2012 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG Repair

WARNING
Improper use of the trailer hitch can cause accidents and injuries. An improperly installed, incorrect, or damaged trailer hitch can cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and cause serious personal injuries.
x Only use an undamaged, properly mounted trailer hitch.
x Never repair or modify the trailer hitch.
x To reduce the risk of injury in rear-end collisions, and the risk to pedestrians and cyclists when the vehicle is parked, always remove the ball mount when you are not towing a trailer.
x Never install a “weight distributing” or “load equalizing” trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed for these kinds of trailer hitches. The trailer hitch attachment can fail, causing the trailer to tear loose from the vehicle.
WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and serious personal injury.
x Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or large things can change the way the vehicle handles, increase the distance it needs to stop safely, and cause accidents.
x Always secure the load properly with suitable and undamaged straps so that the load will not shift.
x Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and the weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
x Reduce your speed even more than you otherwise would when going downhill and under unfavorable load, weather, or wind conditions.
x Trailers with a high center of gravity tip more easily than trailers with a low center of gravi-ty.
x Always avoid sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
x Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
x Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows the slightest sign of swaying.
x Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
x Always obey speed limits. In some areas, the speed limits for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without trailers. Never drive faster than 50 mph - 80 km/h (under ex-ceptional circumstances 60 mph - 100 km/h) when towing a trailer. This applies even if the local speed limit is higher.
If you are driving a new vehicle or a vehicle with a new or rebuilt engine, do not tow a trailer
during the break-in period, about 600 miles (1,000 km) ⇒  Parts, accessories, repairs and modifica-tions.
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need maintenance more often because of the extra load it has to move.
When you are not towing, remove the trailer hitch ball. This helps keep the trailer hitch from causing damage to your vehicle and to others if your vehicle is hit from behind.
Some models need a trailer hitch to tow or tow-start other vehicles. You may want to always carry the ball mount in the vehicle after it has been removed. Be sure to stow it securely.

In most cases, you cannot use wheel bolts from a different vehicle. Even wheel rims from the same model may not fit properly.
Tires and wheel rims approved by Volkswagen have been matched precisely to your vehicle model and contribute considerably to good handling and safe vehicle performance.
Tightening Torque
Wheel bolts must always be installed with the correct tightening torque ⇒  Changing a wheel. The required tightening torque for the Touareg's wheel bolts is 133 ft-lbs (180 Nm). After changing a wheel, the bolt torque must be checked as soon as possible with an accurate torque wrench. See an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Wheel rims with bolted rim rings
Wheel rims with bolted rim rings have several parts. The parts are bolted together with special screws in a special process. This helps to ensure that they will work properly, prevent leaks, run true and safely. Damaged wheel rims must be replaced, and you must never take them apart or try to repair them yourself. Have an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility
repair them for you ⇒ .
Wheel rims with bolted decorative covers
Light-alloy wheels may have interchangeable decorative covers attached to the rim with self-locking screws. If you want to replace damaged wheel covers, contact your authorized Volkswagen dealer or
authorized Volkswagen Service Facility ⇒ .
WARNING
Using improper or damaged wheel rims can affect driving safety, cause accidents and severe personal injuries.
x Use only wheel rims approved for the vehicle.
x Regularly check wheel rims for damage and replace them if necessary.
WARNING
Improper loosening and tightening of the bolts on wheel rims with bolted rim rings can cause accidents and severe personal injury.
x Never loosen bolted connections on wheel rims with bolted rim rings.
x Have all work on wheel rims with bolted rim rings performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
New and replacement tires

