FaultScore

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan driver assist problems

37 of the 290 complaints about the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan are about the driver-assist systems — 13% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 37,997 miles.

D

37

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

2

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Automatic Emergency Braking 18 48.6%
Warnings 10 27.0%
Blind Spot Detection 4 10.8%
Warnings 2 5.4%
Forward Collision Avoidance 1 2.7%
Adaptive Cruise Control 1 2.7%
Rearview System Braking 1 2.7%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance across every Volkswagen Tiguan year

2018 26 10.0%
2019 37 14.2%
2020 26 10.0%
2021 16 6.1%
2022 99 37.9%
2023 13 5.0%
2024 18 6.9%
2025 16 6.1%
2026 10 3.8%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

Gresham, OR

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

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

NHTSA complaint #11742516 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sarasota, FL Crash 1 injured

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

While driving and starting to go into the turn lane on the right, to make a right turn, the car would not slow down, while pressing the brake the car would not slow, I could not turn at the speed and was unable to get back into the flow of traffic either , so was left driving into a guard wire holding up a pole.

NHTSA complaint #11739787 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Cary, NC

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Relates to the Volkswagen Recall: 28H7-Ignition Switch that for some reason is only applied to Jetta's but needs to be expanded to include 2019 Tiguans . In vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch, the polyfuse can fail, particularly when the vehicle is operated in high temperature environments. If the polyfuse fails, it can result in the engine stalling while driving and failure of the vehicle's electrical system, increasing the risk of a crash. I have had this issue happen over 5 times since the initial incident last week. Now anything above 70 degrees Fahrenheit causes the interior to "lose power" but the engine will continue to run. The A/C, infotainment system, all the ADAS, instrument cluster, headlights, and turn signals shuts off completely. No brake lights, no blinkers, no odometer reading, nothing. I can still drive (accelerate & brake) when this is happening but without all of those systems working I cannot safely operate this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11723406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Cary, NC

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Relates to the Volkswagen Recall: 28H7-Ignition Switch that for some reason is only applied to Jetta's but needs to be expanded to include 2019 Tiguans . In vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch, the polyfuse can fail, particularly when the vehicle is operated in high temperature environments. If the polyfuse fails, it can result in the engine stalling while driving and failure of the vehicle's electrical system, increasing the risk of a crash. I have had this issue happen over 5 times since the initial incident last week. Now anything above 70 degrees Fahrenheit causes the interior to "lose power" but the engine will continue to run. The A/C, infotainment system, all the ADAS, instrument cluster, headlights, and turn signals shuts off completely. No brake lights, no blinkers, no odometer reading, nothing. I can still drive (accelerate & brake) when this is happening but without all of those systems working I cannot safely operate this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11723406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Rochester, NY

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

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

NHTSA complaint #11656267 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Phoenix, AZ

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

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

NHTSA complaint #11651393 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Millsboro, DE

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

VW CUSTOMER # 06426725. REAR HATCHBACK OPENED TWO (2) TIMES ALL BY ITSELF WHILE PARKED IN MY GARAGE OVERNIGHT. THE HATCH DOOR COULD NOT OPEN ALL THE WAY UP BECAUSE IT CAME IN CONTACT WITH MY GARAGE DOOR. SINCE I WAS NOT READILY ABLE TO SEE THE HATCH WAS OPEN, IT WAS OPEN ENOUGH TO COME IN CONTACT WITH MY GARAGE DOOR WHEN I OPENED THE GARAGE DOOR FROM THE GARAGE DOOR BUTTON AT THE FRONT OF THE TIGUAN. NOW MY GARAGE DOOR IS DAMAGED AND MY VW TIGUAN REAR HATCH DOOR IS BENT BUT STILL OPERATIONAL. VW CUSTOMER SERVICE REGION HAS OFFERED NO HELP OR ASSISTANCE TO ALLOW THE VW DEALER TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. I AM APPALLED THE THE NATSHA HAS NOT INVESTIGATED THIS FURTHER AS I KNOW IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING WITH OTHER VW TIGUANS. IF CHILDREN SIT AT THE REAR HATCH WHILE DRIVING, THEN THE CHILD MAY FALL OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND END UP AS A FATALITY. IF A LARGE BAG OF DOG FOOD FALLS OUT THEN IT COULD CAUSE A FATALITY FOR THE VEHICLES BEHIND THE VW TIGUAN. THE FRONT WARNING/BRAKE ASSIST ENGAGES AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN GOING DOWN A SMALL CREST DOWNWARD TO EXIT A PLACE OF BUSINESS ONTO A STREET. AGAIN VW DEALER LOOKED BUT COULD NOT REPLICATE. THIS UNWANTED STOP CAN RESULT IN A FATALITY IF THE DRIVER IS REQUIRED TO MERGE QUICKLY ONTO A MAJOR ROAD.

