Equipment Problems of Volkswagen Tiguan - part 1

When I am backing , my card comes to a complete stop, like I hit wall . There is nothing behind my car. It like you ran into a brick wall. This has happened several times.

See all problems of the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Moonroof spontaneously exploded while driving; shards of glass fell all over me (head, face, arms, back, legs), and throughout the vehicle. Nothing hit my vehicle, no road debris.

The moonroof exploded, shattered glass, shards, and glass dust fell all over me (head, face, arms, chest, back, legs) and throughout my car. There was no road debris, nor did anything hit my vehicle to cause the moonroof to shatter. Temperature outside was mid 70’s, I was driving in a predominately shaded area when the incident happened around 7:50am.

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The vehicle is experiencing a persistent and severe manufacturing defect regarding its steering wheel geometry and vehicle alignment. While operating the vehicle under normal driving conditions, the steering wheel alignment is visibly off-center, failing to achieve proper tracking geometry. There is comprehensive photographic and video evidence documenting that the steering wheel and tracking alignment are fundamentally incorrect. To date, this vehicle has been brought to an authorized Volkswagen dealership service department for a total of eleven (11) separate service visits specifically targeting this exact defect. The dealership service department refuses to perform further corrective actions, insisting that the off-center geometry is "normal and within factory specifications" after test-driving two other lot vehicles. The dealership has explicitly stated they will not correct this defect without direct corporate intervention. Safety risk assessment: the manufacturer and dealership's failure to remedy the off-center steering wheel geometry and tracking alignment presents an ongoing safety hazard. Operating a vehicle with compromised steering geometry introduces unpredictable handling characteristics, accelerated or uneven tire wear, and an elevated risk of sudden component fatigue. The persistent alignment deviation forces the driver to constantly compensate to maintain a straight line of travel, increasing the risk of driver fatigue and unpredicted lane drifting at highway speeds. A vehicle that cannot maintain proper tracking geometry poses a clear and present danger to its occupants and surrounding traffic. Timeline of events & notice to manufacturer: both the local franchised dealership management and Volkswagen of America corporate regional management have been formally notified of this recurring defect through 11 documented service attempts. Following initial acknowledgments, the Volkswagen corporate regional representative has ceased all communications.

Rear view mirror has come detached from the main roof and it's presented that the only option to repair this is a complete windshield replacement. If the mirror is adhered to the windshield, this presents a major design flaw and safety hazard. I should not have to replace an entire windshield to replace just a rearview mirror. Also, because this is requiring me to seek additional services outside of the vw dealership, I would have to drive without a safely secured rear view mirror, presenting a safety hazard.

See all problems of the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

This is related to reference TSB 48-23-01. There is a rapid, unpredictable chime causes intense cognitive distraction while trying to navigate highway traffic. It is accompanied by warning messages covering navigation information and other displays on the dash. It is impossible to focus on driving the car and is incessant with no way to turn off. This is a safety hazard. I've almost been involved in several crashes due to the distraction and trying to manage the problem as it's occurring.

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).

See all problems of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

When driving the front windshield spontaneous cracked. There was a loud cracking noise, prior to the ac and vent being turned on. The crack is formed from the driver side bottom edge of the window shield and across horrizontally three feet towards passenger side same crack ending upwards slightly diagonally. There is no evidence of impact, crack line is smooth to touch from the outside windshield. Purchased vehicle as a certified pre-owned. Owned the vehicle less than two years. And only driven the car for less than 5k miles. This is unsafe and deemed to be a design flaw.

Travel assist keeps showing unavailable and giving constant warnings.

