[Trojan26]

Hello,
I had my first annual service at 9600 miles and was surprised to find out my rear brakes are worn out and need to be replaced.
They are both at 3MM while front are at 11MM.
I have driven many cars over the 30 years I have had a license and never had to change brakes so early even though I drove aggressively cars such as Infiniti G35 and BMW 3 series. Earliest I had to change was at 25.000 miles.
The Taos is not a car that one can push much and I drove it super gently.
VW has a warranty on the brakes for 1 year or 12.000 miles or whichever comes first.
However, the dealership has to determine that the wearing out is due to a defect and not negligence.
They are not budging in and I am kind of stuck.
Does anybody has had a similar experience?

 

[EsVW]

Back in the mid-90s, VW changed the OEM compound of the front pads after major backlash over excessive brake dust. This caused the rear pads to wear down faster than the fronts. Only time I've seen that happen.

Personally, I have a set of Akebono ceramic pads ready to go in. Stock pads are way too dusty for a daily driver.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[CRVW]

If I recall correctly (big if) there were also complaints about the brakes squealing around that time too. Another reason they probably went to a softer pad.
It's not unusual for VWs to wear out the rear brake pads before the fronts, but under 10k miles is definitely unusual.
Since the fronts look good, I don't see how they can claim negligence.

 

[S man]

I’m also wondering if there’s an issue with mine I have already read reports all the other forums Where people are happy to replace the rear brake pads under 15,000 already I have noticed that my rear wheels get dirtier than the front brake dust with no weight in the car just me as the driver I just had it serviced it’s first service Although I did not go to 10000 miles I did the first service at 7000 but vw but nothing was said about the breaks I guess we’ll see what happens in the future

 

[blnewto]

Maybe excessive nanny intervention??

 

[S man]

I don’t know how that would work you would think you would notice ABS traction control something being a little over reactive if that’s what you’re talking about mine is a se fwd so no Offroad is driven approximately 40 miles round-trip a day to work and back almost all of that is Highway we’ll see what happens in the next few thousand miles

 

[Dawnitspot]

Hello,
I had my first annual service at 9600 miles and was surprised to find out my rear brakes are worn out and need to be replaced.
They are both at 3MM while front are at 11MM.
I have driven many cars over the 30 years I have had a license and never had to change brakes so early even though I drove aggressively cars such as Infiniti G35 and BMW 3 series. Earliest I had to change was at 25.000 miles.
The Taos is not a car that one can push much and I drove it super gently.
VW has a warranty on the brakes for 1 year or 12.000 miles or whichever comes first.
However, the dealership has to determine that the wearing out is due to a defect and not negligence.
They are not budging in and I am kind of stuck.
Does anybody has had a similar experience?

Hello,
I had my first annual service at 9600 miles and was surprised to find out my rear brakes are worn out and need to be replaced.
They are both at 3MM while front are at 11MM.
I have driven many cars over the 30 years I have had a license and never had to change brakes so early even though I drove aggressively cars such as Infiniti G35 and BMW 3 series. Earliest I had to change was at 25.000 miles.
The Taos is not a car that one can push much and I drove it super gently.
VW has a warranty on the brakes for 1 year or 12.000 miles or whichever comes first.
However, the dealership has to determine that the wearing out is due to a defect and not negligence.
They are not budging in and I am kind of stuck.
Does anybody has had a similar experience?

Hi Trojan 26,
I have the same problem. I bought the car in June 2021. Early on I notices a scatching metal noise on the rear breaks. I took the car before the 10k miles service, they supposedly check it and said it was ok.
The noise continued so I took it to an independent mechanic. He showed me the pads and disc's, the were totally worn out and scratched.
I took the car to the dealership, but by this time it already had 12k miles. They said the warranty was expired but that they would give me a "courtesy" replacement just that time.
These new breaks only have 8k miles and they are making the noise again. I'm checking it again with an independent mechanic before going to the dealership, so they cannot lie to me again.
This problem has to be a factory defect. Is not normal for breaks to wear so fast.
Before this car, I had a Nissan Rogue lease, 45k miles and I NEVER had to change the breaks.

 

[Trojan26]

Hi Trojan 26,
I have the same problem. I bought the car in June 2021. Early on I notices a scatching metal noise on the rear breaks. I took the car before the 10k miles service, they supposedly check it and said it was ok.
The noise continued so I took it to an independent mechanic. He showed me the pads and disc's, the were totally worn out and scratched.
I took the car to the dealership, but by this time it already had 12k miles. They said the warranty was expired but that they would give me a "courtesy" replacement just that time.
These new breaks only have 8k miles and they are making the noise again. I'm checking it again with an independent mechanic before going to the dealership, so they cannot lie to me again.
This problem has to be a factory defect. Is not normal for breaks to wear so fast.
Before this car, I had a Nissan Rogue lease, 45k miles and I NEVER had to change the breaks.

Thank you all for the valuable input. I am convinced this is a car that was quickly put together and has a number of defects.
I drove for 11 months with the check engine light on despite three trips to the dealership to no avail.
Finally, they replaced the vapor valve the other day and the light is gone. Hope it stays that way.
As for the brakes, the rear must be of inferior quality or simply defective which causes the premature wear and scratching noise.
The dealer is refusing to replace them under warranty. I am waiting to hear on Monday from the general manager of VW Pasadena where I service the car but is unlikely he will reverse this decision.
I am quite frustrated but not much I can do.

