Major Problems with Volkswagen Tiguan Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Volkswagen Tiguan to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Volkswagen Tiguan

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Volkswagen Tiguan.

Model Year	Complaints
2019 Tiguan	28
2018 Tiguan	152
2017 Tiguan	17
2016 Tiguan	28
2015 Tiguan	25
2014 Tiguan	42
2013 Tiguan	84
2012 Tiguan	115
2011 Tiguan	141
2010 Tiguan	96
2009 Tiguan	154

Worst 3 Volkswagen Tiguan complaints

2015 Volkswagen Tiguan AIR BAGS Victims: 3 Mileage: 36000 miles

2009 Volkswagen Tiguan SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Victims: 2 Mileage: 1232 miles

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan AIR BAGS Victims: 2 Mileage: 80000 miles

Browse Volkswagen Tiguan complaints by category

Problems with ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and AIR BAGS are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Volkswagen Tiguan owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ENGINE when i got into my 2014 tiguan the check engine light was on. since the car is only 5 months...	297 ~ 58679 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM on april 15 2014 i was at a gas station waiting to pull into an available pump with the car...	197 ~ 43771 miles
AIR BAGS takata recall - driver's side air bag stopped working the horn stopped working while i was driving. i found out...	140 ~ 53943 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER takata recall - driver's side air bag stopped working the horn stopped working while i was driving. i found out...	101 ~ 30968 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING when you switch on the ignition to go. driver side low beam light keeps coming on and off on my	87 ~ 42669 miles
STEERING i was driving home on interstate car suddenly displays steering wheel malfunction indicator and wheel locks. i was barely able...	84 ~ 50490 miles
POWER TRAIN there are 2 separate incidents. first incident approx. nov. 26. proceeding up a steep hill when the car suddenly decelerated....	79 ~ 29759 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2014 volkswagen tiguan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v441000 (fuel system gasoline)...	64 ~ 34560 miles
SERVICE BRAKES i drive my new car on the highway to the brakes twice i stepped on the brake but the brake...	50 ~ 31912 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE front driver's outer door handle does not open door. interior handle still works. then if you try to open the	45 ~ 11858 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL while the car is in motion with cruise control active pressing the "set/-" switch is supposed to decrease the vehicle...	43 ~ 21801 miles
SEAT BELTS after taking car to vw dealer i received these repair estimates: air bag control module needs to be replaced...seat belt...	20 ~ 22185 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL driving in cold weather and slow enough speed the electronic stabilization control light went on indicating esc failure. the steering	20 ~ 44508 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE vehicle cut out and engine died. sometimes the epc light is illuminated other times it is simply a loss of	14 ~ 27357 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER on december 7th 2018 i was driving about 65 mph when i heard an explosion load enough to make my...	13 ~ 41518 miles
SEATS tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated while driving 65 mph the contact attempted to raise...	13 ~ 42872 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING while slowly rolling to a stop the brakes locked up and did not engage. i had to apply severe force...	11 ~ 18901 miles
SUSPENSION both front and rear coil springs broke from secure position creating a safety hazard as spring could come in contact...	9 ~ 25318 miles
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2014 volkswagen tiguan. while driving approximately 65 mph the moon roof suddenly exploded and glass...	7 ~ 43624 miles
DRIVER CLOCKSPRING/SPIRAL CASSETTE > FRONTAL > AIR BAGS tl* the contact owns a 2014 volkswagen tiguan. while driving various speeds the air bag indicator illuminated and an "air...	6 ~ 65560 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph and attempting a right...	6 ~ 7276 miles
STRUCTURE exterior paint bad discoloration. called manufacturer they told me nothing they can do for me. my vehicle is <2 years	5 ~ 26673 miles
WHEELS on 5/3/12 @ 12 000 miles i was slowing @ a yield (10mph) and my transfer case fell on my...	4 ~ 30300 miles
PARKING BRAKE i am a state trooper who investigated a crash. the vehicle in question was involved in the crash. the vehicle...	3 ~ 3167 miles
DRIVELINE > POWER TRAIN 1) driving with low speed accelerating in traffic. 2) awd axle came loose while driving damaging the axle and underbody...	3 ~ 5315 miles
HORN > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that the horn failed to operate when depressed. the...	2 ~ 50000 miles
