general problems of the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan

Feb 2026 my airbag light came on few days ago, now my horn doesn't work, and the functions on the steering wheel don't work, like being able to reset tire pressure and check functions for the car, the phone, the radio/cd information.

My engine shut off my battery as I was driving. This forced my car to stop in the middle of the road. There wasn’t a battery sign or engine light on until after the event. This could’ve caused a wreck, especially if it would’ve happened on the highway. I also have a problem with my gas not registering. It doesn’t show how much gas I have left in my tank. I have had other electrical issues, and problems when starting my car.

Feb 2026 my airbag light came on few days ago, now my horn doesn't work, and the functions on the steering wheel don't work, like being able to reset tire pressure and check functions for the car, the phone, the radio/cd information. Jan 2025 my seat belt (driver ) lock is broken ,to attach the seat belt in place. . I have to just keep it clicked in, and put it over my shoulder (over a yr now) also , as of Aug 2025, my car keeps having issues of stalling/ bucking, even though my mechanic has changed the points/plugs twice now. And the overheat light comes on ,off and on. . Sometimes clears up once the car is shut off and then turned back on. . Some times has to sit for a while, then clears up.

Front sunroof drains have shrunk over time disconnecting from drainage port causing massive amounts of water to pool in floor boards. This location is where electrical connections for the airbags are located causing failure for airbags and more. Rear drains were also disconnected due to shrinkage and crimped causing water to pool in trunk. Mold has appeared causing health issues as well.

A few days prior to this incident, I noticed a crunching noise as I would turn the steering wheel every now and then. As I was turning right to pull into my driveway, I heard the clock spring crunch and finally give up. Airbag light on. Airbag error when I start the car. Steering wheel buttons and horn unresponsive.

My 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan has had an airbag light on the instruments display since early March of 2022. At the same time lights on the steering wheel no longer illuminate and the horn does not function. I had earlier received a recall notice and took the car to my dealer for analysis on March 14. The service technician determined that the clock spring was defective and on and ordered the part which he said may be a week or two. I have checked with my dealer's part's department every month since then, and no part has arrived. I have been told that it is a supply issue. I am especially concerned that I have had several very close calls on limited access highways when a car has nearly veered into my car from a lane either from the left or the right, and I have no horn to alert the other driver who for some reason has failed to see me. I also am concerned that having a collision and having to airbag could be a very serious accident causing severe injury or death. This vehicle in unsafe and will not pass inspection.

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that air bag error message was displayed. The electrical system on the steering wheel was blank. The contact was unsure if the horn was operable. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. The VIN was invalid.

The panoramic sun roof causing water in vehicle. Moldy smell, windshield moisture. Gasket do not appear to be cracked or damaged. 2013 wv Tiguan. Started after 5 years of ownership. Car was parked. No visible water marks on head liner. Recently had heavy rain. I believe safety risk. Wires under seat, mold, visibility.

Steering wheel made clicking noise, suddenly the airbag light came on and no steering wheel controls would work while driving down the highway. Looked up that it could be the recall on the clock spring stating debris could get into the area and cause a failure. Spoke with vw of America, states the vehicle is only covered up to 120,000 (my mileage at time of call to vw was 135k). Given this is a known issue for these vehicles and the investigation even needed to be re-opened in 2018, you think the company would care about the safety of their customers as I am now driving a vehicle with an airbag that won't deploy upon impact (possibly fatal).

Volkswagen-tiguan, 2013 - clock spring is out. By the look of the the complaints, this a common problem. Cost - $650 for replacement - but, replacing can cause a further problem according to local vk dealer, where the whole steer electrical system will have issues which will lead to another $1500. Dont have a choice than to fix. A cost vk should be paying for on recall. Oh wait mine was not in the recall. . Previously allowed. Others continue to have issues.

While driving the vehicle the epc light and check engine light came on, the vehicle then began to lose power and slow down as I was driving. The vehicle struggles to get power and even changing the spark plugs and coils has not worked as the vehicle continues to do the same thing.

Problem with accidental deployment of electronic parking brake: this is a major design problem with an inexpensive fix. The way the Tiguan has been designed, it parking level is flush to the cup holder. Last week, I spilt my coffee on my charging cluster (in first cup holder) and accidentally deployed the park brake at 70mph and it locked up the wheels. . . On the freeway 🛣!!! this defect covers model years 2009-2017 1st gen Tiguans. The fix is cheap & easy. Although I have tapes a business card over it, I plan to craft a rocker piece to easily secure the parking brake needs to be deployed while the vehicle is stopped.

