2014 Volkswagen Tiguan problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (20) · Air Bags (14) · Electrical System (12)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Tiguan model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
47 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Unknown Or Other 2018-05-16 · campaign 18V329000 · 252 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Air Bags:frontal 2015-08-04 · campaign 15V483000 · 415,825 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air
Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2014-07-21 · campaign 14V441000 · 151,389 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Tiguan vehicles manufactured July 2007 to June 2014. When using winterized fuel, in certain conditions bubbles may form in the fuel system which could result in the vehicle stalling.
Risk: A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to increase the fuel pump pressure, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 19, 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24AV/2W.
Service bulletins (1,002)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-09-17 · V0116152014815_20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
suggested fuel additive
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-09 · SM 39-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-06 · TT 00-13-04_7 · Other
permission to change daily order upgraded to red order
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-04 · V0026012081638_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
differences between a leak and seepage
Electrical System 2026-07-15 · VOS-26-42 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a notice for software changes with the odis diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: a software fix is needed to correct the issue: da 0019 - hotfix 12-v battery test(s) – no battery diagnosis - inconclusive test result.
Engine 2026-07-09 · V1718062017813_24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
oil consumption measurement and electronic oil consumption measurement
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,002 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-01 · Engine“my vehicle stalls and completely stops at red lights, stop signs, and low speeds. currently my vehicle is stalling and stopping at accelerated speeds at 20 mph.…”
2026-08-05 · Unknown Or Other“my 2014 tiguan, vin [xxx], has been serviced at an authorized vw dealer since i purchased it. from 2014 to december 2025, the vehicle was serviced at a vw dealer and march 2026 to present at a service facility that only works on vws and is owned and operated by a prior vw certified technician who only works on vws. my vehicle has been serviced at…”
2026-06-08 · Steering · 205,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel became locked and failed to steer in the left or right direction. no warning light illuminated. additionally, the contact managed to temporarily unlock the steering wheel; however, after driving at approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel suddenly…”
2026-03-24 · Engine“check engine light came on, related to the thermostat and faulty water pump. my car’s make and model was part of a settlement for this issue but vw corporate will not cover costs to repair.…”
2026-02-12 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 160,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that while driving and while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle unexpectedly vibrated with the epc warning light illuminated. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was idling roughly, with the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was …”
2025-12-06 · Steering“my vehicle keeps losing power steering, often during operation.…”
2025-06-17 · Steering“my steering randomly stopped working. the power steering is electronic, so i can’t fix it.…”
2025-02-27 · Steering“clock spring broken when my wife turned her steering wheel leaving a parking lot. airbags no longer work, along with anything electronic within steering wheel.…”
2024-06-11 · Electrical System“clock spring in steering wheel is broken. driver airbag is non-functional, as are the controls on the steering wheel. no driver air bag is a huge safety issue! we immediately "scheduled" an appointment to have this issue repaired. at the appointment, a vw dealer (vw castle downers grove il) confirmed the issue and noted that this was the subje…”
2024-05-23 · Unknown Or Other“i own a 2014 vw tiguan sel 2.0t 4motion. i took my vw to the dealer (prestige imports, 44 pleasantville road, pleasantville, ny 10570 (914-769-51500) with 84196 miles on [xxx], 2023. the complain was “roof is leaking water from sunroof on the floor on the passenger side and then makes its way to the real passenger” they cleaned the clogged drai…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.