2004 Volkswagen Touareg Electrical System Problems

My SUV was sitting for a few days at the airport and I when I got in the car, it started fine but the headlights, interior lights, power folding mirrors and the voltmeter were not working. I had to leave the car there since it was night time. The next day I drove it home in daylight and started checking fuses. I noticed two fuses (#2, #12) on the driver side fuse panel were failed. I replaced the #2, 5 amp, fuse and no changes were noticed. Then I replaced the #12, 25 amp, fuse and I heard a number of systems clicking and powering on; the lights flickered. Then I smelled burning and saw a puff of smoke come from under the dash. I immediately pulled the fuse . After troubleshooting, I found the body control module 7L6-937-049-K had caught fire internally and started to burn through the casing. Had I not pulled the fuse and disconnected the battery, this could have been catastrophic. Once I smelled the smoke, I realized it was like the acrid smell in the suv the night before. The fact the fuse blew the previous day saved the vehicle. It was parked on the fourth floor of parking garage at the airport so many vehicles could have been damaged and people endangered had it caught fire. Not to mention the disruption at an airport. There were no warning lamps. The only indication of a problem was the inoperable systems I mentioned. Also thinking back, the slight acrid smell was present the day I arrived at the airport, I had mistaken it for plane exhaust and car exhaust smells in the garage. The vehicle has not been inspected by any dealer, manufacturer or govermental agency. I have contacted the manufacturer for guidance and help with repairing. I am awaiting a response.

Leaking gas caught on fire put it out but now I have no head lights no high beams replaced everything still nothing. All lights on dash go crazy kills battery all the time and had to replace something in the rear end. Overall it has cost me $2500 and I still have no headlights at all and leaking gas. It’s my only vehicle I hope next time it doesn’t catch back on fire could have been worse and still could be. Somebody could get hurt and I have kids.

LIGHT WENT OUT ON DARK ROAD. NEARLY CRASHED. FOUND INSULATION ON WIRES FOR LIGHTS DETERIORATED. HARNESS WAS MELTED LOWER IN THE FENDER. ONLINE SEARCH FOUND SAME ISSUE IS COMMON AND INCLUDED FIRES.

LIGHTS ON THE DASH COME ON HILL ASSIST SHUTS ON AND OFF BY ITSELF BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF SUNROOF HAS OPEN BY ITSELF AC HAS STOPPED WORKING AND THE NEXT DAY WORKS AGAIN HEATED STEERING WHEEL WORKS WHEN IT WANTS THIS HAPPENED WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING OR SITTING STILL EVERYTHING I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET HAS POINTED TO AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE THIS IS AN EVERYDAY THING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, AN ELECTRICAL NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE DASHBOARD. IN ADDITION, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED AFTER THREE DAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DAVID MAUS VOLKSWAGEN NORTH (1050 LEE RD, ORLANDO, FL 32810, PHONE: (407) 233-0529), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000.

ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO, I STARTED BLOWING FUSES FOR THE DRIVERS SIDE TURN SIGNAL. I WOULD HAVE NO FRONT OR REAR TURN SIGNAL, AS WELL AS NO HAZARDS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. I LOOKED INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND FOUND THAT ALL THE WIRING WAS EXPOSED DUE TO THE WIRING INSULATION ROTTING OFF, LEAVING EXPOSED WIRING. I AM A FIREFIGHTER, AND THIS IS A VEHICLE FIRE, WAITING TO HAPPEN. YOU CANT EVEN WRAP ELECTRICAL TAPE AROUND IT, DUE TO THE HEADLAMP UNIT NOT BEING ABLE TO BE TAKEN APART. I HAVE NO LEFT TURN SIGNALS, AND RISK BEING HIT, SIDESWIPED, OR GETTING A TICKET FROM THE POLICE FOR SOMETHING I CANNOT FIX. I HAVE REPLACED 4 DIFFERENT FUSES NOW TRYING TO FIX THIS.

STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AS A RESULT OF A ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE WHICH VW ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON AND FAILED TO NOTIFY THE CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. *TR UPDATED 01/25/10 *BF UPDATED 01/26/10.*JB

IF I DRIVE THE CAR FOR ONE HOUR AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF, WHEN TRYING TO RESTART THE ENGINE, THE STARTER WON'T CRANK. AFTER ANOTHER HOUR IT WILL RESET AND RESTART. IN AND OUT OF THE DEALER FOR 7 MONTHS AND SEVERAL REPAIR ATTEMPTS, THE STARTER STILL FAILS TO CRANK. *NM

I'VE BEEN HAVING VARIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ON MY 2004 VW TOUAREG FROM THE PURCHASE DATE OF 08/19/03. THE ALARM WOULD SOUND, WITHOUT CAUSE, THE DOORS WOULD NOT UNLOCK AND VARIOUS SWITCHES WOULD NOT WORK AT TIMES. ALL OF THE PROBLEMS WERE RANDOM. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR SEVERAL TIMES. BUT, THE PROBLEMS WERE NOT FIXED. IN APRIL 2006, MY CAR BATTERY WAS REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS NO LONGER HANDLING A CHARGE. THE BATTERY CHANGE WAS A WARRANTY ITEM. AFTER THE BATTERY CHANGE, THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS BECAME MORE FREQUENT. MY TURN SIGNALS BEGAN TO ACT UP. WHEN I SIGNAL FOR A RIGHT TURN, THE BLINKER WILL CLICK TO THE LEFT ONE TO THREE TIMES, THEN TO THE RIGHT. I TOLD MURRIETA VW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR WARRANTY SERVICE ON 06/30/06. THEY COULDN'T FIND A "FAULT CODE" AND COULDN'T MAKE THE CAR DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. SO, THEY DIDN'T FIX THE CAR. I VIDEO TAPED THE PROBLEM FIVE TIMES, ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AFTER THE 06/30/06. I ALSO HAVE TWO DIFFERENT WITNESSES WHO WITNESSED THE PROBLEM. I E MAILED THE VIDEOS TO MURRIETA VW AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK ON 07/08. MURRIETA VW WASN'T ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT THE CAR IS NOW DANGEROUS. IF I WERE TO SIGNAL A RIGHT TURN AT AN INTERSECTION, WITH AN ONCOMING CAR ASSUMING THAT I AM TURNING LEFT BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE TURN SIGNAL, I COULD END UP IN AN ACCIDENT. I'M NOT LOOKING FOR SPECIAL TREATMENT FROM VW. I JUST WANT MY CAR FIXED. 2004 VW TOUAREG SERIAL# W V G C M 67 L 04 D 002863. *JB

CURRENTLY, VW HAS PUBLISHED TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 27-05-01 AND 27-05-03 FOR THE TOUAREG RELATED TO BAD GROUND CONNECTIONS AT THE BATTERY AND A FAULTY BATCH OF GROUND/POSITIVE WIRES THAT RUN FROM THE GENERATOR TO THE BATTERY. HOWEVER, VW WILL ONLY REPAIR THE VEHICLE IF THE CAR GOES COMPLETELY DEAD, LEAVING THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS AT THE MERCY OF THE ENVIRONMENT THEY ARE STRANDED IN. AS THIS IS A SUV, THE ENVIRONMENT COULD BE ONE THAT POSES A THREAT TO THE WELL BEING OF THE OCCUPANTS. I HAVE OPENED CASE # 60111160 WITH VWOA AND EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS TO DWIGHT HARRISON VW IN SNELLVILLE, GA AND HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME RESPONSE......THE CAR HAS TO HAVE AN EXISTING NO-START CONDITION TO QUALIFY. *NM

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. *JB

PASSENGER DOOR OPENED GOING DOWN THE ROAD, HANDLE DOES NOT RETRACT SOMETIMES. A LITANY OF ELECTRIC QUIRKS AND EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR, ALSO JERKY ACCELERATION. *JB