NHTSA complaint #11638958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Westfield, IN

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Blind spot detection not working. Repaired May 2023. Occurred again September 2024. No warning that it's been deactivated. Error message when blind spot sensing is activated. VW dealer diagnosed issue.

NHTSA complaint #11618383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Doe Hill, VA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Around 8 times now if my vehicle senses something in the front it will abruptly brake very hard. There doesn’t have to be anything in the view, simply pulling out of a gas station it will do, and it’s almost caused a collision, as it takes a few seconds to be able to disable, manually. This is extremely dangerous, and is going to eventually hurt someone seriously. It is imperative that something be done concerning this issue before innocent people get hurt as a result of a faulty braking sensor. Please take this complaint seriously as it has on multiple occasions almost caused a collision. Thank you!

NHTSA complaint #11603893 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Doe Hill, VA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Around 8 times now if my vehicle senses something in the front it will abruptly brake very hard. There doesn’t have to be anything in the view, simply pulling out of a gas station it will do, and it’s almost caused a collision, as it takes a few seconds to be able to disable, manually. This is extremely dangerous, and is going to eventually hurt someone seriously. It is imperative that something be done concerning this issue before innocent people get hurt as a result of a faulty braking sensor. Please take this complaint seriously as it has on multiple occasions almost caused a collision. Thank you!

NHTSA complaint #11603893 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Murrieta, CA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Since 03/2023, I have experienced several false applications of the automatic emergency braking system. One particular incident involved the vehicle going 75mph on the freeway when the braking system has been applied. Other times have been between 20-40mph on city roads. I have reported this to the local dealer, they have the logs of my car doing this however they will not release them to me. Volkswagen has offered a warranty extension on this issue, however that's not a solution. I work in automotive repair, this is a software programming issue. Volkswagen has no fix. This car is going to kill me or someone else. Please review all the other similar complaints with this year, make and model.

NHTSA complaint #11601489 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Murrieta, CA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Since 03/2023, I have experienced several false applications of the automatic emergency braking system. One particular incident involved the vehicle going 75mph on the freeway when the braking system has been applied. Other times have been between 20-40mph on city roads. I have reported this to the local dealer, they have the logs of my car doing this however they will not release them to me. Volkswagen has offered a warranty extension on this issue, however that's not a solution. I work in automotive repair, this is a software programming issue. Volkswagen has no fix. This car is going to kill me or someone else. Please review all the other similar complaints with this year, make and model.

NHTSA complaint #11601489 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

La Puente, CA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11590694 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Wichita Falls, TX

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

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.

NHTSA complaint #11588779 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

San Pedro, CA Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

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 !!!!

NHTSA complaint #11583569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

San Pedro, CA Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

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 !!!!

NHTSA complaint #11583569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Saratoga Springs, NY

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Take blind spot indicator is not working.Not warning of another car in our blind spot posses a safety risk to us and other drivers on the road with us.The dealer, Garvey Volkswagon Queensbury NY 12804, confirmed our complaint. Our car has not been inspected by anyone other than the dealer. The problem first appeared in April 2023 without any warning. I contacted Volkswagon of America and they said they would not pay for the repair. I have a statement from the dealer and Volkswagen of America.

NHTSA complaint #11559856 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Saratoga Springs, NY

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

Take blind spot indicator is not working.Not warning of another car in our blind spot posses a safety risk to us and other drivers on the road with us.The dealer, Garvey Volkswagon Queensbury NY 12804, confirmed our complaint. Our car has not been inspected by anyone other than the dealer. The problem first appeared in April 2023 without any warning. I contacted Volkswagon of America and they said they would not pay for the repair. I have a statement from the dealer and Volkswagen of America.

NHTSA complaint #11559856 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Gainesville, FL

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

Was waiting at an intersection and began to pull out into traffic. The vehicle's wheels drop momentarily into the gutter section of the street (also causing the vehicle body to rock forward/down), but then the parking sensors "detect" the street itself as an object and slam on the brakes. This locks the vehicle's brakes while it is half in the oncoming traffic's lane and is difficult to recover and continue driving. This happens several times a year after owning the vehicle for 3 years and is bound to cause an accident. In the most recent case, there was plenty of space before the next vehicle, but this won't always be true. The vehicle has not been inspected for this specific problem. It appears that the sensors are working "properly" in that they detect and alert of objects reasonably. The issue is with the logic built into the vehicle's computers when deciding when to apply/hold the brakes. The vehicle should be smart enough to recognize when body roll or other factors are causing a false positive and not be so quick override the driver's intentions. There is no warning when the system will misbehave and cause the vehicle to stop abruptly. The same intersection can be traversed hundreds of times and then suddenly it will beep and immediately lock the brakes.

