What breaks most · 2009 to 2019 model years
Volkswagen Tiguan problems by year
Owners have filed 759 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volkswagen Tiguan across model years 2009 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2009 for engine complaints, 2011 for engine complaints and 2018 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2015 and 2014.
- Years to check closely: 2009, 2011, 2018
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2015, 2014
- Complaints on file
- 7592009 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2009144 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 2515 fires · 18 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 48kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 46Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 144 | 3 | 3 | Engine (67) | |
| 90 | 5 | 2 | Engine (40) | |
| 135 | 3 | 3 | Engine (53) | |
| 103 | 8 | 3 | Engine (37) | |
| 78 | 2 | 3 | Air bags (37) | |
| 38 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (23) | |
| 21 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (7) | |
| 18 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 11 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (3) | |
| 116 | 2 | 14 | Engine (34) | |
| 5 | 0 | 5 | Unknown or other (2) |
What fails on the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 47% |
67 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 26% |
37 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
19 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 10% |
14 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
10 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
10 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
8 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
6 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2009 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.
-
Engine seized at just over 117,000 miles. Replaced the engine with a new used one and it seized again not even 4 months after the new used engine was replaced.
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Rear main oil seal design is insignificant. My blown out seal leaked oil onto heated engine components and caused smoke/oil vapors to be pulled into cabin area. Vehicle fire could have been possible. The vehicle was parked and idling at the time of the incident but could have just as well been driving down the road.
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When accelerating. It feels like the motor is vibrating too much like it's going to rip itself out. The car has only 3k miles. It's been addressed to volkswagen! Motor mounts are ok and transmission mount is good as told by dealer. This occurs every time the car is accelerating from a standstill
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 30, 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, 2009, 2011, 2018 carry the most filings on the Volkswagen Tiguan. The 2009 alone has 144 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Volkswagen Tiguan problem?
On the 2009 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 67 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 48,000 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.