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I purchased a slightly used 2013 VW Touareg VR6 LUX approx. 4 weeks ago. Upon driving home from the dealer I noticed that between the speeds of 60 and 75 mph the steering wheel would shake back and forth. This was confirmed over many miles and all types of road surfaces. The car would also pull to the right as well as exhibit a vibration in the seat. The next day I took it to the dealer for service as the vehicle is covered by a 3 yr warranty. The dealers answer was to replace the tires with another OE type and perform what's called a road force balance. I was told the problem was solved and to pick up my repaired vehicle. After a few days the issue came back and this time more consistent than before. I took the car in again and it has remained at the dealer ever since. The dealer has, to this date, put approximately 20 tires on the car, from three different OE brands, performed countless road force balances and has taken for many test drives. I opened a case with VWoA, was assigned a case number and provided a regional case manager who worked in tandem with my local dealer. Recently I, to my surprise, have been told that they are unwilling to attempt any more repairs and that I must pick my vehicle up. They acknowledge the issue still to be prevalent and blame it on tires. They say that since this is a tire issue they are not responsible. All the while the tires they have tried on my car are all OE types that are sold on other new Touaregs everyday that do not exhibit the shakes. I believe this to be an attempt to limit liability. The service provider will not answer my questions as to why they are not looking into other possible causes. I believe that if they start to entertain a mechanical defect as being the culprit then they would be responsible as it would be a defect of something they actually manufacturer. This is not a tire issue. If you search the web for Touareg steering wheel shake you will see that this issue is becoming more and more prevalent. My story is unfortunately typical as is VWoA's response in how they are deciding to deal with this. I have now been forced to hire an attorney to begin the process of trying to either get a refund or replacement.

An interesting side note is that the Touareg has changed it's steering from hydraulic rack and pinion to electro hydraulic for the 2014 Touareg line up. This effectively eliminates a belt driven moving part that I suspect may have something to do with this issue. There is also a steering wheel damper that is supposed to be on all 2011-**** Touaregs. Some owners have reported this part to not appear on the build list sticker usually found in the boot under the spare tire compartment. This is of course speculation but unfortunately due to VW's lack of support speculation is what I am left with.

I have been a loyal VW owner over the years (owned rabbits, GTI's, Passats, a Sprortwagen...) and have always enjoyed my time with each car owned. The way that VW is treating their customers regarding this known and well documented issue, in my opinion, is reprehensible and they should be ashamed.

Location: Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

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Guest

I have done a lot of research on SUVs and was sold on purchasing a new Touareg TDI. After much research and finding out about this problem I have to say it has swayed my decision away from VW.

I'm going to purchase a new Toyota Highlander limited platinum instead. I really wanted the VW for the ride, mileage, back seat room for two teenagers ,and features but just don't want the hassles of constant trips to the dealer to fight for repairs. I have had three toyotas and one Honda and i can count the number of repairs in 10 years of ownership for all vehicles on one hand.

I hope you're (VW) reading this and paying attention. Consumers want luxury AND quality without hassles, Americans are too busy for that.

Guest

Buy yourself some Touareg 18" rims and tires off of a Sport model, and I bet your shimmies and shakes are cured. Also, torque the lug nuts when doing the wheels with the wheel off of the ground.

Torque to 70 ft lbs all around, in a star pattern, then to 105 ft lbs in a star pattern, then finally to 133 ft lbs. Once all wheels are fully torqued, take the car off of jacks.

Guest

We found out our rims were out of balance. They were balanced with the tires on the rim, but not the rim by itself.

The dealership bored out our rims until they were balanced 100%. The car drove like a dream for about a month. The vibration and pull to the right started coming back after a month and is now the same as before. Back to the drawing board.

:?

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-743005

I recommend calling VWoA and have a case opened. Visit www.touaregsteeringshake.com to get some great information on how best to proceed as well as familiarize yourself with the particulars of this mechanical defect.

Guest

This problem is more common that you might imagine. It appears from the experiences related to me by others with this same problem that VWoA does not know the root cause of this problem.

Sadly, it appears that they also are making minimal, if any, efforts to identify the cause and bring satisfaction to those driving these defective (and expensive) vehicles.

You have some leverage in getting the car repurchased or replaced. See the "Tips" section of the "touaregsteeringshake" website (no links could be posted here) for things you can do to address this issue.

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