Air Bag Problems of Volkswagen Tiguan - part 1

My 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan experienced a failure of the airbag control module caused by water intrusion through the hvac access area and failed seam seal tape at the cowl support. The dealership confirmed that water leaked through a factory seam, accumulated at the airbag module, and caused the module to fail. The airbag warning light is illuminated, and the system is inoperable. This failure matches the same defect pattern covered under Volkswagen’s recall campaigns for the atlas and atlas cross sport (water intrusion leading to airbag control module failure), but my VIN is not included. The root cause and safety implications are identical: water entering through a body seam/hvac area and compromising the airbag system. This is a safety?critical issue that disables the airbags and creates a risk of injury in a crash. I am requesting NHTSA review this defect for potential recall expansion. Dealership findings: • water present at airbag control module • water leaking through hvac access hole • failed seam seal tape at cowl support • water accumulation damaging the airbag module • cowl trim cracked and repaired • recommended replacement of airbag control module and seam sealing tape • estimated repair cost: $1,377 + tax safety concern: airbag system is disabled due to water intrusion from a factory seam. This creates a risk of injury or death in the event of a collision.

See all problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v854000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

See all problems of the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Hello, I have a vw Tiguan 2025 lease since june2025. I just received a safety recall letter from vw on February 2026 advising that because of a potential airbag defect I should not have anyone seating in the passenger seat of my car until further notice. A recall repair is not yet available. How can vw asks to keep a car with such inconvenience of not being able to have a passenger?.

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.

See all 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. 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 now, 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 I see no recall on my car VIN #, for these issues??? how can that be possible???.

My 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan was included in the Volkswagen clock spring safety recall. According to Volkswagen’s records, the recall repair was completed in 2016. The same defect has now reoccurred: the steering wheel controls, horn, and driver airbag are disabled again due to a failed clock spring. This is a reoccurring safety defect that directly affects the airbag system. The airbag warning light is on, and the driver airbag is currently non?functional. I contacted Volkswagen corporate, and they confirmed that my VIN was included in the original recall and that the repair was performed. However, they are refusing to repair the defect again, stating that the recall is “closed” and the warranty extension has expired, even though the original recall remedy has failed and the safety defect has returned. Volkswagen also declined to provide a written denial. I am reporting this because the recall remedy appears to be inadequate, and the safety defect has not been resolved. The vehicle is unsafe to drive with the airbag disabled. The clock spring failure disables the airbag, horn, and steering?wheel controls. The defect matches the symptoms described in the original recall. The failure occurred without any modification or damage to the steering wheel area. Volkswagen refuses to authorize a second repair despite the safety risk.

See all problems of the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the parking brake independently activated, and the air bag warning light illuminated. In addition, while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the key failed to function as intended. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road and turned off. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The parking brake was not activated. Additionally, the front driver's side door latch failed to unlatch as needed. The contact stated that none of the electrical system features functioned as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed wiring harness and a failed front driver's side door harness. The contact was informed that the wiring harness and front driver's side door harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer reset the codes. The contact was informed that until the repair was performed, the failure would recur. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

One time the car just lost power on the freeway and the e-card engine light came on and the cat ran rugh and stalled and jerked hard almost causing me to cause a serious accident. . . I took it to vw and explained the severity and they bypassed that and installed a new water pump. . 2months later the same thing happened exactly to where I was very lucky and very upset. . . And took it to them once again and explained more issues where I'm urging . As to the front warning light and motion has came into play a few times witch was shocking. . . Also the car would be on slow mo mode. . . . And constant warning lights would come on the dashboard as well as the car would feel so unstable and feel as if it were on gear 1/l while in the drive position. . . Also the eco turn of feature would playout . . And stall from time to time. . Then the car would get stuck on speed when foot would come off the accelerator to brake before a stop sign or red light intersection witch just started to concern me and I again took these concerns to rick case vw and they thought I was inventing this story. . Then the car leaked coolant. . And it rusted out the whole bottom of my car . . Hoses. . . And they replaced the thermostat this time around and now the car has misfired. . Could not start . . Idle was ver rough and just vibrated dramatically and damaged coils and spakplugs and blew out fuel inject #2 and can't hold pressure past 30 . . Changed out the spak plugs and coils and the car is just crippled and its a safety hazard and in many occasions has almost caused me to cause a serious accident. . .

