2021 Volkswagen TIGUAN

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2021 Volkswagen TIGUAN has 174 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.2x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (26% of all complaints), specifically: i have to put oil into the engine every 2000 miles. the dealership has run 2 separate oil consumption tests and they claim they are unable to find anything wrong..

3 crash reports 2 injuries

174

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.2x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

46 complaints

26%

• I have to put oil into the engine every 2000 miles. The dealership has run 2 separate oil consumption tests and they claim they are unable to find anything wrong.
• The car will suddenly shut off while slowing down or coming to a stop. The “start/stop” error message is displayed and the car displays to “manually restart car”. At first this happened only sporadically, but now this is happening while on the highway in traffic or while turning in an intersection.
• The vehicle continually reports low oil pressure every 5,000 miles and checking the oil confirms that the engine has burned through 4 quarts of oil. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership from which it was purchased, and they report that the oil burn is within normal limits as defined by

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“I have to put oil into the engine every 2000 miles. The dealership has run 2 separate oil consumption tests and they claim they are unable to find anything wrong.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

30 complaints

17%

• The center console (where my lights, the buttons for the sunroof, and where typically sunglasses would go) was dangling and the clips inside were broken
• The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving out of the driveway at approximately 5 MPH, the parking brakes engaged independently. An alert stating that the vehicle is in motion was heard. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and was able to continue to d
• Sunroof exploded while I was driving down the highway. I was going 65-70 mph, no other vehicles around me.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“The center console (where my lights, the buttons for the sunroof, and where typically sunglasses would go) was dangling and the clips inside were broken”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

21 complaints

12%

• The gas door on the vehicle would not open. It is locked when the vehicle is locked, and is unlocked when the vehicle is unlocked. The gas door opens by pushing the door, and the door will pop open. After repeatedly locking and unlocking the vehicle, the gas door still would not open. I ended up pry
• The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the overhead console detached from the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the overhead console to be re
• While coming to a stop, the car displayed an error code “ Error: Driver Door Contact Switch” and automatically put the car in park using the emergency break. The driver would have to put the car in park, turn off the vehicle, and release the emergency break to continue. The Volkswagen Tiguan would d

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“The gas door on the vehicle would not open. It is locked when the vehicle is locked, and is unlocked when the vehicle is unlocked. The gas door opens by pushing the door, and the door will pop open. After repeatedly locking and unlocking the vehicle, the gas door still would not open. I ended up pry”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BODY/STRUCTURE

11 complaints

• ON 12MAR2021 WE TOOK POSSESSION OF OUR 2021 TIGUAN R-LINE IN WHICH WE PURCHASED NEW FROM VW CHATHAM ONTARIO CANADA. ON 13 MARCH 2021 WE WERE DRIVING HOME AROUND 8PM ON HIGHWAY 21 AT A SPEED OF 85 KILOMETRES TOWARDS THAMESVILLE, ONTARIO, TEMPERATURE WAS 2 DEG CELSIUS, WINDOWS WERE ROLLED UP SUNROOF
• After owning this vehicle for about a month (and 50 of MY miles, 526 total), this new vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a rattle/vibration coming from an area behind the left ear of the driver. The vehicle has now been at the dealer for over a week and is not expected to be returned for at l
• The gas door on the vehicle would not open. It is locked when the vehicle is locked, and is unlocked when the vehicle is unlocked. The gas door opens by pushing the door, and the door will pop open. After repeatedly locking and unlocking the vehicle, the gas door still would not open. I ended up pry

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“ON 12MAR2021 WE TOOK POSSESSION OF OUR 2021 TIGUAN R-LINE IN WHICH WE PURCHASED NEW FROM VW CHATHAM ONTARIO CANADA. ON 13 MARCH 2021 WE WERE DRIVING HOME AROUND 8PM ON HIGHWAY 21 AT A SPEED OF 85 KILOMETRES TOWARDS THAMESVILLE, ONTARIO, TEMPERATURE WAS 2 DEG CELSIUS, WINDOWS WERE ROLLED UP SUNROOF ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

10 complaints

• When the vehicle is started remotely and cruise control was not turned off before turning off the vehicle, the ACC system shows an error and fails to engage when the driver tries to set cruise control. If one relies on ACC often but does not often use remote start, this situation can lead to imprope
• my Adjusting distance / gap configuration is set to "far" but it so far it happened twice while @70 mph speed and the car ahead of me start slowing down and my car was supposed to start adapting, instead it start accelerating which isn't the norm. if i wasn't paying attention i could have rear ended
• When using remote start function the following safety function are not operative, not working as advertised by VW, Adaptive Cruise Control, Cruise Control, Automatic/Emergency Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Warning and Forward Collision Warning. I have been trying to get my local VW dealer, VW of Corp

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“When the vehicle is started remotely and cruise control was not turned off before turning off the vehicle, the ACC system shows an error and fails to engage when the driver tries to set cruise control. If one relies on ACC often but does not often use remote start, this situation can lead to imprope”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

BODY/STRUCTURE(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 174 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: I have to put oil into the engine every 2000 miles. The dealership has run 2 separate oil consumption tests and they claim they are unable to find anything wrong.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: The center console (where my lights, the buttons for the sunroof, and where typically sunglasses would go) was dangling and the clips inside were broken
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: The gas door on the vehicle would not open. It is locked when the vehicle is locked, and is unlocked when the vehicle is unlocked. The gas door opens by pushing the door, and the door will pop open. After repeatedly locking and unlocking the vehicle, the gas door still would not open. I ended up pry
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BODY/STRUCTURE: ON 12MAR2021 WE TOOK POSSESSION OF OUR 2021 TIGUAN R-LINE IN WHICH WE PURCHASED NEW FROM VW CHATHAM ONTARIO CANADA. ON 13 MARCH 2021 WE WERE DRIVING HOME AROUND 8PM ON HIGHWAY 21 AT A SPEED OF 85 KILOMETRES TOWARDS THAMESVILLE, ONTARIO, TEMPERATURE WAS 2 DEG CELSIUS, WINDOWS WERE ROLLED UP SUNROOF
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)