Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I was driving the vehicle and noticed smoke coming out from under the hood I pulled over immediately and the whole engine compartment was on fire I tried to put fire but Fire department showed up and extinguish the fire, fire was due to a fuel leak
Protective coating on wires in the headlight and turn signal assemblies crumbled and disintegrated, causing all the lighting components and ballast for HID lights, light level adjusters and the fuses and relays to short out, sparks and potential fire hazard.
INSULATION ON WIRES IN HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FALLS OFF WIRES CAUSING SHORTS AND DISABLES BOTH HEADLIGHTS CAUSING LOSS OF VISION AT NIGHT. THIS ALSO STOPS DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. ALSO PLASTIC HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAZES AND SCRATCHES RESULTING IN POOR LIGHT BEFORE THE SHORTING WIRES DISABLE ALL HEADLIGHTS.
THE HEADLIGHTS OF MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG HAVE BEEN BURNING THE BULBS AND GIVING ME MANY PROBLEMS TO CONDITION IN THE NIGHT YESTERDAY APRIL 26, 2019 THE HEADLIGHT BURNED LEFT I SAW SMOKE COMING OUT AND OPENED THE HOOD AND I FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SMALL FLAME OF FIRE AND I TURN IT OFF AND WENT TO MY HOUSE WITHOUT LIGHTS WHEN I REMOVE THE HEADLIGHT I FIND THAT ALL THE CABLES ARE WITHOUT THE COVER THIS IS NOT SAFE FOR NOT BOBY I WANT TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM
MY ISSUE STARTED OUT WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT BEING ON EVEN WHEN AN AVERAGE SIDE ADULT WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. IT ESCALATED TO AN AIRBAG FAULT WARNING LIGHT ON IN THE CONTROL PANEL. THIS LIGHT DOES NOT GO OFF. ANOTHER ISSUE STARTED WHEN I WOULD ENTER THE CAR AND THE DOOR SIGNAL WAS SUDDENLY LOUD AND ODD SOUNDING. THIS WENT ON FOR A WEEK OR SO THEN ALL OF THE SOUNDS IN THE CAR CEASED COMPLETELY. NO BLINKER SOUND, NO LIGHTS ON INDICATOR, NO INTERIOR LIGHTS, NO DOOR OPEN INDICATOR, AND NO PARKING BRAKE INDICATOR. LASTLY, WHILE PICKING MY DAUGHTER UP FROM COLLEGE, I FOLDED THE BACKSEAT DOWN IN ORDER TO FIT HER BAGGAGE. THE CENTER SEAT BELT BECAME STUCK IN THE DEFAULT POSITION. I AM UNABLE TO GET THE SEAT ALL THE WAY DOWN BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT IS LOCKED AND IT IS NOW SNUG AGAINST THE BACKSEAT.
WHEN CHANGING ANY OF THE THREE BULBS IN EACH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY, WIRING TO THE BULB HOLDER(S) WILL BE MISSING INSULATION AND HAVING EXPOSED, OR BARE, COPPER WIRES. EVEN WHERE THE INSULATION IS STILL INTACT, THE INSULATION IS VERY LIKELY TO BE BRITTLE AND JUST THE MINIMAL MOVEMENT OF THE WIRES, NECESSARY TO REPLACE ANY OF THE BULBS, WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL INSULATION TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE WIRING INSIDE THESE HOUSINGS. THERE IS NO WIRE WRAP, ELECTRICAL TAPE, NOR HEAT SHIELDING ON ANY OF THE WIRES WITHIN THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES, LIKE WHAT YOU FIND ELSEWHERE WITHIN THE VEHICLES' WIRING LOOM AND ESPECIALLY THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THESE WIRES WITHIN THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES ARE FULLY EXPOSED TO THE HEAT BUILD-UP WITHIN THE HOUSING WHILE ALSO BEING SUSCEPTIBLE TO ABRASION AGAINST ANY OF SEVERAL STAMPED METAL PIECES INTERNAL TO THE HOUSING. THE WIRE GAUGE USED SEEMS SUFFICIENT FOR THE CURRENT REQUIRED TO RUN THE 55-WATT HALOGEN BULBS USED FOR HIGH AND LOW BEAMS IN THIS PARTICULAR MODEL OF TOUAREG, ALTHOUGH THE LIGHTS ARE NOT FUSED INDIVIDUALLY, MEANING PER-SIDE, SO THE LARGER VALUE FUSE IN COMMON FOR BOTH HEADLIGHTS IS HIGHER THAN THE CURRENT-CARRYING CAPACITY WIRING WITHIN THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. ANY SHORTING OF THESE WIRES, EITHER DIRECTLY AGAINST EACH OTHER OR THROUGH ANY METAL MAKING UP THE STRUCTURE OF THE REFLECTORS, WOULD HAVE TO PASS ENOUGH CURRENT TO BLOW THE COMMON FUSE. THIS WOULD CERTAINLY RESULT IN SMOKING THE REMAINING INSULATION WITHIN THE HOUSING AND POTENTIALLY FURTHER UP INTO THE ENGINE BAY HARNESS WHICH PLUGS INTO THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE BUT MINIMALLY CAUSING A LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS, IF NOT ALL LIGHTING AND OTHER ELECTRICAL LOADS. A QUICK GOOGLE OR YOUTUBE SEARCH REVEALS THIS PERSISTENT ISSUE OVER MANY MODELS AND YEARS OF VW, AUDI, AND OTHER MANUFACTURERS USING SIMILAR HELLA OR VALEO LIGHTING COMPONENTS.
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.
DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER IS READING IN KM, NOT MPH. OWNERS MANUAL INCORRECTLY EXPLAINS IT CAN BE SET IN MPH BUT THE MANUFACTURER HAS TOLD ME THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE ON MY MODEL. IT IS CONFUSING AND NOT SAFE TO HAVE TWO DIFFERENT SPEED READING IN THE DASH. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .