204 of the
3,473 complaints filed about the Volkswagen Tiguan
are about the transmission —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2018.
204
Complaints
6%
Share of all complaints
8
Crashes
0
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
2022 VW Tiguan SE had PCV (positive crankshaft ventilation) also known as air-oil separator failed just outside of warranty creating a pressure cooker like effect in the engine which caused several seals and hoses, (such as the upper/front timing cover gaskets, rear main seal, and valve stem seals) to fail. The oil pan gasket was also destroyed. Although I was fortunate enough to be able to drive from my house around the corner to my local mechanic, this could have become a dangerous scenario considering most of my driving is done on busy freeways -- this could have caused severe oil slicking, sudden loss of power, and/or total engine failure. All of which could have resulted in a fatal, multi-vehicle accident. This appears to be a relatively common incident involving this particular year and model according to a New Jersey federal case ([XXX] et al v. Volkswagen [XXX] et al.), and several other complaints found. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11757593 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving downhill at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The vehicle was coasted into a driveway and restarted. Upon restarting the vehicle, the electronic power control (EPC) warning light and the yellow triangle for the central warning light illuminated. The vehicle was idling roughly and jerking while driving to the dealer. The vehicle was previously serviced at 50,500 miles due to an EPC fault, and dealer replaced an electronic actuator. Additionally, the battery was replaced at 50,500 miles, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,960.
NHTSA complaint #11750380 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle drove over a pothole or an object on the roadway and the vehicle stalled. The failure had reoccurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11749983 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Since purchasing this new 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan, I have experienced repeated electrical and drivability defects despite multiple repair attempts by an authorized Volkswagen dealership. The vehicle has been out of service approximately 70+ days, including a transmission replacement, a loose ball joint and suspension repairs. Defects include repeated check engine lights, remote start failures, false "door ajar" warnings, intermittent warning messages, vibration while driving, and hard shifting. The vehicle also shut off while I was reversing and had to be shifted into Park before it would restart. Before taking the vehicle back, I asked the dealership whether it was safe to drive and did not receive a response. After the vehicle was retrieved from the dealership for the 4th time, several defects recurred within approximately 44 minutes, and the check engine light returned the following night. I believe these recurring defects present a safety risk to me, my passengers, and other motorists.
NHTSA complaint #11749100 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle intermittently fails to accelerate normally from a stop, especially in hot weather and when the A/C is running. When pressing the accelerator, the vehicle can hesitate for an extended period before moving. In a recent incident recorded on video (reference attachment), I pressed the accelerator and the vehicle failed to respond normally for more than 10 seconds, requiring me to pull over. This creates a serious safety risk when entering intersections, making U-turns, crossing traffic, or pulling into traffic, because the vehicle does not respond when acceleration is needed. The issue is intermittent and more frequent and severe during summer temperatures, when the AC is running continuously. The concern has been reported to the Volkswagen dealer multiple times. Dealer repair attempts were made in 2025, but the issue still exists. An independent mechanic also inspected/tested the vehicle and confirmed there is an issue, but advised that it likely requires Volkswagen-specific diagnosis, software, adaptation, or calibration. No consistent warning light appears before the hesitation occurs. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I have video evidence showing the delayed acceleration condition.
