CSR

Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

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

60

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan have filed 60 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2023 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 21 of them (35%). The typical failure was reported at 35,086 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

25V082000 · February 12, 2025

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tiguan, 2023 Arteon, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3 vehicles. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. 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 can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners April 3, 2024, and Volkswagen owners November 18, 2025.Volkswagen owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91NY and (Audi) 90AV.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 29,569 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 60.

ENGINE 21 35%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10 17%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 13%
POWER TRAIN 7 12%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 7%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 3%
AIR BAGS 1 2%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 17.

2023 2024 2026
2023 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.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

While driving south bound on i95 express lane, the vehicle in front of me stopped abruptly. I attempted to break but was unable to do so. Also the emergency breaks/front vehicle collision warning did not activate. In order to avoid a head on collision, I swerved to the right and my front left side made impact to the other vehicle on their right back side. This impact cause my vehicle to spin out of the express lane and into the regular traffic 180 degrees causing me to be facing incoming traffic. The air bags did not deploy- the state trooper, fire safety, and tow truck representative all commented that it should have. After the incident FDOT had to tow my vehicle to the shoulder prior to

NHTSA complaint 11624981, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

towed · 14,171 miles

The contact owned a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated causing the vehicle to veer off the road, and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,171.

NHTSA complaint 11637267. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle has experienced multiple intermittent electrical and safety-related malfunctions that have become more frequent over time. The most serious issue involves the Automatic Emergency Braking system activating unexpectedly while the vehicle is slowly reversing out of a residential driveway. The brakes suddenly apply with significant force even when there is no visible obstacle behind the vehicle. This causes the vehicle to stop abruptly, jerks all occupants forward, and creates a risk of being struck by other vehicles because the sudden stop is unexpected. The vehicle has also experienced an intermittent engine shutdown while stopped in traffic. While waiting at a stoplight or

NHTSA complaint 11755378, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
XXX my Tiguan was serviced at Byers VW and received the recommended 80k maintenance. During this recommended service my vehicle passed the multi-point inspection except tires and brakes. On XXX I contacted your service department because as I was driving to [XXX] my check oil level came on. An appointment was scheduled for Tuesday. After the inspection was completed Tuesday it was determined that the value seal needed to be replaced which was already completed 25k miles prior therefore a request to replace the cylinder head would be sent to my warranty company which is through VW Drive Easy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11750842. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Excessive oil consumption. Check Oil Level light comes on repeatedly between oil changes. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The dealer has now looked at the issue 2x. Potential safety issue should the engine be affected while driving. The problem has not been reproduced by the dealer. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer 2x. 1st issue appeared at approx. 33k miles and again at about 35k miles.

NHTSA complaint 11750506. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
23 Tiguan..been having to top off oil every couple thousand miles sometimes up to a quart and they tell me it's within "tolerance" to lose oil. Bad pcv caused leak at timing seal and oil pan, oil everywhere needs extensive cleanup. This consumption has happened consistently since buying the vehicle and am being told with the new pcv installed we have to wait to see if the oil problem continues before we can do a consumption test. There should be no reason to be losing up to a quart every few thousand miles and this should be fully investigated.

NHTSA complaint 11741235. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
While driving on the highway in my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan (approximately 70,068 miles), the EPC warning light and oil warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to stall/lose power. I exited the highway immediately and shut the vehicle down safely. A substantial amount of engine oil leaked from underneath the vehicle after stopping. The vehicle was towed to a Volkswagen dealership. Dealer diagnosis included: * cracked oil pan, * oil separator failure, * and timing chain cover leak. The dealership advised there was no metal contamination found in the oil or filter and no confirmed catastrophic internal engine failure at this time, though the long-term condition of the engine cannot be

NHTSA complaint 11739405, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When I’m stopped, the car sometimes shuts off. The horn works intermittently. When I start the car, it feels like it’s going to stall. At times, all of the dashboard warning lights come on. Also, when I’m backing out of my driveway with nothing behind me, the car will sometimes automatically brake hard.

NHTSA complaint 11731753. 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
2022 251 5
2021 132 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 2023 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