Power Train Problems of Volkswagen Tiguan - part 1

The check oil light indicated that the oil level had become too low. The volswagen dealership service technician identiifed the cause to be from the exhaust valve seals wearing out. The cylinder head needs to be replaced per their recommendation. No warning apart from the low oil indicator.

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I purchased about 4 months ago with about 139,000 miles on it. The vehicle now has 142,000 miles and is experiencing excessive oil consumption—approximately 0. 9 quarts per 600 miles. Vw seems to be pushing this off and as I try to use my extended warranty I purchased when I got the car, aul has asked for an engine tear down. Vw knows about this issue, as it is internally a known issue for this model, yet they are unwilling to help. At time of purchase, this issue was not disclosed to me, as such had it been, I would not have chosen this car.

Subject: known carbon buildup issue in 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan tsi – request for recall and accountability to whom it may concern, I am writing to formally express my concern and request action regarding a well-documented and dangerous issue affecting Volkswagen tsi engines—specifically, severe carbon buildup. I am the current owner of a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan tsi, which I purchased in April 2025 with approximately 84,000 miles on it. In June 2025, I had to have the intake manifold replaced due to carbon buildup—a repair that was still covered under warranty. However, shortly after, I was informed that the vehicle now requires a full engine decarb and replacement of all four fuel injectors, at a total cost of $3,296. This raises several serious concerns: •carbon buildup this severe at such low mileage is not typical wear and tear. It indicates a design flaw in the tsi direct-injection engine. •my extended warranty provider refuses to cover the repair, citing that it is a maintenance issue—conveniently shifting the responsibility away from the manufacturer. •this type of engine failure can result in dangerous performance issues, including: •sudden engine misfires •loss of power while accelerating •poor fuel economy •stalling or hesitation while merging or turning •catalytic converter damage •potential long-term engine failure I am stunned that this is not considered a safety issue worthy of recall, especially given the number of reports online and in service centers regarding this exact problem. The symptoms of carbon buildup can easily result in on-road danger to the driver and others. What’s most disheartening is that Volkswagen has long been aware of this flaw, yet no recall or extended warranty has been offered for affected consumers. I previously owned a 2015 passat and was a loyal vw owner—but now, as a single mother, I am expected to pay nearly $3,300 for a repair tied to poor engineering and design, not misuse or neglect.

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My 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan (purchased used) has a recurring and unsafe issue related to acceleration and the automatic start/stop feature. When accelerating from a stop or while maintaining slight pressure on the gas pedal, the vehicle lurches forward as if aggressively accelerating, even though my foot pressure has not changed. Additionally, when the start/stop feature re-engages after idling, the vehicle sometimes lunges forward despite my foot being firmly on the brake pedal. This behavior has occurred multiple times, creating near-miss situations that could have resulted in accidents. Service history: the issue was replicated by one Volkswagen technician during an overnight test drive but was not accurately reflected in the official service notes. A different technician (shop foreman) later claimed the concern could not be replicated and dismissed it as a “normal vehicle characteristic,” despite my report. The dealership performed a factory reset but the problem persists. Safety concern: this is a serious safety risk that poses a danger to myself, my passengers, and others on the road. I am especially concerned because my teenage daughter is about to begin driving this vehicle, and I do not feel it is safe for her. Manufacturer response: Volkswagen of America has declined my buyback request, stating that the situation “does not merit an offer. ” I strongly disagree, as the vehicle’s behavior is not normal or acceptable, and could result in unintended acceleration accidents. Request: I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether this issue is a defect in the 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan and whether other vehicles may be experiencing the same unsafe condition.

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My Volkswagen Tiguan suddenly and without warning blew a large amount of smoke out of the exhaust along with oil while driving at highway speeds - causing the cars behind me to lose visibility and possibly be covered with oil further reducing their visibility due to the vw manufacturers faulty crankcase breather/pcv valve. After this happened the car dash lit up with warnings and went into "limp mode" where I was not able to exceed 2500 rpm which is very dangerous when on the highway - luckily for my safety at this point I was on a side road. When I checked the engine I found no oil was left in it, it had been sprayed all underneath and up the back, which reduced visibility in the window. I was responsible for towing it to the dealer and was given no loaner despite being under warranty. Leaving myself and children without a vehicle. The dealer confirmed that my vw Tiguan had a faulty crankcase breather which caused over pressurization and pushed up the valve seals and cracked the oil pan. They only replaced those things and not the fouled spark plugs or oil filter from the crankcase breather failure which can cause more engine damage and dirty emissions.

