2023 Volkswagen Taos Owner Complaints

Within the first 24 hours of picking up this new car warnings for 3000rpm max appeared, engine overheating and potential damage to engine components appears and engine functioning was decreased, exhaust control malfaction message, and electronic engine control message with associated symbol for lane assist warning message. When the electronic engine control message with checklight appeared, acceleration was impaired and it was difficult to speed up on the road. There was the potential for fire and gasoline explosion and risk to drivers and passengers due to possible collision accidents. I have brought the car to the dealership and was turned away the first time due to being told it was low voltage. While drive home the EEC message, electronic engine control malfunction with warning light appeared again and I called and said I was going to drive back to the Volkswagen dealership and this time they took the car. This was a worrisome experience for me. .

1/14/2023

Brake pads are fading quicker than usual. Also, the coolant. Just checked and added some coolant today. I never filled my other 2 older cars, one with 22k miles and the other one has 25k miles on them. I never had to add a coolant on them. This VW is barely 3k miles and it’s having these issues already.

6/30/2023

Driving on the freeway driver cutt me off I had to apply the brakes fast car brakes did not stop the car smooth the brakes grabbed and locked up causing the car to skid off the road did not respond when applied during an emergency to avoid collision. Excessive brake dust and do not stop car.efficiently.

6/21/2023

Brake pads are fading quicker than usual. Also, the coolant. Just checked and added some coolant today. I never filled my other 2 older cars, one with 22k miles and the other one has 25k miles on them. I never had to add a coolant on them. This VW is barely 3k miles and it’s having these issues already.

6/30/2023

Within the first 24 hours of picking up this new car warnings for 3000rpm max appeared, engine overheating and potential damage to engine components appears and engine functioning was decreased, exhaust control malfaction message, and electronic engine control message with associated symbol for lane assist warning message. When the electronic engine control message with checklight appeared, acceleration was impaired and it was difficult to speed up on the road. There was the potential for fire and gasoline explosion and risk to drivers and passengers due to possible collision accidents. I have brought the car to the dealership and was turned away the first time due to being told it was low voltage. While drive home the EEC message, electronic engine control malfunction with warning light appeared again and I called and said I was going to drive back to the Volkswagen dealership and this time they took the car. This was a worrisome experience for me. .

1/14/2023

Check engine light came on not long after buying the vehicle, additional electrical issues began including window regulator failures and battery failure.

4/13/2023

The contact rented a 2023 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in drive with the brake pedal depressed and entering the garage, he released the brake pedal and the vehicle rolled and stalled. Additionally, the vehicle failed to start. The contact had to hold the fob near the WIFI button to start the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 7,400.

3/2/2023

When put in reverse vehicle would not move (reverse back). Vehicle needs to be restarted several times for it to reverse properly. A safety issue when trying to maneuver in live traffic.

3/11/2023

Driving on the freeway driver cutt me off I had to apply the brakes fast car brakes did not stop the car smooth the brakes grabbed and locked up causing the car to skid off the road did not respond when applied during an emergency to avoid collision. Excessive brake dust and do not stop car.efficiently.

6/21/2023

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)

12/29/2023

Pulling into a parking spot, vehicle had a sudden burst of acceleration, as it was still on the road, resulting in an accident. Vehicle drove over a parking curb, hitting a small tree and a sign. Vehicle felt like there was a lag in response timing of the throttle to acceleration response. No one was injured, including myself the driver. Vehicle at this moment is at the VW dealership getting repaired. Insurance was notified at time of accident. No warning lights occurred at time of accident.

3/31/2023

I purchased the new 2023 TAOS Volkswagen. I am experiencing sudden burst of acceleration when I’m gently accelerating. I have had several near misses of having an accident. I have read several other reports of the same problem on online forums. What is Volkswagen going to do about this? I just paid $35,000 for this new car and I’m afraid I’m gonna have an accident the way it suddenly accelerates. Please contact me so I know if there’s anything I can do to resolve this problem. This car is my only transportation and it scares me to drive it. This should not be happening.