The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle had been at the dealer since November 2025 unrepaired regarding the side curtain air bag. The dealer informed the contact that part number: 5nn880742g; was on backorder. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to provide the part for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue but offered no assistance. The contact had not experienced a failure.

See all problems of the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

During a collision in which my vehicle was struck by another driver, the airbag warning light activated, my seatbelt locked in place, and white smoke with a strong electrical smell filled the cabin. No airbags deployed (frontal or side). There is now an "error: airbag" warning on my dashboard, and the seatbelt is completely locked. The vehicle currently has multiple open safety recalls for airbag systems, including frontal and side/window airbags. I am concerned that these recalls may be related to the malfunction experienced. This failure could have resulted in serious injury if the impact had been greater. I am requesting investigation and confirmation as to whether the non-deployment is related to known defects.

See all problems of the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Turning on the car I got a notification on my dash that says error airbag with the light icon.

Experienced water leaks due to improperly routed sun roof drains. Experienced air bag electrical malfunctions, locking doors and unlocking doors, and air bag sensor/wiring harness inside passenger door.

See all problems of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle after a rainstorm, the contact became aware that the interior of the vehicle was flooded, and that water had entered the vehicle through the sunroof. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the sunroof drainage system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 66,000.

Airbag fault light is illuminated. Drivers side, fault code: b101715 - crash sensor for side airbag, drivers side open circuit to b+ intermittent occurred on 5/19/2025 at 56000 mile. Data from vehicle software number; 5q0959655ag software version: 0336 hardware number: 5q0959655ag hardware version: 004.

Seat belt light on. Car went into limp mode while on the highway. Seat belt acted like it was loose. Went for scan and it pulled up diagnostic code p0203 which is replace fuel injector wiring harness. Saying cylinder 3 circuit malfunction. Also threw code p050b.

While I was driving, when I turned the wheel I heard a cracking noise. Then airbag light turned on, and an airbag notification popped up on the dash.

Clock spring broken when my wife turned her steering wheel leaving a parking lot. Airbags no longer work, along with anything electronic within steering wheel.

See all problems of the 2014 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. 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.

My [xxx] daughter was a front seat passenger in her friend‘s car the 2017 Tiguan when the driver swerved to avoid another car and struck a pole. The damage was primarily on the front passenger side of the car. My daughter hit the windshield. It was broken in two places and she sustained several other injuries. The airbags never deployed. The car was totaled. I’m interested in knowing whether or not it can be determined if the airbags should have deployed and did not, and if the seatbelt worked properly or not, and whether or not you’ve had other complaints about this make and model. My daughter has sustained a concussion and has been out of work since he accident thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My steering wheel was making a crackling sound then it stopped and my airbag light came on along with the message " airbag error". No controls on my steering wheel work including my horn.

My car has never been in an accident. One day while turning into my driveway, I heard a large clicking sound. Since then, my airbag malfunction light is on and my car horn does not sound/work. All steering wheel controls are broken. This has been an issue for about 6 months. I've been waiting on a recall impacting my specific VIN/year/make/model, however I am being informed that I will need to pay out of pocket to have this major safety concern taken care of. I will be taking this car to the dealership this week in hopes to have a repair quote that I will have to save a significant amount of money over an extended period of time to complete.

See all problems of the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Air bag warning light.

While driving south bound on i95 express lane, the vehicle in front of me stopped abruptly. I attempted to break but was unable to do so. Also the emergency breaks/front vehicle collision warning did not activate. In order to avoid a head on collision, I swerved to the right and my front left side made impact to the other vehicle on their right back side. This impact cause my vehicle to spin out of the express lane and into the regular traffic 180 degrees causing me to be facing incoming traffic. The air bags did not deploy- the state trooper, fire safety, and tow truck representative all commented that it should have. After the incident fdot had to tow my vehicle to the shoulder prior to being towed away. During this time I was not able to turn the engine off- it remained on and was towed with the engine still running. The vehicle is currently under assessment with my insurance provider.

