113 of the
762 complaints filed about the Volkswagen Taos
are about the braking system —
15% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2022.
Brake grinding constantly Infotainment overheating and shutting down Additional money on car insurance due to android auto failure with infotainment system Odometer doubling milage during infotainment failures Wipers going by themselves Windows go down when pressing up SOS BOX making random beeping noises Driver Chair constantly sinking back down Warning lights constantly coming on
NHTSA complaint #11751949 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
am reporting a recurring rear brake issue with my vehicle. The rear brake pads and rotors have required replacement approximately every 20,000 miles, which appears abnormal given that the front brake pads have never required replacement and are still measuring approximately 8 mm. The rear brakes have worn prematurely and unevenly compared with the front brakes despite normal driving conditions. I am concerned this may indicate a defect involving the rear braking system, electronic parking brake, brake bias, calipers, or related components. The recurring premature rear brake wear has created repeated repair costs and raises concern that the braking system may not be functioning as designed. I would like this documented for safety review.
NHTSA complaint #11748314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Since the first weeks of ownership, my 2024 Volkswagen Taos has exhibited a persistent brake system defect: loud metallic grinding/scraping/squealing noise when braking, vibration when braking, and sensation that brakes are not engaging properly. The defect affects both front and rear brakes. At approximately 9,000 miles, the authorized dealer found the left rear brake caliper stuck and worn out — replaced caliper, pads, and rotors. The problem recurred within 3 weeks. On the second visit (10,673 miles), dealer found brake material contacting rotors but performed no repair. On the third visit (12,766 miles), the Service Manager personally documented the repair order and stated the condition was found “similar with similar vehicles” and the vehicle was “operating as designed” — an admission that this is a known issue in similar Taos vehicles. The defect persists today at over 19,000 miles after 4 dealer visits without resolution. I have video recordings documenting the noise from December 2025 through June 2026. The vehicle is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11745826 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The brakes have prematurely worn to 1mm at 20,000 miles. Volkswagen is aware and has issued a TSB regarding the premature wear, however they failed to notify us during the first 2 service appointments that the wear on the brakes were due to be replaced. I feel this was intentional as they did not want to replace under the TSB and they waited until the wear was too severe and past the TSB date. Volkswagen waited to tell my 17 year old daughter that the brakes were worn and needed replacement at that point. Volkswagen is aware of the premature wear on the brakes and has put people at risk like my 17 year old daughter by not extending the warranty for longer than 2yr/24k miles or whichever comes first. This should be a minimum of 40k miles as rear brakes should not wear in that time frame on any vehicle. I also do not believe I was made aware of the issue or TSB at the time of vehicle purchase which fell well before the end date/mileage of the TSB.
NHTSA complaint #11745599 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I added a post last year at my 10k service stating my rear brake pads needed to be replaced. Update with my 20k service: rear brake pads AND rotors need to be replaced again. Rear brake pads down to 2 mm, front pads (original) still at 12 mm. This is a safety issues with financial consequences.
NHTSA complaint #11743016 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2024 Volkswagen Taos with 20,600 miles. At my scheduled 20,000-mile service on June 6, 2026, the dealership measured my rear driver side brake pad at 3mm while my front pads measured 10mm. This extreme difference in wear is consistent with the known premature rear brake pad wear issue VW acknowledged on 2022–2023 Taos vehicles and addressed with a warranty extension bulletin. My 2024 Taos was not included in that bulletin despite showing the identical problem. At only 20,600 miles, rear pads should not be at 3mm while front pads remain at 10mm — this is not normal wear and indicates a manufacturing defect in the brake pad material or an electronic parking brake calibration issue causing rear brake bias. Brakes are a critical safety system. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether the 2024 Taos is affected by the same defect, and whether the warranty extension should be expanded to include 2024 model year vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11742620 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I rented this car from Enterprise. When I pulled out of the rental car facility, the car lurched forward. I applied the brakes. The car slowed down but did not stop and I rolled out into the street to the right. Enterprise is on the top of the hill and Pacific Coast Highway is at the bottom. The trolley and train tracks are close by. It is my habit to tap the brakes before any tracks even when there are no warning signals. When I tapped the brakes on the Taos, there was no response. Once I was over the tracks, I applied the brakes again and again, with no response. The car was rolling faster and faster down the hill. I determined it would be dangerous to attempt a right turn on Pacific Coast Highway with oncoming traffic and likely against the traffic light, or to cross the highway. I decided the safest course of action was to drive into a fenced, but empty, lot on the corner. I tried shoving the gear into park but it had no effect. The car stopped when it hit a fence post on the corner lot. Interestingly, the vehicle did not warn of any impending collision. The air bags did not deploy.