NHTSA complaint #11747947 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am submitting this complaint regarding my Volkswagen vehicle because it has experienced two recurring defects during the warranty period that remain unresolved despite repeated repair attempts by the dealership. Issue 1 – Excessive Oil Consumption The vehicle has had a persistent excessive oil consumption problem since the warranty period. The dealership has attempted to repair this defect six times, including replacing an engine valve, but the issue continues. The vehicle still consumes excessive oil, requiring frequent monitoring and topping off. This creates a serious safety concern because low engine oil can result in engine damage, sudden loss of engine power, engine seizure, or an increased risk of fire while driving. Issue 2 – Electrical System Failure The vehicle has also experienced ongoing electrical problems involving the keyless entry system, repeated 12V Battery Low warnings, inoperative interior lights, and loss of connectivity with the Volkswagen mobile app. These problems have persisted despite nine repair attempts by the dealership and remain unresolved. The vehicle has spent a significant amount of time at the dealership throughout 2025 and 2026 for these recurring defects. The repeated electrical failures raise significant safety concerns. The keyless entry system can fail to unlock or recognize the key, the low 12V battery warnings indicate an unresolved electrical issue, and the loss of interior lighting reduces visibility inside the vehicle. The repeated failures also raise concerns about the reliability of other critical electrical systems and the possibility of the vehicle failing to start or operating unpredictably. Despite six repair attempts for excessive oil consumption and nine for electrical defects, Volkswagen has been unable to permanently fix these issues. I request NHTSA investigate whether these recurring failures indicate a broader safety defect requiring corrective action. Currently car is back to dealership for repair again
NHTSA complaint #11746538 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our vehicle does not respond to the throttle pedal being depressed when the AC has been turned on at full and the car has been in direct sunlight for a period of time. We reside in Florida so it is common to enter the vehicle during the summer months and the cabin temperatue is in excess of 200 degrees which requires putting the AC system on MAX. This problem occurs periodically and was address in the summer of 2025 at the VW dealership locally
NHTSA complaint #11745241 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving, the vehicle self shifted into neutral and was unresponsive. All of the dash warning lights came on and I was not able to apply throttle or shift the car into drive. I had to coast in neutral to the side of the road. This is a safety issue and there was a high possibly of crashing if it wasn’t on a rural road. This is the second time this has happened. The first time VW service said nothing had occurred and gave me my vehicle back.
NHTSA complaint #11743980 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
XXX, the emergency mode kept coming on, on the dash of my daughters 2019 Tiguan. I Took the tiguan to VW and they recommended replacement of gear selector unit. This is the car my daughter drives. She recently graduated and is now going to the military, leaving for bootcamp on 6/15. The part has been on backorder for 6 months (since Dec 2025), so she has only been able to drive on short trips and can not take her car to bootcamp or to her first duty station in [XXX]. She is essentially carless due to this issue. We've been waiting on a part of over 6 months. The car is not safe to drive as it also constant message, "Only exit vehicle in P position", "Trans in emergency mode". I can't in good faith sell the car to buy another knowing it has this issue. We have been working with White Allen VW in Dayton Ohio. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11743875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, car dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree with error messages, shakes, and goes into limp mode. Error messages include: - travel assist is currently not available - Error: Drive system. Please service vehicle. (Engine block highlighted on screen image) - Engine speed max. 4000 rpm (Engine block highlighted on screen image) Purchased car in November, problem happened in January <1200 total miles. Vehicle has been at dealership since January with no resolution (it is now May 29th). No invoice to upload as it has never been fixed. VW of America initially claimed it was a software update which is false, actual parts defect. Now known defect with turbo R line, as evidenced by multiple reports from consumers across the country, unsafe vehicle to operate as occurs while driving.
NHTSA complaint #11740859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the highway in my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan (approximately 70,068 miles), the EPC warning light and oil warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to stall/lose power. I exited the highway immediately and shut the vehicle down safely. A substantial amount of engine oil leaked from underneath the vehicle after stopping. The vehicle was towed to a Volkswagen dealership. Dealer diagnosis included: * cracked oil pan, * oil separator failure, * and timing chain cover leak. The dealership advised there was no metal contamination found in the oil or filter and no confirmed catastrophic internal engine failure at this time, though the long-term condition of the engine cannot be guaranteed after the oil-loss event. I am submitting this report because the sudden oil-loss event and stalling condition occurred while driving on the highway and created a potential safety hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11739405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The problem occurred immediately after picking my car up from a valet on 5/17/2026 around 9:00pm. The valet had pulled my car up to the front of the Seattle Park ‘N Fly Valet by Sea-Tac airport. I pulled out onto International Blvd, and within a few seconds, the accelerator pedal became completely unresponsive. I was able to coast the car into the Denny’s parking lot just north of the valet lot (about 0.2 mi north of the valet). Everything else seemed to work just fine, except for the accelerator pedal (brakes worked just fine). I turned off the engine, and when I tried to restart the car, it was turning over but wouldn’t start. I called out someone to jump the battery, but the battery was fine. We then disconnected and reconnected the battery, and this resolved the issue and I was able to restart the car and drive away. It was dangerous that I was able to pull out onto a road, just to immediately lose any ability to accelerate. I’m lucky there was a nearby parking lot and I didn’t pull into busy traffic. Something seems to have happened at the valet, that was then triggered as soon as I pulled out onto the road. My guess is they tried to start the car and use the twist shifter in some combination that caused a fault that only triggered once I started to get up to speed. It’s strange because they were able to pull my car up to the front of the lot just fine, and I was able to pull out onto the roadway just fine, but the loss of acceleration only happened once I tried to get it up to speed.
