2016 Volkswagen Tiguan problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (13) · Air Bags (13) · Electrical System (11)
🧭 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
39 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2019-07-17 · campaign 19V535000 · 27,822 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Risk: Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.
Latches/Locks/Linkages 2016-06-24 · campaign 16V464000 · 5,658 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 11, 2016. Vibrations, such as those created by opening and closing a vehicle door, may cause the rear child door locks to disengage, allowing a child to open a rear door while inside the vehicle.
Risk: If an unrestrained child unexpectedly opens a door, they may fall from the vehicle increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the child lock(s), free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 58C9.
Service bulletins (664)
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 664 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-19 · Steering“steering failure all of a sudden safety concern steering became very difficult the steering wheel became stiff and felt really unsafe. red light for the steering turned on. …”
2026-07-12 · Engine“* purchase date: january 23, 2016 * current mileage: approximately 71,500 miles for the past several months, my vehicle has experienced continuous engine oil loss. the oil level drops approximately one gallon every two months, and the engine oil warning light has illuminated on multiple occasions. because of this recurring problem, i brought my veh…”
2026-02-15 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“unknown incident. i had a 2016 vw tiguan with just over 80k miles (approximately 80,200 mi). on 1/6/2026 about 10 min after driving home from the gym, i heard a small explosion from the garage where my car was parked. the garage was filled with smoke and large flames were visible from under the front end of the vehicle. we called 911 and tried to …”
2025-11-03 · Steering · 88,000 mi“the contact's friend owns a 2016 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed with several unknown warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and a diagnostic test was performed. the diagnostic test showed that the vehicle and determined that the steering rack, wheel…”
2025-10-26 · Steering“i’ll be driving for 2-10 minutes and power steering cuts out. wheel will jerk a little and alarm will sound with the alert light remaining red through remainder of drive. sometimes it will not work at all while driving, but i’ve found the it usually works for the first few minutes until i speed up a little more. …”
2025-10-20 · Steering“my car has never been in an accident. one day while turning into my driveway, i heard a large clicking sound. since then, my airbag malfunction light is on and my car horn does not sound/work. all steering wheel controls are broken. this has been an issue for about 6 months. i've been waiting on a recall impacting my specific vin/year/make/mod…”
2025-09-23 · Unknown Or Other“as i was driving on the long island expressway at 50mph, there was a sudden very loud explosion that sounded like a gun shot. i thought perhaps a tire had blown out but then i heard air rushing by. my sunroof had spontaneously exploded! …”
2025-07-19 · Unknown Or Other“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 volks…”
2025-07-10 · Unknown Or Other“my hood latch has failed. it sometimes appears latched, but actually is not and other times it doesn’t even look like it’s latched at all. there is in fact, a hood latch recall for this year make and model of vehicle, however, my vehicle is not on the list recalled. i believe the current recall for this year making model is not inclusive of all af…”
2025-05-31 · Steering“during cold winter months in below freezing temperatures, a red warning light will turn on when the electronic steering fails and the electronic steering will randomly lock up while driving. making it extremely difficult to steer and nearly impossible to use at a stop or slow speeds. when inspected, the entire steering rack with the steering electr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.