Touareg transmission problem is “characteristic of the model”, say VW

Dealer and manufacturer tell customer there's no fix for gear change issues

Touareg transmission problem is “characteristic of the model”, say VW
The dealer initially denied any problem with the transmission but the car maker has now told Mark there's no current fix for the fault.

A VW customer who reported problems with the transmission on his 66-plate Volkswagen Touareg R Line Plus just days after it was supplied to him by a VW dealer has been told that there is currently no fix for the issue.

Mark said: “It changes between seventh and eighth gear at the slightest touch of the accelerator, and is especially bad at 70mph.

“In reality, you cannot hold the car at this speed as it constantly changes up and down with a corresponding increase in revs.

“When it happens, there is vibration through the steering wheel and pedals that does not seem normal.

“This makes the vehicle unpleasant to drive and in my opinion not fit for purpose.”

‘Not fit for purpose’

In a letter to Mark, the dealer’s brand manager said: “Volkswagen UK has assured me that a solution will be found, and at this present time it is a characteristic of the model.”

VW Financial Services has now agreed to refund his deposit and monthly payments to date.

A VW spokesman told Car Buyer: “Volkswagen UK is aware of isolated concerns relating to the operation of the automatic gearbox in the Touareg.

“These are under investigation.

“I’m afraid there’s no technical information available.

“We will update customers as soon as we have further information.”

29 Comments

  1. I would agree with Mark’s assessment. I have just brought a 17 plate Touareg and it is really not easy to drive on motorways. I have resorted to sticking into tiptronic in order to force the thing to stay in 8th gear. I have a 30 day / 1000 mile return option on the car and am seriously considering using it.

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    • What is length of the power train warranty on a 2016 Touareg?

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  2. Did VW come up with a fix for this problem? I have the same issue on my 2017 model and once you notice the unnecessary flipping between 7th and 8th gear it makes motorway driving unpleasant.

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    • I bought a late 2017 touareg Rline from JCT in Wakefield and had this problem,took it back for update and all is fine now.

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  3. I also have 2017 Touareg R Line Plus with the same fault. Is there a fix? Maybe Mike Ruff could get an update to this problem direct from VW.

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  4. Same here, I am also driving a Touareg R Line Plus 2017 reg with the exact same fault. Been it touch with my dealer and still waiting for a fix. Does VW have an official fix and how should I proceed with the dealer.

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  5. I have a 67 plate one with about 4k on the clock and have been told that its perfectly normal for this model with this ver of software so I believe there is a new one coming out and they have lost interest

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    • Hi We have a Toureag R Line plus with exactly the same problem VW can find nothing wrong Martin Gibbons can you please tell us what you had done to correct the problem would really appreciate some help the changing from 7 to 8 all the time really annoys me.

      Reply
  6. I’ve also recently purchased a 2018 reg r line plus model and an experiencing the same fault. The dealer has said they are aware of the fault but there is no fix. I’m still in the first 30 day period so I am thinking of returning it for a refund.

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  7. I have one here in Ireland 2017 model rline plus the dealer can not fix it and they are waiting for a software update from Germany.

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  8. Had the same issue with 2018 model here in Ireland and only contacted my local dealer last week. They responded within two days and booked the car in yesterday for a software patch. The car is totally transformed. It seems even better than the 2016 model I had, snapping through the gears and holding on to 8th at anything above 1300rpm (apart from kickdown).
    It also feels faster in sport mode with a much faster upchange

    Reply
    • hi Carl
      I have same issue on my 67 plat Touareg R line plus. Armed with your info I went into my local dealer today only to be told that they knew nothing about it. I am writing this whilst on the phone to vw head office in Milton Keynes and they cooer to know nothing about it. can you provide any further information about the software update that was carried out or even the contact details of the garage you took it to and the person that dealt with it. Also, has anyone else noticed that these cars change gear rear strangely? just drove through town at 40mph and it was in 7th gear, 5th gear at 30mph and all this is having a massive impact on my fuel consumption.And as fo towing our caravan don’t even start me on that. It is not pleasant at all. Our 2012 Altitude used to return 44mpg on a run and 26 towing our 1700kg caravan. This one returns 36 on a run and 19 tow. Not happy with that at the current cost of diesel. Just finished conversation with VW head office. Thet have no records or notifications of this issue so cannot advise. I have to take car to a local dealer and have it plugged into the VW diagnostic system to see if VW head office can find a fault. If not then they are saying that a fault does not exist as far as they can see. Any help gratefully received. Thanks Iain

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  9. Good job I found this news report about the same gearbox fault which appears to be a problem on all 2017/2018 vw touareg r line plus models. My dealer has been fobbing me off for 3 months now, telling me they are waiting for a software update and implying that it’s not a known fault. I think somebody somewhere is trying to keep a lid on this so we don’t all demand a refund at the same time.

