2015 Volkswagen Tiguan
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 62 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 16th highest complaint count among 17 Tiguan model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 1 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 4 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, air bag/restraint control moduleJul 17, 2019
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.
Campaign 19V535000 on NHTSA.gov
Other or unspecifiedMay 16, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Campaign 18V329000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, side/windowJan 28, 2016
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of a seat-mounted air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 7, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69M1 (for Audi) and 69L9 (for VW).
Campaign 16V045000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, other, labelsMay 26, 2015
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 22, 2015, to March 20, 2015. These vehicles may be equipped with Certification labels that are missing the required tire pressure information and they may state incorrect weight and loading information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
If the labels have incorrect weight and loading information, the operator may overload the vehicle which could cause vehicle instability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will correct the information on the certification label, free of charge. The recall began on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01A5.
Campaign 15V311000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
62 reports, newest first.
Air bags, Jul 28, 2021
daughter bought this car awhile ago...already she s having problem with the air bag(1300.00)to fix and make payments on it too.it sitting on the property where she got it from..
Air bags, Engine, Jun 13, 2021
My vehicle is experiencing multiple issues and I’m certain it has been hacked. All began happening around the same time. The front passenger seat air bag goes off and on with or without a person sitting in it. The voice activation prompt goes off on its own, the battery drains for no apparent reason, I get messages all at once (drivers side auto operation console) all go off back to back and then all messages go off at once and it dies. The car is running poorly (sputtering, very heavy pull on the engine). The temperature and miles left before gas tank is empty is completely off most of the time. I can fill my gas tank up and it should be around 480 miles and go down as driven, but I will show less than that (for example 360) and then as I drive it will go up by a few miles vs down and it isn’t dependable at all. I am a terrified single mother and have a child. I want this car inspected. Please help me. We do not feel safe and I feel forced to drive this car. Thank you
Power train, May 17, 2021
After the battery on the car died, the steering wheel clock spring failed. After replacing the clock spring, it was unable to be programed through authorized VW repair shop. This has been subject for a recall for previous models and is a known problem in current models. There have also been problems with the car shifting into neutral by itself while driving on the freeway.
Steering, Electrical system, Feb 7, 2021
POWER STEERING FAILURE. LESS THAN 80K MILES. WENT TO THE GAS STATION. CAME OUT AND THE POWER STEERING WENT ON VEHICLE. POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON. VERY HARD TO STEER. WAS RUNNING FINE BEFOREHAND. THIS IS A SAFETY RISK
Electrical system, Air bags, Other or unspecified, Jan 2, 2021
I WAS TURNING AND A CRACK SOUND CAME FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, TURNING THE CAR CAUSED THE CLOCK SPRING TO BREAK. AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, HORN DOESN'T WORK, NO CONTROLS ON STEERING WHEEL WORK. KNOWN ISSUE BUT THEY STOPPED RECALLS AT 2014 MODELS BUT SHOULD STILL HAVR RECALLS FOR LATER YEARS, SAME ISSUE.
Electrical system, Air bags, Oct 27, 2020
AIR BAG ERROR. TOOK IT TO JIFFU LUBE AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG.
Electrical system, Seat belts, Jun 9, 2020
PASSENGER SEATBELT LOCKS UP UNNECESSARILY. THE SEATBELT LOCKS UP ON THE PASSENGER WITHOUT BEING ENGAGED BY ANY OTHER SOURCE OR ACTION. ENTIRE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING... NO ELECTRICAL, POWER STEERING, ACCELERATOR N ETC. ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS FLICKER AND FLASH AND THE GAUGE NEEDLES SWING BACK AND FORTH FROM MINIMUM TO MAXIMUM POSITIONS. *TR
Engine, May 27, 2020
MISFIRE ON COLD STARTS. *TR
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 19, 2020
THE ENGINE STARTED TO SHAKE AND WOULD ACT LIKE IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER , THEN IT BROKE DOWN ON US ON A ROAD TRIP , GOT IT TOWED AND FIXED BUT THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPEN AGAIN COUPLE MONTHS AFTER OF GETTING IT FIXED , AND NOW IT'S LEAKING OR SMELLING LIKE GASOLINE LEAKING INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR THROUGH THE AIR VENTS AND WHEN YOU LIFT THE HOOD. EACH TIME WE NOTICED THE PROBLEM WE WERE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BUT IMMEDIATELY STOPPED ONCE WE NOTICE THE SMELL OF GAS.
Steering, Electrical system, Air bags, Dec 24, 2019
AIRBAG ERROR LIGHT ON, CLICKING SOUND WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL, HORN STOPPED WORKING, BUTTONS ON RIGHT SIDE OF STEERING WHEEL STOPPED WORKING, DISPLAY STUCK ON BLUETOOTH PHONE CONNECTION
Electrical system, Air bags, Dec 20, 2019
WHILE SLOWLY TURNING LEFT TO PARK AT A GAS STATION I HEARD A "SNAP" AND FOUND THAT MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND NONE OF THE CONTROLS ON MY STEERING WHEEL WERE WORKING. AFTERWARDS I NOTICED A CONSISTENT CLICKING NOISE WHENEVER I WOULD TURN THE WHEEL. AFTER RESEARCHING I AM CONFIDENT THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE RIBBON WIRE LEADING DOWN THE STEERING COLUMN FROM THE CLOCK SPRING. MANY OTHER VOLKSWAGEN MODELS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM. MINE HAS NOT YET BEEN RECALLED AND THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A 2015 MODEL THAT I PURCHASED IN MARCH OF 2018 AND THE ISSUE OCCURRED 6 MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE.
Air bags, Nov 8, 2019, crash
MY CAR ACCIDENTALLY REAR-ENDED ANOTHER CAR, AND NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. MY MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR CAR IS SUBJECT TO A RECALL FOR AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING; HOWEVER, MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. DURING THE COLLISION, MY BODY HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND/OR SEAT BELT (WHICH LOCKED) AND I FRACTURED MY STERNUM IN THE ACCIDENT. I WAS DRIVING 20-25 MPH IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON A CITY STREET JUST BEFORE THE COLLISION. I'M NOT SURE WHAT SPEED THE CAR WAS GOING AT IMPACT, AS I HAD ENGAGED THE BRAKES. IT SEEMS LIKE THE DRIVER FRONT AIRBAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. THE CAR HOOD, FRONT BUMPER, AND DRIVER SIDE FENDER WERE ALL DAMAGED; THERE ALSO IS MECHANICAL DAMAGE THAT IS STILL BEING ASSESSED.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 27, 2019, fire
MY CAR WAS PARKED IN A PUBLIC AREA AND CAUGHT FIRE AFTER I GOT OUT OF IT ON A CITY STREET
Steering, Air bags, Other or unspecified, Oct 9, 2019
STEERING WHEEL HAS CONTROLS THAT NO LONGER FUNCTION, THE HORN IS NON-FUNCTIONING AND CAN NOT BE USED TO ALERT A CAR WHEN DANGER IS EMINENT, SUCH AS BACKING UP WITH BYPASSING CARS, CARS IMPROPERLY CHANGING LANES OR DRIFTING INTO LANE, ALSO THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON AND THE CAR DISPLAYS ERROR AIRBAG MESSAGE.
Air bags, Sep 18, 2019
MY AIR BAG ERROR LIGHT CAME ON AT ABOUT 138,000 MILES WHILE MY CAR WAS IN MOTION, IN THE MIDDLE OF MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM A CITY STREET ONTO A SIDE STREET. THE HORN AND OTHER CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL DO NOT WORK NOW. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE COMPANY TO EXTEND A WARRANTY THAT ENDED AT 120,000 RATHER THAN ISSUING A RECALL. MY DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG NO LONGER WORKS AND MY HORN NO LONGER WORKS, BOTH ARE SAFETY ISSUES. THE COMPANY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Jul 31, 2019
CAR STATIONARY, ATTEMPT MADE TO TURN ON 2015 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN, ON THE DASHBOARD, THE TERM "ERROR: AIRBAG" CAME UP. ASSESSING ISSUE, OWNER WENT TO CHECK THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE HORN DOES NOT WORK WHICH CAN POSE A VERY DANGEROUS HAZARD WHEN DRIVING RESULTING IN BEING UNABLE TO ALERT DRIVERS OF THE CARS PRESENCE WHEN CHANGING LANES ETC. ELECTRONIC CONTROLS ON DRIVING WHEEL DO NOT WORK RESULTING IN BEING UNABLE TO CONTROL HANDS FREE OPTION WHEN USING CALL FEATURE, OR OTHER FEATURES RESULTING IN DISTRACTED DRIVING AND COMPROMISING PASSENGERS SAFETY.
Electrical system, Electronic stability control (ESC), Service brakes, Apr 13, 2019
THE PARKING BRAKE IS PERMANENTLY SHORTED OUT. I BOUGHT THIS AS A USED CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. CHRONIC PROBLEMS WITH GENERAL BRAKING SYSTEM. SEVERE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. EXAMPLE: MY RADIO WILL MOT STAY OFF, WHEN CAR IS PARKED, KEY REMOVED AND ALARM IS SET. RADIO STILL RUNS. I GET THE MESSAGE "CANNOT READ SD CARD" ON THE CONSOLE. I HAVE HAD TO JUMP MY BRAND NEW BATTETY 10-15 TIMES. THAT IS LESS THAN SIX MONTHS OLD. VW AMERICA HAS IGNORED MY REQUESTS FOR HELP, AND IT ALLEGEDLY IS STILL UNDER THE COP WARRANTY AND UNDER MANUFACTURER WARRANTY AS WELL. THE CAR IS UNSTABLE ON THE FREEWAY, DOESN'T STEER WELL AND I'M AFRAID I'LL HAVE A SEVERE ACCIDENT.
Engine, Mar 11, 2019
THESE ENGINES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CARBON BUILD-UP, WHICH MAKE THEM RUN EXTREMELY ROUGH, JERK, MISFIRE, AND OVERALL CANNOT GET UP TO SPEED WHEN COLD. THIS IS DANGEROUS, A WASTE SINCE MPG FALLS DRASTICALLY, AND COULD RESULT AN ACCIDENT. OVER NORMAL WEAR AT 70,000 MILES, MY TIGUAN NEEDED A MANUAL CARBON BUILD-UP REMOVAL FROM THE ENGINE CYLINDERS. THIS SERVICE COST OVER $1,200 FROM THE DEALER, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURE/ENGINEERING DEFECT! THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN ONLINE FROM OTHER VW OWNERS AND THE DEALERS, AS THE SERVICE ADVISERS KNOW RIGHT AWAY WHEN YOU DESCRIBE THE SYMPTOMS. PLEASE, HELP!
Seats, Feb 7, 2019
THE PASSENGER SEAT BURNT MY BUTT FROM THE SEAT HEATER IT TOOK MY SKIN OFF MY BUTTOCKS AND VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES ON HIGHWAY.
Other or unspecified, Nov 4, 2018
WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 50 MPH, THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF IMPLODED, SHOWERING THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE WITH SHARDS AND CHUNKS OF GLASS OF ALL SIZES. WE WERE IN THE STATE OF OHIO, NEAR THE CITY OF ATHENS ON STATE HIGHWAY 124. WE DID NOT GO UNDER AN OVERPASS OR BRIDGE.
