2023 Volkswagen Taos Brakes Problems

Rear brake wearing out extremely fast. No warning from VW Replaced twice in 40 000

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.

Rear brake pads and rotors worn out at 32000 miles. Rear brake pads originally worn out and replaced under warranty at 16800 miles. Dealership states that the issue is no longer covered under warranty. This excessive wear is a safety concern as it points to a design flaw in the braking system that is causing unexpected braking pressure to be applied to the rear brakes which may be causing extended stopping distances and could lead to brake failure.

I had my brakes inspected by VW at 20k miles and everything was fine. Then I took a long road trip using the Active Cruise Control (ACC) system extensively and during my next service at 25k my rear brakes and rotors needed replacement. Looking at numerous forms and owner experience, there is a problem with the VW Taos, likely with the ACC system or other control systems excessively braking the rear brakes, resulting in early failure. VW has not addressed this issue.

1)- Brake pads were worn out very fast twice when I first bought the vehicle. Eventually, the dealership had to replace them with after market brake pads. 2)- Check engine light keeps turning on and on - code P2421 EVAP canister stuck open despite all the expensive repairs at the dealership.

unknown Rear brakes and rotors are wearing out in 1/2 the time that normal breaks ware out

Car only has 16,000 miles on it. Started smelling antifreeze when the car was started. Took to dealer- faulty, failing head gasket. Bad since manufactured. Also, brakes had sounded loud since purchased. Told this was just the type of brakes. Upon inspection of the vehicle for the head gasket it was noted that the rear brake pads need replaced!! Again, this car only has 16,000 miles on it. From research it appears the head gasket and rear brakes are an issue for the 2023 Taos. Dealer/shop has had the car for 6 days and I was told if I needed a loaner it would now cost me $ out of pocket....for a manufactured failure.

Went to a VW dealer in Sept of 2024. Dealer recommended that I get new rear brakes as they were low. VW had a service bulletin extending the warranty, but the dealer refused to offer warranty work as they were not worn enough even though they said they needed to be replaced. As of March 2025. the rear brakes are now metal on metal with no warning given under 30k miles. This is a known manufacture defect. Volkswagen in March 2025 refused to offer warranty, as it expired a few weeks ago. No warning given and known faulty rear brakes. A major safety issue.

We purchased our 2023 Taos in Jan of 2024. The vehicle had approximately 24,500 miles when a grinding noise began terminating from the rear wheels. At the time of appointment at Ontario VW vehicle had 25147 miles. we were told that the rear brakes were bad, at 0%, and the rotors were damaged as well. 1. Brakes on cars do not wear rear wheels first. The dealer admitted not that is not normal wear, but adamantly stated the car is in "normal operational mode". However no one will answer why the brakes failed prematurely or who is responsible (except the customer) 2. there is a warranty extension for this problem. This was not discussed at the dealership at any time. I found the extension and called to speak with a manager 3 days later. When asked Dominic Alessi the service manager stated "We don't market "warranty extensions". He self-admitted that his dealership withholds information to customers and engages in deceptive practices to a customer. He further went on and stated, "We are here to sell and fix cars". I had to ask if there was a customer service aspect. In addition he spoke down to the customer and attempted to employ tactics that are considered unethical, dishonest, and eluding to information that was inapplicable (single side failure of the brake system) 3. I contacted VW corporate. I have an email that clearly states that the vehicle will not be fixed, covered, addressed, or any other service. that I need not contact anyone further. in closing I have a VW Taos bought off the lot, brand new. the rear brakes failed without warning until they were grinding. Brakes on a vehicle that are not designed to wear the rear first. There are supposed to be wear indications (squeaking). Despite design the brakes failed 1147 miles at the dealership after a known problem had a warranty extension. No one will address the failed brakes, the poor interactions with a manager, and unwillingness to do the right thing by a corporation.

12,000 mile VW Taos coolent light went off. Faulty Engine coolant gasket failed. Took it into the dealership they also needed to replace the back brakes! Entertainment/radio screen randomly goes off as well. This is the second time it's been taken in because of an issue. Will not bee keeping this car.

Haven’t owned the vehicle for 2 years and I’ve already had to have brake lines replaced, windshield and now the head gasket has crapped out. Which apparently is a huge issue with this vehicle. It’s really the worst buy I’ve ever made. Trade in value, at just 2 years old, is only 19,000…when I paid 30….it’s really awful. Now I have to wait for, God only knows how long, because the parts are on back order, to have it fixed! Volkswagen has ruined me for ever loving their name.

a low coolant light went on . Brought car in and head gasket and rear brake pads need to be replaced. the car has 16000 miles on it. This is unacceptable. !!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to know if the car will be replaced with the same faulty brake pads and the same faulty head gasket. These are know issues so why hasn't VW fixed both these parts and why would I want to same ones in my car that are known to be faulty.