The issue involves ongoing water intrusion through the panoramic sunroof, front power windows, and windshield seals. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This recurring leak has caused extensive interior water damage, including visible mold growth in the carpet on multiple occasions. This mold presents serious health risks to both me and my passengers, especially my sister, who is undergoing cancer treatment and has a severely compromised immune system. Water pooling beneath the carpet also threatens critical electrical systems located in the floor area, including the vehicle electrical system control module (j519), can/lin bus wiring, door control harnesses, and footwell circuits. Corrosion or shorting in these systems could lead to unpredictable failures in safety-critical functions, even if not immediately apparent. Although Volkswagen dealerships have cleaned the sunroof drains as part of routine service packages, no formal diagnosis or confirmation of the leak’s source has been made. Independent mechanics have confirmed clogged drains and flushed debris to restore water flow. In 2019, I replaced the windshield at my mechanic’s recommendation because the interior glass was frequently soaked with morning condensation. Despite these measures, the sunroof continues to leak whenever it rains. No warning lamps or dashboard messages have ever appeared related to this issue. The first visible symptom occurred several years ago—possibly as early as 2019—when water began leaking from the passenger-side sun visor and headliner immediately after a car wash. Given the persistent nature of the leak, the associated mold hazard, and the risk to vehicle electronics and occupant safety, I believe this defect warrants manufacturer accountability and recall consideration rather than a temporary repair.

The car loses power when accelerating and epc lights and oil pressure lights illuminate and disappear seems very dangerous and I am not the only person who this is happening to.

Clockspring in the steering column has failed causing air bag light to come on and on one instance the blinkers did not work. A minor cracking first was heard in vehicle during turning. Eventually a turn was made and the airbag light came on and no controls on the steering wheel worked.

Clock spring issue. My 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan clock spring has failed and my airbag/steering components no longer function. Volkswagen is claiming my car is not affected although my model make and year falls within those failing. My clock spring part number also matches those that are failing. I was driving when the airbag no longer worked. There was no threat or danger. However I am unable to drive the vehicle without a functioning airbag.

The steering wheel controls and air bags do not work. This is a commonly known issue with vw for the year and model of this vehicle, although vw states this VIN is outside of the �recalled group�, it clearly has the exact same issue with the same recalled parts. The airbag clock spring is the issue that has worn out and the electrical components and air bags in the steering wheel are now rendered useless. The dealership themselves have told me they have seen this issue on numerous vw vehicles and have not expanded their radius of vins included in the faulty parts.

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan. While driving, the vehicle lost power unexpectedly and the battery warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,500.

Tl- the contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number: 14v441000 had exceeded the reasonable amount of time for repair. The dealer stated they were unavailable to perform the repairs because they had no available appointments. The manufacturer was made aware of the delay. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had intermittently experienced jerking while driving at various speeds. Luckily, the vehicle had not stalled. The failure mileage was 1,798. Az.

We rented the vehicle from hertz at denver International airport. When we parked the car to go to a restaurant, we could not unlock the doors and thus could not get out of the car. We phoned hertz and were told we could exchange the car for a different car at the airport. On the way to the airport, we kept seeing sporadic warning signals on the dashboard that various doors were open. They were not open. The attendants at hertz had trouble unlocking the doors as well. Fortunately, we contacted our daughter by cell phone who did some research on the car on the internet and found that there is a hidden keyhole on the exterior of the driver's side door that was covered by a snap-on piece of molding. Our daughter was able to communicate how to access the keyhole to the hertz attendants who then succeeded in opening the doors. The windows were operative, but were too small for older folks like ourselves to use as an egress, certainly not without help. This is potentially a very dangerous situtation since it could be impossible to extract passnegers from a vehicle that suffers an accident. Also, passengers could arrive at a desitination late at night and with insufficient fuel, and find themselves unable to get out of the car or drive somewhere else for help.

There are 2 separate incidents. First incident approx. Nov. 26. Proceeding up a steep hill when the car suddenly decelerated. Pressing on gas pedal did not result in increased speed. Needed to shift to manual transmission mode to regain control of the car. Second incident on Dec. 27. Proceeding down a steep hill at approx. 45 mph. Posted speed limit is 45mph. Pavement is dry, visibility is miles. Sky is overcast. While driving down the hill the vehicle suddenly went into deceleration from 45 to ~ 30mph. Pressing on the gas pedal did not result in speed increase. Needed to shift car into manual transmission mode to gain control of the car back. Third incident on Jan. 5. Proceeding on city street at less than posted speed limit. Suddenly car has no power. All electrical is off. Must move car to side of road. After getting the car out of traffic and stopped, was able to restart. All above incidents are reported to vw and car is in for service. Vw reports no issues with the car.