2023 Volkswagen TIGUAN

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2023 Volkswagen TIGUAN has 84 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.1x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (24% of all complaints), specifically: when i click the button to start the car and then quickly reverse, the system locks up. it's a safety hazard. it's happened to me 4 times. twice on 7-14-23 and another two times within the last 3 weeks..

2 crash reports 2 injuries

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.1x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

20 complaints

24%

• When I click the button to start the car and then quickly reverse, the system locks up. It's a safety hazard. It's happened to me 4 times. Twice on 7-14-23 and another two times within the last 3 weeks.
• The vehical when engine is cold. Has delays and lags. I didn't think much of it when I first bought it, I assumed the computer was trying to learn. Well car has 12000 miles on it and still does it I've been to the dealer several times. They have told me this is normal?. Until I went to a different
• From a cold start, the vehicle seems to have an issue with fuel/acceleration. When pressing the gas through an intersection, the vehicle seems starved for gas and does not accelerate and almost stalls. This is very dangerous in a city environment, as the gaps between cars is sometimes small. There a

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

“When I click the button to start the car and then quickly reverse, the system locks up. It's a safety hazard. It's happened to me 4 times. Twice on 7-14-23 and another two times within the last 3 weeks.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

13 complaints

15%

• On 2/8/2023 When starting my vehicle my digital instrument cluster did not display anything. (No Speedometer, tachometer, etc) While the cluster is not working, the Red "Level 1 Warning" light is displayed which tells you not to drive the vehicle. The issue was NOT resolved with restarting the veh
• While driving the unit will shutdown and reboot randomly, shutting down all functions. Dealer diagnostic showed no issues with the software or firmware. When using NAV or phone related functions the unit will also shut down randomly and reboot. In some cases , the unit will down and not respond to a
• While driving on the freeway, the overhead console fell down and hit my wife in the head, causing her to swerve. The console forcibly hit her but not cause any serious injury, however she was shaken up. Had she swerved and hit another vehicle or drove off the road is our concern, as this scenario ma

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

“On 2/8/2023 When starting my vehicle my digital instrument cluster did not display anything. (No Speedometer, tachometer, etc) While the cluster is not working, the Red "Level 1 Warning" light is displayed which tells you not to drive the vehicle. The issue was NOT resolved with restarting the veh”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

12 complaints

14%

• On [XXX], I took this vehicle to Galpin VW for service on the collision warning system which began to malfunction on a daily basis and would spontaneously come on multiple times throughout the day, without any other vehicles in front of me nor around me. The service advisor at this service center,
• The Automatic Emergency Braking, also called Front Assist, activates for no reason. No cars or elements in front of the vehicle. I'm trying not to use cruise control for fear that the Automatic Emergency Braking system might fail and cause an accident. My vehicle was inspected twice by a Volkswagen
• Twice now I’ve been driving with no vehicles or anything in front or even behind me & the big red collision warning comes on & the brakes activate.

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

“On [XXX], I took this vehicle to Galpin VW for service on the collision warning system which began to malfunction on a daily basis and would spontaneously come on multiple times throughout the day, without any other vehicles in front of me nor around me. The service advisor at this service center, ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

10 complaints

12%

• There is a caution light that keeps coming on and the dealer can't tell me why
• Brand new VW Tiguan. The start stop system has failed since a month after I bought it. When I am stopped at a stoplight, stop sign or in traffic, often the vehicle will completely shut off and die. The dash displays a message that says must "manually restart". So then you have to put the car in pa
• On [XXX], I took this vehicle to Galpin VW for service on the collision warning system which began to malfunction on a daily basis and would spontaneously come on multiple times throughout the day, without any other vehicles in front of me nor around me. The service advisor at this service center,

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

“There is a caution light that keeps coming on and the dealer can't tell me why”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

7 complaints

• Happening within the first few weeks of purchase from new in November 2022. Delay and wildly inconsistent acceleration from a stop. This is most noticeable within the first 10 minutes of driving and is much worse when cold. Often, when accelerating from a stop, the vehicle does not move for sever
• Malfunction with power delivery/transmission: I often experience inconsistent acceleration/power while driving at low speeds, the loss of power and jerks feel very similar to an engine misfire. Safety Risk: This behavior is very dangerous as we instinctively push down gas pedal to overcome lack of
• Jittery acceleration. Intermittent accelerator hesitation from a stop. The car hesitates or bogs down which can be unpredictable when pulling into traffic. Sometimes the RPMs surge during low speed without input from the gas peddle. I have had the car serviced twice since leased in July 2023. The de

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

“Happening within the first few weeks of purchase from new in November 2022. Delay and wildly inconsistent acceleration from a stop. This is most noticeable within the first 10 minutes of driving and is much worse when cold. Often, when accelerating from a stop, the vehicle does not move for sever”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 84 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: When I click the button to start the car and then quickly reverse, the system locks up. It's a safety hazard. It's happened to me 4 times. Twice on 7-14-23 and another two times within the last 3 weeks.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: On 2/8/2023 When starting my vehicle my digital instrument cluster did not display anything. (No Speedometer, tachometer, etc) While the cluster is not working, the Red "Level 1 Warning" light is displayed which tells you not to drive the vehicle. The issue was NOT resolved with restarting the veh
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: On [XXX], I took this vehicle to Galpin VW for service on the collision warning system which began to malfunction on a daily basis and would spontaneously come on multiple times throughout the day, without any other vehicles in front of me nor around me. The service advisor at this service center,
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: There is a caution light that keeps coming on and the dealer can't tell me why
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)