Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Volkswagen Tiguan - part 2

Oil consumption/ needs to replace cylinder head.

See all problems of the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Oil warning light was on while driving on a highway. My vehicle was losing engine oil. I just had an oil change recently. Current odometer is at 25000 miles.

I'm filing an urgent safety complaint regarding a series of severe defects in my 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan (VIN: [xxx]) that pose immediate, life-threatening hazards. On xxx, I took delivery of the vehicle, which was refueled by the dealership. By xxx, with temperatures soaring to 104°f, I encountered three critical issues: 1. **engine stall during low-speed turn**: while turning at 2 mph, the engine shut off without warning, losing power steering and brakes, and displaying a message to "manually restart the engine. " 2. **engine stall while reversing**: the engine stalled again while reversing into a parking spot, triggering the same emergency warning. 3. **structural window seal failure**: at 55 mph, the driver-side window seal tore away, becoming a projectile that struck the passenger-side window, creating a severe distraction and road hazard. Despite reporting the engine stalling issues to the dealership, the service manager didn’t open a formal repair order, citing the stalling as "intermittent. " on July 5, while attempting to refuel with half a tank, gasoline violently sprayed from the rear undercarriage, indicating a catastrophic failure of the fuel tank venting system. These incidents within 72 hours of delivery highlight systemic manufacturing and quality control failures. I have had the car towed back to the dealership via flatbed tow and the Volkswagen roadside assistance representative assisted with this transaction. I urge the NHTSA to investigate the fuel tank venting mechanisms, engine management software, and exterior seals of the 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan. Immediate action is necessary to quarantine this VIN ([xxx]) and assess potential safety recalls or stop-sales. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have a 2022 Tiguan 2. 0l gas engine with a 10yr 120k mile Volkswagen warranty and all previous maintenance and services performed by the Volkswagen dealer. Just over 40k miles and a check engine light comes on so I go to the dealer. The oil separator, an emissions device, failed and needs to be replaced with the oil pan and timing chain cover. This separator is not noted anywhere on the manufacturer service schedule but based on talking to the dealership and my own research its is a known issue failing frequently over the last 5-6 years with Volkswagen redesigning parts several times in failed attempts to correct the issue but, to date, they have not issued a recall. As such, owners are having to pay significant repair bills as Volkswagen refuses to repair this under emission control or extended warranty coverage.

Like many others, at 55k miles, our oil separator malfunctioned causing our oil pan to crack and dump every drop of oil. We had to replace the oil pan and fortunately our mechanic friend figured out it was the new pcv valve malfunction causing too much pressure in the engine. My wife was luckily pulling onto our property when the car essentially shut itself off. When searching for the valve I needed, talking to multiple parts dealers and then a vw tech, none of them are sure why there’s no recall. It happens between 50-60k to thousands of people now. Then I watched videos on the issue and the mechanics online are all saying the same thing- this should’ve been a recall 2 years ago and are all asking the same question. It’s time vw does what’s right. It’s awfully coincidental that they installed plastic oil pans that would crack and leak under instead pressure, rather than a blowout seals because of the valve failure.

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Taking left turns is dangerous. My turn very slowly and hard press on pedal to turn. Oil consumption is insane. Started at 38k miles, manufacture warranty ended after 4 years. I’m under 52k miles now and have to fill oil about every 1k miles. I’ve had 4 oil changes this year alone. I’m regular about maintenence. Last oil change was 08/03/26 check oil light came on 8/15 had to add 3. 5 quarts 8/26/26 will keep track of each time I need to add oil and update here. This has been an issue for many Tiguan owners where is the recall???.

Oil separator valve went out which caused the upper timing cover gasket, cambridge assembly seal, oil pan and seal to fail. Could have caused the engine to fail whiling driving which could have resulted in an accident occurring. Confirmed by dealership. No other inspection has been done on it. Oil light came on whiling driving. I put in more oil. It goes in for regular oil changes and as not been noted prior to 6/19/26 that there was an issue with the vehicle.

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The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly stopped. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The message “service now” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with fuel pressure sensor and fuel system sensor failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and a grievance was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.

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When driving, the vehicle self shifted into neutral and was unresponsive. All of the dash warning lights came on and I was not able to apply throttle or shift the car into drive. I had to coast in neutral to the side of the road. This is a safety issue and there was a high possibly of crashing if it wasn’t on a rural road. This is the second time this has happened. The first time vw service said nothing had occurred and gave me my vehicle back.

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55-60 mph, the vehicle suddenly became inoperable; the power steering became inoperable, and the brake pedal became difficult to depress. The message "no key fob detected" illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. No repairs were performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable. The VIN was unavailable.

