2019 Volkswagen Tiguan problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (24) · Engine (22) · Service Brakes (20)
🧭 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
64 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 2022-10-31 · campaign 22V815000 · 296,044 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirem
Risk: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Structure:body 2022-04-06 · campaign 22V226000 · 6,553 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Tiguan and 2018-2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. Due to incorrect installation instructions, the accessory rear hatch spoiler may be insufficiently attached to the vehicle.
Risk: An insufficiently attached spoiler may separate from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the spoiler, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N5.
Equipment:other:labels 2019-03-27 · campaign 19V241000 · 8 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Tiguan LWB vehicles. The tire information label contains inaccurate tire dimension and inflation pressure specifications. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: The incorrect specifications can result in improper tire inflations or to installing a tire of the wrong size on the vehicle. Either of these situations can increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will install a corrected tire information label, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D2.
Suspension:rear:springs:coil Springs 2019-03-06 · campaign 19V188000 · 56,173 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
Risk: If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2018-11-26 · campaign 18V824000 · 73,549 vehicles
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
Risk: If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.
Service bulletins (699)
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.
Service Brakes 2026-08-27 · V4622022067177_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
repair or replace information
Electrical System 2026-08-14 · VOS-26-47 · 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: part number 3q0-959-435n software version number 1307 has incorrect coding.
Power Train 2026-08-10 · V4015022033347_8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
replacement instruction
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-06 · TT 00-13-04_7 · Other
permission to change daily order upgraded to red order
Showing the 6 most recent of 699 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-26 · Engine“car burns excessive oil (1 quart per 1000 miles). smoke comes from tail pipes. had pcv replaced. engine blocked scoped and valve guide #3 is bad. vw has not recalled this common issue and does not have the parts available to fix (on 6+ month back order).…”
2026-10-23 · Power Train“i am calling to open a formal escalation case against volkswagen. i just had a major engine replacement now covered under warranty. immediately upon delivery, the vehicle began severely leaking drivetrain fluid from the bevel box. the dealership text-admitted that their technical service bulletin repair failed and that the unit needs to be replaced…”
2026-10-21 · Engine“cylinder head failure. vehicle is currently at vw dealership waiting on part that is in a nationwide backorder as so many are failing. i was told it will be at least a 4-6 week wait for repair, maybe longer as part is backordered. vehicle had a full inspection done by vw dealership. vehicle was needing oil in between oil changes, then after last oi…”
2026-10-11 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control“driving totally fine and my car makes a loud noise, tells me to check starter system and pull over. all electronics shut off and engine continues to run. speedometer, gas gauge, radio screen, lights, turn signals, hazards, brake lights, everything electronic shuts off. starter was checked, battery was checked, alternator was checked, everything is …”
2026-09-28 · Engine“the cat has been leaking oil and has gotten worse this past month. the plastic plug has been changed but it keeps leaking.…”
2026-09-15 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 68,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 volkswagen tiguan. the contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle vibrated abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed the failure but was unable to retrieve any fault codes. the vehicle was also taken …”
2026-09-13 · Unknown Or Other“vehicle: 2019 volkswagen tiguan mileage: approximately 84,000 miles problem: intermittent park-position/gear-selector warning and transmission emergency mode my 2019 volkswagen tiguan has developed an intermittent safety-related transmission/gear-selector problem. the vehicle intermittently displays the warning: “only exit vehicle in p position.…”
2026-08-31 · Electrical System“on unusually hot days, my vw tiguan 2019, pops up a check start system and shuts down the dash and all electrical components (speedometer, a/c, infotainment system, blindside monitors, brake lights etc.) car still runs but everything does not work. on searching, there are other vw users complaining about this issue as well making it a known manufac…”
2026-08-14 · Vehicle Speed Control“i am reporting a safety-related electrical defect on my 2019 tiguan that has been intermittently occurring since march 2026. this typically has happened during the hotter parts of the day when the tempreature in in the 90's. while driving, i get two different warnings that displays; "check starter system" followed by "ignition-system-shut down".…”
2026-08-07 · Engine“the car, a 2019 vw tiguan, had a “check engine” light come on, and the resulting diagnosis and repairs - using vw’s specific engine fault codes - led to the replacement of both water pumps at 72,000 miles. an investigation of the water pump problem on such cars revealed that volkswagon previously settled a major nationwide class-action lawsuit (a…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.