8/28/2023

I purchased the 2023 Taos SE at the beginning of may. When accelerating on the highway, the ACC light and engine light came on and the car started rapidly decelerating. Lane assist, cruise control and ACC were not able to be used. I managed to pull to the side of the road, and was towed to a VW dealership in Rochester. The computer came back saying it was bad fuel. They drained the fuel, and charged us due to user error/using the wrong fuel. I have confirmation from the gas station this is incorrect. The next day, the same incident happened when accelerating on the highway. My hometown dealer also ran a report and it came back as bad fuel. They drained the fuel, but kept the car to test drive. I refused to take it back until a different solution was found. They finally were able to recreate the situation, and said there was an issue with a fuel injector module. I picked up my car yesterday, and did not even get home before the car powered down on the highway.

6/8/2023

Purchased a 2023 VW Taos SE on December 21st, 2022, with 11 miles on it. The first check engine light came on the end of January 2023 and it started having the acceleration lagging issue right before that. Dealer said it was a fuel issue and fixed it. Second check engine light was in March, dealer said to not top off the gas when pumping and fixed it. Third check engine light came on in April and VW Corporate's Service team got involved, claimed it was an emissions issue and fixed it. This entire time, the acceleration lagging issue continued sporadically. To the point you would have to floor the accelerator to get it to move, especially when changing lanes in traffic. Which a 2-3 second delay is dangerous! I had a car behind me honk, because the Taos was not accelerating. No matter what the dealer did to fix it, it did not work. Other issues include playlists not playing in Apple CarPlay, a rattle noise when accelerating, e-brake turning on by itself, air not blowing cold, dashboard and entertainment screens dimming for no reason and the smell of sulphur in the car. I followed Florida's Lemon Law and VW bought back and refunded me for the Taos as it is a bonafide lemon! This was my 6th VW and my last. The issues the Taos has reminds me of VW's timing chain tensioner lawsuit, which affected VW #5.

9/5/2023

Pulling into a parking spot, vehicle had a sudden burst of acceleration, as it was still on the road, resulting in an accident. Vehicle drove over a parking curb, hitting a small tree and a sign. Vehicle felt like there was a lag in response timing of the throttle to acceleration response. No one was injured, including myself the driver. Vehicle at this moment is at the VW dealership getting repaired. Insurance was notified at time of accident. No warning lights occurred at time of accident.

3/31/2023

I purchased the 2023 Taos SE at the beginning of may. When accelerating on the highway, the ACC light and engine light came on and the car started rapidly decelerating. Lane assist, cruise control and ACC were not able to be used. I managed to pull to the side of the road, and was towed to a VW dealership in Rochester. The computer came back saying it was bad fuel. They drained the fuel, and charged us due to user error/using the wrong fuel. I have confirmation from the gas station this is incorrect. The next day, the same incident happened when accelerating on the highway. My hometown dealer also ran a report and it came back as bad fuel. They drained the fuel, but kept the car to test drive. I refused to take it back until a different solution was found. They finally were able to recreate the situation, and said there was an issue with a fuel injector module. I picked up my car yesterday, and did not even get home before the car powered down on the highway.

6/8/2023

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

12/18/2023

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

4/29/2024

When I was driving on I-66 West yesterday on the Toll lanes with my family I had my cruise control on at 65 mph. Then suddenly the vehicle braked on it own without any warning messages. The braking was sudden and fortunately before coming to a complete stop in the middle of the interstate, I manually applied the brakes, briefly, to turn off the cruise control and then accelerate which seemed to resolve the issue. Hardly 2 minutes later, when I was not on cruise control and driving at around 65mph (the cruise button was on but not set at this time), the vehicle issued an Emergency Braking warning and started to brake very rapidly. This was very scary because braking or accelerating did not resolve the issue and vehicles behind me had to avoid hitting me from the rear. The only thing that worked was turning the cruise control off completely. Rest of the journey I decided to not activate cruise control button and the problem was not noticed. This is the first such incident (and hopefully the last) experienced on my barely a year old leased vehicle. Also as an FYI: (a) I have driven hundreds of times before using its cruise control without an issue. (b) I was West facing around 6:00 pm against the setting sun and I was about to go under a bridge when both the braking issues occurred.

