general problems of the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan

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.

I am a state trooper who investigated a crash. The vehicle in question was involved in the crash. The vehicle that caused the crash was a 2013 vw Tiguan. This vehicle has an electrically actuated parking brake. The switch, very similar to a power window switch, is located between the front seats adjacent to the cup holder. The driver, reaching for the cup accidentally hit the parking brake switch activating it. The car came to an immediate stop in a traffic lane of an interstate and the vehicle following struck it in the rear causing extensive damage to both vehicles. I manipulated the switch trying to release the brake so the tow operator could pull it unto the flat bed of the truck. It was unclear how to release the brake (I was unable to do so),or how it was initially activated. The switch can be pulled up, or pushed down, presumably to engage or disengage the brake. It should be noted unlike a pedal or lever style parking brake, there is no way to modulate the amount of braking effort. From what I observed, it appears the driver gets full braking force or none at all. The location of the switch makes it easy to strike accidentally either by reaching for the cup holder or even while trying to reposition yourself in the seat.

Brake became stiff after pushing down on the brake pedal approx 1/3 of the way and the car did not come to a full stop. At this point only pressing down with full strength forces the pedal down further and stops the car. The usual operation is a smooth brake pedal which can be pushed all the way to the floor. This has happened several times at seemingly random intervals, sometimes one or two times a day, with other times going a few days without incident. The dealership mechanics cannot find a fault with their usual method of testing.