Due to a engineering fault water is a getting into the air intake and soaking the bottom of the air intake where its deteriorating the filter and also endangering the engine of sucking up water and hydrolocking. this is a known issue and has caused other vehicles of this make and model to lock up and disable the engine. it is not due to driving through water but simply faulty engineering that allows water to flow from the front of the car down into the air intake.
Water gets into air take system. took vehicle to dealer for car wash and also purchased a air filter. came to replace air filter and old filter was damaged and waterlogged.
When it rains heavily, my touareg air filter is very easy to get into the water. i checked the information on the internet, it said in other countries, there are lots of reports that the same model of imported touareg has lost the power on free way because of the water filter entering the water.
My engine was damaged and brought to the dealership. the dealer is suggesting i have gotten water in the intake box and the drain was clogged resulting in engine damage. they are asking that i pay for the damages and i believe it is a design flaw. this was a reclass by vw globally but not in america.
Drove in rainstorm and car shut off and came to a complete stop. could not start back up. after service inspection, i was told that the engine ingested a substantial amount of water and the engine would need replaced.
Engine light came on after driving three miles in dry weather. after seeing recalls in china about water entering the air filter box and saw that the bottom .25% was soaked. saw many other touareg owners on forums with same problem. dealer towed vehicle in and falsely claimed car was sitting in water. reset the engine code and charged me $50+ for a new air filter and delivered the car back to me, with the engine light still on. i've called the service manager and waiting on a call back.
During a rain storm and with my wife driving on a busy neighborhood throughway our 2016 vw touareg lost all power from the engine and power steering. she was forced to stop on the side of the road and push the car to safety. upon research we learned about a problem with water getting into the air filter and subsequently into the motor. the next day, after the rain cleared i unlatched the air filter and found water pouring out of the filter box and had completely saturated the air filter to that of a soaking wet sponge. i have towed the touareg to the dealership and am awaiting the diagnostics. how could such a simple flaw remain such a major issue with out any action from volkswagen? i only hope i do not have to pay for a new motor just because we drove in a daily summertime florida rain storm.
Water in air intake box, discovered when changing air filter. vehicle has 12,6xx miles on it. no prior off road or deep water use.
Air intake water ingestion brand new vehicle with only 134 dealer miles on it. went from delivery truck to driveway where it was parked (no plates yet, so has not been driven). opened air filter box to inspect filter element...bottom 2-3 inches of the filter was soaked. this is consistent with complaints documented on the clubtouareg forum, and the recall issued by vw china. this also needs to be a recall in the usa since water ingestion may lead to hydro-locking and sudden and catastrophic engine failure at highway speeds.
While reading a vw forum i became aware of a known problem with the air filter housing drain becoming clogged and the air filter becoming wet and water being ingested into the engine, hydrolocking the engine and requiring the installation of a new engine. i then checked my air filter and found the bottom 3" - 4" of the air filter completely soaked, to the point that water was dripping from the foam portion of the filter. i contacted vw and they have noted my concerns but there is currently no recall for this problem. i am now hesitant to drive the vehicle at all. as this has been a known problem for a number of years with this vehicle i am surprised that there is no recall in place.
When changing air filter, the filter was soaked with water at the bottom. the air intake tube was filled with water and wasn't draining. i'm lucky the water wasn't sucked into the engine. the little drain at the bottom of the intake tube was clogged not allowing the water to drain but why was water allowed to get in there in the first place. this is a very poor design and can lead to catastrophic engine failure.
Constant issues with water entering the airbox from faulty design. this can enable parts of the filter to enter the engine and cause catastrophic damage (hydro lock). this vehicle has only sat outside in the rain or has been driven in the rain; all normal conditions for the operation of this vehicle (current mileage is 9000).