I was driving in 4 lane town traffic going under 10 mph and the hazard lights came on by themselves, and the car died. Propulsion stopped. Fortunately I was able to pull onto a striped median, and once I was over shock, 3-5 ish minutes, I started the car and drove to the dealership. I don’t remember any warning message, and it seems like the steering and brakes were hard once it was dieing, but I was so shocked it’s hard to remember exactly. This happened in rainy weather, about 65 degrees around [xxx] on [xxx], in bentonville, ar. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

This vehicle is burning oil! I have stayed on top of getting the regular/required oil changes but inbetween we have had to constantly top off the oil. I also get all oil changes at the dealer. Last time when I complained about it the guy told me that it would be a lot of work to try to find out why and left it at that. My warranty expires in November and I don't want to get burned by this by needing a new engine!.

Oil change and check engine light continuously appear. Have gotten oil changes during the prescribed timings and still after being within the timeframe of the oil change the sensor appears. The car has stalled while driving due to this and have on multiple occasions have had to buy oil to add to the vehicle even after getting a oil change at a dealership.

Excessive oil consumption. Check oil level light comes on repeatedly between oil changes. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The dealer has now looked at the issue 2x. Potential safety issue should the engine be affected while driving. The problem has not been reproduced by the dealer. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer 2x. 1st issue appeared at approx. 33k miles and again at about 35k miles.

See all problems of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

23 Tiguan. . Been having to top off oil every couple thousand miles sometimes up to a quart and they tell me it's within "tolerance" to lose oil. Bad pcv caused leak at timing seal and oil pan, oil everywhere needs extensive cleanup. This consumption has happened consistently since buying the vehicle and am being told with the new pcv installed we have to wait to see if the oil problem continues before we can do a consumption test. There should be no reason to be losing up to a quart every few thousand miles and this should be fully investigated.

My car jumps and lags due to fuel injector. It will be replaced by Volkswagen but only if there believe it’s ana issue even though there are several reports of this issue.

I am having an engine oil consumption issue while I was in warranty and now being a few thousand miles out of warranty. Volkswagen states having to top off a quart of oil within 600 miles is tolerable. I have had to top off the oil 6 times between oil changes so far. The dealership states that vw of USA denies any repairs and there hands are tied. They know it's a cylinder head issue but since the issue is not catastrophic (engine seized or more than a quart burning) they will not fix it.

The contact owns a 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a service appointment, the contact was informed of rodent damage under the hood of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the hood insulation, engine cover, plenum seal, and firewall insulation were chewed up by rodents. The contact was informed that the hood insulation, engine cover, plenum seal, and firewall insulation needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was garage kept, and there was no indication of rodents on the property. The vehicle was inspected by animal control. The contact was informed that the damage was old. The contact was informed that the damage occurred while the vehicle was on the dealer's lot prior to the contact purchasing the vehicle in may 2026. The manufacturer was contacted by phone, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 2,809.

The car stopped at a light on a busy street in [xxx] (in the middle lane), then the engine stopped, and my wife could not restart it. I went as fast as possible and met her. I was eventually able to get it started. This is the third time we have had problems like this. I did the same thing for me and another time for my wife. I believe it is the stop-start capability, but I can't say for sure. We have also had bad engine oil burning problems and electrical problems. All of these (I now know, but did not before) are recurring problems for 2019 Tiguans. The cylinder head was rebuilt last year, associated with a similar instance. I am now fully aware that the 2019 Tiguans are known to experience all of these problems, but when I brought my car in on previous occasions, that never got mentioned. I am told xyz is an issue, then billed for repairs. The car was originally leased, and when I purchased it at the end of the lease, I also purchased a full premium warranty. When the issue happened in may of 2025, the policy eventually covered this, but it took over a month of justifications and records before the third-party insurance company agreed to cover the repairs. All of this said, I am no longer comfortable that this car is safe for my wife to drive, as the issues that are repeating are known issues, and yet Volkswagen seems to sweep these under the rug from both a manufacturer and dealership perspective. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving on the highway in my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan (approximately 70,068 miles), the epc warning light and oil warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to stall/lose power. I exited the highway immediately and shut the vehicle down safely. A substantial amount of engine oil leaked from underneath the vehicle after stopping. The vehicle was towed to a Volkswagen dealership. Dealer diagnosis included: * cracked oil pan, * oil separator failure, * and timing chain cover leak. The dealership advised there was no metal contamination found in the oil or filter and no confirmed catastrophic internal engine failure at this time, though the long-term condition of the engine cannot be guaranteed after the oil-loss event. I am submitting this report because the sudden oil-loss event and stalling condition occurred while driving on the highway and created a potential safety hazard.