See all problems of the 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

A few weeks ago I noticed that a car passed me and the little blind spot alert light didn't light up. When I arrived at my destination I did some scanning through the menus and I discovered that the blind spot (side assist) was not on, but when I attempted to turn it on, the car said "function not available". After some investigation (using a odbeleven scanner) I discovered that the blind spot assist functionality has a fault with "no communication". This system, upon failure, give no indication anywhere, plus this also means my rear back up alert ( a kid running behind my car, for example, which would normally cause a huge alert, nothing happens). I also learned that there is a technical bulletin : [xxx] related to this. This should be a recall, its dangerous to have no indication that a safety feature system like this is completely nonfunctional (without an odbeleven read). A light on the dash should alert me, or a message on the screen. This is just plain dangerous! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

2022 Tiguan overhead consule just fell down hanging by wires. No glasses compartment so not sure what would cause the stress on it due to usage. Dealer said 2020 models had issue and have an extended warranty. The 2022 does not have any recall. Seems like design flaw vw should correct as issue comes up. If I was driving at the time. It would have hit me or passenger in the head. This is a safety concern. I have seen multiple posts where this has happened. Vw said I am out of warranty and will not do anything. It is 2022 and I have seen 2020 and 2021 models with owners posting same issue.

When I am driving my vehicle, I get an alert that the "ignition switched off, please safely stop the video". All electrical power to the vehicle subsequently drops off. This is the same issue that the 2018-2019 vw jetta's were recalled for in 2023.

See all problems of the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

When the weather is warm or hot the car will drive less than a mile then cuts off but still drives. No air conditioning no radio or camera works how car shuts off but can still drive.

Upper center console has completely come down,.

Red light flashing above sos button constantly. Apparently means malfunction in emergency call system. Fixed once day after purchase. Now flashing again. Dealer today said they don’t know how to fix it and volkswagon are not helping. Critical system in event of an emergency. 500 miles on car now and has been to dealership twice with no resolution.

Car turns off while driving and says to check starter system when sitting in the sun, mechanics can not find anything wrong. Has happened twice in a two week period.

Vehicle purchase on 3/18/2026 with 17 miles. At 30 miles the sos button started flashing red, then green, then red then no light at all. I called dealership and was made to think it was no big deal and that a dealership has to reset. I also let them know my info center was freezing. Took car back to dealership 6 hours away - they had car for 5 days and when I got in the same issue of the info screen freezing was present. Sos button was fixed. I also gave them a list of many issues that needed to be looked at that I felt were not addressed or resolved. Dealership told me that all Tiguans are having a issue with the sos and the info center freezing. They showed me it was in the system, but no fix. So I was sold a car they knew had issues that could not be resolved right now. As a consumer I should have been told the issues so I could make a decision to buy or not. I called vw from the dealership 4/24 and was told I would get a call back. I have called and called trying to call the case manager with no avail. I have been told by vw only the case manager. Plug for phone charger almost fried my phone. Was so hot my phone turned off, turning off my navigation. So my phone was off, navigation off and sos button not working. I was on the road in the middle of nowhere going back to the dealership 6 hours away.

The starter system failed & yes it is available for inspection. Others & my safety was put at risk, as the car shut off while I was driving. The gauges turned off, I could not see how fast I was going and the turning and brake lights did not work either, the radio & a/c all turned off. The problem has been reproduced while the vehicle is parked on hot days and in the winter when the the heater is on for a period of time. There are online forums of other Volkswagen owners having the same issue. Volkswagen owners have had the ignition switch replaced and the issue has not happened to them again. There were not any warnings or messages prior to the failure. The message that appears says, "please check the starter system. When the vehicle is parked in the shade it turns on fine. I have an appointment scheduled at my local Volkswagen service department to have the ignition switch replaced on my 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. Please contact me ASAP, this should be a recall and any costs associated with it should be covered by Volkswagen as this is a common safety issue.

On 03/11/26 Volkswagen pushed an over the air update related for an infotainment system software update. Immediately upon completion of the updated the central caution light (exclamation mark inside of a triangle) was illuminated along with the sos warning light. This has caused by sos safety system to not function properly. The dealer charged me $200 to diagnosis a problem vw created and stated the sos control module needs to be replaced. They claim the part is on national back order for the past three months. I have been unsuccessful receiving information regarding the repair of my vehicle. I am concerned the sos system will not function if it is needed.