See all problems of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Car was recently repaired from a deer related accident. Within a week of getting car back I heard an unwinding like sound from steering wheel area while making a left hand turn into parking lot. My airbag light came on and all steering wheel functions like buttons and horn ceased to operate. I did see that this year Tiguan did have an airbag recall.

See all problems of the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The clockspring has failed and there are recalls on similar models of Tiguans of the same year.

See all problems of the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Crack spontaneously appeared near vw logo on steering wheel. The crack is growing. Volkswagen dealership said the airbag and steering wheel plate cover need to be replaced but unwilling to cover under warranty. Steering wheel plate cover looks to be swollen and other visible areas show stress marks. Dealership is ordering replacement part to replace next week. Dealership did not say this is a safety concern, but I feel it is needs to be reported to the correct persons. No warning lights have occurred.

I scraped the curb with my passenger front tire and all my side air bags deployed. There was no other damage done to the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Clock spring in steering wheel is broken. Driver airbag is non-functional, as are the controls on the steering wheel. No driver air bag is a huge safety issue! we immediately "scheduled" an appointment to have this issue repaired. At the appointment, a vw dealer (vw castle downers grove IL) confirmed the issue and noted that this was the subject of a recall (15v483000) with an ongoing & perpetual duty to repair. Despite the recall, the dealer does not have the parts, nor can they provide a date when they might be available (they are "backordered"). We checked with another dealer, and this seems to be a common problem. Also, we did a thorough search online to assess the situation with other drivers/vehicles - this is a common issue! someone (either the dealer or vw) is dragging their feet on this mandatory, potentially life-threatening issue & repair. When will the NHTSA kick vw (or the dealer) in the butt?.

Our 2015 Tiguan has consistently had issues with the clock spring. We are now needing a third clock spring only 6 months from the last warranty repair. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection. This issue is serious due to the airbag being non operational until we get this fixed. Additionally, the horn ceases to work as well, which although its not as serious as our airbag not working, its still nice to have it as a safety tool to indicate your presence to other drivers on the road. I'm not sure if the component has been inspected by the manufacturer or anyone else. We have had a warranty repair on it through the dealership so they verified this was an issue that needed replacing. Until the issue occurs there are no warning lights or anything to notify you from the cars system. There is however an audible "clicking" sound as you turn the steering wheel. The sound usually occurs sporadically for a short while before the clock spring breaks again. Upon breaking, you can hear a slightly louder click or pop and a notification/indicator comes up on the dash to indicate that the airbag is not operational.

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.

Hit head on by other vehicle and airbags did not deploy.

See all problems of the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph the check air bag light illuminated and the contact stated that all of the buttons on the steering wheel stopped functioning. The contact stated that he could not cycle through the vehicle service screen options due to the steering wheel buttons not functioning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was not diagnosed that there had been an electrical failure of the steering wheel. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had researched the failure online and related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v483000 (air bags). The dealer advised the contact that his vehicle was not part of the VIN selection. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

I started to get an "airbag error" message on the dash and then noticed that my horn no longer works, and neither do any of the buttons on either side of the wheel that control the dash menus and sound/phone system. I was able to determine this is a clock spring failure. From what I read, this is not a part that is supposed to wear out or fail from the age of the car and is expected to last the life of the car. Unfortunately, I now have no horn and possibly no airbags and I can't change any view on my dash to look up anything else.

The clock spring is broken on the 2017 Tiguan 4 motion @ 67,017 miles. The airbag light immediately came on. The part was removed for inspection and replacement by my husband. With the airbag/clock spring disabled turn signals, wipers do not work. Steering is very hard and there is a giant hole where the airbag should be making this vehicle unsafe. I see there is a recall on clock springs but apparently this Tiguan isn’t included but it should be. First noticed this problem oct 12 2022 the part number is 5k0953569ap.

Airbag error light on dashboard, passenger seat shorted out water pooled under passenger seats front and rear soaking wet coming up through carpets with moldy smell. You tube says it may be the panoramic roof drains.