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The vehicle experiences intermittent (but daily) accelerator lag or failure to respond when the gas pedal is pressed from a stop. There is a significant delay—sometimes several seconds—before the car begins to move, even when the accelerator is fully depressed. This appears to be related to the power train and/or engine system. The hesitation in acceleration has created multiple unsafe situations, including near-miss accidents while turning left across traffic or entering intersections, when the car failed to respond as expected. This hesitation could easily result in a collision, particularly in high-traffic areas. The issue has been reported to the dealership on multiple occasions and while they have been able to reproduce the problem, it isn't every time and they turn the vehicle back over to us unresolved. Video documentation of the malfunction has been submitted to the service department, and they have acknowledged the issue is being reviewed by vw engineers. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by the authorized Volkswagen dealership service department. Engineers from the manufacturer have reportedly been involved in the review, though we have not yet received a confirmed diagnosis. There are no warning lamps, dashboard messages, or error indicators associated with the accelerator issue. The first noticeable delay in acceleration from a stop occurred at least 6 months ago and has continued intermittently since.

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Transmission in emergency mode. Exit the vehicle only when in p park.

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The car vibrates excessively when in drive or reverse and the brake is being held. Vibrations stop if car is put in neutral. Car also hesitates when driving. And is a major safety issue when driving. The vibration is also in my opinion a safety concern because it’s causing excessive wear and tear on other parts of the car. The dealership acknowledged that there’s excessive play or wear in the dogbone mount but refused to replace it because I was told that part should be bad because there’s less then 30k miles in the car. But I am still having the same problem with the vehicle and have had it in the dealership service department where they will keep the vehicle for a few days and then tell me they can’t find anything. The most recent visit to the dealership they never even test drove the vehicle and I even had the service rep sit in the loaner and then sit in my vehicle to feel the difference between the two which is extremely obvious and he refuses to acknowledge it.

My vehicle has been consuming oil at a rate of approximately 1 quart every 1,500 miles. The vw dealership I took my vehicle into reported that vw considers this “normal”. After arguing that any vehicle that will burn its entire oil reservoir between oil changes is not normal, they agreed to perform an oil consumption test which is currently underway.

The car stalls and lags out when accelerating and appears to slip gears (daily). The dealership stated this is normal for the car to do, but it’s very scary and nearly caused me to be rear ended. The car turns off at a stop light (unexpected ) and has to be restarted. I am experiencing jerking and sputtering of the vehicle when at a complete stop. First the car indicates the start/stop function is deactivated, then the car produces a message stating the engine speed max is 2500 rpm. Then the epc light comes on and/or the check engine light. I initially took my car in to the dealership for maintenance (standard) in October. I have since returned 2 more times due to the same issue. Upon starting the car tokay, the car started jerking and this time the check engine light came on and continued to blink. The car started rattling loudly and I turned off the engine for about 10 minutes, called the dealership and they advised me to pay to have it towed if the issue persists. This will be the 4th time in 2 months. Each time the diagnostic stated the issue caused by “sensors” and the warranty allowed this to be fixed at no cost. I am also expecting unexpected blackouts of the infotainment system which prevent me from using the rearview camera for when in reverse.

2021 Volkswagen tijuan has an oil leak caused by a defective timing cover gasket, and or pcv component(s). If you do a simple google search, there are thousands of these vehicles experiencing the exact same issue, and numerous individuals are not happy. The warranty is 4 years or 50k miles, this problem occurred at 53k, very convenient for the dealers repairing these vehicles. This is absolutely a design flaw and should qualify for a recall. Please investigate and I am sure you will agree, thank you so much.

The pvc valve failed on my two-year-old Volkswagen Tiguan at 60,000 miles. As a result, the upper timing gasket was blown, the oil pan went bad, along with several other issues relating to gaskets, seals and sensors, causing an oil leak. This problem was confirmed by my local Volkswagen dealership, and is costing me over $2,000 out-of-pocket. The check engine light was extremely inconsistent - coming on and then going off for days at a time. This is a safety concern. Unfortunately, through research, I have found that many other Tiguan owners are experiencing the same problems, but it does not seem Volkswagen is willing to issue a recall.

