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2026 Volkswagen Taos

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
B
Safety Signal
85 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical1
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA1
Crash ratingNHTSA overall4★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA31 mpg
202720262025202420232022

The 2026 Volkswagen Taos is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Taos, is EPA-rated at 31 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 1 complaint, most often about the structure. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
TaosGasFWD1.5L 4-cyl turbo283631$2,000
Taos 4motionGas4WD1.5L 4-cyl turbo253328$2,250

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 49467, 49543.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

97TH
38,710 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Taos vehicles. In the event of a rear-end crash, the fuel pressure sensor may dislodge or separate from the fuel tank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."RiskA fuel tank with a dislodged or separated fuel pressure sensor can leak fuel after a rollover crash, increasing the risk of a fire.FixDealers will install a fuel pressure sensor wiring harness extension, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97TH. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning April 29, 2026.
NHTSA campaign 26V258000reported Apr 22, 2026Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
1complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2026: 1

Most-cited components

Structure1

What owners describe

“Brand-new 2026 VW Taos purchased Nov 28, 2025. Within 6 days (Dec 4), both front doors became severely misaligned and detached from proper positioning. Visually, the body line from the rear doors is completely uneven.The vehicle had 5 repair attempts for this issue. Four attempts at Volkswagen Cypress between December …”Jun 27, 2026 · Structure · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆15%
SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Taos model years

A

2027 Volkswagen Taos

0 recalls · 0 complaints

C

2025 Volkswagen Taos

2 recalls · 9 complaints

A

2024 Volkswagen Taos

0 recalls · 52 complaints

A

2023 Volkswagen Taos

0 recalls · 102 complaints

D

2022 Volkswagen Taos

6 recalls · 312 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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