Water and debris was ingested in to air filter box resulting in water-soaked air filter and the potential for catastrophic engine failure. it is unknown how long the problem has been occurring because i had never checked my air filter before. the vehicle has periodically been driven in rain over the last few years but never driven in deep or standing water. it appears that drains are not able to drain properly and water is entering the box somehow when it shouldn't be be able to.
Water ingestion into air intake from design flaw. changed air filter based on warning thread located at club touareg online. if you drive a 2011-2017 touareg please check your air filter. many owners have reported complete engine failures and vw refused to take responsibility. vw issued recall in china but are denying problems here in na. my air intake tube leading up to the airbox was full of water and the bottom 2-3 inches of the air filter itself was falling apart, soaking wet and moldy. it was basically sitting in water. our vehicle in only used on road for commuting - never off road or on deep water situations. i'm attaching photos of my airbox full of water and the air filter i changed.
Under acceleration the engine began to stutter and a large cloud of white smoke or steam came out of the exhaust, suggesting possible water ingestion. upon removing the air filter it was found that the filter had water damage and mold, and the filter and airbox had lots of small debris clogging the drain tube.
Large amount of water entering the intake, affecting the peformance of the vehicle. the water is insufficiently draining from the intake box. the air filter degrades as a result. may lead to possible hydrolocking of the engine. there are active recalls for this issue for this vehicle model in china and germany. the issue appears after driving or parking the vehicle in the rain. possible culprit is the redesigned headlamps draining the water right into the intake opening in the front
After vw emission repair the car stalls in shifting gears at low speed. i took at the dealership repair shop 3 times everytime the kept the car for about 2-3 weeks and couldn't resolve the issue. it appears like there is no fuel coming to the engine or the car computer do not allow the car to shift to the next gear until it hits 3000 rpm in speeds lower the 35mph. from what i understand with speaking with vw dealer advisors that this as a result of the emission repair and they can't fix it. this made the car undrivable since it's keep staling and you can't drive in the city without the jerking feeling from the engine. vw customer care representative kept changing their version. at first, they said the cars computer will learn my driving pattern and will adjust. then when i spoke with a supervisor they claimed this is how the car should drive after the emission repair. when speaking with the service advisor at stholman vw he told me he ha a customer with the same car in for 3 months and they couldn't fix that issue.