Vehicle was just turned on and put into reverse. Dash and infotainment center lights flashed and shut off. Vehicle rolled backwards uncontrollably down a sloped driveway. Steering and brakes were not properly functioning. Vehicle came to a stop when it struck a parked vehicle in its path.

When it is really hot outside 90 and above my car does messes up. As I'm driving my car will throw the code pull over and check starter system. Everything turns off, and then it takes minutes from my car to restart. It has happened multiple times when I'm in traffic at a stop light or driving and it throws the code as my car is moving. I have taken it to shops and still no auto shop can figure out the fix. Happened for the first time a year ago, and now its happening constantly.

The vehicle logged code p0491 due to a clogged cylinder head internal port at 28,000 miles (26,000 at the time vehicle was inspected. ) Volkswagen's official repair protocol requires a complete engine cylinder head replacement. The vehicle's onboard computer has disabled the factory-installed remote start system as a result of this engine fault.

The vehicle experiences sudden loss of motive power during acceleration. Between 30–60 mph, the transmission fails to upshift correctly, causing the engine rpms to spike to 5000 while the vehicle fails to gain speed. This creates a severe safety hazard when merging into high-speed traffic. Additionally, the infotainment system frequently blackouts and reboots while driving, and there are intermittent malfunctions with the power windows and door locks. Authorized dealerships have been unable to resolve these persistent safety defects after multiple repair attempts.

See all problems of the 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Car is burning an excessive amount of oil.

My 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan (VIN: [xxx] ) is experiencing excessive engine oil consumption. The vehicle requires oil replenishment every less than 1,000 miles, which is far beyond what any reasonable consumer would expect from a properly functioning engine. I reported this issue to the Volkswagen dealership while the vehicle was still under the manufacturer’s warranty. The dealership stated that this level of oil consumption is “normal” and only added oil without performing any diagnostic testing or repairs. No repair order documenting a defect was issued, and no corrective action was taken. This problem is consistent with the known defect in the ea888 2. 0l tsi engine, specifically the defective piston rings that fail to create a proper seal, allowing oil to leak into the combustion chamber and burn off during operation. A class action lawsuit has been filed against Volkswagen regarding this exact defect in 2022–2023 Tiguan models. The excessive oil consumption poses a serious safety risk. If oil levels drop critically low without warning, the engine could suffer catastrophic failure, stall unexpectedly, or overheat while driving — all of which significantly increase the risk of a crash. Despite this being a warranty-covered vehicle and a known manufacturing defect, Volkswagen and its authorized dealership have refused to repair the issue or acknowledge it as a defect. I am requesting that NHTSA open a formal investigation into this matter and consider a safety recall for all affected 2022–2023 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The vehicle's engine oil warning light repeatedly illuminates between scheduled maintenance intervals due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle is burning engine oil at an accelerated rate, requiring frequent manual top-offs to remain safe to drive. This represents an active, known defect in the Volkswagen ea888 engine components (piston rings/valve guides). Dealership service departments are actively refusing to provide complete historical service invoices or log the oil light visits properly, creating an immediate safety risk of engine stalling or catastrophic mechanical failure at highway speeds.

The light appears on my dash indicating low oil level frequently between oil changes. I have to add oil to my car every 2-3 weeks. An abundant amount of white smoke comes from the exhaust pipes. I’ve been told it’s burning oil. This could ruin my engine or become catastrophic by fire. I was told it could be something to do with the pistons or cylinder head. Mechanic shops don’t want to/have the ability to work on Volkswagens. The dealership says this is normal. I’m afraid for my children and my safety. This is a major safety issue that needs to be corrected. This is potentially life threatening.

2. 0 liter engines suffer from excessive oil consumption due to defective piston rings which can lead to engine failure. This is a class action lawsuit in other states. We now need a new engine at the cost of $6,500.

The vehicle will randomly shut off while driving. A message will appear stating "check the starting system" attempts to restart the engine are unsuccessful. The engine will start, stall after about 2 seconds and the message "check starting system" will display. The first time it happened, I was turning a corner at a rather dangerous intersection and the vehicle stalled. It took about three attempts before the engine would remain running. When the engine would stall the dash would go dark and the engine would not remain running this happened about a month ago in hot weather. It occurred again on April 25th, 2026 way worse this time. The temperature in the area reached 91 degrees fahrenheit. My vehicle was sitting outside in the heat for at least 5 hours, same issue, the vehicle would then proceed to stall in the middle of the freeway, I was able to coast to the breakdown lane where the vehicle would remain unable to start and the message "check starter system" would display. Looking on NHTSA webpage before filing a complaint, it seems that this is a rather common issue. Vw had a recall for other models (campaign 28h7) for models such as the jetta, golf and other like models. This is a really dangerous issue and could end up getting someone seriously injured or worse killed in a collision if my vehicle stalls like this. The vehicle is scheduled for a service appointment in the near future (local vw dealer is at least 2 weeks out before they can even look at my vehicle) after viewing this information, I can't help but believe it is possible the 28h7 recall is affecting more models than anticipated.

