2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Problems & Owner Complaints

Engine 20

“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…”
NHTSA complaint #11750842, 2026

“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, 2026

“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, 2026

Electrical System 10

“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 cata…”
NHTSA complaint #11739405, 2026

“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, 2026

“The instrument cluster became blank suddenly and no longer displays any speed, mileage, temperature or any essential information. It is currently available for inspection. This is a safety issue as I don’t have any speedometer reading or any important vehicle information. This issue occurred without warning.”
NHTSA complaint #11722496, 2026

Unknown Or Other 10

“The wireless phone charger in my 2023 VW Tiguan does not function as intended and consistently fails to charge any phone, regardless of placement, brand, or case. The charging pad repeatedly disconnects, overheats the phone, or never initiates charging at all, making the feature completely unusable. This is a safety concern because it encourages drivers to handle their phones while driving after assuming the vehicle would keep the device charged.”
NHTSA complaint #11703825, 2025

“Driving long the interstate in South Carolina, all of a sudden there was a loud explosive sound and a crackling sound accompanied by the loud explosion. It startled me!! I gathered myself and put on hazard lights and got over on the far right lane to pull onto the shoulder of the highway. I thought that a tire or two had blown but was not the case. I got back into the car and started visually looking around to see where the crackling noise was still coming from. I looked up towards my Sunroof and discovered that a large hole in my Sunroof. Fortunately, my sunshade was closed and shield t…”
NHTSA complaint #11703224, 2025

“The vehicle experiences intermittent (but daily) accelerator lag or failure to respond when the gas pedal is pressed from a stop. There is a significant delay—sometimes several seconds—before the car begins to move, even when the accelerator is fully depressed. This appears to be related to the power train and/or engine system. The hesitation in acceleration has created multiple unsafe situations, including near-miss accidents while turning left across traffic or entering intersections, when the car failed to respond as expected. This hesitation could easily result in a collision, particular…”
NHTSA complaint #11666960, 2025

Forward Collision Avoidance 7 1 crash 1 injury

“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 co…”
NHTSA complaint #11624981, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“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, 2026

“I purchased this vehicle on August 9th 2025 and it has been in shop 4 times . It is in the shop as I am writing this email. I have had nothing but issues with this vehicle and had to come out of pocket 308 dollars just to find out a problem that I told them that already was an issue the first week I had the car . I am a senior on a fixed income and I cant afford to pay anything more out of pocket . I filed a complaint with the BBB and a represented from the service department called me and said , his boss said they will not work on my car unless I remove my complaint to the BBB . I find this v…”
NHTSA complaint #11698164, 2025

Power Train 7

“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 cata…”
NHTSA complaint #11739405, 2026

“The vehicle experiences intermittent (but daily) accelerator lag or failure to respond when the gas pedal is pressed from a stop. There is a significant delay—sometimes several seconds—before the car begins to move, even when the accelerator is fully depressed. This appears to be related to the power train and/or engine system. The hesitation in acceleration has created multiple unsafe situations, including near-miss accidents while turning left across traffic or entering intersections, when the car failed to respond as expected. This hesitation could easily result in a collision, particular…”
NHTSA complaint #11666960, 2025

“Rear view camera constantly faults, and fails to work, also accelerating issue, surges on take offs. Started in 2024, dealership will tell me they could not replicate, and deny issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11723727, 2024

Fuel/Propulsion System 5

“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 dealership is fast to say they are all the same. there are no warning lamps for this issue and the dealership states no faults can be found with VDAS or GFF.”
NHTSA complaint #11545909, 2023

“Acceleration fails or hesitates on acceleration from zero mph. This has occurred every day since new (June 2023) and only happens for 5 minutes after start up. It feels like it is going to stall out, but so far it has not. Each time I accelerate for the first time, my car makes a jerky start. It usually goes away after I've been driving a bit. I've tried letting it warm up a couple minutes, but that does not seem to matter. I took it to the dealer at 3,000 miles and they said they could not duplicate the problem (but the car had warmed up by then) and that I should use B&G gas additive. I was…”
NHTSA complaint #11542407, 2023

“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 are no warning signs, just reports from several of my drivers experiencing the same issue with the same vehicle. We just purchased 13 of the same vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11540554, 2023

Service Brakes 4 1 crash 1 injury

“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 co…”
NHTSA complaint #11624981, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“I am submitting this report to express serious concerns regarding my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan, currently under a lease agreement and serviced exclusively at South Motors Volkswagen in Miami, Florida. The vehicle was originally delivered as a loaner with approximately 1,000 miles and now has 24,000 miles. Since early in the lease, the car has repeatedly displayed low oil warnings, despite being serviced multiple times under 10,000 miles. During my most recent service visit in June 2025, I was charged $9.48 for a minor oil top-off. When I contacted the service advisor afterward, I was advised to p…”
NHTSA complaint #11697011, 2025

“Loud break noise Randomly not operative automatic emergency break”
NHTSA complaint #11624464, 2024

Vehicle Speed Control 4

“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, 2025

“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 dealership is fast to say they are all the same. there are no warning lamps for this issue and the dealership states no faults can be found with VDAS or GFF.”
NHTSA complaint #11545909, 2023

“The gas pedal sporadically does not respond (though the car will still roll at idle speed). I learned of this issue first while attempting an unprotected left turn to exit a parking lot with cars approaching me quickly and the car not able to respond to the gas pedal. It almost caused a large crash. The lack of response seems to only happen when starting from a complete stop. The Volkswagen dealership, service manager, and the cashiers all said they’ve received numerous complaints or experienced themselves but no one knows how to fix it. I was just told “be safe.””
NHTSA complaint #11533864, 2023

Back Over Prevention 2

“• March 26, 2025 – Backup Camera & Sensor Failure: While reversing my Tiguan in a parking lot on a rainy day, both the rearview camera and parking sensors failed simultaneously. The screen did not display the rear view, and the sensors did not activate. Although I checked my mirrors, the low-lying wall on the left was not visible, resulting in damage to the left side of the vehicle. • July 9, 2025 – Dealership Inspection: The vehicle was inspected at Volkswagen Bayside Service, where I was told no issues were found and that the camera and sensors were functioning properly. This assessment was…”
NHTSA complaint #11702136, 2025

“System: The rearview camera system on my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan failed and has not worked reliably since shortly after lease. The camera intermittently displays a black screen or fails to activate when the vehicle is placed in reverse. This issue has persisted despite normal vehicle use. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: This defect presents a serious safety risk. Rear visibility is critical to avoid hitting unseen pedestrians, children, or obstacles when reversing. The rearview camera is a federally required safety feature for a reason. I am especially concer…”
NHTSA complaint #11664011, 2025

Visibility/Wiper 2

“Driving long the interstate in South Carolina, all of a sudden there was a loud explosive sound and a crackling sound accompanied by the loud explosion. It startled me!! I gathered myself and put on hazard lights and got over on the far right lane to pull onto the shoulder of the highway. I thought that a tire or two had blown but was not the case. I got back into the car and started visually looking around to see where the crackling noise was still coming from. I looked up towards my Sunroof and discovered that a large hole in my Sunroof. Fortunately, my sunshade was closed and shield t…”
NHTSA complaint #11703224, 2025

“Back up camera malfunction. Most of the time does not work. Gives message on screen”
NHTSA complaint #11693702, 2024

Air Bags 1 1 crash 1 injury

“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 co…”
NHTSA complaint #11624981, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Engine And Engine Cooling 1

“The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was leaking oil. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil separator, PCV Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve, and gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. who confirmed there was no recall coverage. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11632475, 2024

Equipment 1

“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 hard boot by holding the power button down for 20 seconds. The power to the infotainment could cause the dash to shutdown. No warning or power codes were noted.”
NHTSA complaint #11529323, 2023