When it is hot out, while I am driving the car will say "pull over, shutting down" and then it says "please check the starter system. " the car will just shut off this was soo dangerous. This happened on the highway, with my two kids in the car and nothing worked. Everything black and my blinkers and lights werent working and just stopped in the middle of the street and wouldn't turn on. Very unsafe I am bringing it in to the dealership but they do not think it is that. It quickly flashed and then just shut off this has happened numerous amount of time-- only when its hot out. The first occurrence was last summer but now that its hot out again, happened today 3/9/26 I see that there was a recall for this of my car and my year but nothing on my VIN.

I just bought this 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Ford, cylinder all wheel drive in the angel light came on and it says recalls will never fixed. I would like to know if you can help me and fix this problems. My name is [xxx] , lodi new jersey. My phone number is [xxx] . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Started to smell a musty odor in my 2020 Tiguan. Had no idea where it was coming from. Repeatedly wiped down and vacuumed the car; but the smell would not leave. Eventually my husband realized that the carpet in the back seat area under the floor mats was wet and smelled very bad. We used a wet/dry vac to pull the water out. But it only returned. Mold has now started to develop and grow on the carpet on both sides of the car in the back. This is very bad as I don't want me and my family breathing in mold. Also, I purchased the car in late March of 2024 and have only had it for just a little over two years. Since I've had the car we have gotten all routine maintenances completed including the 80k mile service. After reading online I see that this is a common problem with vw Tiguan's where either the sunroof leaks into the car or the a/c drain causes issue; in both cases it causes water leaks and mold. Tried calling vw and Audi of America to explain and see if they would buy the car back, but was advised due to the year and mileage they could not. This is sad to me because this is dealing with mold. Vw is aware of these issues and seems to not care if people are left finishing out financing on a loan with a car that leaks and causes mold. I'm even seeing that on the NHTSA website complaints section for Tiguans, that multiple people have registered complaints about the same issue. Attaching picture of mold that is growing in back area.

Our vehicle became unable to shift out of neutral after a traction event (wheel slip & loss of traction) when trying back into our driveway from a snow packed access alleyway then multiple system warnings occurred including transmission, traction control, abs, engine ecu, stability systems and anti-roll errors. I turned off the car and tried again with vehicle still unable to shift out of neutral with the multiple system warnings again occurring. I turned the vehicle off for a longer duration (10 minutes) while calling the service department at the dealership asking if our car should be towed. I turned the vehicle on again and it did go into drive and reverse but the check engine light displayed. Remote start no longer functions. Failsafe modes are not supposed to leave the car unable to shift out of neutral without warning! the fact that it threw multiple system errors at once, refused to shift, then later shifted after a longer power-down, and now has a check engine light strongly suggests a stored hard fault, not just a transient glitch. From a safety and regulatory standpoint, loss of motive control without driver input amounts to a reportable safety defect.  if this didn’t happen while trying to park in my driveway, it could’ve been much worse. If this had happened in traffic, while pulling into an intersection, on a hill, during a snowstorm, or while backing into traffic, the inability to shift could have caused a collision. I did report this to vw customer care and they immediately escalated this to a case manager. The vehicle was dropped off to the dealership this morning and will be discussing the event with the service manager on Monday and that I want  all stored fault codes printed, confirmation whether this triggered limp/failsafe logic, and what prevents it from happening again.  the vw case manager will also be contacting the dealership directly. The bottom line is that I do not feel safe operating this vehicle until the root cause is identified.  .