TIRES my wife was driving. shortly after getting on the interstate her rear driver side tire blew out (the whole rim...	2 ~ 12841 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES the locking mechanism for the gas door stopped working properly and the door remains unlocked with the door popped open...	2 ~ 49818 miles
HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING defective fuse box that melted/burnt. headlights inoperable this was not a result of normal wear and tear. this is a	2 ~ 24608 miles
VISIBILITY 2010 vw le tiguan purchased new and immediately the back-up camera comes on while driving stating that you can't use...	2
MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE > EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2010 vw le tiguan purchased new and immediately the back-up camera comes on while driving stating that you can't use...	2 ~ 32312 miles
ROTOR > DISC > FOUNDATION COMPONENTS tl* the contact owns a 2018 volkswagen tiguan. while filling the tires with air the contact noticed that the brake...	1 ~ 6900 miles
OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION > SENSOR > AIR BAGS tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen tiguan. while driving at an unknown speed the passenger side air bag warning...	1 ~ 72000 miles
FRONT PASSENGER > OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION > SENSOR tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen tiguan. while driving at an unknown speed the passenger side air bag warning...	1 ~ 72000 miles
INTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2018 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that the seat belt indicator flashed and a chime...	1 ~ 60 miles
FRAME AND MEMBERS > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2018 volkswagen tiguan. while driving unknown speeds on rough terrain there was an abnormal ticking...	1 ~ 3000 miles
WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES > FRONT > SEAT BELTS tl* the contact owns a 2018 volkswagen tiguan. while driving approximately 20 mph the seat belt chime on the passenger...	1 ~ 3355 miles
CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN vehicle sporadically unresponsive in traffic while in any forward drive selection of automatic transmission. particularly hazardous while changing lanes in...	1 ~ 24000 miles
MECHANICAL > EQUIPMENT i have had to have the seatbelt replaced twice in the last month on my new vw tiguan. the female...	1
CAMERA SYSTEM > BACK OVER PREVENTION tl* the contact owns a 2014 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that every time the vehicle was engaged into reverse...	1 ~ 20000 miles
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS tl* the contact owns 2011 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph the vehicle crashed into another...	1 ~ 7500 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN this is a separate incident (i just filled a complaint odi 10401437. same vw tiguain. the weekend of 4/30/11 and...	1 ~ 40217 miles
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM the speedometer on my 2010 volkswagen tiguan reads 3% slower than the actual speed of the vehicle based on comparisons...	1 ~ 9800 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES driving approximately 30-35 mph on dry flat pavement...no potholes or road hazards. heard thump from rear tire on passenger side...	1 ~ 5682 miles
SIDEWALL > TIRES driving approximately 30-35 mph on dry flat pavement...no potholes or road hazards. heard thump from rear tire on passenger side...	1 ~ 5682 miles
ACCELERATOR PEDAL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL tl*the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen tiguan. while the contact was driving approximately 55 mph the accelerator pedal stuck to...	1 ~ 2490 miles
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING car just turned a year old with 10 477 going down the highway 65miles per hour when i thought my...	1 ~ 10474 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER car just turned a year old with 10 477 going down the highway 65miles per hour when i thought my...	1 ~ 10474 miles
HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE > BODY > STRUCTURE 2010 vw le tiguan purchased new and immediately the back-up camera comes on while driving stating that you can't use...	1
DRIVESHAFT > DRIVELINE > POWER TRAIN on 5/3/12 @ 12 000 miles i was slowing @ a yield (10mph) and my transfer case fell on my...	1 ~ 12000 miles
TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) > POWER TRAIN on 5/3/12 @ 12 000 miles i was slowing @ a yield (10mph) and my transfer case fell on my...	1 ~ 12000 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING ecm failure which causes vehicle to travel a maximum of 15mph. engine runs rough and will not restart for a	1 ~ 5250 miles

FAQ

What year Volkswagen Tiguan is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 11 years, Volkswagen Tiguan models of 2017, 2015, 2019 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Volkswagen Tiguan?

Volkswagen Tiguan models of 2009 and 2018 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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