NHTSA complaint #11544672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Gainesville, FL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Was waiting at an intersection and began to pull out into traffic. The vehicle's wheels drop momentarily into the gutter section of the street (also causing the vehicle body to rock forward/down), but then the parking sensors "detect" the street itself as an object and slam on the brakes. This locks the vehicle's brakes while it is half in the oncoming traffic's lane and is difficult to recover and continue driving. This happens several times a year after owning the vehicle for 3 years and is bound to cause an accident. In the most recent case, there was plenty of space before the next vehicle, but this won't always be true. The vehicle has not been inspected for this specific problem. It appears that the sensors are working "properly" in that they detect and alert of objects reasonably. The issue is with the logic built into the vehicle's computers when deciding when to apply/hold the brakes. The vehicle should be smart enough to recognize when body roll or other factors are causing a false positive and not be so quick override the driver's intentions. There is no warning when the system will misbehave and cause the vehicle to stop abruptly. The same intersection can be traversed hundreds of times and then suddenly it will beep and immediately lock the brakes.

NHTSA complaint #11544672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Parma, OH

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11541538 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Parma, OH

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

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.

NHTSA complaint #11541538 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Parma, OH

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

I was traveling on the highway at 70 mph with no traffic ahead of me for at least a quarter mile when the car flashed the warning light for being too close to a car and then engaged the brakes dropping my speed from 70 to 50 in 3 seconds. If anyone had been behind me I would have been rear ended at highway speed.

NHTSA complaint #11539789 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Parma, OH

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

I was traveling on the highway at 70 mph with no traffic ahead of me for at least a quarter mile when the car flashed the warning light for being too close to a car and then engaged the brakes dropping my speed from 70 to 50 in 3 seconds. If anyone had been behind me I would have been rear ended at highway speed.

NHTSA complaint #11539789 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sebring, FL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

8/2/23 3:15 p.m. While starting to accellerate from a 4 way stop, the vehicle suddenly displayed a large red icon on the dash and slammed on the brakes bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. It was quite a violent stop and had there been passengers in the vehicle, they could have been hurt. Also, had there been another vehicle behind me, I could have been rear ended. There was another vehicle approximately 80' in front of me that had just turned from the crossing road and another vehicle going the opposite direction in the intersection at about the same time. The vehicle has not yet been to the dealer for inspection. There was an amber exclamation point on the dash and another icon flashed on the dash occassionally. I did not know what these meant other than there was an issue with something that needed to be addressed soon. I had never seen these lights before. They came on shortly after the vehicle was started to beging this drive approximately 15 minutes before the issue. After the violent braking, all warning lights went out and the rest of the drive continued normally.

NHTSA complaint #11536114 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sebring, FL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

8/2/23 3:15 p.m. While starting to accellerate from a 4 way stop, the vehicle suddenly displayed a large red icon on the dash and slammed on the brakes bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. It was quite a violent stop and had there been passengers in the vehicle, they could have been hurt. Also, had there been another vehicle behind me, I could have been rear ended. There was another vehicle approximately 80' in front of me that had just turned from the crossing road and another vehicle going the opposite direction in the intersection at about the same time. The vehicle has not yet been to the dealer for inspection. There was an amber exclamation point on the dash and another icon flashed on the dash occassionally. I did not know what these meant other than there was an issue with something that needed to be addressed soon. I had never seen these lights before. They came on shortly after the vehicle was started to beging this drive approximately 15 minutes before the issue. After the violent braking, all warning lights went out and the rest of the drive continued normally.

NHTSA complaint #11536114 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Highland Park, IL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

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.

NHTSA complaint #11522825 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Terre Haute, IN

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

On 3 different occasions, the emergency braking system has automatically activated with no pending accident or obstruction present. The car has been to the dealer for inspection and there is an open work order on it with no solution given.

NHTSA complaint #11487626 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Valley Mills, TX

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11478799 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sacramento, CA

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Blind spot indicator went out dealer replaced under warranty (passenger side) warranty expired a few thousand miles later and now the driver side is faulty. Vehicle has a rough idle and oil leaks. Dealer will not diagnose problem and now that car is out of warranty they wont do anything unless paid for. Car has rough idle and miscellaneous oil leaks occasionally almost stalling. Independent shop ran a diagnostic and shows one cylinder misfiring and want to inspect pcv as most the time these fail on VW

NHTSA complaint #11478844 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan problems

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