2016 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 44 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (20 complaints · 45.5%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 0
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2015 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 20 of 44 owner complaints (45.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 20 complaints, 45.5% of reports ENGINE 20 · 45.5% FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 4 complaints, 9.1% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 · 9.1% STRUCTURE: 3 complaints, 6.8% of reports STRUCTURE 3 · 6.8% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 2 complaints, 4.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 4.6% FUEL SYSTEM: 2 complaints, 4.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 2 · 4.6% AIR BAGS: 1 complaints, 2.3% of reports AIR BAGS 1 · 2.3% BACK OVER PREVENTION: 1 complaints, 2.3% of reports BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 2.3% LANE DEPARTURE: 1 complaints, 2.3% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 2.3% SERVICE BRAKES: 1 complaints, 2.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 2.3% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 17 complaints, 38.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 · 38.6% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 20 45.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 9.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 3 6.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 4.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 2 4.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 1 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 1 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 1 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 38.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2015; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2016. 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2015 Oct 2025 Recall campaign 16V170000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V170000 Recall campaign 16V243000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V243000
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 2
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 5
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 3
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 2
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 2
2025-Q2 Owner reports 2
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 16V170000
Recall campaign 1 16V243000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V170000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    If the brake pedal dislodges, the driver may not be able to apply the brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal assembly to verify the presence of the securing clip and install any missing securing clips, free of charge. The recall began on April 27, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 46G4.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V243000

    Report date
    Component:
    TIRES
    Consequence:
    If the vehicle is driven on underinflated tires, the tires may fail suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will correct the TPMS settings and replace the safety certification label, free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2016. Volkwagen's number for this recall is 44M9.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 44 complaints · page 1 of 2

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources