2009 Volkswagen Tiguan
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 167 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 17 Tiguan model years with reports.
Of the 2009 reports, 4 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 3 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasolineJul 21, 2014
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Tiguan vehicles manufactured July 2007 to June 2014. When using winterized fuel, in certain conditions bubbles may form in the fuel system which could result in the vehicle stalling.
A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to increase the fuel pump pressure, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 19, 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24AV/2W.
Campaign 14V441000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiring, fuses and circuit breakersNov 22, 2013
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tiguan vehicles manufactured July 2007 through June 2011. Due to a problem with the fuse for the exterior lights, the holder for the fuse that controls the vehicle's exterior lights circuit may melt.
If the holder melts, there may be a partial loss of exterior lighting. Reduced vehicle illumination diminishes the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuse, free of charge. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's recall number is 97Z9/2V.
Campaign 13V569000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine coolingMay 28, 2008
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 4,079 MY 2008 PASSAT AND 2,500 MY 2009 TIGUAN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.0T FSI ULEV II ENGINES. THESE VEHICLES HAVE AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) CONTAINING SOFTWARE THAT MAY NOT PROPERLY CONTROL ENGINE IDLE WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING TURNED ON. IN RARE CASES, THE ECM MAY UNEXPECTEDLY INCREASE ENGINE RPM.
AN ENGINE SURGE CAUSED BY AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE IN ENGINE RPM MAY SURPRISE THE VEHICLE OPERATOR AND CAN RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND UPDATE THE ECM SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 30, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-893-5298.
Campaign 08V235000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
40 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Nov 11, 2013
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN DARK, SNOWY, AND ICY CONDITIONS WITH MEDIUM TRAFFIC, SOME OF THE VEHICLE LIGHTS WENT OUT AND VW WARNING INDICATOR CAME ON SAYING MULTIPLE LIGHTS WERE OUT. AFTER PULLING OVER IN A SAFE LOCATION, FOUND RIGHT HIGH BEAM, RIGHT LOW BEAM, RIGHT FRONT BLINKER, RIGHT FOG LAMP, RIGHT REAR BLINKER, AND TAILLIGHT OUT. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH AND TROUBLESHOOTING, FOUND 30 AMP LIGHTING FUSE IN UNDER-HOOD FUSE BOX SEVERELY MELTED. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH REVEALED THAT THIS IS A COMMON VW PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 8, 2013
DRIVING ON THE HWY ,CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND EPC LIGHT ,ENGINE STARTS TO RUN VERY ROUGH,TOOK IT TO THE DEALER ,THEY SAID IT IS A COIL,REPLACED IT,A WEEK LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN ON THE HWY DOING 70 WITH FAMILY ,TOOK IT TO THE DEALER,THEY SAID ALL THE OTHER 3 COILS WENT BAD AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!! I AM REALLY AFRAID TO TAKE THIS CAR FOR A LONG TRIP ,THE OTHER ISSUE : THE FUSE MELTED CAUSING THE LICENSE BRAKE LIGHT HARNESS AND TRUNK OPENING TO FAIL TWICE . *TR
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Nov 8, 2013
FOR THE 2ND TIME IN LESS THAN A YEAR, WE HAD A FRONT HEADLIGHT GO OUT, THE BULB WASN'T BAD BUT THE FUSE WAS. THE FIRST TIME THE FUSE WAS BLOWN AND LOOKED LIKE IT HAD SLIGHTLY BEEN MELTED. THE MOST RECENT TIME THIS HAPPENED ON 10/19/13 THE FUSE WAS ALMOST TOTALLY MELTED AND ALSO SLIGHTLY DAMAGED THE FUSE NEXT TO IT. THIS IS A 2009 MODEL AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD TO REPLACE THE O2 SENSOR, ACCELERATOR COIL AND NOW TWO FUSES FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. *TR
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Nov 8, 2013
