Problems · NHTSA complaints
2014 Volkswagen Touareg problems
Owners filed 27 complaints about the 2014 Volkswagen Touareg with NHTSA between Nov 2014 and Jan 2024. The most-cited component is steering (8).
Complaints
27
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Steering8
- Engine6
- Electrical system3
- Suspension3
- Air bags2
- Seat belts1
- Seats1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Tires1
- Power train1
- Wheels1
- Structure1
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Fuel/propulsion system1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
3
4
5
2
3
2
2
4
1
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Steering
8 reports
“STRONG VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL (&NOISE) WHILE DRIVING WHEN MAKING TURNS. THIS IS SPORADIC AND HAPPENS WHETHER TURNING STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT. TRAVELING AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN LEAVIN MY DRIVEWAY, ON PAVED ROADS, CITY STREETS... I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT DATE THIS STARTED BUT IT STARTED IN THE LAST 30 DAYS”
Engine
6 reports
“After recently purchasing this vehicle I noticed the car be long more and more sluggish. While driving one morning I experienced loss in power and an flashing check engine light and glow plug light on the dash. The car went into “limp” mode and I could not accelerate past 40 MPG on a busy road. I pulled over slowly and let the car sit. After turning the car on off and back on, the CEL went away . I attempted to pull out into traffic and with my foot to the floor, the car has no acceleration leaving me going extremely slow into traffic. The cars acceleration has been terrible and really not safe to drive. I have several CEL codes including P0402. After having the car inspected we found that the intake filter had Completely deteriorated at the bottom. Almost as if water had been sitting in the bottom of the air filter box. After removing the old filter and replacing it with a new one, we also cleaned the mass airflow sensor, unplugged it and plugged it back in. This did help the vehicle drive much better. Unfortunately, this only lasted for a very short time. Within several miles later I’m driving a vehicle acceleration issues persisted again. Some fluid was…”
Electrical system
3 reports2 fires
“The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Touareg. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle a burning odor was present inside the cabin of the vehicle and smoke was seen coming from the front console. After stopping the vehicle to inspect the cause it was discovered that the front passenger side seat heater had malfunctioned burning a hole into the seat and the passenger's pants. During the incident, the passenger sustained a burn to the left thigh area. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 128,000.”
Suspension
3 reports
“THE CARS' STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AT 60MPH+ EVEN AFTER FOLLOWING VOLKSWAGENS' SERVICE BULLETINS, NEW TIRES, ALIGNMENT, ROADFORCE BALANCE, ETC. THE VIBRATION IS FELT THROUGHOUT THE FRONT END OF THE CAR.”
Air bags
2 reports1 crash
“The safety computer which checks the different sensors and reports their condition on the i instrument dash indicated air bag sensor failure, This automobile has not been in any accident.. A rear seat belt came apart. The top plastic locking system came apart from the metal part of the locking system, Making the seat belt not useable . The sear belt was not used very much, since we are retired sad my wife does all the driving/ Ergo the rear seat is not use very often. The VW dealer does not believe this type of failure is a future safety condition. [XXX]”
Seat belts
1 report
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.