2012 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG rear bumper

Wheelbase 113.9 inches (2893 mm)
Minimum turning circle diameter 39 feet (11.9 m)
Track1, front 64.5 inches (1638 mm)
Track1, rear 65.3 inches (1658 mm)
Ground clearance 7.9 inches (200 mm)2
Approach angle
– Off-road 25 degrees
Departure angle 26 degrees
Ramp angle 20 degrees
Max. gradient 31 degrees
Fording depth Maximum 20 inches (500 mm)

NOTICE
x Please be careful when parking your vehicle in areas with parking barriers or curbs. These vary in height and could damage your bumper and related parts if the front of your vehicle hits a barrier or curb that is too high while you are getting into or out of a parking spot.
x Always be careful when you enter a driveway or drive up or down steep ramps or over curbs or other obstacles. Parts of the vehicle close to the ground may be damaged (such as bumper covers, spoilers, and parts of the engine, suspension, and exhaust systems).

x If the rear bumper is very dirty.
x If the rear bumper has salty water on it after driving on salted roads.
x If a trailer hitch/ball mount has been installed on the vehicle.
Easy Open may be automatically deactivated in heavy rain to help prevent unintentional deployment caused by water running down the vehicle, for example.
WARNING
Careless use of the Easy Open feature can cause falls and serious personal injury
x Always make sure you have firm footing when using the Easy Open feature, and that the surface you are standing on is not uneven or slippery.
x Always remember that it will be necessary for you to move backwards to let the rear hatch open. Be careful not to lose your balance, particularly when holding things in your hands.
x Never use Easy Open feature unless you can use it safely.
CAUTION
If a valid vehicle key is within range of the rear hatch, the Easy Open feature can deploy unin-tentionally in some cases and open the rear hatch: for example, when sweeping the ground or floor below the rear bumper, if there is a strong stream of water or steam or when carrying out maintenance or repairs around the rear bumper. If the rear hatch opens unintentionally, it can injure anyone or damage anything in its way.
x Never leave a valid vehicle key within range of the rear hatch unattended.

Ball mount dimensions
x The drop height (A) from the center of the ball to the center of the hole for the securing pin on the ball mount must be at least 11 /4 inches (32.3 mm) and at most 27 /8 inches (73 mm).
x The pin-to-ball distance (B) from the center of the ball to the center of the hole for the securing pin on the ball mount must be no more than 61 /8 inches (157.3 mm).
x The ball diameter must be no more than 2 inches (51 mm).
Volkswagen recommends that you have an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility install the electrical system and socket.
A ball mount and ball combination that does not meet these specifications can damage your vehicle
and may even fail in use ⇒ .
Never install a “weight distributing” or “load equalizing” trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle is not
designed for this kind of trailer hitch ⇒ .
WARNING
An improperly installed or unsuitable trailer hitch can cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and result in a major accident with serious personal injuries.
x Have any trailer hitch retrofit or other work on a trailer hitch done by a qualified workshop.
CAUTION
The ball mount sticks out behind the rear bumper and can cause injury to pedestrians and cyclists.
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 carrier when you are not towing a trailer.
NOTICE
x Never use a ball larger than 2 inches (51 mm) on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed to tow heavier trailers with a receiver larger than the specified ball. The increased loads can damage the attachment points for the trailer hitch.
x Never use an adapter to increase the size of the trailer hitch receiver to more than 2 inches (50.8 mm) to tow a trailer that is heavier than the maximum permissible trailer weight that your vehicle can tow.
x You can use an adapter if required for the proper installation of a bicycle rack or other similar carrier as long as the maximum weight limits are observed. When using bicycle racks or similar carriers make sure that the rear lights are not blocked.
x Only use trailer hitches that are approved by the hitch manufacturer for your vehicle and model.

WARNING
Parking improperly can cause serious personal injury.
x Never remove the key from the ignition switch while the vehicle is moving or rolling to a stop. The steering wheel will lock and you will not be able to steer or control the vehicle.
x Never park the vehicle where the hot exhaust system or catalytic converter could ignite flammable materials, such as brush, leaves, dry grass, spilled fuel, etc.
x Always apply the parking brake when parking your vehicle.
x Improper use of the parking brake can seriously injure you and your passengers.
x Never use the parking brake to slow down the vehicle when it is moving, except in an emergency. The stopping distance is much longer because only the rear wheels are braked. Always use the foot brake to stop the vehicle.
x Never activate the throttle manually from the engine compartment when the engine is running and the automatic transmission is in gear. The vehicle will start to move as soon as the engine speed increases even if the parking brake is on.
x Never leave children or anyone who cannot help themselves behind in the vehicle. They could release the parking brake and move the gear selector lever or gear shift, which could cause the vehicle to start moving. This can lead to a crash and serious personal injuries.
x Always take the key with you when you leave the vehicle. The engine can be started and vehicle systems such as the power windows can be operated, leading to serious personal injury.
x Never leave children, disabled persons, or anyone who cannot help themselves in the vehicle. The doors can be locked with the remote control vehicle key, trapping passengers in the vehicle in an emergency. For example, depending on the time of year, people trapped in the vehicle can be exposed to very high or very low temperatures.
x Heat buildup in the passenger and luggage compartment of a parked vehicle can result in temperatures in the vehicle that are much higher than the outside temperatures, particularly in summer. Temperatures can quickly reach levels that can cause unconsciousness and death, particularly to small children.
NOTICE
x Always be careful when you park in areas with parking barriers or high curbs. These vary in height and could damage your bumper and related parts if the front of your vehicle hits a barri-er or curb that is too high while you are getting into or out of a parking spot. To help prevent damage, stop before the tires of your vehicle touch a parking barrier or curb.
x Always be careful when you enter a driveway or drive up or down steep ramps or over curbs or other obstacles. Parts of the vehicle close to the ground may be damaged (such as bumper covers, spoilers, and parts of the engine, suspension, and exhaust systems).
Warning and indicator lights

does not work below speeds of about 20 mph (30 km/h). If Side Assist detects one or more vehicles in the monitored area, indicator lights light up in the outside mirrors.
Indicator lights in the outside mirrors
The indicator lights ⇒ fig. 280 in the outside mirrors inform you about the traffic behind your vehicle.
The indicator lights in the left outside mirror ⇒ fig. 280 inform you about traffic on the left side and the
indicator lights in the right outside mirror ⇒ fig. 280 inform you about the traffic on the right side of your vehicle.