NHTSA complaint #11740764 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In two separate instances the Autonomous Emergency Brake system was activated. Luckily there i didn't cause an accident. There was no one in front of me either times. Thats the worst of all the issues the vehicle has.
NHTSA complaint #11738657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Whole dash goes black while driving. Also fuel system is not up to par. Rear brakes fail after 6months on my third time changing them since I purchase the car.
NHTSA complaint #11732878 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At my 20,000 mile maintenance oil change, I was told my rear brakes and rotors were needing to be replaced. The car is a 2024 vw taos with 19,600k miles. I have never had to replace brakes anywhere near this early on any other car so it is not due to driving habits. The windshield wipers will also spontaneously go off even with no rain or precipitation hitting the windshield.
NHTSA complaint #11728169 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving home from work in rush hour so traffic was pretty heavy and all of the sudden my gas pedal would not accelerate my car at all. I was cruising at 8-10 MPH as it was stop and go traffic. About 10 seconds later my break pedal stiffens and I am unable to break. Neither the gas or break pedal were functioning. It is a miracle that no accident was caused. I turned on my hazards lights but I was in the middle lane so I was unable to pull over (as I could not accelerate or break). I put my car in neutral but that did not help anything. I ended up having to put my car in park and turn the car completely off and back on before the pedals would function again. I got my car towed after the situation as I was terrified to drive in case it happened again. The dealership told me since no lights or codes came up they can’t find anything wrong. They gave me my car back but I do not feel safe driving the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11719112 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear brake pads needed replaced at 16,000 miles and need replaced again at 50,000. VW refuses to replace them or address the issue since the car is no longer under warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11718960 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In November 2025, I was told by Volkswagen that I needed to get my brakes and rotors replaced. At that time I only had around 19,000 miles on my vehicle. This was covered by Volkswagen‘s extended warranty as Volkswagen is aware that there are issues with the rear brakes in January 2026 I needed to get my car serviced for the 20,000 mile check which was to include an oil change. At that time, the Volkswagen dealership told me that the brakes that they had just replaced the brake pads were completely gone the brake pads that they had replaced less than two months prior and a little more than 1000 miles has been put on them. These rear brake systems. Have a very unsafe reliability on them. There is no reason why brake pads should last merely 1000 miles after speaking with Volkswagen today. I was told that this is normal wear and tear and not covered. This is a safety issue that Volkswagen refuses to fix. I am not the only person to deal with this issue. This is a well-known issue in the Volkswagen community. The photo provided is of the rear brake pads that had just been replaced in November that were then again needed to be replaced in January.