WARNING
Connecting cables of external devices may obstruct visibility through the windshield or other windows.
x Route cables so as not to interfere with the driver.
WARNING
Opening a CD or DVD player's housing can lead to injuries from invisible laser radiation.
x Always have CD or DVD players repaired only by a qualified workshop.
NOTICE
Improper insertion or insertion of an improperly fitting memory card can damage the locking mechanism in the memory card slot.
x Pay attention to the proper insertion position ⇒ page 269, Media mode: Introduction.
x Excessive pressure can destroy the locking mechanism in the memory card slot.
x Only use suitable memory cards.
NOTICE
x When inserting and removing CDs and DVDs, always hold them at right angles to the front of the unit. Inserting or removing them at an angle to the DVD drive may lead to scratching.
x Inserting a second CD or DVD while a CD or DVD is inserted or is being ejected can destroy the DVD drive. Always wait until the data storage device is completely ejected.
NOTICE
Any foreign objects attached to a data medium and non-round data storage devices can dam-age the DVD drive.
x Only clean 12-cm standard CDs or DVDs should be used!
– Do not attach stickers or other items to the date storage device. Stickers may peel off and damage the drive.
– Do not insert 8-cm single CDs or non-round CDs (shaped CDs) or DVDs.
– Do not insert DVD-Plus, Dual Discs and Flip Discs, as these are thicker than standard CDs.

Lights
up Possible cause Proper response
K Depress brake pedal! Depress the brake pedal while
starting the engine.
2%!$9 Hybrid vehicles: Electric drive
is ready.
Never leave the vehicle parked in
the ready position. Remove the
remote control vehicle key out of
the ignition or for vehicle with
Keyless Access press the starter
button. When leaving the vehicle
always take the remote control
vehicle key with you.

No authorized remote control
vehicle key found (Keyless
Access).
Use an authorized remote control
vehicle key
Engine cannot be started with
starter button (Keyless Ac-
cess).
Start the engine with the remote
control vehicle key. Take the
vehicle to an authorized
Volkswagen dealer or an author-
ized Volkswagen Service Facility
and have the system checked.

When the ignition is switched on, several warning and indicator lights come on briefly for a function check. They go out after a few seconds.
WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
x Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.
x Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
x Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe distance off the road, turn on the emergency flashers, stop the engine, and use other warning devices to warn ap-proaching traffic.
NOTICE
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.

WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
x Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.
x Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
x Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe distance off the road, turn on the emergency flashers, stop the engine, and use other warning devices to warn ap-proaching traffic.
NOTICE
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.
Pedals

Fig. 248 Pedals in vehicles with automatic transmission: 1 Accelerator pedal, 2 brake pedal.

Brake system malfunction
If you brake and find that vehicle doesn't brake nearly as well as it used to (sudden increase in stop-ping distance), a brake circuit may have failed. The brake warning light "2!+% or H will come on and a message may appear in the instrument cluster display. If you believe the vehicle is safe to drive, immediately take it to the nearest authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility for repair. Drive slowly and very carefully, allow for the longer stopping distance, and be ready to push longer and harder on the brake pedal to slow the vehicle down.
Brake booster
The brake booster works only when the engine is running. It increases the force on the brakes above and beyond the pressure put on the brake pedal by the driver.
If the brake booster is not working, or if the vehicle has to be towed, you will have to push the brake pedal harder to make up for the lack of booster assistance and the resulting longer stopping distance
⇒ .
WARNING
New brake pads do not provide maximum braking performance.
x New brake pads do not have the best stopping power for the first 200 miles (320 km) and must be “broken in.” You can compensate for the slightly reduced braking force by putting more pressure on the brake pedal.
x Drive with extra care while the new brake pads are being broken in. This reduces the risk of collisions and serious personal injuries due to a loss of control over the vehicle.
x Never follow other vehicles too closely or put yourself into other situations that might require sudden, hard braking, especially when the brake pads have not been broken in.
WARNING
Overheated brakes will reduce the vehicle's stopping power and increase stopping distances considerably.
x When driving downhill, the brakes have to work especially hard and heat up quickly.
x Before driving downhill, especially on hills that are long or steep, always reduce speed and shift into lower gear (manual or automatic transmission). This will let the vehicle use engine braking and reduce the load on the brakes. Otherwise, the brake system could over-heat and possibly fail. Only use the brakes when you need them to slow the vehicle down more or to stop.
x A damaged front spoiler or a non-standard spoiler can reduce airflow to the brakes and make them overheat.
WARNING
Wet brakes or brakes coated with ice or road salt react slower and need longer stopping dis-tances.
x Carefully apply the brakes to test them.
x Always dry brakes and clean off ice and salt coatings with a few cautious brake applica-tions when visibility, weather, road and traffic conditions permit.