I purchased a new 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan (VIN [xxx] ) on December 9, 2025. On January 18, 2026, with 1,243 miles, the closed sunroof suddenly shattered as I slowly backed out of my indoor garage. There was no debris, no storm, and no outside impact. I took photos immediately, including wide and close?up shots; none show any impact point. I reported the incident to brookdale Volkswagen the same day and sent my photos. The dealership submitted a warranty request, but Volkswagen denied it as “outside influence,” without identifying an impact point or providing written inspection notes. I requested evidence supporting that conclusion, the vw case details, and a physical inspection with written findings. After the car was towed to the dealer, the service manager sent a new photo labeled a “rock chip. ” this mark does not appear in any of my original photos taken immediately after the shattering, before towing. The dealer referenced vw tracking [xxx] and repeated the denial. Volkswagen customer care later issued a formal denial and directed me to bbb auto line for dispute resolution. No external cause was present; the vehicle was indoors and stationary. No impact point appears in my original photos, and the later “chip” only appeared after the vehicle left my possession, so it is not reliable evidence of pre?existing damage. Tempered roof glass can fail spontaneously due to manufacturing or installation stress, making this a warranty?covered defect absent proof of impact. I am requesting warranty coverage for replacement of the panoramic sunroof assembly and related interior cleanup or repairs, written inspection findings and all photos used to support any continued impact claim, and reimbursement or coverage of reasonable costs tied to the failure. I am filing this claim through bbb auto line, and a related NHTSA complaint is being filed to document the safety concern. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Spontaneous panoramic sunroof shattering on 2025 vw Tiguan.

Car beeped and displayed warning stating that ignition will turn off and check starter system on four separate occasions, resulting in loss of all electrical power including but not limited to headlights, brake lights, console display, speedometer, dashboard lights, turn signals, hazard lights a/c, etc. The center console felt very warm. The car needed to be pulled over and ignition turned off for a prolonged period of time before restarting or else the issue would continue. The car does not always start right back up upon first try. It is unsafe to drive a car without any working electronics, especially at night. It is difficult and unsafe to pull over to a safe space without any working electronics, especially at night. Brought car to vw dealer and they removed and replaced the ignition switch actuator.

Snow sticks between the rim and brake when I am driving causing vehicle to majorly shake. I can not manually reach in this area to remove the snow this is a hazard when I am driving on a thruway or country roads. The dealer does not know why this is sticking so badly.

Unknown incident. I had a 2016 vw Tiguan with just over 80k miles (approximately 80,200 mi). On 1/6/2026 about 10 min after driving home from the gym, I heard a small explosion from the garage where my car was parked. The garage was filled with smoke and large flames were visible from under the front end of the vehicle. We called 911 and tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher but it continued to re-ignite. The fire burned down our entire garage with all its contents and made it's way into the home completely destroying our laundry room and adjoining bathroom. I had no previous issues with the vehicle, no warnings or check engine lights.

See all problems of the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Well driving on highway, front portion of sunroof shattered. Very loud, exploding sound.

I am filing a safety complaint regarding a serious transmission defect in my vehicle. The drive and reverse gears are not functioning properly. After driving for a few minutes and parking, when I attempt to reverse on an inclined surface, the vehicle unexpectedly moves forward instead of backward. Similarly, when the vehicle is parked facing downhill and I shift into drive to move forward, it rolls backward. There are no warning lights or dashboard indicators alerting me to any malfunction. Due to this defect, I have nearly collided with objects multiple times within just 15 days of ownership. Most concerning, I almost hit another vehicle behind me while attempting to drive forward, as my vehicle suddenly rolled backward unexpectedly. This creates a serious safety hazard for me, my passengers, and other drivers. I purchased this used vehicle with less than 10,000 miles from echopark dealership. Unfortunately, I am unable to return the vehicle because their return policy is limited to 7 days. However, this issue appears to be a significant mechanical or transmission defect that poses an immediate safety risk.