6/4/2024

We purchased our 2023 Taos in Jan of 2024. The vehicle had approximately 24,500 miles when a grinding noise began terminating from the rear wheels. At the time of appointment at Ontario VW vehicle had 25147 miles. we were told that the rear brakes were bad, at 0%, and the rotors were damaged as well. 1. Brakes on cars do not wear rear wheels first. The dealer admitted not that is not normal wear, but adamantly stated the car is in "normal operational mode". However no one will answer why the brakes failed prematurely or who is responsible (except the customer) 2. there is a warranty extension for this problem. This was not discussed at the dealership at any time. I found the extension and called to speak with a manager 3 days later. When asked Dominic Alessi the service manager stated "We don't market "warranty extensions". He self-admitted that his dealership withholds information to customers and engages in deceptive practices to a customer. He further went on and stated, "We are here to sell and fix cars". I had to ask if there was a customer service aspect. In addition he spoke down to the customer and attempted to employ tactics that are considered unethical, dishonest, and eluding to information that was inapplicable (single side failure of the brake system) 3. I contacted VW corporate. I have an email that clearly states that the vehicle will not be fixed, covered, addressed, or any other service. that I need not contact anyone further. in closing I have a VW Taos bought off the lot, brand new. the rear brakes failed without warning until they were grinding. Brakes on a vehicle that are not designed to wear the rear first. There are supposed to be wear indications (squeaking). Despite design the brakes failed 1147 miles at the dealership after a known problem had a warranty extension. No one will address the failed brakes, the poor interactions with a manager, and unwillingness to do the right thing by a corporation.

2/26/2025

Within the first 24 hours of picking up this new car warnings for 3000rpm max appeared, engine overheating and potential damage to engine components appears and engine functioning was decreased, exhaust control malfaction message, and electronic engine control message with associated symbol for lane assist warning message. When the electronic engine control message with checklight appeared, acceleration was impaired and it was difficult to speed up on the road. There was the potential for fire and gasoline explosion and risk to drivers and passengers due to possible collision accidents. I have brought the car to the dealership and was turned away the first time due to being told it was low voltage. While drive home the EEC message, electronic engine control malfunction with warning light appeared again and I called and said I was going to drive back to the Volkswagen dealership and this time they took the car. This was a worrisome experience for me. .

1/14/2023

On 12/20/25, the "lane assist not available" and the "EPC" warning indicators lit up. I was in the car with my 11 year old, we pulled over and looked in the manual to understand EPC, and the manual said it "is possible to continue driving," so we continued. As we entered the freeway the car went into limp mode and would not accelerate. I put the gas pedal to the floor, put on my hazard lights, and got off at the next exit, but we did were not able to drive > 40 mph on a crowded, rainy freeway with big-rigs ahead, behind, and to the left of us. We got off at the next exit, drove to a parking lot and let the car rest for 10-15 minutes. When we turned it back on, the "Exhaust System Malfunction" light and "Central Warning Light" indicators were on. The lane assist not available indicator had lit up a day prior, as well. My safety and the safety of my child were at risk on the freeway. I called the dealership from which I had purchased the car 2 years earlier and which has ~11,280 miles. I was told by their service department to drive the car home, but not to drive it after that. However, they also told me to drive the car from my home to their shop (10 miles), but to avoid the freeway, in order to have it serviced. This suggestion also put me at risk, as it would have been unsafe to drive the car between my home and their shop. I did call back to say that I didn't feel safe driving it, at which point they looked up my car and saw that it is under warranty, which includes roadside assistance coverage. The car will be towed to their shop on the morning of 12/22/25.

12/21/2025

The blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning features are listed on the VIN for my vehicle which I purchased new. However, they are not on the vehicle, I was not told they were not on the vehicle, and I didn't sign anything saying they were not on the vehicle. How can the ADAS (adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning) work without these key features? I don't trust VW to tell me if these other features work and I'm concerned for my safety to try these out.

