2023 Volkswagen Taos · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 27owner reports
- 20,000median miles
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 9, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
44 of the 109 complaints on this car are about the engine. 27 of those describe overheating. Only brake wear is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 27 reports
Overheating on other Taos years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (23 reports) and the coolant hose or reservoir (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2023 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 10,185 and 22,000 miles, from the 14 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2023 Volkswagen Taos that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Identifying cylinder head gasket leak.
What owners wrote
“head gasket well known issue with no campaign or warranty coverage Volkswagen issued an official TSB 15-23-01 (Head Gasket Leakage) acknowledging that the original factory head gasket design on early Taos models allows coolant to leak. The production line was eventually updated with a redesigned gasket. They denied coverage or even partial reduction in labor.”
Filed Jul 24, 2026
“I took the vehicle in to the VW dealership for service on 06/30/25 and they found that the head gasket had failed after only 26500 miles. A failed head gasket could lead to engine failure during operation which would create a significant safety issue.”
Filed Feb 28, 2026 · 26,500 miles
“unknown head gasket, went out at 22,000 miles Low coolant light High engine temperatures Overheating Empty coolant reservoir Smell of coolant Coolant residue on the engine block Most of the head gasket failures also occurred at relatively low miles.”
Filed May 21, 2025 · 22,000 miles
“Coolant leak and head gasket problem after only 20,000 miles. Common issue others have reported.”
Filed Jun 27, 2024 · 20,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 27 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Which lights mean pull over now? Warning lights by color and urgency
Other problems on this car
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 34 reports