Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 101 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2023 Volkswagen Taos, most frequently naming the engine, brakes and electrical categories. 314 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2023 | 3 | 4 |
| Apr 2023 | 1 | 5 |
| May 2023 | 1 | 6 |
| Jun 2023 | 3 | 9 |
| Jul 2023 | 1 | 10 |
| Aug 2023 | 3 | 13 |
| Sep 2023 | 2 | 15 |
| Oct 2023 | 3 | 18 |
| Dec 2023 | 4 | 22 |
| Jan 2024 | 3 | 25 |
| Apr 2024 | 1 | 26 |
| May 2024 | 2 | 28 |
| Jun 2024 | 5 | 33 |
| Jul 2024 | 2 | 35 |
| Aug 2024 | 1 | 36 |
| Sep 2024 | 4 | 40 |
| Oct 2024 | 1 | 41 |
| Nov 2024 | 3 | 44 |
| Dec 2024 | 5 | 49 |
| Jan 2025 | 2 | 51 |
| Feb 2025 | 2 | 53 |
| Mar 2025 | 2 | 55 |
| Apr 2025 | 2 | 57 |
| May 2025 | 6 | 63 |
| Jul 2025 | 1 | 64 |
| Aug 2025 | 4 | 68 |
| Sep 2025 | 2 | 70 |
| Oct 2025 | 4 | 74 |
| Nov 2025 | 3 | 77 |
| Dec 2025 | 4 | 81 |
| Feb 2026 | 5 | 86 |
| Mar 2026 | 1 | 87 |
| Apr 2026 | 4 | 91 |
| May 2026 | 4 | 95 |
| Jun 2026 | 3 | 98 |
| Jul 2026 | 3 | 101 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
head gasket well known issue with no campaign or warranty coverage Volkswagen issued an official TSB 15-23-01 (Head Gasket Leakage) acknowledging that the original factory head gasket design on early Taos models allows coolant to leak. The production line was eventually updated with a redesigned gasket. They denied coverage or even partial reduction in labor.
I purchased a 2023 VW Taos SE about a year ago (May 2025) as CPO less than 7k miles. It is still under the warranty; however, I already had to bring this Taos to the VW dealership for 3x. First was A/C was not cool enough. They found a leak. In June 2026, I had to bring due to the engine light being on. They found out EVAP fuel leak detection pump being faulty. And less than 1 month later (July 2026), once again the engine light came on. This time apparently EVAP canister is the problem and needs to be replaced . My Taos is currently at the dealership. I am reporting this, in case other Taos owners have similar experiences. Thank you.
am reporting a recurring rear brake issue with my vehicle. The rear brake pads and rotors have required replacement approximately every 20,000 miles, which appears abnormal given that the front brake pads have never required replacement and are still measuring approximately 8 mm. The rear brakes have worn prematurely and unevenly compared with the front brakes despite normal driving conditions. I am concerned this may indicate a defect involving the rear braking system, electronic parking brake, brake bias, calipers, or related components. The recurring premature rear brake wear has created repeated repair costs and raises concern that the braking system may not be functioning as designed. I would like this documented for safety review.
The brakes have prematurely worn to 1mm at 20,000 miles. Volkswagen is aware and has issued a TSB regarding the premature wear, however they failed to notify us during the first 2 service appointments that the wear on the brakes were due to be replaced. I feel this was intentional as they did not want to replace under the TSB and they waited until the wear was too severe and past the TSB date. Volkswagen waited to tell my 17 year old daughter that the brakes were worn and needed replacement at that point. Volkswagen is aware of the premature wear on the brakes and has put people at risk like my 17 year old daughter by not extending the warranty for longer than 2yr/24k miles or whichever comes first. This should be a minimum of 40k miles as rear brakes should not wear in that time frame on any vehicle. I also do not believe I was made aware of the issue or TSB at the time of vehicle purchase which fell well before the end date/mileage of the TSB.
Only when lighter weight adults are in the front seat - if they move around at all the airbag sensor goes off. Meaning the airbags won’t deploy if we get into an accident. Seems like a major flaw! Even if while they are moving around an alarm went off why would it not reset once the person stopped moving around? It stays off for sometime afterward and beeps constantly. This has happened repeatedly and was told to keep cell phones off the seats. Believe me, we make sure the phones NEVER touch the seats any longer but it still happens and for a bit I just gave up reporting it to service but it happened again when I picked up my daughter from jfk on Tuesday
My 2023 VW Taos Se has been diagnosed with head gasket failure. Denied “goodwill assistance.” I did state that VW has issued a TSB (TSB 15-23-01. I currently have 80,380 miles on the vehicle. Known engineering failure, not wear and tear.
In two separate instances the Autonomous Emergency Brake system was activated. Luckily there i didn't cause an accident. There was no one in front of me either times. Thats the worst of all the issues the vehicle has.
Air bags did not deploy after a direct driver side hit, and I was injured because of the accident. Car was declared a total loss by the insurance. The car is being held by State Farm if inspection needs to happen. I was hurt because of the car accident, and I fear for my life or my child’s life if they would have been in the car. I want to prevent any future injuries. I was driving 50 MPH on route 60 when I was hit on my side. There was no warning light on prior to the failure.
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
MIB3 Recovery Solution
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) – No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.
Over-the-Air Software Update Dealer Recovery Process
ENGINE
Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Replace the steering column switch for Ghost (mystery) activation.
Over-the-Air Software Update Dealer Recovery Process
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.