Pcv failure causing the timing cover to leak oil and causing the oil pan to crack. This is a known issue with vw tsi engines. This pcv is a major issue not only causing the damage above but others are having to replace the rear main seal and crank case because of this. It's now in the shop for the next week and I'm out of a vehicle for the next week. This is not the only problem I've had with this vehicle. The last problem I had was the housing unit of the overhead lights, sunroof controls and sos when hanging down and broke out of nowhere. The plastic melted and cracked. It was replaced but was not put back together properly. There are now gaps where it should be tightly sealed. The glove comparent arm is broken. There are wheel bearings issues too we are trying to pin point the issue. The hits keep coming and the car is just a money pit.

An issue occurs intermittently when accelerating from a stop/at low speeds. When pressing the gas pedal, there is approximately a 3-4 second delay before the engine kicks in. Theres is no acceleration during those 3-4 seconds and suddenly, the engine will jolt you forward. This presents a safety issue when pulling out on to a street and this vehicle will not move forward. There have been 2 instances where I have almost gotten hit/involved with road rage due to this issue.

Crankshaft vent valve clogged and failed, causing overpressurization and oil leaks. Caused the oil pan to crack and upper timing cover to leak per the inspection at Volkswagen. I was driving, going 63mph when it said max engine speed 3000rpm and a light that said epc started flashing along with the engine light. I turned off cruise control and began to go towards the shoulder and it shuddered and a large white plumb of smoke came out of it. It wouldn't speed up at all while I was getting over. I had it towed to my home. My husband noticed oil all over the bottom and back of my car. My dipstick had no oil on it at all. We towed it Tuesday morning to Volkswagen.

On 4/6/24 the steering wheel locked while driving the car . Causing the car to go off the road into a 40 ft ditch and hit a tree.

My Tiguan was towed on [xxx] to beyer Volkswagen [4017 valley pike, winchester, va 22602] for service to repair a sudden and unexpected vehicle failure.   on [xxx], I started the Tiguan and noticed a hard start. I drove the vehicle about 4 miles down the road and noticed a smell of gasoline when I stopped and opened the door. I immediately drove the car home at which point I noticed gasoline on the road and driveway, as well as a heavy persistent smell of gas. I moved the vehicle to the road and had it towed [$95 at my expense] to beyer vw for service. This failure rendered the vehicle undrivable and luckily was able to get it towed before it became engulfed in flames. [xxx], after getting the vehicle back for 1 week (dealership claiming repair fixed) the problem was not fixed and in fact gas spewed from the engine at a higher rate. Pictures attach showing about of gas which instantly dispelled at start and move from driveway to road. This is a critical vw problem that will result in fire. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The car was jerking due to a faulty transmission sensor. Vw instructed the dealership to clean and reinsert the old sensor, which they state is an appropriate first step. Several days later, the cleaned part failed and caused the car to jerk and stop responding while I was driving. This jerking caused the car behind me to come very close to rear-ending me. I am concerned that vw is putting old parts back in warrantied cars, which are already known to have jerking transmission problems, to run out of the warranty. With this policy, they are putting drivers, passengers, and other cars on the road in danger.

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I bought a 2016 vw Tiguan in 2019 from the Audi rockville dealership. Recently I had an oil leak issue that requires a substantial repair. I first took it to a certified vw mechanic, ourisman vw of rockville, and they diagnosed the issue to be a 4,109. 19 dollar repair. Following this, I took it to get a second look at an independent mechanic shop, wilniq auto body & mechanical repairs, and the mechanic came to the conclusion that the engine head gasket needs to be replaced and that it should be covered under the manufacturers power train warranty. Unfortunately my car is out of warranty by just 241 miles (warranty is up until 60,000 miles and my car is at 60,241). Based on what the mechanic saw while diagnosing the issue (the color and consistency of the leaked oil and where it was located), he alluded to this oil leak issue definitely starting prior to my car hitting 60,000 miles and that the other mechanics who worked on my car prior should have noticed this issue. They also mentioned that from what they can tell this issue has nothing to do with how I maintained the car but an issue with the car itself. I regularly maintained the car with all scheduled oil changes on time. The last three oil changes I had were at 51, 256 mi, 54,404 mi, and lastly at 58,075 mi (the recommendation is every 10,000 mi). When I brought all this up to a Volkswagen of America representative via chat they mentioned that because I brought the car to an independent shop the warranty would not be applicable anyway. My independent mechanic told me that this is not the case and in fact illegal. I bought this car in good faith with my hard earned money expecting it to be a durable and reliable product for years to come. Now I am getting hit with serious repairs at just over 60,000 miles and I do not trust that there won't be more in the future. Attached are documents, receipts, transcripts, other customer complaints similar to mine and the answers to the general guideline questions above.

