Service Brakes Problems of Volkswagen Tiguan - part 1

Parking brake would not disengage and the shop told me it was because water was in the floor pan behind the passenger seat and it’s causing shorts in the electrical system. The cause of the water was diagnosed as a leaking sunroof. This has caused me loss of vehicle, time and too much money!.

See all problems of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

I am submitting this report to express serious concerns regarding my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan, currently under a lease agreement and serviced exclusively at south motors Volkswagen in miami, florida. The vehicle was originally delivered as a loaner with approximately 1,000 miles and now has 24,000 miles. Since early in the lease, the car has repeatedly displayed low oil warnings, despite being serviced multiple times under 10,000 miles. During my most recent service visit in June 2025, I was charged $9. 48 for a minor oil top-off. When I contacted the service advisor afterward, I was advised to purchase 1-ow20 oil myself and manually add it whenever the warning appears, until the next 10,000-mile service interval. Following that advice, I have now purchased two bottles of oil out of pocket—the first cost $12, and the second $42—just to keep the vehicle running between service visits. This additional expense reinforces my concern about excessive oil consumption in a relatively new vehicle and may indicate a mechanical defect. Additionally, the brakes emit a persistent squealing noise, even though the dealership claims the brake pads are at 50% life. The noise affects driving confidence and may signal premature wear or improper installation. Despite these ongoing issues, no repairs have ever been performed under warranty. Each time I’ve taken the vehicle to Volkswagen service, I’ve been told that everything is functioning perfectly and that there is no problem to address. This repeated dismissal of the symptoms is concerning and leaves me without a clear resolution. My lease is scheduled to end in September 2026, but due to the unresolved mechanical concerns and the lack of meaningful support from the dealership, I would like Volkswagen to consider terminating the lease early. This would allow me to obtain a vehicle that does not present these recurring issues and restore my confidence in the brand’s commitment to safety and reliability.

See all problems of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Activates while driving on a flat road at random.

See all problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The car was in the cruise control with auto mode and it just veered to the left from a car in front and crashed into the median and totaled the car.

See all problems of the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that after an oil change, additional oil needed to be added to the engine. The oil light was illuminated. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle was slow to respond. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was eventually diagnosed and determined that the oil was leaking into the valve. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to smoke and then stalled. The brake lines were flushed. The contact had an altercation with the dealer and was banned from the location. The manufacturer was contacted, and opened a case but declined a buyback. There was no additional communication. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Driving my vehicle on two occasions the brakes just automatically engaged, an error warning with an exclamation mark flashed briefly then went away. The car did not come to a complete stop but engaged the brake for at least 2 seconds. I was driving approximately 30-40 mph. I took it to the dealership were they indicated that they get about two complaints a month on this issue. They stated they believe the car falsely recognized someone in front of me and engaged the brakes. The dealership was unable to recreate the issue and said they found no signs of the warning that came on the screen in the logs. I was able to provide the exact times that the issue occurred so im concerned there was no log of it. If I was on the express way and the brakes engaged it would have caused a serious accident. The fact that there is no way to trace the issue is concerning to me, as well as the serious safety implications that cannot apparently be reproduced or an error that was not logging but still notifying me that it occurred. This issue occurred multiple times several months apart.

I dont know what fail in the car. Brakes system sensors I really dont know. But I was leaving the dentals office about to take main road when all the sudden my car just fully stopped all four weels where some how braked and the car turned off by itself I was stuck in the middle of the road and cars barely missed me. I honestly was in a very dangerous situation. I have a video of how the car braked by itself the engine turned off on its own. . Please help us check this immediatly in my opinion it is super dangerous. . It has happened to me once but thays enough. There was no warning lights on the dash. . Thats all I can remember. . Thank yku.

The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan se (4motion) has approximately 75,000 miles on it. The rear driver-side brake lines failed, snapping in half, which resulted in a complete loss of brake fluid. Consequently, the vehicle was unable to stop unless the emergency brake was engaged.

At 79,200 mi. Metallic grinding noise was coming from rear wheel. Disassembly of rear brake pads on driver side revealed inner brake pad completely worn to the metal backing (no braking material remaining. ) an inspection of the pad showed that the manufacturer installed the pad such that the brake pad wear indicator was positioned too far from the pad. The wear indicator never made contact with the pad and therefore, never made the characteristic high pitched audible tone as the inner pad reached critical wear. This resulted in a complete failure of the driver side rear brake pad.

The electronic parking brake would not disengage. After trying all the tips found online I finally got it to disengage but now it won’t re-engage and I am getting a warning “electronic brake fault” on the dash. It’s very dangerous not to have a working parking brake.

Loud break noise randomly not operative automatic emergency break.

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.

