Volkswagen Amarok common problems

Reliability is a key issue when it comes to pickup trucks; they’re often used as a lifestyle and commercial vehicle, so downtime can affect both the owner’s social life and work. In this article, we look at the Volkswagen Amarok reliability, and assess the common problems and faults.

Our sister title, Professional Pickup & 4×4 magazine, carried out a survey of over 400 pickup operators to discover the most reliable pickup which consisted of over 24,000,000 miles of real world driving.

In stark contrast with the rest of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle range – which are renowned for their build quality and reliability – there were a number of Volkswagen Amarok problems reported by the operators, which placed it in fifth place behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi L200 and Isuzu D-Max. The average age of the VW Amarok in the survey was 3 years and 7 months and the average mileage was 52,092.

Volkswagen Amarok EGR valve problems

The most common fault on the VW Amarok was the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve. The EGR valve feeds the exhaust gases back into the engine to reduce NOx (nitrogen dioxide levels), but they often fail quite early which is highlighted by a rough idle or an illuminated engine management light.

Volkswagen Amarok DPF problems

The poorly designed DPF (diesel particulate filter) is another component prone to faults on the Amarok. This filters toxic particles from the emissions and, again, is brought to the attention of the driver via the engine management light.

Volkswagen Amarok water pump problems

Water pumps are the heart of your engine’s cooling system but they are one of the most common faults on the VW Amarok. There is a significant risk of the engine overheating, or worse, when the water pump fails.

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