10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
26,590 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #20

Nov 072022

Tiguan 4-cyl

  • miles
The clock spring part of the steering wheel has failed rendering all steering wheel controls and most importantly the air bag inoperable. This is a major safety hazard for the driver and ultimately passengers as well. This part has been a well known problem with this vehicle and has been covered under an extended warranty, yet Volkswagen refuses to make the part readily available to their customers who are under extended warranty coverage for said part. This is a major safety risk in that they are showing months long delays in getting parts forcing people to choose ability to get to work over safety. Volkswagen is wilfully exposing customers to undue safety compromises. Recall the car and make them fix this. And compensate owners.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #19

Mar 012022

Tiguan

  • miles
The clockspring has failed, and all electronics in the steering column do not work, including the horn (as well as cruise control, radio volume, channel, etc). It is also believed the air bag(s) will not deploy in a crash. The clockspring failure has been verified by the local VW dealership. The part has not been available from VW for over 2 months(!), and now my vehicle's safety inspection has expired and the car is not legally drivable on public roads (in Virginia) (and VW will not provide or pay for alternative transportation). VW can not provide and ETA for when this critical safety part will be available.

- Henrico, VA, USA

problem #18

Jul 152022

Tiguan

  • miles
Unknown. Airbag sign went on, Clock does not work, seems like electrical problem.

- Paoli, PA, USA

problem #17

Jul 112022

Tiguan

  • miles
Clock spring in steering wheel failed and the airbag, horn and steering wheel controls no longer work on my daughter's Tiguan which is still under warranty. ( a very expensive extended warranty) Volkswagon is no longer manufacturing the part, so the only way to repair the car is to replace the whole steering wheel column which costs 5 times as much.(So they don't want to fix it that way) I was told they have multiple cars sitting on their lot since last year waiting for that part, but from what I heard from a mechanic/parts guy is VW is just simply no longer making that part and stringing their customers along saying it is "backordered". The warranty is not being honored. The car is sitting at the dealership collecting dust. They will not provide me with a loaner, or reimburse me for a rental car.

- Pacifica, CA, USA

problem #16

Feb 012021

Tiguan

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving, the horn and radio became inoperable. The TPMS and airbag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the clockspring needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

- Baytown, TX, USA

problem #15

Feb 012022

Tiguan

  • miles
The clock spring has failed and confirmed by a local dealer, part number 5K0-953-569-AL. After talking with several dealers, I found out VW has a "hit list / back order list. This part is on it. I have also been told there are 1000 currently on back order and it may be 6 months before I receive a replacement. I have no horn and my air bag may or may not work. I have no way to warn a pedestrian or another vehicle should an issue arise, safety issue. No air bag could cause severe personal injury or death. Both are unacceptable and this part failure has been on going for more than 4 years. The sign of this failure is no horn, air bag light "ON" and no controls on the steering wheel function. I asked VW Customer Care twice what is VWs protocol for driving with a broken clock spring in writing, no response. I asked to speak with a manager, none got back to me. At the dealership I indicated I thought this was a safety issue as I have no horn. The service counter person said no one has ever brought this up in the 4 years they have been at the dealership. HUGE SAFTEY ISSUE which has been ongoing for years, no safety response on protocol, none, and no solution in sight, maybe months down the road. I do have copies of emails from VW Customer Care.

- Stockbridge, VT, USA

problem #14

Apr 102022

Tiguan

  • miles
My airbag light is on and all the controls on the steering wheel are not working. Per the dealer, the car needs a new "clock spring" but they are back-ordered and they have no idea when they will receive replacement parts. How can Volkswagen let people drive around with no airbags. The part needs to be replaced and Volkswagen should be able to supply the part so I can fix my car. I am not asking for a free part, I just want to purchase the part and repair my car.

- Menlo Park, CA, USA

problem #13

Jan 172022

Tiguan

  • miles
The clock spring has broken. When the wheel turns, this results in a loud clicking from the steering wheel post. The airbag light is on, the horn does not work, and the electrical controls on the wheel do not either. This is a known issue on VW Tiguans. Earlier years have a recall while the 2016 is only covered by an extended warranty. Dealer confirmed the clock spring is the issue. This is the real problem: VWs response is unacceptable. There are no replacement clock springs available in the country. There is no time estimate for the delivery of the replacement part. According to the service center, they are not even in production. I have been waiting weeks for VW to fix a known issue - affecting the horn, airbag and electrical controls - and there is no estimate for when it will be fixed.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #12

Jul 112021

Tiguan

  • miles
Unknown Water leaking from sunroof affecting the electrical components and now sunroof won-€™t open or close at all.

- Tucker, GA, USA

problem #11

Feb 042021

Tiguan

  • miles
2016 Tiguan - 75k Miles. Steering wheel starting making clicking noises when taking sharper turns, a few days later, the airbag light came on along with an airbag "error" message. That same day, all buttons on the steering wheel stopped working, along with the horn. I took the car into the dealership and they IMMEDIATELY knew what was wrong. The clockspring. Quite frankly, this is absurd... If this is a known issue why isn't this a recall" I was told by the service representative that they see 2-3 CASES OF THIS A DAY... What the heck" Comeon.... This is a serious safety issue... Do something about it.