My 2014 Tiguan, VIN [xxx], has been serviced at an authorized vw dealer since I purchased it. From 2014 to December 2025, the vehicle was serviced at a vw dealer and March 2026 to present at a service facility that only works on vws and is owned and operated by a prior vw certified technician who only works on vws. My vehicle has been serviced at all the vw recommended maintenance mileage. Looking back at the maintenance records, I can see that in March and August 2025, my vehicle experienced a check engine light issue that resulted in evap system small leak fault and vibration at start up caused by misfire cylinder. In April 2026, June 2026 and July 2026, I had to take my Tiguan in because I felt the engine shake, check engine light came on and power decrease. The vw technican replaced some components related to the turbocharger system in April and the check engine light turned off. The check engine light turned back on in June in June and July 2026. The technician stated the issue was likely a airflow flap within the turbocharger causing the issue and the entire turbocharger would have to be replaced to remedy the issue. I discovered the recent class action settlement on this same issue and shared it with my mechanic. His professional opinion was that the issues I was having were exactly what was covered in the settlement covering my vehicle but I had 94k miles and had to have less than 85k miles. So, I was not covered because of the mileage. But I believe the issues the vehicle had going back to March 2025, were all turbocharger issues. In any case, my mechanic reached out to vw to get assistance because of the mounting repair costs for me and for all of his other vw owners experiencing turbocharger defects. It is my hope that others have shared similar complaints in search of relief from NHTSA investigating the defective vw turbocharges. Vw has a negative track record on it's turbochargers. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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On April 19, 2026 at approximately 9:40 pm, I was driving my leased 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan southbound on [xxx] [xxx] . I had three minor passengers with me — my daughters ages [xxx] and [xxx] , and their stepsister age [xxx] . We were returning home to [xxx] from a family trip to walt disney world. Without any warning — no dashboard lights, no sounds, no hesitation — the engine completely lost all power at highway speed. I pressed the gas pedal repeatedly with full force and there was absolutely no response. The car decelerated uncontrollably in active nighttime highway traffic. We were stranded on the highway shoulder for approximately one hour before the car restarted. I drove home on side roads. This is a recurring defect. In December 2025, I brought the vehicle to gunther Volkswagen of [xxx] , where it was documented on official repair order ro#xxx that the vehicle ‘shuts off at low speeds. ’ the dealer replaced the evap canister and n80 purge valve under warranty. The defect was not resolved. In may 2026, an independent professional diagnostic by 4 rings european using an autel maxisys ultra scanner (report xxx) found 30 stored fault codes across 19 vehicle systems, including fault code p253200 (ignition switch run position circuit high) — directly consistent with the sudden engine cutout — plus active cylinder misfires on cylinders 2 and 3, three active evap system fault codes confirming the December 2025 repair failed, and a compromised airbag system (u140000 — function restriction due to low voltage). The vehicle was subsequently taken to gunther Volkswagen of coconut creek again in may 2026, where the dealer diagnosed low voltage faults and replaced the battery under warranty. This is the second warranty repair attempt for recurring defects on this vehicle. I have filed a formal evidence preservation demand with Volkswagen group of America’s general counsel. I have also filed a bbb auto line arbitration information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

When I’m stopped, the car sometimes shuts off. The horn works intermittently. When I start the car, it feels like it’s going to stall. At times, all of the dashboard warning lights come on. Also, when I’m backing out of my driveway with nothing behind me, the car will sometimes automatically brake hard.

Noticed large amount of oil on driveway. Check engine light came on. Took it to the vw dealer. They advised that there is a recurring problem with 2022 Tiguan, where a premature head gasket failure causes engine and coolant leaks. Requires a cylinder head replacement. Since a large number is affected, there is a 8-10 back order of the part. Also, I was told that vw is repairing the defect under service bulletin TSB 15-23-01 or TSB /action 2071245, however they would not honor it in my case since the vehicle has 90000 miles.

Engine has excessive oil consumption. Low oil indicator light will come on and engine oil needs to be topped and added about every 2500 miles sometimes more often depending on driving conditions.