When Volkswagen finally entered the SUV market in 2004, the Touareg created a lot of excitement with VW fans. The crossover SUV had a choice of three engines, off-road maneuverability, and of course, SUV versatility. The 2005 Volkswagen Touareg has a unibody structure and a carlike look that is reminiscent of Volkswagen’s luxury sedans. Even though it was a popular model overall, there were a few things that 2005 Volkswagen Touareg owners complained about the most.

Volkswagen Touareg driveshaft bearing support failure

The 2005 Volkswagen Touareg had a problem that CarComplaints.com found to be serious – failure of the driveshaft bearing support. They gave it a 9.0 severity rating, or “really awful.” This is mainly because failure to detect the problem could ruin the transmission, which is an even more expensive problem.

Drivers of the VW Touareg ran into the problem at an average of 110,100 miles and were tipped off to the problem when they felt vibrations under the armrest when accelerating. It cost around $800 to repair. 

Headlight wire burnout and the engine shutting down

Another problem that was reported by a 2005 Volkswagen Touareg owner was that the headlight wire burned out. This doesn’t sound like much, but the issue caused the control module to burn out. It was unclear whether the wire burnout was caused by defective wiring or too much voltage for the gauge of the wire.

Car Complaints gave the problem a severity rating of 10, or “really awful.” The driver who reported the problem was very disappointed in Volkswagen’s reaction, saying that many other drivers also experienced the same problem. They found that insulation was gone from the wiring. Although VW chose not to address it, this owner felt that it created for a potential fire on the road or at home. 

Another driver of the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg reported that their engine shut down while driving. This got a severity rating of 8.0, or “pretty bad,” and it cost $1,850 to repair. The driver said that the car was traveling at a low speed and climbing a hill when it suddenly shut down without warning, and the engine failed to restart. 

The Volkswagen Touareg was discontinued in the U.S.

The 2005 Volkswagen Touareg base models still came with a lot of standard features. Technology included hands-free phone use, cruise control, and a sophisticated navigation system for the time. It came with both an MP3 player and a CD player for entertainment as well as dual power front seats with leather upholstery throughout the cabin. The Touareg isn’t known for its stellar gas mileage – it gets just 16 miles per gallon combined. 

2018 was the last year the Touareg was available in the U.S. It continued to impress over the years, but Volkswagen’s flagship SUV was always a bit of a niche model and will now only be available in Europe. The larger Tiguan and midsize Atlas are now the focus of VW when it comes to SUVs in the U.S.

The 2020 Tiguan picks up on a lot of the style cues of the Touareg, while the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport have the more rugged look of a traditional SUV.  Both of these SUVs are packed with technology including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as the latest driver-assist technology to keep both the driver and passengers safe and secure. 

Although the 2005 Volkswagen Touareg had a few problems, overall, the Touareg has been a strong addition to the VW lineup. It combines sophisticated looks, off-road capability, and the practical features that drivers are looking for today.