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    • The problem that I have is that we did not buy from a VW dealer but from a general auto trader. I have informed them that I wish to return the car for a full refund. the first thing they said was that they would have to discuss the fault with VW. This will be an interesting conversation because VW don’t seem to think that there is anything wrong. No holding out much hope of getting my money back any time soon. Think that it is time that this matter got a bit more publicity so may just drop in on VW facebook site.

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      • Hi Iain
        Sorry for the late reply. Having experienced the above issues with my ’18 model and having had no such problems with my previous ’16 car, I was very dissappointed to hear of other peoples responses from VW. I purchased both my cars from my local VW dealer, O’Reilly & sons, Longford, Ire. (contact Gerry Penrose) , and it was to them that I complained. They dealt with the issue immediately and completely. The fact that you bought the car outside of the dealer network should not affect your statutory or warranty rights.

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    • I had the same faults explained to the dealer. They looked up and found a software update which has fixed the problem. They did say this needs to be requested.

      Reply
  10. I have 17 plate R line touareg I find the gearbox strange and have a annoying vibration through accelerator. Have spoken to vw dealer about vibration but i will need to persist because I don’t really think they care much.

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  11. I’m so glad I’ve come across this thread. I bought my 66-plate Touareg R-Line Plus a couple of months ago and have exactly the same issue with the constant swapping between 7th and 8th. Turning on the cruise control seems to keep it in 8th, or going into tip-tronic.
    I also find the gearbox very indecisive and slow to react during general driving, and feels like it’s ‘over-revving’ at slow speeds (as though it’s riding the clutch)! All this makes it pretty unenjoyable to drive.
    Not to mention the poor fuel economy (my average of 22mpg in steady driving, managing up to 29mpg on a steady motorway run).
    Now that I know it’s not just my imagination, I’ll chase VW for a response.
    I was thinking of getting the ECU remapped to see if that helps. Any thoughts or advice??

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    • Carl – my 2017 Touareg suffers exactly the same thing. Very annoying and horrible to drive. Do you have any info on the software patch that was installed to your car? Any info is appreciated.

      Tom C – Hows the transmission going?

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  12. Have had mine done and it makes a huge difference – Averaging over 30mpg and very mixed driving!! TDI Tuning.

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  13. Hi, I have just purchased a 2017 R Line with the 150kw engine and i noticed straight away on it’s first proper journey that mine has exactly the same issue if jumping constantly between 7 and 8 at anything over about 50mph. I have booked it into my local VW dealer in Chelmsford for them to diagnose but i am presuming VW release a software update to fix this going from previous comments? The fuel economy is pretty terrible too!

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  14. I’ve noticed exactly the same with our ’17 R-Line Plus. We’ve had it since new and I noticed very early on, but as I wasn’t the main driver at the time, it wasn’t much of an issue for me. Now that it’s mine, its driving me nuts! Any information I can take to a dealer to have this looked at would be hugely appreciated!

    We’ve got a 2019 V6 Amarok 258 with 8 speed and it drives superb – a bit of research tells me it has a ZF (8hp45). I’d have thought the Touareg uses a ZF too, but turns out it’s made by Aisin.

    Reply
    • Andy,

      I’ll let you know what happens at VW next week but i’m hoping that the ‘software patch’ that others on this forum have talked about is actually available and released. I absolutely love the car and this is one niggle i need to get sorted before it drives me insane!

      Reply
      • I got my 2019 Touareg in July new after three weeks broke down brought it back to vw dealer they had it for ten day before they gave it back now it’s reviving to high before it change gears they keep saying nothing wrong with it

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  15. Just bought a 2017 R-Line in the UK and imported to Ireland. Did 700 kms motorway driving and didn’t seem to experience any of the 78 gear issue. Have the vehicle about 2 weeks, and just this morning it has become very ‘jumpy’ if you accelerate at all when it is in 6th-3rd gear and needs to automatically drop down. It’s like it is struggling to get into gear, revs too high, and then finds the gear with a jolt.
    Anyone else have this, and know the solution, or is it all part of the grander problem? Has been a dream car for the past 2 weeks.

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    • Garrett, just on our way up from the south of France and mine has been jolting when decelerating when the auto box goes from 5th to 4th. It’s almost a clanking when it changes down but the software update resolved the 7 to 8 jumping constantly I’d previously encountered. I’m booking it back I to VW next week!

      Reply
  16. Same issue with gears 7to8th constantly changing and horrible vibration through accelerator pedal 17 reg r line. Vw say no one else complaining. They tell me vw have no issues from anyone and there’s no bulletin to any dealer.

    Reply
  17. Is there anyone who know what serial number it is on the updated software that fixes the 7-8 issue. I have just bought a 2018 (previous model) with the same issue. This is not the R version though. 3.0 tdi 204 hp. Aisin gearbox.

    Reply
  18. I am in the process of purchasing a VW Touareg R-Line plus 2017 reg. I just came accross this possible gear box issue with this car. Is this still and issue, did VW ever find a fix for this. Don’t want to buy a problem car if I can avoid it.

    Reply

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