NHTSA complaint #11738451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle experiences sudden loss of motive power during acceleration. Between 30–60 mph, the transmission fails to upshift correctly, causing the engine RPMs to spike to 5000 while the vehicle fails to gain speed. This creates a severe safety hazard when merging into high-speed traffic. Additionally, the infotainment system frequently blackouts and reboots while driving, and there are intermittent malfunctions with the power windows and door locks. Authorized dealerships have been unable to resolve these persistent safety defects after multiple repair attempts.
NHTSA complaint #11736204 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On December 3, 2025, Volkswagen of XXX performed an intake manifold recall repair on our 2017 Tiguan (VIN: [XXX] ) while the vehicle was under factory warranty. Approximately six weeks later the low coolant warning light appeared and the vehicle began actively leaking coolant. No other work had been performed between the recall and the onset of the leak. Our independent mechanic discovered physical damage to the original water pump consistent with a tool strike during the recall procedure. A new OEM water pump was installed but failed immediately due to an underlying pressure issue originating underneath the intake manifold. The vehicle has been at VW of South Charlotte since February 11, 2026 — seven weeks — with no root-cause diagnosis or repair. The dealership falsely documented OEM parts as aftermarket, refused to diagnose the vehicle, and the service manager made his final decision based on text messages rather than any inspection. VW Customer Care opened and closed six separate case numbers on this single unresolved complaint. Safety concern: The vehicle is non-operational and actively leaking coolant. The damage originated during a recall repair and has never been properly diagnosed or repaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11728157 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After replacing cylinder head, rack and pinion and steering assist I went to dealer just after warranty passed they told me that the oil separator and auxiliary/ secondary water pump. Car continues to have issues. Mainly with engine. Car could break down when driving with no oil getting to engine
NHTSA complaint #11726535 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Here is a quick description of the issue from our Volkswagon of Huntington service report. We have had this ongoing issue for a few months now. the check engine light will come on. We get it checked, we replace a sensor, and all is good for a day or week. Then we do it again, replacing a different sensor. Now the dealer is saying the oil separator is leaking and requires repairs starting at $8,400 and going up from there as they uncover more. We have always maintained the car properly. From research this appears to be a very known issue with this model car and should be reported and covered by VW. SCANNED VEHICLE AND FOUND FAULTS PRESENT FOR SECONDARY AIR. OBSERVED OIL SEPARATOR LEAKING CUASING UPPER TIMING COVER GASKETS TO BLOW OUT ALLOWING OIL TO ESCAPE. FOUND SECONDARY AIR PORTS IN CYLINDER HEAD CLOGGED TRIGGERING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. ADVISED TO REPLACE OIL SEPARATOR,CAM SHAFT MAGNETS AND CYLINDER HEAD TO START. APPROX $ 8480.00 PLUS TAX
NHTSA complaint #11724602 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear view camera constantly faults, and fails to work, also accelerating issue, surges on take offs. Started in 2024, dealership will tell me they could not replicate, and deny issue.
NHTSA complaint #11723727 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shook and decelerated abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the vehicle should not be driven because the drive belt needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder with no ETA. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
NHTSA complaint #11718444 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11718195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11714680 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.