Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH | ||||||
| PE05042 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 08/11/2005 | 12/21/2005 | EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE MALFUNCTION | ||
| Vw issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) dated june 10, 2005, describing a condition of exterior door handle sticks in the opened position after the door is opened.vw described the cause of the problem to be a potential for increased friction between the door handle and the lock cylinder housing . . . because some guide nubs that were molded into the plastic door handle . . . were slightly higher than specified.in addition to the tsb, vw has introduced production changes (lubrication, deletion of the guide nubs, introduction of a low friction guide surface on the lock cylinder housing) to address the problem.vw reports that the failure occurs predominantly in the very early life stage of the vehicle.odi examination of vw's warranty data shows fewer claims as the vehicle ages.the one injury resulted when the unlatched door hit the occupant's hand.a safety defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.odi will continue to monitor complaints andreserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | |||
| 05/08/2010 | 95000 | ||
| 2004 vw touareg v-8 many problems but 3 worth reporting: for no apparent reason passenger door could not be opened or unlatched by using any known means including the inside door handle or outside door handle, electric lock actuator clicks as if the door is unlocked but the door can not be opened or unlatched. vehicle had to be brought to vw dealership and worked on by destroying the door handle to open the door and perhaps cutting a whole in the body pannel at the cost of 2 hours of diagnostics, 8 hours of labor to open door and probably 2 or 3 additional hours of replacing door handle if body of door is not bent, plus parts vehicle has many electrical glitches including but not limited to intermittent malfunction of air bag igniters....once again having the potential to cause serious harm occupants given the right circumstances this is a potential dangerous situation and has made me lose all faih in this manufacturer. vehicle lunges forward when stopped at trafic lights and beginning to procceed on a green | |||
| 03/01/2010 | 59000 | ||
| Sensors on the door handle for the 2004 vw touraeg failing to work. i put my child in the back seat and shut the door and the locks engaged with the keys inside. 2 yr old child was locked in the car until i could break into the house and get a spare set of keys. | |||
| 01/22/2010 | 19549 | 1 | |
| Unexpected and sudden electrical malfunction of the steering column lock causing the vehicle to shut down, unable to start or move shifter lever out of gear. *tr | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH | |||
| 11/15/2004 | 15000 | 10 | 07/27/2004 |
| Door handles stick on all four doors. last year, my husband was in the passenger seat as i went around a corner, the passenger door flung open and my husband almost fell out. luckily he was wearing his seat belt. the door handles were replaced by the dealership. however, the door handles have started sticking again. i have to pull the handle and let it go quickly to loosen the handle so it closes fully. i noticed with 1000 miles on my vehicle that there was a pull in the front end. i took it to the dealer and they said it needed to be aligned. they refused to pay for the alignment, my tires were completely worn to the tread bars with 15,000 miles on all four, they were cupped. the manufacturer replaced 2 tires and i paid for 2 tires and a 4 wheel alignments. *nm *ak | |||
| 10/22/2005 | 100 | 09/30/2004 | |
| Our 2004 vw touareg v-8 has the following problems despite five trips to the dealer: i) hesitation during acceleration; ii) pulls hard to the right; and iii) shifts roughly at low speeds. past problems include: iv) the latch on the rear door broke, such that it came crashing down on my wife's head; v) the rear seat belt latch wouldn't work; vi) the car shuddered badly when you tried to make a turn at low speeds (e.g., while parking) and vii) the flat tire indicator went on even though the tire was neither flat nor low. we have an arbitration scheduled for 11/9/05 under california's lemon law. *nm | |||
| 08/29/2005 | 1 | 10/20/2004 | |
| 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 | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 10000 | 3 | 07/18/2004 |
| Door handels stick in the open position so doors do not close. taken to dealer, dealer did not fix issue. my daughter's hand then was hurt after door slammed into her as it was did not latch due to sticking door handels. called volkswagen, then booked the car for repair. after collecting car from dealer's second repair, the problem still occurs, but at not as often. car still defective. | |||
| 12/23/2004 | 2000 | 7 | 08/31/2004 |
| 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.*ak | |||