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2023 Volkswagen Taos

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Taos years

Owner complaints for the 2023 Volkswagen Taos are substantially higher than the model-year median of 53.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 6 of 106 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

106 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 29, 2024
Service BrakesWheels

Defective braking system Persistent noise from brake pads and rotors After many attempts to fix the issue, dealer stated there is nothing further they can do

NHTSA ODI #11585819

Mileage unknown · Jan 18, 2024
Service Brakes

The vehicle has less than 16,000 miles and the rear brake pads already need to be replaced. Volkswagen refuses to cover the replacement even though the brake pads should not have worn out so soon.

NHTSA ODI #11566274

Mileage unknown · Jan 16, 2024
EngineService Brakes

My brakes went bad in under 5,000 miles they replaced the rear and now the front brakes are making noise. I have had to go into the dealer twice to get my coolant replaced. It needs it again and I feel we should not have to keep going into the shop when there is a known head gasket issue.

NHTSA ODI #11565732

Mileage unknown · Jan 2, 2024
Engine

Red central warning light and coolant/temp light came on when leaving home. Blown head gasket at 10,150 miles. Car had no coolant, had to be towed. Dealer agress it's the head gasket. No ETA on parts at this time.

NHTSA ODI #11562995

Mileage unknown · Dec 29, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Navigation system is frequently giving an incorrect location. This has been occurring since I purchased the vehicle in September. My concern is that if I needed to transport myself or another to emergency services or if I needed to let emergency services personnel know my location I would be unable to do so correctly. Incidents …

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Navigation system is frequently giving an incorrect location. This has been occurring since I purchased the vehicle in September. My concern is that if I needed to transport myself or another to emergency services or if I needed to let emergency services personnel know my location I would be unable to do so correctly. Incidents such as mine are not unique if you can see here on the Taos forum. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11562528

Mileage unknown · Dec 18, 2023
Service BrakesSuspensionWheels

Rear brake pads and rotors went out twice Noise coming front wheel at low speed Window goes down when you press up

NHTSA ODI #11560804

Mileage unknown · Dec 15, 2023
Engine

Two months ago I noticed an issue with my 2023 VW Taos. VW topped off the fluids and told me to stop back in if it happened again. Three weeks later I was 200 miles from home and it happened again. I stopped in another VW dealer and they topped off the fluids and said if it happened again to bring it in. Today, December 15, 2023…

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Two months ago I noticed an issue with my 2023 VW Taos. VW topped off the fluids and told me to stop back in if it happened again. Three weeks later I was 200 miles from home and it happened again. I stopped in another VW dealer and they topped off the fluids and said if it happened again to bring it in. Today, December 15, 2023 I take my vehicle to the VW dealer with ~22,000 miles and the service advisor and mechanic come over to me and said "we are not allowing you to leave in your car today". I asked why and they said the head gasket is gone and the engine needs to be taken apart. They said corporate requires pictures of this because it is a known problem with this engine between 20K and 30K miles the engine head gasket cracks, coolant light enables, and the engine can blow. They gave me a loaner and said plan to be in the car for a few months as we have a back order on parts, corporate needs to review this, and it will take time as we must remove the engine to repair the gaskets that are in between the upper and lower sections. I come home and log into a VW Taos forum online to find 6,000 people reporting this same issue in the US and Canada. This has not been recalled, but it is obvious from the forum that models between 2019 and 2023 with this specific engine type has this issue and it is well known to VW but they're not recalling it. I don't want a car after the engine has come out and gone back in. They need to take my car back and keep it! How can this be allowed in America?

NHTSA ODI #11560282

Mileage unknown · Dec 10, 2023
Visibility/wiper

While driving 65mph on fwy when the passenger side rear window SHATTERED! No rock, no bump, no shot, nothing. It absolutely imploded for no reason! The car was bought brand new ONE MONTH ago. It came with “factory tint” but it, too, disintegrated. I am very concerned about what caused this and when it may happen again. There is …

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While driving 65mph on fwy when the passenger side rear window SHATTERED! No rock, no bump, no shot, nothing. It absolutely imploded for no reason! The car was bought brand new ONE MONTH ago. It came with “factory tint” but it, too, disintegrated. I am very concerned about what caused this and when it may happen again. There is something really wrong with this window. The dealership says I will have to pay for it.

NHTSA ODI #11559403

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2023
Engine

Engine cooling system has lost coolant. Very concerned because it is not leaking or evaporating - has entered the engine.

NHTSA ODI #11552227

Mileage unknown · Oct 22, 2023
Power Train

The throttle response from a stop in the Taos is not immediate. Sometimes it will take 2 seconds to react to throttle input. There have been times where you accelerate and it will go extremely slow ans then a sudden burst of acceleration. This can be extremely dangerous when pulling into a roadway with traffic. There is also not…

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The throttle response from a stop in the Taos is not immediate. Sometimes it will take 2 seconds to react to throttle input. There have been times where you accelerate and it will go extremely slow ans then a sudden burst of acceleration. This can be extremely dangerous when pulling into a roadway with traffic. There is also not an immediate reaction when throttle is applied quickly at Highway speeds. Almost was hit 3 times while driving this car because it would not accelerate as expected.

NHTSA ODI #11551257

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.