2004 Volkswagen Touareg

ON TWO OCCASIONS MY 2004 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG V-8 EXPERIENCED COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START ON THESE TWO OCCASIONS. THERE WAS NO ELECTRICAL POWER AS IF THE BATTERY WERE COMPLETELY DEPLETED. I DID NOT CAUSE ANY ELECTRICAL/BATTERY DRAIN, I.E. LEAVING ON LIGHTS OR LEAVING ANY ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ON. LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP SERVICE CONDUCTED AN ANALYSIS AND FOUND SEVERAL FAULTS STORED. BUT THE SERVICE ADVISER SAID NONE OF THE STORED FAULTS INDICATED WHAT CAUSED THE COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. FIRST INCIDENT WAS APRIL, 2004 AND MOST RECENT DEC. 28, 2004. I ALSO EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS OTHER ELECTRICAL AND/OR COMPUTER MALFUNCTIONS. THESE MALFUNCTIONS WERE RELATED TO: ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM, DRIVE LINE SYSTEM, STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM, ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, STEERING INPUT, DOOR LOCKS, INTERIOR LIGHTING FEATURES, TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING, AND KEYLESS REMOTE. ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM, DRIVE LINE SYSTEM, ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, AND STEERING INPUT MALFUNCTIONS OCCURRED FOUR TOTAL TIMES. DEALER/SERVICE COULD NOT "DUPLICATE" THE PROBLEM AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE DOOR LOCKS AND INTERIOR LIGHTING PROBLEMS WERE CONSTANT BUT DEALER/SERVICE COULD NOT "" THE PROBLEM. THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING WAS REPAIRED AND HAS BEEN PROBLEM FREE SINCE MARCH 2004. THE KEYLESS REMOTE DOOR LOCK/UNLOCK WAS REPAIRED AND WORKS BETTER BUT HAS NOT BEEN PROBLEM FREE. *NM

WE HAVE A VOLKSWAGON TOUREG V6 AUTOMATIC AND STANDARD TRANSMISSION. WE BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR OVELRALL SERVICE AND TO INSPECT TRANSMISSION FOR POSSIBLE FAULTY GEAR BOX. DEALERSHIP REPLACED TRANSFER CASE AS WELL AS INSPECTED CASE STEEPER MOTOR. CAR WAS KEPT FOR THREE DAYS FOR REPAIRS AND THEN ANOTGER THREE DAYS TO GET THE PART AND REPLACE. PERFOMANCE OF THE CARS AUTOMTIC SHIFTING CAPABILITES HAS BEEN POOR. NOTICE THAT CAR HAS PROBLEMS SHIFT FROM 1ST , 2ND TO 3RD. HIGH REVS THE ENGINE. ALSO NOTICE AT HIGHER SPEEDS THE CAR SOMETIME CAUSE THE CAR TO LURCH INTO LOWER GEAR WE HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED CAR STALLING ON STEEP HILLS WHEN IN GEAR . *AK

WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION SHIFTED FROM FIFTH GEAR TO FIRST GEAR. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. THEN, VEHICLE WAS REPROGRAMMED, AND CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. AT FIRST THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. BUT THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE HESITATED. CONSUMER PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND VEHICLE MOVED INTERMITTENTLY ON ITS OWN. SRS LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. CONSUMER DROVE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC PLACED THE VEHICLE ON A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE SENSOR SHAFT FOR TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS PROBLEM WAS A DESIGN FLAW DEFECT. CONSUMER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *AK

TRANSMISSION HAS TERRIBLE SHIFT CHARACTERISTICS. UNLESS THE VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY STOPPED, THE TRANSMISSION WON'T DOWNSHIFT TO 1ST OR WHEN IT DOES IT LAUNCHES YOU INTO THE CAR IN FRONT. THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO STUMBLE BAD FROM A STOP IF IT HASN'T DOWNSHIFTED INTO LOW GEAR. I THINK THE COMPUTER NEEDS TO BE REPROGRAMMED FOR A SMOOTHER START!*AK

I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING ISSUE APPROXIMATELY 5 OR 6 TIMES, IN A 4 TO 5 MONTH PERIOD. I HAVE CONTACTED MY LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP & THEIR NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY RESOLUTION OR ANY STATUS UPDATES. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE? WILL THE PROBLEM BE CORRECTED SOON? DO I NEED TO GET TRADE OR SELL MY VEHICLE? (1) USUALLY WHEN SLOWING DOWN, IN THE 40-50 MPH RANGE, WHILE TURNING IN A CURVE (2) MY 04 TOUAREG FEELS (SHUDDERS) AS IF IT HAS SLIPPED A GEAR. THERE IS NO INDICATION OR WARNING WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. THE FIRST 2 TIMES IT HAPPENED, I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE (3) I HAVE CONTACTED MY LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP, SERVICE MANAGER, AND THE VW US HEADQUARTERS. THEY TELL ME THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THESE PROBLEMS, THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE AND SOLUTION. THANK YOU, *AK

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A VERY SLOW SPEED OR A "ROLLING" STOP, THE CAR HESITATES OR STALLS BEFORE ACCELERATING, THEN LURCHES FORWARD. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS RANDOMLY, BUT CONSISTENTLY. WHEN DRIVING UP A HILL TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE REGULARLY JUMPS FORWARD AT THE LAST DOWNSHIFT IN THE STOPPING PROCESS. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND THREATENS MY SAFETY, THOSE AROUND ME IN TRAFFIC, MY PASSENGERS, AND OTHER POTENTIAL DRIVERS OF MY VEHICLE. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA & MY DEALER THAT THIS IS THE WAY THIS SUV IS DESIGNED TO PERFORM. THE FACT THAT THE "HESITATIONS/STALLS" OCCUR AT RANDOM ONLY FURTHERS MY POINT THAT THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECT AND NOT "JUST THE WAY THIS MODEL DRIVES" AND "YOU JUST HAVE TO GET USED TO IT" AS I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AT MARTENS VW.*AK

SAME AS OTHERS ON SITE HAVE NOTED: THE 2003 TOUAREG V8 HESITATES UPON ACCELERATION, RESULTING IN A SURGE FORWARD WHEN THE ENGINE FINALLY "CATCHES." I FIND THIS VERY DANGEROUS. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP; THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE ACTION (UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DRIVE WITH THEM TO DEMONSTRATE -- BUT WILL THIS WEEK). I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK THE NHTSA TO HELP TOUAREG OWNERS BY FORCING VW TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE AND FIND A RESOLUTION BEFORE AN INJURY OCCURS. *JB

MY 2004 VW TOUAREG HAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH ITS TRANSMISSION. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP OR LOW SPEED THE TRUCK HESITATES AND THEN LURCHES FORWARD. I HAVE CONTACTED VW AND THE DEALERSHIP WITH NO RESOLUTION. I HAVE TALKED WITH OTHER TOUAREG OWNERS AND THEY HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT, SO IT APPEARS TO BE AFFECTING MORE THAN A SINGLE VEHICLE. I WOULD ASK THE NHTSA TO HELP TOUAREG OWNERS BY FORCING VW TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE AND FIND A RESOLUTION BEFORE THERE IS A FATALITY DUE TO THIS SAFETY ISSUE.*AK