2004 Volkswagen Phaeton Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
1
STEERING
1
STRUCTURE:BODY
1
STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID
1
SUSPENSION
1
SUSPENSION:FRONT
1
Total complaints8

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Trunk emergency escape/entrapment prevention handle not working due to defective trunk wiring harness. Only applies to vehicles with automatic trunk.”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2017-03-03

“Trunk emergency escape/entrapment prevention handle not working due to defective trunk wiring harness. Only applies to vehicles with automatic trunk.”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2017-03-03

“2004 vw phaeton trunk wire housing - the sleeve over the wire housing came off and then the plastic tube that covers the wires broke away from the joint that enables the wires to compress back into the trunk lid when it is closed. When having my tires rotated the service department closed the…”

STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID · reported 2009-08-17

“Control arm gaskets corroded on all upper and lower control arms leading to metal on metal. *tr”

SUSPENSION:FRONT · reported 2009-03-01

“2004 volkswagen phaeton with faulty torque converter. *kb the consumer stated he had to pay for a $3,00 dollar repair on the driver's side fender which was caused by the hesitation of the converter engaging. The consumer stated he experienced problems with the vehicle for three years and never…”

SUSPENSION · reported 1901-01-01

“2004 volkswagen phaeton with faulty torque converter. *kb the consumer stated he had to pay for a $3,00 dollar repair on the driver's side fender which was caused by the hesitation of the converter engaging. The consumer stated he experienced problems with the vehicle for three years and never…”

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER · reported 1901-01-01

“2004 volkswagen phaeton with faulty torque converter. *kb the consumer stated he had to pay for a $3,00 dollar repair on the driver's side fender which was caused by the hesitation of the converter engaging. The consumer stated he experienced problems with the vehicle for three years and never…”

STEERING · reported 1901-01-01

“2004 volkswagen phaeton with faulty torque converter. *kb the consumer stated he had to pay for a $3,00 dollar repair on the driver's side fender which was caused by the hesitation of the converter engaging. The consumer stated he experienced problems with the vehicle for three years and never…”

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING · reported 1901-01-01
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.