Driving long the interstate in south carolina, all of a sudden there was a loud explosive sound and a crackling sound accompanied by the loud explosion. It startled me!! I gathered myself and put on hazard lights and got over on the far right lane to pull onto the shoulder of the highway. I thought that a tire or two had blown but was not the case. I got back into the car and started visually looking around to see where the crackling noise was still coming from. I looked up towards my sunroof and discovered that a large hole in my sunroof. Fortunately, my sunshade was closed and shield the debris/glass from spraying my face and body. I took the car to the v. W. Dealership and explained the infraction to them. They diagnosed the problem and contacted me later that day to let me know that they were sending the request to v. W. Corporate to get authorization to repair under warranty. The dealership did not detect any signs of rocks or debris causing the explosion. Corporate denied the dealerships request to repair under warranty. I filed the damaged sunroof under my auto insurance. Im currently awaiting for the adjuster to inspect the damaged sunroof that is at the dealership. I feel that corporate dud not even consider the fact that this could have been an exploding sunroof. . . And im sure that they have encountered this defect before. There are articles on-line of others who encountered this problem.

See all problems of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

On [xxx] I discovered water in my car. ~2. 5 inch front passenger and back driver and passenger side. Condensation on the sunroof. My sunroof was not opened/completely shut. I called vw service was advised my car was not covered under the class action or warranty and advised to report to my insurance. I did not want to report and risk my insurance rate increasing. I have never filed a claim in the 20+ years of having the car. After researching and taking my call for repairs I discovered that my vehicle should be covered on the extended warranty if the recall 60e5/60e2 was repaired. I am in ohio where the damage was discovered my regular service dealer is in illinois. 1)the service dealer in illinois did complete the 60e5/60e2 recall. 2) the extend warranty % coverage should cover my car however I was told my VIN was not apart of the class action although the recall was performed an no record in the system with vw and if it were I would not be covered because I am 5 months out of the in service date. 3) the damage is ~ 3000. 00 and increasing because now the sunroof switch doesn’t work and the screen is damaged from water. There is mold in my car which is a health hazard. I have exhausted trying to navigate through this issue! if my car was not apart of the class action it should have been. The insurance minus my deductible does not cover the cost of repairs. I have been without a call since this incident. This is a health hazard consumer driving hazard and should be investigated ASAP. I have attached the initial estimate which will be supplementally adjusted, the service 60e5 document . Please advise if this should be reported to the attorney general office and or what my next course of action should be. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Purchased my Tiguan 2026 11/12/25 at night. Brought the vehicle home and next morning, I went to drive it and it went into a 'limp mode" engine stuttering multiple emergency lights on the dashboard. Brought back to dealership ( did not even have the vehicle a full day) was told that the salesman had put bad gas in it the put an additive in it. I picked it up a couple days later. During that time had issues off and on with the sensor lights coming back on. Finally the car's lights came on again and while I was on the highway it would not go over 55. (2/24/26)called the dealership and went back. In the meantime, I did research on the computer and multiple reports of people with the 2026 Tiguan sel turbo had the same issue and it had to do with a software update that had know resolution in sight. When I dropped the vehicle off, I noted what I had come across and after they ran the codes on my vehicle they said that I was spot on and it was not bad gas. They emailed corporate and asked what the next steps were. . . And have not heard back. I have since contacted vw corporate about the issue. They contacted me yesterday and offered me a $200 gift card and free rental for my inconvenience!! and told me it would be at least until April (maybe) for the software update! I have since asked for paperwork for buyback and are in the midst of filling out. It has not been approved yet. However, I think more should be offered for the inconvenience. . Like car payments etc. . It is too bad because I really liked the vehicle and don't want to have shop around for another one. You think they would do better for us customers on this issue!! the sad thing about it is. I had a 2022 vw Tiguan that I turned in to get the 2026. It was perfectly fine. If I would have known this issue, I would have kept my 2022 Tiguan. I have lost the chance to keep my vehicle. . .

My overhead console has come lose. Vw will not fix under extended warranty. It is a known issue and letters weren’t sent out about a fix for my year model but I did not get one.