- North Charleston, SC, USA

problem #10

Mar 172020

Tiguan

  • 42,000 miles
Driver's side window will not roll down when the temperature outside is warm or hot. Also will not work when the temperature outside is cold but the heat inside the car is being used. If it stops working when the window is open I can close it but it will not roll back down.

- Carbondale, PA, USA

problem #9

Nov 142019

Tiguan

  • 45,000 miles
I bought this cpo vehicle July 2018 with approx. 32,000 miles. Drove perfectly without any maintenance outside of typical oil change, tire swaps, rotations, alignments, etc. Mid-November 2019 I leave home around lunch time, back out of garage and pull up to turn on to the road, the battery light comes on and I can't accelerate the vehicle. Try jumping it, still won't start. Tow it to a local mechanic who works on VW/Audi turns out it is a fuel pump module failure. Gets replaced and everything seems to be in order. End of January 2020, try to leave for work, battery and epc light come on. Try to jump the battery, nothing. Get the battery tested and it tested good. Towed it to VW dealership, again, fuel pump module. This Tiguan is a cpo but the fuel pump module was not covered under warranty due to maintenance outside of VW dealership. Get the Tiguan back, everything seems to again be in order but took extra precautions driving and the locations I drive to due to living in Alaska (aka a very remote place) because I did not want to be stranded somewhere without cell service, which occurs frequently. Not even two weeks later, leaving work to go home and as I back out, the vehicle battery light again comes on and I can't move the vehicle. Try jumping the battery, nothing. Towed it to VW dealership yet again (closest VW dealership is approx. 50 miles, so towing becomes pricey third time around) and is currently being fixed for the fuel pump within the fuel tank which is apparently separate from the fuel pump module. I am nearing a potential $2,000 in maintenance (two fuel pumps and labor + potential maintenance and labor for fuel pump in fuel tank if not covered under cpo warranty). This vehicle quickly became unreliable and have had to alter my lifestyle for my own peace of mind/safety driving this vehicle.

- Wasilla, AK, USA

problem #8

Dec 182019

Tiguan 4-cyl

  • 28,000 miles
The consumer owns a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan. The consumer stated that while the vehicle was at a dealer for an accident repair, the technician noticed that rodents had eaten away the body control wires due to the soy base of the wiring. Volkswagen santa monica located at (2440 santa monica blvd, santa monica, ca 90404) determined that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 28,000. The VIN was not available. The consumer has stated that the vehicle is considered a total loss.

- Saratoga Spring, NY, USA

problem #7

Oct 072019

Tiguan

  • 55,000 miles
Steering wheel began making a clicking noise every time I would turn the wheel either right or left. Then the volume and skip buttons stopped working on the steering wheel, left side only, the right side control buttons are working just fine. A couple of days later, the airbag light came on the dashboard and my steering wheel is still clicking when I turn the wheel. Doesn't matter if I'm on the freeway or in a residential area, it clicks no matter what and the airbag light has not gone off since.

- Sparks, NV, USA

problem #6

Jun 252019

Tiguan

  • 69,000 miles
Clicking noise from steering wheel while turning. Error airbag message later appeared along with airbag notification light. Functions in steering wheel cease to work including the horn. Noticed in motion on a neighborhood street.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #5

Jun 132019

Tiguan

  • 30,000 miles
The car was shut down by keyless ignition and the fob was removed when I entered a building. After 15 minutes it rolled away and hit a sculpture and rolled over. I as the driver failed to place the transmission in park or someone tampered with the car as someone was spotted in the car after it flipped over. My complaint is that when the car is shut down I believe it should have immobilized regardless of the shifter as I shut off the engine exited the vehicle. Keyless ignition safety in relation to rollaways in this model is not sufficient.

- Gainesville, FL, USA

problem #4

Apr 152019

Tiguan

  • 58,000 miles
Vehicle had been parked for several days. Upon pulling out of a parking space, heard a snapping noise from the steering wheel. Immediately received an airbag error warning, horn ceased to function, and all steering wheel controls stopped working.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #3

Aug 142018

Tiguan

  • 48,500 miles
My vehicle had a faulty clock spring in the steering column. This has been a problem for VW since 2011 and they are not covering it under warranty. It happened while driving. The steering column made a cracking noise then started making a grinding noise. At that point the steering button controls stopped working and the airbag light came on.

- Fleming Island, FL, USA

problem #2

Oct 012016

Tiguan

  • miles
The emergency flashers or hazard lights are inoperative. Also wipers turn on by itself ocassionaly.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

problem #1

Oct 072016

Tiguan

  • 6,290 miles
Safety issue! leased the vehicle in January. Two incidents when all vehicle lights turn off while driving in the dark. Happens when in motion and when it is dark or foggy out. Have brought in to Volkswagen dealer 2 times for repair and happened again for the third time while driving in the dark. When this occurs the wipers also go off automatically yet it is not raining. Then when the vehicle is parked, the headlights stay on and will not turn off and kills the battery.

- Old Tappan, NJ, USA