Volkswagen Touareg water leak problems

Filed Nov 13, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · WA

The car will stop (while driving) for no apparent reason. “Phantom Braking”. This is without any known objects/people approaching our vehicle. It’s a part of the electronic automatic braking system but obviously it is not programmed correctly. It is DANGEROUS. A brief review on internet shows these sudden stops have caused accidents (people rear ending vehicle after sudden stops). Cars have also had to move quickly off highway to avoid collision. Another issue: the Panoramic Sunroof has had frequent issues with water leaks. We’ve already had to pay for one such leak ($1000) and now face payment for a second serious leak which they can’t seem to fix. Internet searches show that VW Corporation has known about this manufacturing defect since 2016 but has “hidden” these manufacturing defects from customers. These leaks have caused pools of water to form in the trunk (under spare tire). The pool of water inside vehicle can range up to 1.5 feet and more! We’ve heard issues that if not caught sooner, these leaks case severe damage to electrical systems (battery, etc…) due to excess water in vehicle. It burns out electrical systems. To our knowledge, VW will take NO RESPONSIBILITY. People who own these cars have to pay for the fixes. Very expensive fixes which are not working. We no longer feel safe driving this car. VW will not offer us a solution.

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 Feb 8, 2020 · Engine · 41,000 miles · IL

Water gets into air take system. Took vehicle to dealer for car wash and also purchased a air filter. Came to replace air filter and old filter was damaged and waterlogged.

Filed Aug 17, 2019 · Engine · 21,000 miles · NJ

I recently purchased a 2017 vw touareg sport. Water is entering the air filter compartment. If water enters the engine it will shut down the car possibly in traffic causing a very hazardous situation, in addition the engine will be destroyed. The vehicle is like new and 100% factory equipped. This is a flaw in design. I became aware of the situation while changing the air filter. After researching the clubtouareg forum many people are having the same complaint. There is a class action suit over the issue. Https://www.clubtouareg.com/threads/2017-sport-w-tech-engine-ingested-water.263721/ I believe recall is justified given the high probability water entering the engine, causing a shut down on the highway and destroying the engine.

Filed Aug 7, 2019 · Engine · 1,200 miles · FL

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.

Filed Jul 23, 2019 · 21,000 miles · NY

With family in vehicle the car lost power and stalled during a rain storm. Car was not able to restart and was on side of road for length of time after attempting to restart. Car restarted and the idle was rough and kept hesitating was not able to get vehicle above 15 MPH. Vehicle was towed to local dealer could not identify problem added f fuel additive. Upon driving home problem occurred again losing power while in motion and driving above 30 MPH vehicle stalled and loss of power causing an unsafe situation. I returned to the vw dealer and they brought it back into the shop where they verified the issue. They contacted me today explaining there was water in the sealed intake that caused the engine to stall. They will be performing tests for engine damage and verify severity of issue. Upon investigation I have found similar design flaws in the 2017 vw touareg as reports and claims have been made. Their is also a recall for this problem in vw china. Having a vehicle stall in the rain due to an issue with water entering the air box is truly dangerous and a safety concern for my well being and family.

Filed Sep 5, 2018 · Engine · 9,000 miles · MO

Constant issues with water entering the airbox from faulty design. This can enable parts of the filter to enter the engine and cause catastrophic damage (hydro lock). This vehicle has only sat outside in the rain or has been driven in the rain; all normal conditions for the operation of this vehicle (current mileage is 9000).

Filed Aug 28, 2018 · Engine · 29,000 miles · NY

Large amount of water entering the intake, affecting the peformance of the vehicle. The water is insufficiently draining from the intake box. The air filter degrades as a result. May lead to possible hydrolocking of the engine. There are active recalls for this issue for this vehicle model in china and germany. The issue appears after driving or parking the vehicle in the rain. Possible culprit is the redesigned headlamps draining the water right into the intake opening in the front

Filed Jul 23, 2018 · 68,000 miles · NC

The AC evaporation valve is blocked and there is between 2-5 cups of dirty contaminated water coming into my driver side and passenger foot well. It has now become a problem more than water damage and a concern because my shoes get wet and make the pedals slick and unsafe at times while driving. I just don't want anyone to get hurst or crash because of this issue that should be recalled and fixed. I know it's happened to other vw/audi/porsche cars.

Filed May 19, 2017 · Body, Electrical · 86,000 miles · WY

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen touareg. In cold weather, the starter would fail while attempting to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the relay in the fuse box, but the failure recurred. In addition, each time it rained, water entered the vehicle floor under the driver side seat, which caused the accelerator and brake pedals to freeze. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.