MY HEADLIGHTS AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WOULD INTERMITTENTLY WORK AND NOT WORK. SOMETIMES I WOULD TURN MY CAR ON AND ALL OF MY LIGHTS WOULD WORK, AND OTHER TIMES ALL OF THEM WOULD FAIL, OR JUST ONE SIDE. SOMETIMES THEY WOULD FAIL WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK THE CAR INTO ROYAL AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THEY INITIALLY CLAIMED IT WAS BAD BULBS, IT TOOK THEM 2 WEEKS TO WORK OUT IT WAS A FAULTY MAIN FUSE BOX. THIS WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY BUT I HAVE STILL HAD CONTINUING PROBLEMS WITH MY HEADLIGHTS, INDICATORS AND DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS GOING OUT CONSTANTLY DYING OUT AND REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. *TR
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Oct 13, 2013
WARNINGS AND ERRORS SHOWED UP ON THE DASH BOARD CONCERNING HEADLIGHT, BLINKER AND BRAKE-LIGHT OUTAGES. RESEARCHED ONLINE, TURNS OUT THE FUSE BOX STARTED MELTING CAUSING ONE OF THE FUSES TO MELT WHICH CAUSED THE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION WITH THE LIGHTS. THIS CAN APPARENTLY CAUSE A FIRE. *TR
Electrical system, Sep 2, 2013
AFTER TAKING CAR IN TO BE SERVICED FOR AN OUT TAIL LIGHT IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE FUSE BOX WAS MELTING AND CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. SERVICE MANAGER AND INTERNET SEARCH SHOWS THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM THAT VW IS AWARE OF. *JS
Electrical system, Aug 29, 2013
THE F16 FUSE IN THE ENGINE BAY FUSE BOX IS COMPLETELY MELTED RESULTING IN FAILURE OF REVERSE LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS, AND OTHER SAFETY EQUIPMENT. *TT
Electrical system, Jul 8, 2013
A MAJOR SHORT OCCURRED IN THE FUSE BOX, WHICH CREATED ENOUGH HEAT TO CAUSE MELTING DAMAGE - REQUIRING REPLACEMENT AT GREAT COST TO ME. IT ALSO CAUSED MANY OF THE VEHICLE'S LIGHTING SYSTEMS TO BE INOPERATIVE. IN DISCUSSING THE ISSUE WITH OTHER OWNERS, IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A COMMON, RECURRING ISSUE -- COMMON ENOUGH THAT VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE DEPARTMENTS HAVE STOCKED UP ON REPLACEMENT FUSE BOXES SO THEY ARE WELL-STOCKED TO REPLACE THEM WHEN THEY COME IN. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, HOWEVER, REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR CORRECT THE ISSUE. *TR UPDATED 9/19/13 *CN MOST OF THE LIGHTS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WENT OUT, EXCEPT FOR THE FRONT DRIVING LIGHT. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A WARNING ON THE DASH, THAT THE FOG LIGHT, HEADLIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, TAIL LIGHT AND TURN SIGNALS WERE ALL DEAD.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Jun 21, 2013
A 30 AMP FUSE MELTED INSIDE THE FUSE BOX, CAUSING MY RIGHT SIDE HIGH AND LOW BEAM, FOG LIGHT, AND TURN SIGNAL, ALONG WITH THE RIGHT HALF OF ALL MY TAIL AND BRAKE LIGHTS TO STOP WORKING. *TR UPDATED 09/17/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE FUSE BOX WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FUSE WAS REPLACED AND WAS BEING CAREFULLY MONITORED TO ENSURE IT WAS NOT MELTING. *JS
Electrical system, Jun 18, 2013
I WAS TAKING MY VEHICLE IN FOR IT'S 40K SERVICE AND THE SERVICE TECH'S NOTICED SEVERAL TROUBLE CODES. ONE OF THESE CODES WAS AN OPEN-CIRCUIT FRONT HEADLIGHT WARNING. WHEN THEY CHECKED THE HEADLIGHT (WHICH I HAD RECENTLY REPLACED) OTHER LIGHTS STARTED SHORTING OUT. TURNS OUT THE MAIN FUSE FOR ALL LIGHTS HAD SHORTED AND THAT THE FUSE BOX ITSELF HAD STARTED TO MELT. THIS SHORTING AND MELTING WOULD HAVE CAUSED ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE CAR TO FAIL OR INCORRECTLY FUNCTION INCLUDING BRAKE LIGHTS. LUCKILY I DID NOT FIND THIS OUT WHEN SOMEONE RAN INTO ME, BUT INSTEAD LUCKILY DURING A SERVICE CHECK. RESEARCHING ON THE WEB SHOWS THAT THIS APPEARS NOT TO BE UNCOMMON. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLE THREADS: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5927373-FUSE-BOX-LEFT-LOW-BEAM-HEADLIGHT HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5618907-BLOWN-FUSE-CAUSING-RANDOM-EXT-LIGHTS-OUT-2009-TIGUAN HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5891263-2009-TIGUAN-REPLACED-ENGINE-FUSE-BOX-NO-ESP-OR-WINDSHIELD-WIPERS HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5940918-MELTING-FUSE-BOX-STRIKES-AGAIN!-%28THE-40K-CLUB..%29. *TR *UPDATED 09-18-13 *BF
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Engine, Apr 18, 2013
OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS: FIRST-CHECK ENGINE AND EPC LIGHTS ON AND ENGINE PERFORMANCE LOW. SECOND-FUEL RAIL/SYSTEM PRESSURE TOO LOW. THIRD-BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AND VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE NORMAL POWER (BATTERY BRAND NEW OCT12). FOURTH-HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT MULTIPLE TIME OVER A TWO WEEK PERIOD (BULBS BRAND NEW APR13). CAR IS WITH VW NOW FOR MELTED FUSE AND MELTED FUSE BOX. *TR UPDATED 09/17/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WERE MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DTCS. THE FUSE BURNT AT THE CONNECTION AND BOTH RELAYS DUE TO AN OVERHEATED CONDITION. *JS