Received max rpm 4,000 warning while on long drive. Happened and had to restart car several times. Lost ability to accelerate. Also, when car was on cruise, started shaking.

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My Tiguan has had a jerky transmission issues since I purchased it brand new. Dealer says operation is normal. I have read several forums and website where people have stated similar issues for this vehicle. Extremely hesitant in first and second gear. Jerks around especially during first minute or two of driving. Have tried to let car idle to normal temperature and it still happens. It’s as if it won’t go into gear and freezes up /hesitates for a few seconds, then finally switches gears. Extremely unsafe when pulling out onto road. Transmission shifts hard and will sometimes slip when changing gears. Beware! this has been happening since being brand new. Transmission reset did not resolve.

On multiple occasions, while driving on the highway, subject vehicle displayed check engine light and epc light at random intervals and an alarm saying exceeded 4000 came on. Rpm's were not over 4000. Speed and acceleration severely limited making it dangerous to pull over on the highway in traffic. Had to pull car over and restart engine. This has happened numerous times. Also experienced shaking and skipping or missing of transmission. The car has also had the engine stall or stop when at red light or stopped forcing restart of engine.

The acceleration stalls and sometimes stops. Sometimes the car has to be put in park and restarted. This stalling or lack of acceleration happens at stop signs, stop lights when I am accelerating and it does not want to go. Which when turning into on coming traffic is very scary if I am not able to get up and go. I feel very unsafe operating the vehicle when this occurs. The acceleration stalling happens intermittently and not just when the car is from a cold start. The dealership said they are aware of this issue and are hoping for an update to fix the problem. Meanwhile I have to deal with the uncertainty and feeling unsafe.

Ongoing issues with hesitation when accelerating from a stop. The car will feel like it has no power when pushing on the accelerator it may then jerk into gear and accelerate quickly or what feels like jerking in-between gears.

August 11,2023 went to dealer for oil change and halodex fluid service at napleton vw of springfield, missouri. Two hours later on drive from springfield to dallas, texas outside pryor, oklahoma the following happened: in right hand lane on cruise at 72mph in 65mph, heard clunk in rear. Lost power and car began to slow down. Pulled over and halodex fluid was spewing from under car. Car would not go into gear and move. Had vehicle towed to closest vw dealer don thornton of tulsa, oklahoma. Was determined rear differential failed. Vw has not offered reason why a 2022 vw Tiguan sel r-line premium with 49,000 miles approximately had a powertrain failure. In August of last year (12 months ago) we owned a 2017 vw atlas sel that had the same issue after an oil change and halodex fluid service. A clunk was heard and grinding of gears. Vw of wichita, kansas bought the car from us and put us in the 2022 Tiguan.

Jittery acceleration. Intermittent accelerator hesitation from a stop. The car hesitates or bogs down which can be unpredictable when pulling into traffic. Sometimes the rpms surge during low speed without input from the gas peddle. I have had the car serviced twice since leased in July 2023. The dealership is fast to say they are all the same. There are no warning lamps for this issue and the dealership states no faults can be found with vdas or gff.

The first and most pressing issue is the throttle lag. From a dead stop (red light/stop sign) the car will not accelerate when the gas pedal is depressed. It lags for a few seconds before lurching forward. I fell like I'm a candidate to get rear-ended. Today, after driving through a heavy rain storm, the throttle lag caused the car to barely move. Like at all. Fortunately this happened as I was pulling into my driveway. The car simply just barely made it home. The second issue is the incessant warning lights and bells that go off because of a lane departure assist error. It will go off 30 times in row, and the not at all. It's really hit or miss. But when it happens its very distracting. The dealership says they're aware of the problem, and to fix it requires replacing the steering wheel. Which is on perpetual back order. I've discussed both issues with the dealer. They're aware of both issues. They said that there's nothing that can be done about the throttle lag issue as that's just how the transmission is tuned. And they're also aware of the electrical gremlin. Just waiting for the steering wheel to come in. . . . . .

