2017 Volkswagen Tiguan problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (14) · Steering (12) · Engine (8)
🧭 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
23 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Unknown Or Other 2021-05-05 · campaign 21V321000 · 46 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
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 2018-02-09 · campaign 18V102000 · 3,768 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be intended for use in vehicles sold in the United States. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash, the incorrect air bags may not protect the driver as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel and front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69V2.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2016-12-29 · campaign 16V955000 · 5,947 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Service bulletins (585)
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 585 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-05 · Steering“intermittent lack of steering and steering wheel fell off luckily it happened while driving slow otherwise could have caused a major accident.…”
2026-09-02 · Steering“ive had every now and then a steering wheel light come on then come off. well today 9/1/26 i had lost all steering to my 2017 vw tiguan. the electronic power steering has failed and i believe this is a safety issue that needs to be addressed. and push for a recall to be made on these vehicles.…”
2026-08-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“a/c has been a consistent issue since i purchased this from columbia sc- carmax's dealership in 2022. i've replaced the compressor and valves, and no resolve. the car sucks up oil and the electrical system is wacky! …”
2026-06-19 · Air Bags“no crash or incident occurred. while starting the vehicle normally, the airbag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed fault code p0588 — driver side airbag igniter at resistance limit. the mechanic confirmed that all airbags are non-functional as a result of this fault. no accident, collision, or u…”
2026-04-03 · Steering“i am filing this complaint to seek a full buyback and debt cancellation for a 2017 vw tiguan (vin: [xxx] ) sold to me by carvana for $40,000. summary of deception: carvana sold this vehicle as "certified" with a "150-point inspection" guarantee. this was a fraudulent misrepresentation. within six months, the vehicle required 45+ mechanical service…”
2026-03-31 · Power Train“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…”
2025-10-17 · Steering“what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? steering rack and pinion, yes. how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? there is no power steering and unable to make a quick turn to maneuver the car around a potential hazard in the road. has the problem been reproduced or confirmed…”
2025-08-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“when was driven i lost power and got the ecu light and check engine light when scan for codes got fuel system and also car went into limp mode and had low fuel reading from live feeding and since have replaced the high pressure fuel pump and live reading are good now it still won’t start and won’t come out of limp mode …”
2025-08-13 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“during a collision in which my vehicle was struck by another driver, the airbag warning light activated, my seatbelt locked in place, and white smoke with a strong electrical smell filled the cabin. no airbags deployed (frontal or side). there is now an "error: airbag" warning on my dashboard, and the seatbelt is completely locked. the vehicle cur…”
2025-08-10 · Air Bags“turning on the car i got a notification on my dash that says error airbag with the light icon.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.