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Electrical systemPart report

2005 Volkswagen Touareg Electrical system Problems

Complaints
14about this part
Share
19%of 75 total for the year
Median mileage
89,109miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg, 19% of the 75 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 89,109 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I am the owner of a 2005 vw Touareg which recently had the air bag warning light come on and stay on. I took the Touareg to a Volkswagen dealer where I was charged $104.48 for a diagnostic test. The diagnostic test provided the stored fault code of 01218, front side passenger airbag ignitor upper limit exceeded, thus recommending replacement of the airbag wiring harness for $320.00 estimate. …”

NHTSA complaint #10759641, filed 2015-08, 104,098 miles

“Overall life of car have had to replace the majority of the hoses in the engine, the fuel line, the emergency brake release leavor-3 times, the horn on the passenger and drivers side. And with the recall the gas flange - cracking. The product vw uses in this vehicle is inferior- plastic expands when hot and contracts when cold= cracking. Please recall this vehicle due to the potential of the gas flange or whatever else is related to the gas before anyone in my family or others die. Or my cas goes up into flames causing severe trauma- especially because you already know there is a problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #11124546, filed 2018-09, 139,000 miles

“When I get gas for my Touareg 2005 I'll shut the SUV off pop open the fuel box door and put the gas in then as I put cap back on shut door get in the SUV I try to start the SUV but it seems as if the cars either out of gas or battery has died so after the first like say 4-6 times of this happening to me I tried to leave the car running as I put the gas in the SUV in hopes of it still remain on and running but sure enough the suvs battery light will pop on and the car will lose life but the lights and stuff still remain on but no driving happening so I'd have to turn the key off then try and…”

NHTSA complaint #11139893, filed 2018-10, 128,000 miles

“I currently own a 2005 v-6 Volkswagen Touareg. The vehicle has less than 15,000 miles. Approximately 3 months after owning vehicle, the vehicle exemplified obvious shifting concerns as well as poor gas mileage. The transmission was replaced in hopes to correct the issues described above, however, it has not improved. I was asked to drive the vehicle for at least another 6 months to a year, to break it in. In this time, my car has worsened. The shifting is more erratic, losing power, jumping gears, and nearly stalling when taking off from a stop and at intersections. …”

NHTSA complaint #10180801, filed 2007-01, 1,242 miles

“Both left and right headlights failed and would not operate in low beam mode. Upon inspection, I noted that the insulation for the wiring inside each headlight unit was brittle, cracked and in some cases the insulation had fallen completely off. This caused both headlights to ground out and fail, potentially hazardous during vehicle operation and a potential fire hazard.”

NHTSA complaint #10683124, filed 2015-02, 74,218 miles

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201714%
2016511%
2014311%
2013310%
2012414%
201116%
201028%
200915%
2008814%
2006719%
20051419%
20044921%

Other parts of the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg

Fuel system
23 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
10 complaints
Tires
9 complaints
Air bags
8 complaints
Seat belts
7 complaints
Brakes
4 complaints
Exterior lighting
4 complaints
Steering
4 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaints
Engine
3 complaints
Other or unknown
3 complaints
Seats
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology