I took delivery of my 2004 VW Touareg on 7-11-04. By 9-9-04 it was having problems. It has been in 6 times for electrical problems, 3 times for the ac, 3 times for the battery, and 1-2 times for other things. Tomorrow, I will be taking it in again for further A/C problems, brakes that catch on their own while in drive, intermittent faulty triggering of tire pressure monitoring system, and a hole that I discovered only day in the fire blanket under the hood. Apparently the engine heat has been burning a hole in it and has burned away a hole right through the blanket to the hood itself, but not through the hood yet. This car has meant time lost from work and an inordinate amount of time spent in the shop and paying for rental cars. This car is a fire and safety hazard. Fairfax county consumer protection (roy seger) had contacted VW as this car falls under the lemon law. VW responded that they would not comply, stating that they had fixed the battery. Their response failed to account for the multitude of other problems...and now this. I have never felt so powerless. Is there anything you can do to help??

- Dunn Loring, VA, USA

My vehicle, a 2004 VW Touareg looses power, the volt meter drops to zero and then the turn signals stop working. All the lights in the vehicle dim and if you switch the vehicle off, it will not start again. The vehicle was drive a few hours earlier, with no problems. This has been a re-occurring problem with the vehicle at the dealership at least 5 or more times in a 2 month period.

- Framingham, MA, USA

The vehicle hesitates on acceleration, and this happens intermittently. While stepping on the gas pedal and the vehicle hesitates. The consumer took the vehicle to dealer, and they said this was normal, but they did say Volkswagen programmed a delay in the computer chip. There is no forewarning, no lights come on, and there is no noise. This first happened on March 1, 2005.

- Canton, OH, USA

I am having trouble with my VW Touareg V6. Since then I have had numerous visits to the dealer for failures in design. Footlight would not shut off when the car was off due to trunk door latch being broken at time of purchase. Tires were wearing faster than normal and the alignment was bad. I was given new tires, however, when I asked if this could happen again, I was told yes and they were unsure what VW would do in the future. Tire pressure light goes on and off at any time. I was told this was a malfunction that happens when you have numerous computer options. It came on after a tire rotation and oil change and the dealer said "don't worry, it will reset itself and go off".radio has mysteriously stopped working for 24 hours at a time. Car has actually been dead on two occasions and has left me stranded. I was told by the dealer that the battery in the Touareg can't support the car and the computer modules. I was told there was nothing that could be done about this as the battery was fully charged. I was told this was a mistake by VW and I would have to live with it. I was also told to not drive in the city as this makes the problem much worse. I was told that they aren't sure how that happened, but simply resetting the car made it return. Cd player would not work, car was "reset". I find this car to be the biggest joke ever made. I unfortunately am over the mileage for the lemon law in Maine (I have 27,000miles on the car). I really think things are getting worse in my car the longer I have the thing. My biggest concern with the car is that there is a possibility it could stop working at any moment. I feel I should not have to carry a self jumping system in a practically brand new $34,000 car. I was also told by my dealership when I stated I was thinking of selling the car, that they didn't blame me as they had heard a lot of people say that about the Touareg. Yeah, I feel really safe with this car. I think it is time someone do something about this car and VW.

- Durham, ME, USA

Passenger door opened going down the road, handle does not retract sometimes. A litany of electric quirks and excessive tire wear, also jerky acceleration.

- Linden, VA, USA

2004 VW Touareg, in the first year of ownership the car has been in the shop or in alarm mode for 220 days. I have had the car in eight times for a "tire scrubbing" problem and three times for an alarm problem. I have noe filed a law suit and sold the car without ever hearing any concerns from VW.

- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

1.the clock on the dashboard: The time is running almost 1 minute faster per day. If you dont fix it for 10 days, it would run 10 minutes ahead. 2.the drivers seat: When I purchased this car, I asked for power seats but the dealer didnt have it. I was a little uncomfortable with the manual seat, but the sales person convinced me, so I decided to take the one with manual. Since then, ive felt that the drivers seat is always sinking down so I consistently have to pull up the stick to push up the seat quite often while im driving. 3.rear seat: I had to fold the rear seat once to load something in the back. After, I tried to unfold the seat but it didnt go back. I brought this car to the dealers service on Nov. 15th, 2004. While one of the service persons was trying to unfold the rear seat, he had to cut the seat belt and has scratched the seat and broken some piece on the seat. He said hes going to order some parts and it would take a few days. Ever since then, nobody knows the status of this order. Both the service dept and the customer care dept, in headquarters have always been telling me its on backorder with no further information, and they dont know when for last six months. I asked them if you dont have the part, even in germany, how long will it take for the manufacturer to make the part? and they keep saying is dont know and we are still checking the status of the part everyday. In a common sense, the period of four months should be enough time to make the part and ship it to the dealer. I also sent a complaint letter to the CEO of the dealer/mckenna & VW North America headquater a couple of months ago. But still they don't know about the part.

- Brea, CA, USA

The radio display system (displays radio station info, song title, and artist) quit working. The dealer has reconnected the radio and replaced the radio. Each time it works fine for a few hours after returning home then it quits displaying information. The dealer said the radio isn't designed to display this info, yet it worked for a month after getting the vehicle! it works on my other car. The radio is the upgrade monsoon system with cd.

- Apple Valley, MN, USA

My 2004 Touareg with less than 5000 miles has been in for servicing 7 times. The brakes have been worked on and looked at three times. They still squeal but the problem has lessened. Of more concern are the safety issues that have affected me. I have been locked out of my vehicle twice, each time with a different resolution. Updated software was the latest fix. My airbag fault light is now on. Another software resolution is on the way. I have no confidence in the quality or safety of this vehicle or when the next issue will arise. Volkswagen told me my car was not problematic and I had "buyers remorse". I am in awe of their lack of concern especially when I know I am not the only Touareg owner out there with problems.

- Princeton Jct, NJ, USA

Intermittently, the factory entry remote controller fails to function. The doors have to be opened manually. The system regenerates itself when the keys is turned in the ignition. The dealership inspected the system and installed a new battery. The failure still occurs.

- Lancaster, PA, USA

Continuous failures of the electronic system leading to: 1) sporadic failure of turn signals (blinking at the same time on both sides) sending wrong messages to other traffic participants about drivers intentions. 2) requiring numerous efforts to open car doors (driver's door, key being removed form ignition lock). In a case of emergency this can lead to severe consequences; in daily use it can cause panic. 3) computer setting to "all doors open, tailgate open" changes by itself to single door open. (no hazard by itself but proof that the electronic system fails).

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

On two occasions my 2004 Volkswagen Touareg V-8 experienced complete electrical system failures. The vehicle would not start on these two occasions. There was no electrical power as if the battery were completely depleted. I did not cause any electrical/battery drain, I.e. leaving on lights or leaving any electrical equipment on. Local VW dealership service conducted an analysis and found several faults stored. But the service adviser said none of the stored faults indicated what caused the complete electrical failure. First incident was April, 2004 and most recent Dec. 28, 2004. I also experienced numerous other electrical and/or computer malfunctions. These malfunctions were related to: All-wheel drive system, drive line system, stability control system, anti-lock brakes, steering input, door locks, interior lighting features, tire pressure monitoring, and keyless remote. All-wheel drive system, drive line system, anti-lock brakes, and steering input malfunctions occurred four total times. Dealer/service could not "duplicate" the problem and no repairs were made. The door locks and interior lighting problems were constant but dealer/service could not "" the problem. The tire pressure monitoring was repaired and has been problem free since March 2004. The keyless remote door lock/unlock was repaired and works better but has not been problem free.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

While driving vehicle stalled. Consumer restarted the vehicle. Also, noticed that the air bag light and check engine light appeared on the dashboard. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. And mechanic determined that the battery needed to be tightened, and that the electrical module needed to be replaced, and he replaced it. However, the problem recurred.

- Puyallup, WA, USA

2004 Touareg that has experienced multiple battery failures due to excessive draw. The vehicle cannot be left unattended for more than 3-4 days w/out experiencing battery failure. Has been to VW service on 3 occassions for a total of 40 business days. The car has also experienced multiple tire pressure monitoring system failures which could provide erroneous information directly related to the tire condition. Accordingly, the vehicle iss unreliable, prone to electrical system malfunctions which could impact operator, passenger and other motorist safety.

- Cape Carteret, NC, USA

The electronic safety program module malfunctioned. As a result, driver lost control of the vehicle while driving 65 mph.

- Palo Alto, CA, USA