What breaks most · 2009 to 2026 model years
Volkswagen Tiguan problems by year
Owners have filed 2,247 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volkswagen Tiguan across model years 2009 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2018 for engine complaints, 2022 for engine complaints and 2019 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2023, 2015 and 2024.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2022, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 2023, 2015, 2024
- Complaints on file
- 22472009 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2018282 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 6425 fires · 59 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 47kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 63Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 167 | 5 | 3 | Engine (80) | |
| 110 | 5 | 2 | Engine (50) | |
| 160 | 4 | 3 | Engine (62) | |
| 152 | 10 | 3 | Engine (50) | |
| 139 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (63) | |
| 84 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (46) | |
| 62 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (28) | |
| 96 | 4 | 2 | Air bags (37) | |
| 75 | 6 | 4 | Air bags (30) | |
| 282 | 5 | 13 | Engine (80) | |
| 189 | 6 | 5 | Electrical system (56) | |
| 139 | 5 | 3 | Unknown or other (51) | |
| 136 | 2 | 5 | Engine (50) | |
| 261 | 3 | 5 | Engine (109) | |
| 61 | 1 | 1 | Engine (22) | |
| 63 | 2 | 2 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 46 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (14) | |
| 25 | 0 | 0 | Engine (12) |
What fails on the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 28% |
80 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Unknown or other | 18% |
50 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 17% |
49 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
43 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 14% |
40 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 14% |
39 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
21 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
19 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
This vehicle goes through oil at a rapid rate. I am adding oil to my car every week. I have had to add at least 2 quarts between oil changes for the duration of owning the vehicle.
-
I got this car in 2024 and it burns through oil. I am constantly replacing the oil and have had to have the seals replaced a couple of times. Every 200 to 300 miles I have to put oil in it. It’s too new of a car for that. I know a lot of other owners have had issues.
-
When driving car will read error code that states there is problem with the starter and shuts off all electric components while engine is still running. Has happened multiple times since initial incident.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Volkswagen Tiguan years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2018, 2022, 2019 carry the most filings on the Volkswagen Tiguan. The 2018 alone has 282 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Volkswagen Tiguan problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 80 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Tiguan problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volkswagen Tiguan complaints that include mileage is about 47,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.