NHTSA complaint #11717392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Since we bought the vehicle new in 2022, it has had an ongoing brake noise at low speeds. It sounds like a screeching or grinding, and I only hear it when I press the brake pedal. It is most noticeable right after startup when driving slowly. The main issue I am reporting is uneven rear brake pad wear, which may indicate the rear brake system is not applying evenly or not functioning correctly. The component involved is the rear brake system (rear brake pads and related parts). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. A Volkswagen dealership confirmed an uneven wear condition. On 12/31/2025, the dealership performed an inspection and recorded that the left rear brake pad measured 3 mm while the right rear measured 8 mm. They recommended replacing the rear brake pads but did not diagnose or repair the cause of why one rear side is wearing much faster than the other. In prior visits, the dealership stated the noise was related to the type/quality of brake pads used. When I contacted the dealership again about the ongoing noise and the uneven wear, they stated they did not have a solution to correct the underlying problem and referred me to Volkswagen Customer Care, indicating they cannot get the brakes functioning beyond replacing pads. Volkswagen Customer Care then advised me I would need to work through the dealership. I believe this creates a safety risk because uneven rear brake wear may mean the brakes are not working the same on both sides, which could affect stopping distance or braking stability, and could lead to brake problems if one side wears out much sooner than the other. There have been no warning lights or messages. The symptoms began soon after purchase in 2022 and have continued over time.
NHTSA complaint #11711515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Component or system that failed or malfunctioned Rear brake rotors and rear brake pads. Both rear rotors have been diagnosed as requiring replacement along with rear brake pads. The front rotors and pads are reported to be in normal condition. The vehicle and all replaced components are available for inspection upon request. Safety risk Degraded rear braking performance increases stopping distance and could lead to brake vibration, uneven braking, or reduced control during emergency braking, posing a potential safety risk to the driver and others. Confirmation or reproduction of the problem The issue has been confirmed by a dealership service department, which recommended replacement of the rear rotors and rear brake pads. The vehicle has approximately 16,000 miles and is just over 4 years old. During the service visit, dealership staff stated that this type of rear brake wear occurs frequently with these vehicles. The dealership also indicated that Volkswagen previously replaced rear rotors and pads under warranty for similar issues at approximately 24,000 miles or 2 years, but that this coverage is no longer available. Because this vehicle was driven significantly less than average, it did not reach those mileage thresholds within that earlier timeframe. Inspections performed The vehicle has been inspected by a dealership service center. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives at this time. Additional details / driving conditions The vehicle has been driven very infrequently, with low-mileage trips on flat roads in Charleston, South Carolina. There has been no aggressive driving, towing, mountainous driving, or heavy stop-and-go use. The front brakes remain in normal condition. Given the low mileage, light usage, and prior warranty replacements for similar conditions, rear rotor and pad replacement at this mileage appears premature and abnormal.
NHTSA complaint #11711528 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. At my recent 20'000 mile service, I was informed that my rear brakes and rotors failed. We purchased the car in Jan 2025 with about 10,000 miles on it. The rear brakes and rotors failed with the car having 18574 miles at time of service. 2. We had no idea the rear brakes and rotors had issues. I did not receive any notice in the mail. The dealership informed me that the vehicle had an extended warranty on this issue. Either 2yrs or 20,000 miles, apparently the car was leased on Nov 15, 2023 as a result the 2yr warranty did not apply. My [XXX] daughter drives this car, and her safety was put at risk. 3. Yes, see the attached report. 4. No, it was confirmed through the dealership. 5. No warnings were displayed only discovered the problem because of the service. Overall, no cars rear brakes and rotors should fail on a car with less than 19,000 miles on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11705245 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Brake System Failures (Multiple Occurrences): The vehicle has experienced repeated brake-related failures requiring multiple repairs. Brakes are a critical safety system, and repeated failures pose a serious risk to occupant and public safety. Despite repairs, the brake issues have reoccurred. 2.Fuel System Failures (Two Occurrences): The fuel system has failed on multiple occasions, requiring repeated service visits. Fuel system defects affect drivability, reliability, and safety, including the risk of stalling or fuel-related hazards. 3.Head Gasket Failure and Repeated Repairs: The vehicle required a head gasket repair along with a timing belt replacement, followed by additional head gasket-related repairs days later. A head gasket failure on a nearly new vehicle is a catastrophic engine defect and significantly diminishes the vehicle’s reliability, longevity, and resale value.
NHTSA complaint #11704771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.