DANGER
The vehicle's high-voltage electrical system and high-voltage battery are dangerous and can cause burns, other serious personal injuries, electrocution, and death.
x Always assume that high-voltage battery and parts of the high-voltage system are fully charged and energized.
x Never touch or let jewelry or other metal objects contact high-voltage cables or the high-voltage battery and battery poles, especially if the cables, battery, and battery poles have been damaged in any way.
x Never do any work yourself on the high-voltage electrical system, the orange-colored high-voltage wiring, or on the high-voltage battery.
x Never open, service, repair, or disconnect any part of the hybrid electrical system.
x Never damage the orange-colored high-voltage cables. Never remove them and never disconnect them from the high-voltage electrical system.
x Never open or remove the orange-colored cover on the high-voltage battery.
x Always have work on the hybrid electrical system and systems that could be indirectly affected by it done by qualified, trained technicians who have the know-how, experience, documentation, and tools to do the work safely.
x All work on the high-voltage electrical system and the high-voltage battery must be done in compliance with Volkswagen standards and guidelines.
x Vehicle keys must be safely stored a safe distance from vehicle so that the ignition cannot be switched on and energize the electrical system.
x Gases vented or released from the high-voltage battery vapors are potentially poisonous and can burn.
x Physical damage to the vehicle or the high-voltage battery can result in immediate or de-layed release of poisonous gases that can also cause a fire.
x Always avoid contact with leaking fluids and gases escaping from the battery, particularly one that has been damaged.
x Always tell emergency responders that the vehicle has a high-voltage battery.
WARNING
Driver distraction causes accidents and serious personal injury. Using the instrument cluster or accessing Infotainment System menus while driving can take your attention off the road and cause accidents.
x To help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries, never change settings in the instrument cluster display or use Infotainment System functions unless the vehicle is standing still.

Maintenance of the high-voltage battery
Other than taking the vehicle in for scheduled maintenance to an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility that is qualified to do work on hybrid vehicles, there is nothing that the vehicle driver has to do to maintain the high-voltage battery.
The maintenance connection for the high-voltage battery is under the luggage compartment floor under an orange cover. This connection is only for scheduled maintenance, which must be performed only by specially trained service technicians. There is no need to remove the connector at any time
when the vehicle is being used ⇒ 
WARNING
The high-voltage hybrid electrical system is dangerous and can cause burns, other serious personal injuries, electrocution and death.
x Never open, service, repair, or disconnect the high-voltage hybrid battery.
x Never touch or let jewelry or other metal objects contact high-voltage cables or the high-voltage battery and battery poles, especially if the cables, battery, or battery poles have been damaged in a crash or in some other way.
x Always have work on the hybrid electrical system and on systems that could be indirectly affected by it done by qualified, trained technicians, who have the know-how, experience, documentation, and tools to do the work safely.
WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
x Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.
x Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
NOTICE
x Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.
x If the 12 Volt vehicle battery is disconnected or dead or has been replaced, there is a possi-bility that the combustion engine will not automatically switch off when the vehicle is powered by the electric motor. If this situation persists for several days, take the vehicle to an author-ized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility that is qualified to do work on hybrid vehicles.
x Never transport water or other liquids or fluids in open containers, such as an aquarium. If liquid is spilled in the luggage compartment, this can cause short circuits or damage the high-voltage battery.
NOTICE
Never block or cover the cooling air vents for the high-voltage hybrid battery under the rear seat. Blocking or covering these vents can damage the high-voltage battery.