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated that the epc warning light illuminated, and a message was displayed on the instrument panel “engine speed - max 4,000 rpm”. The contact stated that when the message was displayed on the instrument panel, the vehicle would decelerate to 15 mph with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that she was informed by the dealer that the failure was a known issue and was due to a faulty transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

So this is not related to a specific incident, more long term. The throttle response in this vehicle is downright dangerous. Many of times I feel like I am going to cause an accident. The throttle response is so laggy and jerky that off the line it seems to hesitate for almost 2 seconds. Light turns yellow? good luck, it will barely downshift and get moving before it turns red. Sometimes the response is good, sometimes it terrible. No predictability. Have to turn it to sport mode when I have to make a left turn into traffic just to get a jump start. There are numerous forums that have talked about the issue. I have even brought it up to the dealership with no fix recommended. I have driven so many cars in my day, not one like this. Thinking about selling the car back just to get something safer unless they come out with a fix for it.

Malfunction with power delivery/transmission: I often experience inconsistent acceleration/power while driving at low speeds, the loss of power and jerks feel very similar to an engine misfire. Safety risk: this behavior is very dangerous as we instinctively push down gas pedal to overcome lack of power and it causes the car to rocket forward as too high throttle has been opened and one can easily lose control and crash. Occurance: I feel this loss/inconsistent power situation happens at cold start and once the car is warmed up it doesn't occur anymore. If I don't push the gas pedal the power delivery is very inconsistent and car will jerk which feels like like a misfire while slowly the power delivery smoothens out.

Happening within the first few weeks of purchase from new in November 2022. Delay and wildly inconsistent acceleration from a stop. This is most noticeable within the first 10 minutes of driving and is much worse when cold. Often, when accelerating from a stop, the vehicle does not move for several seconds; when the car does begin to move the acceleration is erratic and often results in wheel spin and a loss of control. We’ve nearly been t-boned on several occasions because the car’s acceleration is erratic. I’ve taken the vehicle to the dealer for service, they replicated the issue and said there is no fix. This is stated in the repair order which is attached. No warning or service lights. I do not feel this vehicle is safe for public roads. This issue is widely reported online and from speaking to the service department, widely know about. There should be a recall before someone gets killed. This vehicle has a fundamental safety issue.

Engine and transmission will bog down while driving, when restating the car 1 hour after a trip. In other words, many times after sitting for about an hour, when merging into traffic, the car will stop accelerating. If I pump the gas a couple of times the engine "catches" and off I go. Very dangerous when merging into traffic. No warning it's going to happen or not.

From a cold start even with warming up the car, I can only drive so many feet before the car begins to hesitate as I proceed. It is as if the transmission cannot respond to the petal. At 25k miles, it is persistently getting worse and will visibly hop as I proceed. Then the transmission will finally remember how to drive and it won’t do it again until it sits for awhile. I make a left turn from my road where the cars are going 55mph. It’s an accident waiting to happen. Furthermore, it is the same problem that Volkswagen has been having for the previous years. The dealership claims this is what they do. Also that it’s normal for my low oil light to come on in between oil changes!.

When engine is cold, the transmission hesitates/stutters and then slams into gear. After a couple of minutes of driving, the issue stops. Turning the auto start/stop off does not have an impact on the hesitation/stuttering. This is a safety issue. Dealership claims they cannot replicate and no issues on computer diagnostics. Issue has been on going since it was purchased.

When I turned the car on to leave work, the check engine and epc lights came on, the car went into "limp home" mode and a warning came on the dash saying "max speed 4000 rpms". Immediately, I could smell fuel, so I turned the vehicle off and exited. I noticed the ground under the car was wet. My husband came to check it out and the same thing happened. We saw that fuel was flooding out from underneath the engine. As he drove the vehicle to an adjacent lot to be able to be towed, fuel spewed out from underneath the engine. We had the vehicle towed to a vw dealership in grand rapids who was able to diagnose a broken fuel rail bolt inside the intake manifold after they had the same experience with a massive fuel leak. Per the service advisor, this was not the first time they've seen something like this. Given the extreme flow of fuel from the engine, I'd say I'm very lucky that this didn't happen while driving through town or at speed on the highway where a vehicle fire would be possible with fuel pouring out of the manifold onto the hot engine.