The automatic emergency braking(aeb) on the vehicle is too sensitive or goes off for no reason. On multiple occasions I the aeb system goes off when exiting parking lots onto busy streets. On one occasion the driver behind me had to suddenly stop to avoid rear ending my car. On a separate occasion the system when off while turning right onto a busy street. The right turn could have been performed safely but the system went off leaving my car in the middle of the road while cars were headed my way which could have cause my car to be t-bones if the drivers were speeding or not paying attention. My wife and kids were in the car with me. The system causes you to to come to a complete stop and unable to disengage the brake for 5-10 seconds. There have been other incidents where luckily the streets were not so busy.

I was driving down a completely clear road, not a single car or turn in sight. When suddenly my cars front collision warning comes on the screen and brakes my car for me. There was no advance warning, just hard braking.

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.

See all problems of the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

I am getting 2 warning messages- fault electronic parking brake and error driver door contact switch. The car seems to think my door is open and therefore turns on the emergency brake for safety. This has happened when I am parked and also when I am driving.

See all problems of the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

While slow8ng to a stop the emergency brake is activating. Auto start stop malfunction warning appears on dash. Takes a minute to get the emergency brake to release. Happened several times in 2 days.

I purchased this vehicle brand new in 2023. At 12,000 miles, the brakes started squeaking very clearly and loudly and the right rotor would make noises as well. These noises from both the brakes, on both sides, and the rotor happen simultaneously, and instantly, and do so every time I brake or attempt to brake. I immediately took it to the dealership where I purchased it. They told me that the company is using different material for brake pads than they used to use. They also stated that the rotors are a much thinner type of rotors than these vehicles used to have. These statements were very alarming and also made sense completely. I had previously leased this same type of vehicle in 2020 (the same exact model). That previous vehicle had absolutely no issues with the brakes or rotors at all. In fact, that previous vehicle performed so well, that I purchased the same model again in 2023, which unfortunately turns out to be the vehicle I am now complaining about. This vw dealership was unsuccessful in finding a remedy for the noisy brakes. A second vw dealership service department was also unsuccessful in finding a remedy for the noisy brakes. Both service departments claim that these noisy brakes are normal and a normal part of the car. I know these statements are not true and am worried, as a best case scenario, that these brakes and rotors might get noisier as time passes and diminish their stopping power, and as a reasonable case scenario, I fear that these brakes could fail in the future. I have two kids that I constantly usher around in this current vehicle and find it prudent to file a complaint and bring this serious matter to your attention.

Please see attached documents.

I made a report on 11/1/19 about issues with my vehicle due to a manufactures defect that the panoramic roof drains did not drain properly and water leaked throughout the vehicle. Please refer to odi# 41277589 and ref. # 238025. This is a known issue with these vehicles and should have been recalled by volkswagon. On September 18, 2023 my daughter got into an accident because the vehicle shut off and couldn't stop. Air bags never went off either. It has officially been determined that there was in fact an electrical short.

See all problems of the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

I bought this brand new Tiguan in July 2022. The engine is either leaking or burning engine oil. I have the check engine oil level light on around every 2000-3000 miles. I had been to the dealer several times. They just inspect for leak and added engine oil. The problem still exist. The dealer stated that my car needs oil change every 10k miles. I am going back every 2-3 k miles for engine oil. There is something wrong with the engine. It is burning or consuming the engine oil. Another problem I have is the wheel or the brakes. When I was braking at above 60 miles per hours, there is a strong vibration on the wheel or brakes.

Driving my car on highway at 74 mph with no cars in front of or around me when the car braking system engaged by itself causing my Tiguan to slow from 74 to 50 in seconds. Took car into vw dealer and had it there for 8 days. Was told there was no code from a scan and no duplication on test drive. Test drive was all of 3 miles. Dealer kept referring to TSB 45-21-01 vw bulletin. Turns out on research vw bulletin of that number is part of lawsuits. Having the brakes engage like that certainly put myself in danger of being hit/rear ended. Told by dealer "vehicle is operating normally when compared to another vehicle same model. " lastly was told by dealer if I was that concerned about it happening again why don't I trade it in for a new car. Some fix that is.

Abs control module failed resulted in emergency brakes to be applied and locking indiscriminately resulting in loss of control as well as safe use of the vehicle. Parts to replace abs control system are reportedly unavailable/backordered with no estimate of availability. Vw of America refuses to provide any information how to proceed.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 - 20 mph the "stop and start failure" message was displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle and the "fault electronic brake" and "driver door switch failure" messages became displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road and opened then closed the front driver’s side door and restarted the vehicle. The contact repeated the process three times however, the messages remained displayed. The contact continued to drive the vehicle at approximately 15 - 20 mph and the parking brake suddenly activated. Once the parking brake had independently released the contact was able to get to the side of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle several times. The failure had started occurring more frequently. The contact stated that several other unknown messages were displayed. The dealer had been informed of the failure however, the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

Repeated failure of eps system causing highway breakdowns - detail in attachment.