Indicator lights in the out-
side mirror
Possible cause
Stay off. No other vehicle detected by Side Assist in
the critical area of your vehicle.
Light up briefly once. Side Assist is switched on and is ready.
Light up. Side Assist detected a possible critical situ-
ation.
Repeatedly light up brightly. The turn signal is switched on and Side
Assist detected a possible critical situation
on the corresponding vehicle side ⇒  in
Warning and indicator lights

Radar sensors
The Side Assist radar sensors are located on the left and right side above the rear bumper ⇒ fig. 281. They cover an area of about 50 m (160 ft) behind your vehicle as well as the blind spots on the left and right vehicle side. On the left and right side of your vehicle Side Assist covers an area of about the width of one driving lane.
However, Side Assist does not recognize the exact width of the driving lanes next to your vehicle. In some cases, such as driving in the middle of 2 lanes or with very narrow lanes, this can lead to an incorrect indication. In other cases, vehicles moving on further driving lanes like the second to left lane, or even fixed objects, such as guide rails, can cause the indicator lights to light up.

NOTICE
x Things like trailer draw bars, thin rods, fences, trees, and narrow painted vertical poles or posts may not be detected by the Park Distance Control and Optical Parking System sensors and could damage the vehicle.
x If you continue driving closer to an object that the Park Distance Control and Optical Park-ing Systems have already detected and reported, the object may disappear from the sensor range and may no longer be detected. This is especially true for low or high objects. The sys-tem will no longer sound warnings about these objects. Ignoring signals from the Park Dis-tance Control system could result in serious damage to the vehicle.
x The sensors in the bumper can be damaged or become misaligned in low speed impacts and parking maneuvers. Damaged or misaligned sensors cannot accurately detect or report objects that might be within range of the PDC system
x To help make sure that the system works properly, always keep the sensors in the bumpers clean, free of snow and ice; do not cover the sensors with stickers or other objects.
x When cleaning the sensors with power washers or steam cleaners, only spray the sensors directly for a very short time, and always keep the washer nozzle at least 4 inches (10 cm) from the sensors.
x Noise from rough roads, cobblestones, other vehicles and the surrounding area, for exam-ple, can prevent the Park Distance Control system from accurately detecting and reporting people and objects that may be within range of the system sensors.
x Aftermarket components such as bicycle racks can impair the function of the Park Distance Control system.
Volkswagen recommends practicing with the Park Distance Control and the Optical Parking System in a location or parking space with no traffic in order to become familiar with the system and how it works.
Park Distance Control

Fig. 297 On the front and rear bumper: Park Distance Control system sensors.

Term Explanation Technical data
Approach/departure
angle
Transition from horizontal
plane to a slope, or from a
slope to flat ground.
Maximum angle in degrees
the vehicle can be driven at
low speed along an em-
bankment without the
bumper or underbody scrap-
ing.
Front: maximum
25 degrees.
Rear: maximum
26 degrees.
Fall line This is the vertical drop route.
Articulation Articulation capability of the vehicle while driving on
one side over an object.

WARNING
Never exceed the recommended maximum values in the above table. Exceeding these values will result in serious personal injury and/or damage to your vehicle.
x All values listed above are for ideal conditions and assume firm, even surfaces that are dry and not slippery.
x Off-road conditions will always be less than ideal. Always reduce the maximum values listed in the table above to allow an adequate margin of safety between the ideal maximum value and your vehicle's actual off-road situation.
Useful off-road driving equipment

Never use a power washer to clean the engine compartment ⇒  Cleaning the engine compartment.
WARNING
Improper use of power washers can cause serious invisible permanent damage leading to tire failure and loss of vehicle control. This can cause accidents and severe personal injury.
x Keep sufficient distance between water jet and tires. Never wash tires with a nozzle that sprays the water out in a direct stream regardless of the distance to the tire and even for a very short time.
x Never use “dirt blasters.” to clean tires. Even spraying from a relatively long distance for a very short time can do visible or invisible damage to tires.
WARNING
After the vehicle has been washed, the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads coated with ice, react slower and need longer stopping distances.
x Always dry the brakes and clean off any ice coatings with a few careful applications of the brake. Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey legal requirements.
NOTICE
x Water temperature should not be more than 140° F (60° C).
x To help prevent damage to the paint, do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.
x In order for Park Distance Control to work correctly, the sensors in the bumpers must be kept clean and clear of snow and ice.
x When using a power washer or steam cleaner, only spray the rear assist sensors directly for a short period of time and always keep the nozzle at least 4 inches (10 cm) from the sensor.
x Do not clean icy or snow-covered windows with a power washer.
x When washing or rinsing the vehicle in cold weather, do not let water get into the lock cylinders or point the hose at gaps around the doors, hood or rear hatch. The water could freeze on the locks and seals and make it difficult to open the vehicle!
Cleaning windows and outside mirrors