm attaching photos of my airbox full of water and the air filter I changed.

Filed Dec 3, 2018 · Engine · 21,565 miles · KY

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.