 

[Coco22]

Hello All. I am not glad to hear of the collective issues folks have had concerning Taos rear brakes, however, I am glad to have my suspicions validated. I, too, noticed a significant build up of brake dust on our rear wheels verses the front. My first thought to justify less residue on the front wheels was perhaps the improved frontal air flow highlighted by the ducting and air passages within the inner fender assembly. I decided to monitor the situation for a few months and there has been no improvement as noticed during weekly washings. This issue will definitely by brought up at our first service appointment. Ironically, we experienced a similar wear issue on our van, yet without the brake dust; '16 MB Metris passenger model. We purchased it used and was dumbstruck when our long time and highly trusted independent service provider shared the rear pads and rotors needed to be replaced. Similar to TROGAN26 I can't recall ever replacing rear pads this early. I will share any feedback I received. Thanks to all.

 

[blnewto]

Hello All. I am not glad to hear of the collective issues folks have had concerning Taos rear brakes, however, I am glad to have my suspicions validated. I, too, noticed a significant build up of brake dust on our rear wheels verses the front. My first thought to justify less residue on the front wheels was perhaps the improved frontal air flow highlighted by the ducting and air passages within the inner fender assembly. I decided to monitor the situation for a few months and there has been no improvement as noticed during weekly washings. This issue will definitely by brought up at our first service appointment. Ironically, we experienced a similar wear issue on our van, yet without the brake dust; '16 MB Metris passenger model. We purchased it used and was dumbstruck when our long time and highly trusted independent service provider shared the rear pads and rotors needed to be replaced. Similar to TROGAN26 I can't recall ever replacing rear pads this early. I will share any feedback I received. Thanks to all.

This thread is helpful, I'll have to go out and check my pads. Like others have mentioned, I've driven plenty of vehicles, and typically quite aggressive w/ my braking and never had a set that needed replacement at less than 30k miles

 

[CRVW]

The rear pads and rotors look to be the same as a Jetta. I don't see a ton of aftermarket options, but I bet it's not long before there are lots of options for longer lasting pads.

As long as you catch them before they wear down enough to have metal rubbing on the rotor, I think a simple pad swap would be fine. If they're that soft, then the rotor should be OK.

It's a little more complicated than replacing the front pads - I think the electronic parking brake means you need VCDS or something to reset it. Not sure if you still need to rotate the caliper pistons while pressing them in, but that is easy to do with the right tool.

Thanks for the heads up. I know to watch them now. It's the kind of thing you can easily dismiss as not needing checked at 10k.

 

[Trojan26]

Just wanted to let you know after much deliberations, the dealer has decided to replace the rear brakes under warranty.
In the meantime, my check engine light is back on after the 4th time the issue was serviced.
It seems to be a problem with the vapor valve which has been reported in other threads.

 

[CRVW]

Just wanted to let you know after much deliberations, the dealer has decided to replace the rear brakes under warranty.
In the meantime, my check engine light is back on after the 4th time the issue was serviced.
It seems to be a problem with the vapor valve which has been reported in other threads.

Hooray!
Boo...

Have they been replacing the valve every time? Or just reset the code and it did not return immediately?

 

[Trojan26]

Hooray!
Boo...

Have they been replacing the valve every time? Or just reset the code and it did not return immediately?

The first few times, they did a software update and and changed one of the sensors. The light was back within few hours.
I am taking the car back on Thursday to replace the rear brakes and they will take a look at the light issue AGAIN for the 5th time.
I kind of have given up on it at this point and got used to driving with it.

 

[CRVW]

Sounds like they may need to just replace the N80 valve, which is apparently available now. Assuming it's the same code blnewto had and a few other folks on here.
Check engine light | Page 2 | Volkswagen Taos Forum (taosforums.com)
Seems to be a common issue, though not something urgent or that affects drivability.

 

[Trojan26]

Sounds like they may need to just replace the N80 valve, which is apparently available now. Assuming it's the same code blnewto had and a few other folks on here.
Check engine light | Page 2 | Volkswagen Taos Forum (taosforums.com)
Seems to be a common issue, though not something urgent or that affects drivability.

Thank you. This helps a lot. I will ask the dealership to look into replacing this particular valve.

 

[NewAtTaos]

Just had ours serviced at 6000 miles. Service advisor said they've noticed that Taos rear brakes are wearing faster than expected, affecting multiple owners. I was at 11mm front, 7mm rear.

 

[BobU]

Are you able to see the pad thickness yourself? I looked and did not see a spot where I could with the wheel on. Would love to know the trick if you can see.

 

[Colin]

Thank you all for the valuable input. I am convinced this is a car that was quickly put together and has a number of defects.
I drove for 11 months with the check engine light on despite three trips to the dealership to no avail.
Finally, they replaced the vapor valve the other day and the light is gone. Hope it stays that way.
As for the brakes, the rear must be of inferior quality or simply defective which causes the premature wear and scratching noise.
The dealer is refusing to replace them under warranty. I am waiting to hear on Monday from the general manager of VW Pasadena where I service the car but is unlikely he will reverse this decision.
I am quite frustrated but not much I can do.

I hope it works out for you. I also bought my Taos SE at the Pasadena dealer.

 

[Taos619]

IQ drive probably contributes to the collective problem, although I’m sure they’ll be individual anomalies as well. The system heavily relies on brake use for distance control, pacing, and even lane centering/curve control. Using IQ drive during heavy traffic will smoke through the pads.