See all problems of the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan 🔎.

Just took my 2020 vw Tiguan in for routine maintenance and was told that my rear brake pads and rotors were down to 3&4 millimeters and had to be replaced. The front brakes were both at 8 millimeters and are fine. This appears to be a very strange wear pattern in that front brakes should take the most pressure. If the rear brakes brake harder than the front it could cause loss of control and “fishtailing “.

When pulling out of a driveway with slight decline automation braking engages without warning and stops the car. Almost was hit by a car since my car stopped in the road while making the turn. Almost rear ended another time while pulling out of a parking lot. Brake engaged without warning but luckily the car behind me stopped before hitting me. There was not another car in front of me either time so no reason to brake. I took the car to the dealer after first incident and they said nothing was wrong with it.

While just start the car and drive it for 2 or 3 minutes a loud alarm sound and my dash lit up in red saying "brake booster faulty" the car brakes feel week and two minutes later it disappear and the brake returns to normal. My mechanic said that it is something that only the dealership can fix because it looks like a problem that must to be recalled. It is a safety issue that can lead to an accident on the freeway.

Eagle valley motors sold me an unsafe car I kept telling them that the brakes were bad the transmission fluid was dark and the engine oil was black the tires were bad it was in real bad need of a tuneup I wrote and told the bbb about it and they did absolutely nothing I told carlos he will lie about it just like how they lied to the bbb about getting in touch with me these people need to be out of business they put profits over people and they’re safety and I’m not the only one they’ve done this to I want all my money back I put close to $2000 dollars in this car 600 for the tires 703. 76 for the brakes and tuneup 247. 82 for the transmission 117. 00 for the oil change they lied and said all that was taken care of bologna it wasn’t I have pictures of all that they said they did and did not I’m out a lot of money because of them I’m a senior on a super fixed income and they took total advantage of me a senior and they put profits over my safety as well as my family and friends and my service animal I want to pursue this these people need to be held accountable for doing this not only to me but others as well and if you can’t help me please get me someone who can thank you for your help time and service I really appreciate it I wanted to upload more photos the brake photos and tires it wouldn’t let me I have them and I want you all to have them.

Error code: "driver door contact switch". When this comes on randomly I can't unlock or lock my doors. I have had to climb out of my car through the passenger side door after parking because the driver's side won't unlock. Fault: "auto parking break" when this comes on I can't turn on or off the parking brake. Sometimes when I'm driving and there is a bump or a change in surface level the parking break comes on. My car stops all of a sudden and cars behind me swerve not to hit me. I have noticed that the issues can go as fast as they come on. They only really happen in cold weather. Last year (2022) was the first year that things happened. I took my car in to see what Volkswagen could do. They said that because the error codes weren't running then they couldn't diagnose the issue. They also said that they have never heard of this before. However, when the error codes are on it's unsafe to drive the car. I have read that other Volkswagens have this issue. The link below is one example. Https://knightlawgroup. Com/Volkswagen-tiguan-wiring-harness-automatic-braking-problems/.

From a cold start and backing down the driveway, the SUV displayed an error code “error: driver door contact switch” and automatically put the park break on. The driver had to put the Tiguan in park, turn off the vehicle, and release the emergency break restart the Tiguan and pulled back up the driveway. The driver proceeded to open/shut all the doors to ensure that all doors were closed. The drive started the Tiguan and proceeded to back out the driveway and the same thing happened with the error code and the park brake. The driver restarted the Tiguan and pulled back up the driveway and turned off the Tiguan exited the vehicle locked it and noticed the error code was still showing on the dash.

Solo prendieron la luz.

The emergency braking system caused a rear accident . Leaving at fault " unable to control vehicles ", listed by state farm, resulting in a personal injury claim with no injuries for $475,000. 00 all parties including Volkswagen will be sued . The vehicle has caused loss of employment and a lawsuit on top of that I'm still paying a $586. 00 car note and $686. 00 car insurance just for me to drive now . I'm mad asf !!!!.

At a random time with nothing in the way the rear and front collision auto braking will engage. The last time this happen the vehicle was halfway into the street when it came to a sudden stop. Both forward and backward. I have a video of this happening. The local dealership says this a normal.

The front assist emergency braking system activates for no reason. On all occasions, the last incident happened July 1, 2022, there were no obstacles in the road to warrant the car to come to a near stop. I’ve brought the car to the dealership for inspection and was informed the car is “sensitive”.