2012 Volkswagen Touareg Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 11%of 28 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 42,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2012 Volkswagen Touareg, 11% of the 28 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 42,500 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.
“For my situation my vehicle shut off by itself while I was driving on the highway at 60 MPH. It has happened 3 times already. The first couple of times the dealer has replaced the battery. After they replaced the battery the dealership told me that the car looks fine. When this happened again for the 3rd time, it really scared me because I was driving on the highway. Before the vehicle shuts off by itself, all of the electronics turned off also. The weird thing about this issue is that after the vehicle is shut off by itself, I am able to restart my vehicle. …”
NHTSA complaint #10917678, filed 2016-10, 45,000 miles“My 2012 tdi lux just went in for a check engine light and the diagnosis was the adblue heater has gone bad. I had 55,000 miles at the time. I was informed by the dealership that this part is not covered under the powertrain or emissions warranties. I was informed that this fix would be around $700 with labor. It is very surprising that even though this piece is necessary to the car meet emissions that it's not covered by the emissions warranty and that further driving the vehicle would cause the whole system to fail which would render the car in-driveable.”
NHTSA complaint #10825817, filed 2016-02Related service bulletins
- 11025440Oct 14, 2025Cautions about using aftermarket transmission flush machines and aftermarket transmission fluids.
- 11025439Oct 9, 2025Diagnosing Manual Transmission Noise
- 11008861Sep 17, 2024Fluid requirements
- 11008851Sep 17, 2024Engine Misfire Diagnostic Aid
- 11008860Sep 11, 2024Manual transmission noise diagnosing
- 10238310Jun 21, 2023Automatic Transmission Fluid Requirements
- 10238309Jun 15, 2023Noise Diagnostic for Manual Transmission vehicles.
- 10218953Aug 25, 2022Manual transmission noise diagnostic assistance
- 10214473Jun 14, 2022Auto Trans fluid requirements.
- 10188558Mar 3, 2021Transmission Fluid requirements updated to include additional model year applicability.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 4% |
| 2015 | 1 | 4% |
| 2014 | 1 | 4% |
| 2013 | 1 | 3% |
| 2012 | 3 | 11% |
| 2011 | 1 | 6% |
| 2010 | 2 | 8% |
| 2009 | 2 | 11% |
| 2008 | 3 | 5% |
| 2007 | 1 | 11% |
| 2006 | 5 | 14% |
| 2005 | 10 | 13% |
| 2004 | 50 | 22% |
Other parts of the 2012 Volkswagen Touareg
8 complaintsEngine
5 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsBrakes
2 complaintsSeat belts
2 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 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