On 9/5/2024 I brought the vehicle into the dealer for the 30000 mile service. Upon inspection the dealer found the rear brake pads were badly worn and needed replacement and that they were not under warranty and that I would be responsible for the cost. In February 2024 Volkswagen sent me a notice that they were extending the warranty on the rear pads to 24000 mi / 2 years from 12000 mi / 1year but did not indicate why. I referenced this notice to the dealer and stated I thought the pads should be covered as even though I had 30000 miles on the vehicle it was only 18 months old and that the large discrepancy between the front and rear brake pads 10 mm vs 2 mm showed that the rear pads were subpar. That has gone nowhere. I have been trying to negotiate some kind of middle ground on this but with no resolution a this point. I realize the Web is not always a reliable source of information but I have found incidents similar to mine which also include two other issues that my vehicle has : Head gasket failure causing coolant leaks - this was found on my vehicle with repairs scheduled as soon as the parts come in. And severe hesitation during acceleration which was identified as a turbo issue which was corrected by an “ adaptation “ of the turbo which I should monitor ongoing which leads me to believe this could be a continuing issue. These two repairs were under warranty. Both of these issues pose concerning safety and performance issues. And a previous problem with the display screen that shows the backup camera, which was corrected after repeated visits . All these issues on the vehicle less than 2 years old cause me great concern about it being a safe car ongoing. I hope you find this information useful. Thank you

After about 10,000 miles, we started getting a loud squeal noise in the front brake area when taking off from a stop. We have taken the vehicle to the dealership and also spoke to the service department several times. We keep getting told that it is a common noise with the Taos and there is nothing wrong or no fix. There is no way a brand-new vehicle should be making this noise.

Vehicle Make/Model/Year: 2023 Volkswagen Taos Component: Service Brakes / Electronic Parking Brake Odometer Reading: ~45,000 miles I am reporting a recurring issue with the rear brake pads on my 2023 Volkswagen Taos. The rear brakes were first replaced at around 25,000K miles due to premature wear and noise. A little over a year later, the brakes are again making noise and showing signs of wear. The issue appears to be affecting many Taos owners based on online forums and published warranty extensions from Volkswagen. Volkswagen has acknowledged premature rear brake pad wear on 2022–2025 Taos models by extending the brake pad warranty to 2 years or 24,000 miles. However, I am now outside of this extended warranty due to mileage, and the manufacturer is declining further coverage, citing "normal wear and tear" — despite this clearly being a design or electronic system defect, not regular use. There is reason to believe the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) or brake bias may be contributing to the excessive rear brake wear. I am concerned that this could pose a safety risk if the brakes fail unexpectedly, and it is also placing an undue financial burden on owners who must replace brakes every year. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue further and determine whether it warrants a broader recall or mandatory service campaign to protect consumer safety.

The vehicle has less than 16,000 miles and the rear brake pads already need to be replaced. Volkswagen refuses to cover the replacement even though the brake pads should not have worn out so soon.

My brakes went bad in under 5,000 miles they replaced the rear and now the front brakes are making noise. I have had to go into the dealer twice to get my coolant replaced. It needs it again and I feel we should not have to keep going into the shop when there is a known head gasket issue.

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated while reversing, the contact depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to stop in a reasonable time. The auto-brake assist engaged, and the vehicle was able to come to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, no cause for the failure was found. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 10,000.

Brake pads are fading quicker than usual. Also, the coolant. Just checked and added some coolant today. I never filled my other 2 older cars, one with 22k miles and the other one has 25k miles on them. I never had to add a coolant on them. This VW is barely 3k miles and it’s having these issues already.

I purchased this car new less than 18 months ago and have been problems with it ever since. Brakes wear down prematurely and cause metal contact to rotors that causes bad screeching, stutters and affects my braking distance. I work for drive-share platforms as well as work as a personal driver for children in Ventura County and become more and more worried about the safety of my passengers as well as myself. I've taken my vehicle to the dealership multiple times and they keep repeating that everything is normal over and over again or that they fix whatever issue that they find but my car is still not fixed. This has been going on for over a year, they don't offer any help and they seem to ignore my concerns and I am very unsatisfied with Ventura Volkswagon and their customer service. I'm tired of having to pay to replace my rear brakes every 1-2 months, I want VW to find a better solution for me since this malfunction isn't only related to my vehicle. I see tons of other VW Taos owners complain online about the same issue and how VW just tells everyone that they need new brakes! Find a permanent fix, or give me my money back... They tell me to keep driving it as it is but I can't work with my vehicle in this condition knowing that the occupants' safety is compromised.