Home · 2012 Volkswagen Touareg · Complaints

What 28 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Volkswagen Touareg

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (28)Crash / fire / injury (2)Fuel system (7)Engine (5)Steering (5)Electrical system (4)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Airbags (2)Brakes (2)Seat belts (2)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)Engine & cooling (1)

1 of 28 complaints match · Engine & cooling · clear filters

Oct 3, 2023Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Touareg. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled an oil odor and smoke odor in the interior of the vehicle. After a visual inspection, the contact observed oil leaking from underneath the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined the diesel particulate filter needed to be replaced but was unable to locate the part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 124,000.

NHTSA ODI 11548067

Working with the data? Download all 28 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Volkswagen Touareg verdict →