Fuel System 1

“The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the odor of fuel was present. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a fuel leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who discovered a small hole in the seam of the fuel tank. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11578927, 2024

Insert 1

“My Rava car seat was recalled voluntarily due to an issue with the harness tether loosening from debris getting into the latch secondary to a manufacturer design flaw. When replacing my car seat cover as per the recall instructions, I discovered the impact foam on my Rava was completely cracked down the middle. The car seat has never been moved out of my vehicle since the initial install other than to replace the cover as per recall instructions, and my car along with the car seat have never been in an accident. I only discovered the cracked impact foam because I was replacing the car seat cov…”
NHTSA complaint #11648762, 2025

Lane Departure 1

“• March 26, 2025 – Backup Camera & Sensor Failure: While reversing my Tiguan in a parking lot on a rainy day, both the rearview camera and parking sensors failed simultaneously. The screen did not display the rear view, and the sensors did not activate. Although I checked my mirrors, the low-lying wall on the left was not visible, resulting in damage to the left side of the vehicle. • July 9, 2025 – Dealership Inspection: The vehicle was inspected at Volkswagen Bayside Service, where I was told no issues were found and that the camera and sensors were functioning properly. This assessment was…”
NHTSA complaint #11702136, 2025

Other/I Am Not Sure 1

“My Rava car seat was recalled voluntarily due to an issue with the harness tether loosening from debris getting into the latch secondary to a manufacturer design flaw. When replacing my car seat cover as per the recall instructions, I discovered the impact foam on my Rava was completely cracked down the middle. The car seat has never been moved out of my vehicle since the initial install other than to replace the cover as per recall instructions, and my car along with the car seat have never been in an accident. I only discovered the cracked impact foam because I was replacing the car seat cov…”
NHTSA complaint #11648762, 2025

Seat Belts 1

“Front passenger seat belt, when its in use the system activate the alarm and don't recognize that seat belt is in use.”
NHTSA complaint #11515928, 2023

Suspension 1

“I purchased this vehicle on August 9th 2025 and it has been in shop 4 times . It is in the shop as I am writing this email. I have had nothing but issues with this vehicle and had to come out of pocket 308 dollars just to find out a problem that I told them that already was an issue the first week I had the car . I am a senior on a fixed income and I cant afford to pay anything more out of pocket . I filed a complaint with the BBB and a represented from the service department called me and said , his boss said they will not work on my car unless I remove my complaint to the BBB . I find this v…”
NHTSA complaint #11698164, 2025

Tires 1

“Was driving on highway at 74 mph when the vehicles loss of air warning light came on. Five seconds later, I heard a pop which caused me to lose slight control of suv. Managed to pull safely over to the right side of highway where I managed to put on the spare tire. Luckily there was no other car to our right when the tire blew if not we would have hit another car and the incident could have been much worse. The tire was taken to two Volkswagen dealerships and they found no signs of nails or glass. It is unknown what caused the tire to rupture in such a way that it left multiple holes and crack…”
NHTSA complaint #11613996, 2024

Visibility 1

“The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the front windshield had defects, creating a visibility hazard while driving. The contact stated that the front windshield appeared to have bubbles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the front windshield was replaced with an aftermarket windshield. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. The contact stated that while driving, the contact noticed white dots in the front windshield. The contact stated that the white dots affected visibility whi…”
NHTSA complaint #11564393, 2023

Wheels 1

“I purchased this vehicle on August 9th 2025 and it has been in shop 4 times . It is in the shop as I am writing this email. I have had nothing but issues with this vehicle and had to come out of pocket 308 dollars just to find out a problem that I told them that already was an issue the first week I had the car . I am a senior on a fixed income and I cant afford to pay anything more out of pocket . I filed a complaint with the BBB and a represented from the service department called me and said , his boss said they will not work on my car unless I remove my complaint to the BBB . I find this v…”
NHTSA complaint #11698164, 2025