THE RADIO IN THE 2004 VW TOURAEGG IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DUE TO ITS DESIGN WHICH REQUIRES THE DRIVER TO TAKE THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD TO CHANGE THE STATIONS ON THE RADIO IN A WAY THAT IS UNTYPICAL OF ANY RADIO BEING DESIGNED TODAY. YOU MUST PUSH BETWEEN 4 TO 6 BUTTONS TO GO BETWEEN AM AND FM STATIONS AND FIND THE STATION YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO. IT REQUIRES THE DRIVER TO TAKE THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD AND BE DISTRACTED FOR WAY TOO LONG. WHEN DOING CITY DRIVING YOU CAN DO IT AT RED LIGHTS BUT ON THE HIGHWAY IT'S VERY DANGEROUS. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND TEST IT IN A TOURAEG - IT CAN'T BE UNDERSTOOD UNLESS YOU GET IN THE CAR. CUP HOLDERS ARE SO SHALLOW THAT CUPS AND BOTTLES GO FLYING OUT AND LAND UNDER THE FEET OF THE DRIVER NEAR THE GAS PEDAL OR GOING FLYING INTO THE PASSENGER FOOT AREA. ALSO VERY DANGEROUS. THE CATEGORIES DON'T REALLY IDENTIFY THIS COMPLAINT BUT I HOPE YOU'LL TAKE IT SERIOUSLY AND CHECK THE CAR. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS AND THIS WAS A "SLEEPER" ISSUE NOT EVIDENT AT PURCHASE BUT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS RIDICULOUS FEATURE I'VE EVER SEEN IN A GOOD CAR. I HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME TO SIMPLY LISTEN TO ONE RADIO STATION. MY CHILDREN BOUGHT ME AN IPOD TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND THE RADIO IS PROGRAMED SO THAT YOU CAN'T USE AN IPOD EASILY EITHER BECAUSE IT DOESN'T ALLOW YOU ACCESS TO UNUSED STATIONS.

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. *JB

DT: 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. *AK

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).*JB

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.

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. *NM

INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT FAILED. DEALER STATED THERE WAS TOO MUCH RESISTANCE WITHIN THE WIRING HARNESS. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE COULD CATCH ON FIRE. *AK *NM

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I DRIVE A 2004 VW TOUAREG. I WANT TO REPORT A TECHNICAL PROBLEM REGARDING THE MULTI FUNCTION INDICATOR (TRIP COMPUTER, OR MFI) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHICH VW DOESN'T ACKNOWLADGE.*AK MY TOUAREG HAS A COLOR MFI MODULE (LCD BASED) WHICH SHOWS THE CLOCK, GEAR, CD INFO ETC, BETWEEN THE SPEEDOMETER AND THE TACHOMETER (IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER). THE PROBLEM IS THAT MFI CONSTANTLY BUZZ AS SOON IT IS POWERED UP (OPENING THE DOOR, DON'T NEED TO INSERT THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION) AND THE SOUND GOES AWAY WHEN THE MFI SHUTS OFF. WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION MFI IS ALWAYS ON, AND THE NOISE GETS QUIET ANNOYING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSES IT OR HOW TO ELIMINATE THIS SOUND. I TRY TO DIM THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER'S LIGHTNING, HOWEVER THIS HAS NO EFFECT. ALSO WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON, THE NOISE GET LOUDER. OVERALL, THIS ISSUE CREATES A DISTURBANCE FOR THE DRIVER, AND MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. VW DOESN'T IDENTIFY THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER I HAVE HEARD AND READ FROM OTHER WEBSITES ABOUT PEOPLE COMPLANING ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THANKING YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE AND INTEREST, AND HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON. WARMEST REGARDS, BARR KARAGOZLU KARAGOZLU_BARIS@YAHOO.COM