CSR

Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2021 Volkswagen Tiguan

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

132

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan have filed 132 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2021 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 46 of them (35%). The typical failure was reported at 26,000 miles, the median across the 17 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints rose 43% year on year: 40 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 28 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (5)

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

22V514000 · July 20, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 43,091 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY

22V226000 · April 6, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Tiguan and 2018-2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. Due to incorrect installation instructions, the accessory rear hatch spoiler may be insufficiently attached to the vehicle.
The risk
An insufficiently attached spoiler may separate from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the spoiler, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N5.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 6,553 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION

22V176000 · March 23, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Tiguan, Taos, and 2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. The left or right rear suspension knuckles may corrode, crack, and break.
The risk
A broken rear suspension knuckle can cause a loss of stability, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace one or both rear suspension knuckles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 13, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42L8.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 10,119 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

21V038000 · February 1, 2021

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Long Wheelbase and Jetta vehicles. Bolts may be missing from the front seat tracks.
The risk
The seat can move front and back without restriction if bolts are missing, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat tracks and, as necessary, install the bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 18, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72L6.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 57 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

20V716000 · November 18, 2020

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A black or frozen rear view image reduces the driver's visibility when reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 32,048 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 132.

ENGINE 46 35%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28 21%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 17%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11 8%
POWER TRAIN 11 8%
STRUCTURE 11 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 10 8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 8 6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 5 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 41.

2021 2025 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

On 4/6/24 the steering wheel locked while driving the car . Causing the car to go off the road into a 40 ft ditch and hit a tree

NHTSA complaint 11583852. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:INTERIOR PANELS:CEILING

1 injured

On ~August 1, 2022, the "overheard console" (containing lights, BT microphone, and sunglass compartment) unexpectedly "dropped" out of the vehicle's ceiling. The plastic and adhesive keeping this part in place appeared to have cracked into pieces, and the weight of the part caused it to fall. I was driving during this incident and it startled me into nearly having an accident. When I called the dealership I purchased this brand new car from less than two years ago, (Hewlett Volkswagen of Georgetown, Texas) they informed me that I was one of MANY customers experiencing the same issue on Tiguans manufactured in the last 2 years. In fact, when I described what happened, the service advisor

NHTSA complaint 11483325, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash

Vehicle was just turned on and put into reverse. Dash and infotainment center lights flashed and shut off. Vehicle rolled backwards uncontrollably down a sloped driveway. Steering and brakes were not properly functioning. Vehicle came to a stop when it struck a parked vehicle in its path.

NHTSA complaint 11739933. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

PARKING BRAKE

towed · 7,000 miles

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 drive; however, the failure reoccurred while driving on the highway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The dealer informed the contact that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provide no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.

NHTSA complaint 11456023. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
PCV value/oil leak is a known issue with this specific model of car. The repair I was quited was over $2700 when the car is just out of warranty. There was no oil light indication showing that the oil was low! I only checked everything out because I saw oil in the drive way. The car read zero oil on the dip stick. I added 4 quarts and finallt started to get into operating range. My wife drives this car and could have been in a major accident if it hadn't been noticed. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11755894. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My Tiguan leaks and burns oil like crazy. Now it has 111k miles on it, but this has been an ongoing issue for the last five years since I've had it. I now have to put a quart of oil in every 100 miles. This is not the fault of me getting an oil change, this is a persistent problem caused by the manufacturing of the car. I have had the engine nearly seize up while driving on the freeway due to low oil from this issue. Please investigate and fix.

NHTSA complaint 11754156. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electrical screen fail. Makes backup camera turn black and turns off while using. off and on repeatedly while in use. Very dangerous.

NHTSA complaint 11753051. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

51,960 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving downhill at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The vehicle was coasted into a driveway and restarted. Upon restarting the vehicle, the electronic power control (EPC) warning light and the yellow triangle for the central warning light illuminated. The vehicle was idling roughly and jerking while driving to the dealer. The vehicle was previously serviced at 50,500 miles due to an EPC fault, and dealer replaced an electronic actuator. Additionally, the battery was replaced at 50,500 miles, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was

NHTSA complaint 11750380, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The PCV valve does not last past 60k miles. Multiple forums and customers stating this. When the failure shows up as a check engine light symptom it has already caused a major oil leak in the crank shaft that leaks with the car off at about 500ml and is significantly worse while driving- Up to a quart of oil loss from driving 10miles. VW has had issues with the PCv valve design from 2012. I bought a 2012 Passat but it did not leak till well after 200k miles but the code would continuously go on and off.

NHTSA complaint 11749364. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
approximately 1 year after purchase, we started having the oil light come on. Returned to dealer and they stated it was normal. This continued for approximately 4 or 5 more times. A "comprehensive" test/diagnostic was conducted and they said normal consumption but no issues. Moving now in 2026 with 40k and now out of warranty with age of vehicle, we brought it back to Scott Motors and NOW it's an issue with the head. The same common problem that they have known about with all their vehicles in this class with this motor since I believe 2018. They want to split the repair bill 50/50 and then 70/30. I stated I addressed and documented the issue years ago and now since we are out of warranty,

NHTSA complaint 11746430, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volkswagen Tiguan

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 45 2
2024 57 2
2023 60 1
2022 251 5
2020 137 3
2019 188 5
2018 276 13
2017 73 4 1
2016 96 2
2015 62 4
2014 83 3
2013 139 3
2012 152 3
2011 160 3
2010 109 2

Other 2021 Volkswagen models

Every Volkswagen on this site — 152 vehicles, 256 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst