Exact make, model and year evidence from official US sources. Recall campaigns, ODI investigations, complaint allegations and EPA estimates remain separate.
A campaign may cover only certain production dates, plants or equipment. A zero result here is not safety clearance. Use NHTSA’s official VIN tool for the individual vehicle.
Exact model-level NHTSA results for 2004 VOLKSWAGEN Touareg. Campaign records are official safety actions; applicability to a particular car still requires its VIN.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2004-2007 Touareg vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel filter flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Consequence
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel filter flange for cracks, replacing the flange if cracks are found. If no cracks are found, a protective cover will be installed onto the filter flange. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20Ai.
CERTAIN PASSENGER CARS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." ALL THREE REAR SEAT POSITIONS AND THE FRONT PASSENGER POSITION ARE EQUIPPED WITH SEAT BELT RETRACTORS THAT HAVE A LOCKING FEATURE WHICH CONVERTS THE RETRACTOR FROM AN EMERGENCY LOCKING RETRACTOR (ELR) MODE TO AN AUTOMATIC LOCKING RETRACTOR (ALR) MODE FOR THE PURPOSES OF CHILD RESTRAINT INSTALLATION. THE BELT MAY DEACTIVATE THE ALR MODE WITH CERTAIN CHILD RESTRAINTS.
Consequence
WHEN INVOLVED IN A CRASH, THE CHILD RESTRAINTS MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SECURED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES OR DEATH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY INSTALL A 'CLIP' IN EACH OF THE TWO REAR OUTBOARD SEAT BELTS. THE CLIPS WILL PREVENT UNWANTED DEACTIVATION OF THE ALR MODE WITH CHILD SEAT INSTALLATIONS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 11, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE REAR SEAT BELT LATCH ATTACHMENT BOLT MAY HAVE BEEN INSUFFICIENTLY RIVETED.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE BELT BUCKLE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 21, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) WIRING HARNESS MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY ROUTED DURING ASSEMBLY. AN IMPROPERLY ROUTED TPMS WIRING HARNESS MAY CONTACT THE PARKING BRAKE CABLE SPRING.
Consequence
IF THIS HAPPENS, THE TPMS WIRING CIRCUIT COULD BE INTERRUPTED, RESULTING IN AN INOPERATIVE TPMS, AND CAUSING A SHORT-TO-GROUND CONDITION THAT COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TPMS WIRING HARNESS ROUTING AND, IF NECESSARY, CORRECT THE WIRING HARNESS ROUTING. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 18, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VWOA AT 1-800-893-5298.
02 · Owner allegations
231 NHTSA complaints
Counts are not adjusted for sales, vehicle age, mileage, publicity or reporting behavior. They are allegations, not defect findings or a reliability score.
Crash mentions
9
Fire mentions
5
Injuries reported
6
Most-reported component labels
POWER TRAIN50
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM49
TIRES36
AIR BAGS27
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM23
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING22
Complaints across nearby Volkswagen Touareg model years
Totals for the same nameplate, scaled against its highest year here. They are not adjusted for how many were sold, how old they are, how far they are driven, or how much publicity a fault received — an older or better-selling year will usually carry more reports. This shows where the reporting sits, not which year is better.
An investigation means ODI reviewed a possible safety issue for this exact model-year identity. Opening one is not a defect finding; closing one does not by itself clear a vehicle.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH · No associated recall campaign number was published in this investigation row.
04 · EPA configurations
Fuel economy & specifications
FuelEconomy.gov records are summarized as ranges where this model name has multiple engines, drivetrains or trims.
EPA configurations
3
Combined economy
14–18 mpg/MPGe
City / highway
12–15 / 17–22 mpg/MPGe
Engine displacement
3.2–5 L
Cylinders
6–10
Fuel type
Diesel · Premium
Drive
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
Vehicle class
Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD
Annual fuel-cost estimate
$5250–5700
05 · Evidence strength
Exact identity. Explicit limits.
No opaque score. Evidence strength is expressed through source availability, exact match method, jurisdiction and honest empty states.
exact match
Recall campaigns
4 exact US model-year records in this bounded view.
exact match
Complaints
231 exact US model-year allegations; narratives and VIN fragments are omitted.
exact match
ODI investigations
2 exact US model-year action numbers in the approved import snapshot.
canonical only
Model aliases
Only the exact NHTSA vPIC model name is published; unverified aliases are not merged.
not published
Manufacturer ownership
No rights-reviewed official ownership record is joined to this exact model-year.
PUBLIC EVIDENCE PASSPORT
Identity, freshness and provenance.
The canonical URL is this file’s permanent public identifier. Source IDs and timestamps show exactly what was matched and when; they do not turn the evidence into a verdict.
Only NHTSA vPIC, NHTSA ODI complaints and investigations, NHTSA recalls and FuelEconomy.gov contribute to this vehicle claim. CPSC equipment notices are searched separately and never joined to vehicle fitment. UK MOT, Canadian, New Zealand and European records are not merged into this US claim.
06 · Research paths
Diagnose first. Confirm fitment.
These are transparent searches, not diagnoses or endorsed parts. Recall remedies come before purchases; exact part fitment requires VIN, trim, powertrain, production date and OE number.
50 complaint labels
POWER TRAIN
Check recalls and diagnostic information before replacing anything.
Awin US and R2 affiliate inventory are not published until a US programme, merchant and exact-fitment projection are approved. No offer currently has both merchant approval and exact vehicle fitment, so commercial links never count as evidence.