Air bags, Sep 2, 2018
VOLKSWAGEN HAS A RECALL FOR MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES INCLUDING THE 2011- 2014 TIGUAN DUE TO FAULTY CLOCK SPRINGS. THE VEHICLE WE HAVE IS A 2015 TIGUAN WHICH HAS ALSO SUFFERED A CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. THE EARLIER RECALL HASN'T COMPLETELY FIXED THE ISSUE AND SHOULD BE PROBABLY BE EXTENDED TO ADDITIONAL VEHICLES INCLUDING THE 2015 TIGUAN. IT'S A COSTLY REPAIR AND ONE THAT SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS FINE ONE MOMENT AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIRST DISCOVERED WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY AND MAKING TURNS IN A PARKING LOT ON 8/5/2018 "NHTSA HAS RECEIVED 90 COMPLAINTS OF CLOCKSPRING FAILURE SINCE THE 2015 RECALL, INCLUDING SEVERAL THAT WERE MADE AFTER THE REMEDY OF THE 2015 RECALL, INDICATING THE EARLIER RECALL HADN'T SOLVED THE ISSUE FOR ALL VEHICLES. THE 2015 RECALL INVOLVED 2011-14 MODEL YEAR GOLF, GTI, JETTA AND TIGUAN, 2010-14 MODEL YEAR PASSAT AND CC, 2012-14 MODEL YEAR JETTA SPORTWAGEN AND 2010-13 MODEL YEAR EOS CARS. THE FACT THAT AN INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN ORDERED DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANOTHER RECALL WILL FOLLOW; AN INVESTIGATION IS TYPICALLY FOLLOWED BY AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THEN A RECALL IF THE ISSUE WARRANTS IT. IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOUR VEHICLE MAY HAVE THIS ISSUE, YOU CAN CONTACT NHTSA AT SAFERCAR.GOV TO FILE A COMPLAINT." SOURCE: JAY RAMEY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR WITH AUTOWEEK READ MORE: HTTPS://AUTOWEEK.COM/ARTICLE/RECALLS/NHTSA-INVESTIGATE-415000-VW-VEHICLES-AIRBAG-ISSUE#IXZZ5PYPQQEJM READ MORE: HTTPS://AUTOWEEK.COM/ARTICLE/RECALLS/NHTSA-INVESTIGATE-415000-VW-VEHICLES-AIRBAG-ISSUE#IXZZ5PYOSDWDG"
Electrical system, Air bags, Jun 3, 2018
THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL DO NOT WORK, AND THE HORN WILL NOT WORK.
Steering, Electrical system, Air bags, May 15, 2018
OCT 19TH, 2017 CLOCK SPRING BROKE, WHILE EXITING OUT OF PARKING LOT, FOLLOWED BY AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT APPEARING ON DASHBOARD, ALONG WITH ALARM SOUND. AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE ON SIDE STREET, I WAS NOT ABLE TO USE MY HORN AS ANOTHER STARTED TO ENTER MY LANE. UPON RETURN TO PARKING LOT, WHILE CAR WAS IN DRIVE, MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO MY DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS THAT NEXT MORNING (10/20) MARCH 15TH, 2018 THE CLOCK SPRING FAILED FOR 2ND TIME, SO I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS (AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON SAME AS BEFORE) AND YESTERDAY MAY 14TH, 2018 THE CLOCK SPRING FAILED FOR 3RD TIME. I REQUESTED A TOW TRUCK TO TRANSPORT THE CAR TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP, AS I DO NOT FEEL THAT THIS CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE AT THIS TIME. IT IS CURRENTLY BEING SERVICED TO REPLACE THE CLOCK SPRING.
Structure, May 11, 2018
VW HAS DOOR LOCK HATCH ACTUATORS THAT ARE HAZARDOUS. THEY BREAK OR FAIL SO MUCH THAT THERE ARE MILLIONS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THEM. MY DAUGHTER'S BACK DOOR WOULDN'T OPEN AND NOW WON'T LOCK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WITH CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT BECAUSE THE CHILD SAFETY LOCK DOESN'T WORK. VW IS MAKING A FORTUNE ON THIS BECAUSE THEY CHARGE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR LABOR TO FIX THEM. PLEASE MAKE THEM MAKE MORE RELIABLE AND SAFE DOOR LOCKS.
Other or unspecified, Apr 5, 2018
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY ABOUT 72 MPH AND SUDDENLY I HEARD A BIG BOOM SOUND, LIKE A GUNSHOT . AND THEN GLASS WAS EVERYWHERE , THE SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED , BUT IT DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY OBJECTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE, AND I DIDN'T NOTICE ANY ROAD DEBRIS,