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Electronic stability control (ESC), Aug 20, 2012
APPARENTLY, THE TOP PORTION OF MY FUSE BOX MELTED WHEN THE TEMPERATURES IN CHICAGO REACHED 100 DEGREES. THE EFFECTED AREA CONTROLS THE LIGHTING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR, AND MAY ALSO IMPACT THE POWER STEERING AND TRACTION CONTROL. ALTHOUGH THE CAR IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY, THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF THE FUSE BOX IS NOT DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND NORMAL HOT TEMPERATURES GIVEN THAT THE ENTIRE CAR IS IMPACTED BY THE FUSE BOX, LOSS OF ELECTRONIC CONTROLS IN A CAR WITH COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY THAT CONTROLS ALL OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THANKS. *TR...UPDATED 09-18-13 *BF
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Feb 29, 2012, fire
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. WHILE TRAVELING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT PROPERLY ACCELERATE AND BEGUN TO SURGE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF BY THE CONTACT AND WOULD NOT RESTART. PRIOR TO THE SURGING, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THE CONTACT WAS NOT INFORMED WHAT CAUSED THE ENGINE FAILURE. TWO MONTHS AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CONTACT WAS EXAMINING THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE MAIN FUSE BOX WAS MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FUSE BOX WAS REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. K
Engine and engine cooling, Electrical system, Oct 10, 2011, fire
I OWN A 2009 VW TIGUAN. THE CAR BURST INTO FLAMES THIS MORNING AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON WHILE MY PREGNANT WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR THIS MORNING. THE CAR HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY VW AND HAD ROUGHLY 22,000 MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM EVANSTON AUTOBARN VW IN 2010 AND SERVICED IT AT FLETCHER JONES VW OF CHICAGO. I FILED AN INSURANCE CLAIM THIS MORNING AND CONTACTED BOTH VW DEALERSHIPS AND YOUR 24 HOUR HELP LINE. VW HAS BEEN ZERO HELP TO US. EVERYONE SAID TO CALL MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THIS IS NOT AN INSURANCE ISSUE. THERE WAS NO COLLISION. THIS CAR SIMPLY BURST INTO FLAMES WHILE BEING DRIVEN. CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS INVOLVED AND THE REPORT # IS HT535806. *KB
Electrical system, Oct 25, 2010
2009 TIGUAN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM - WAS DRIVING IN NORMAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC DURING RUSH HOUR (AVERAGE SPEED ABOUT 15MPH) AFTER MOVING A LITTLE I APPLIED THE BREAKS NORMALLY AND AS SOON AS THE PEDAL WAS PRESS THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON WITH A LOUD BEEP. ELECTRONIC BREAK WAS NOT TOUCHED NOR THE "AUTO HOLD" FEATURE WAS ENGAGE. VEHICLE APPEAR TO WORK PROPERLY BUT DURING THE NEXT 3 REMAINING MILES MORE WARNING LIGHTS STARTED TO COME ON AND STAYED ON. BRAKE LIGHT FIRST, THEN AIRBAG FAILURE, THEN ABS, THE ESC, POWER STEERING... AFTER ARRIVING HOME SAFELY TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON, WHEN TURNED ON MORE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND EVEN ONE FRONT HEADLIGHT BURNED OUT (HEADLIGHT COULD HAD BEEN A COINCIDENCE BUT I WILL NEVER KNOW) TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT A SENSOR WAS MALFUNCTIONING, THEY REPLACE THE SENSOR ALONG WITH SOME OTHER THINGS. SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS BEEN WORKING FINE BUT SEEMS THAT SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE RIGHT. SOMETIMES, WINDOWS AND SUNROOF WON'T OPEN OR CLOSE UNLESS CAR IS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON, SOMETIMES THE LIGHTS WON'T COME ON WHEN DOOR IS OPENED - SEEMS LIKE THE CAR IS COMPLETELY DEAD WHEN THAT HAPPENS BUT IT STARTS NORMALLY. ABS SEEM TO ENGAGE IN CIRCUMSTANCE THAT IT SHOULDN'T. HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER A FEW TIMES AFTER THAT AND THEY SAID THE CAR IS PERFORMING NORMALLY AND THEY CANNOT SEE ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT, BUT I'M CONCERN THE CAR MIGHT FAIL ANY MOMENT. *TR