5/19/2023

I have brought the Taos back to Volkswagen dealership repeatedly for failure of the infotainment screen this screen displays the back up camera when the car is put into reverse The dates :12/14/23 , 2/21/24 , 8/27/24 ,9/5/24 , 10/23/24 , 11/13/24. Each time inspections , repairs, updates have been made and through 11/5/24 the infotainment screen has continued to fail without warning leaving us without access to the back up camera ( along with other information). In discussing these issues with Taylor B, from Volkswagen customer service she states this is a known issue with the Taos but can not offer any solution to the problem Mileage and date of incident indicate the start of issue

11/14/2024

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.

12/10/2023

Purchased 12/1/202312/2/2023- Tire flat next day (paid 200.00) 12/7/2023-  2/1/2024-EPC 2/2/2024- EPC again 4/9/2024- 1-squeak breaks - no resolve 2-Red circle warning in the middle of the cluster-no resolve3-wireless phone and gps turns off -no resolve 6/1/2041-Brakes squeak (2x)- 2 new brake pads 2-Radio (2x) screen will turn off and reset-maps- software was updated 3- wipers sporadically stop and turn on no reason-  nothing found 4-Electrical- Yellow warning lights with forward and/or side collision came on and shut off. - no resolve.  

6/17/2024

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

12/18/2023

Start/Stop switch corroded and not operating vehicle. Dealer wants to charge me for replacing on a 2 year old car. Both rear shock absorbers are leaking and need replaced. Dealer wants to charge me for replacing on a 2 year old car.

5/15/2025

The blind spot warning and rear cross traffic warning features are listed on the VIN for my vehicle which I purchased new. However, they are not on the vehicle, I was not told they were not on the vehicle, and I didn't sign anything saying they were not on the vehicle. How can the ADAS (adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning) work without these key features? I don't trust VW to tell me if these other features work and I'm concerned for my safety to try these out.

5/19/2023

Driving on the freeway driver cutt me off I had to apply the brakes fast car brakes did not stop the car smooth the brakes grabbed and locked up causing the car to skid off the road did not respond when applied during an emergency to avoid collision. Excessive brake dust and do not stop car.efficiently.

6/21/2023

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated while reversing, the contact depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to stop in a reasonable time. The auto-brake assist engaged, and the vehicle was able to come to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, no cause for the failure was found. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 10,000.

9/1/2023

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Taos equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line: Crugen HP71, Tire Size: 215/55/R18, DOT Number: [XXX]. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the warning light was reset. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. The contact stated that the tires were defective; however, the dealer refused to replace the tires. The tire manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The tire failure mileage was unknown. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 130,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

5/8/2024

Purchased 12/1/202312/2/2023- Tire flat next day (paid 200.00) 12/7/2023-  2/1/2024-EPC 2/2/2024- EPC again 4/9/2024- 1-squeak breaks - no resolve 2-Red circle warning in the middle of the cluster-no resolve3-wireless phone and gps turns off -no resolve 6/1/2041-Brakes squeak (2x)- 2 new brake pads 2-Radio (2x) screen will turn off and reset-maps- software was updated 3- wipers sporadically stop and turn on no reason-  nothing found 4-Electrical- Yellow warning lights with forward and/or side collision came on and shut off. - no resolve.  

6/17/2024

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated while approaching the vehicle, there was a loud pop coming from the lower driver’s side of the vehicle, and shortly afterwards the contact noticed a crack on the front windshield. The contact stated that the windshield had been replaced twice before and was awaiting the replacement of the windshield again. The contact stated that the cracks all stated at the same place on the windshield. The local dealer was contacted and declined to repair the vehicle because there was no open recall for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100.

12/12/2024

My steering wheel does not turn

8/9/2025

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the head gasket. The head gasket was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. Later, while driving 55 MPH, the message "Transmission Failure" was displayed and the transmission shifted to D2, causing the vehicle to decelerate to 25 MPH. The vehicle was parked, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the Medtronic transmission had failed and needed to be replaced; however, parts were on back order. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 10,185.

8/20/2025