2019 Volkswagen Tiguan
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 192 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 17 Tiguan model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 6 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 5 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Tires, pressure monitoring and regulating systemsOct 31, 2022
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Campaign 22V815000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, bodyApr 6, 2022
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.
An insufficiently attached spoiler may separate from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 22V226000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, other, labelsMar 27, 2019
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Tiguan LWB vehicles. The tire information label contains inaccurate tire dimension and inflation pressure specifications. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The incorrect specifications can result in improper tire inflations or to installing a tire of the wrong size on the vehicle. Either of these situations can increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will install a corrected tire information label, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D2.
Campaign 19V241000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rear, springs, coil springsMar 6, 2019
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.
Campaign 19V188000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, instrument cluster/panelNov 26, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.
Campaign 18V824000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
56 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Jun 16, 2024
While driving the car a message appears " check starter system" and the car stops. This happened after about a quarter mile away of driving after starting the car. This has happened twice on really hot days. The first time it happened the car started back up normally, the second time (today) it did the same shut off three times before I had it towed. I am going to call the Volkswagen dealership tomorrow morning about this. I read online that the 2019 Jetta was recalled for what sounds like the same exact issue.
Electrical system, Jun 11, 2024
VW has only issued an ignition failure recall for 2019 - 2021 Jetta's. I just purchased a 2019 VW Tiguan and because the recall does not extend to this model the repair to replace the ignition switch due to a failure that is identical to the Jetta is being refused. It is absolutely a safety risk and needs to be extended to include other car models of the same year. I was on my way to a mechanic when I lost all power to the car, the dash lights went out, and the check starter system error message popped up. It was 89 degrees here with overcast and was actually a lower temperature day when two days prior it was 100. CarMax specifically is only willing to replace the starter/alternator because there is no recall notice for the Tiguan. I am trying to get them to fully repair the car to a safer standard, but there is no guarantee without an actual recall for this model.
Electrical system, Feb 21, 2024
The system says ignition switched off. Please check the starter system. Then, all electrical system is turned off. It seems the same problem with 2019 VW jetta
Electrical system, Jan 16, 2024
The car automatically and inadvertently engages the parking brake while driving, as in approaching an intersection or in heavy traffic on highway. This obviously puts occupants and others at significant risk, as the driver cannot accelerate to avoid a potential collision, the car could be hit from behind, or the car could fishtail if the roads are snowy. It is wintertime and our roads are snowy, so we drive the car as little as possible. This first occurrence was more than one year ago. This initial warning in the car display is "Driver Door Contact Switch" error, particularly during cold weather, which precedes a cascade of other electronic alerts and activities described elsewhere, such as errors messages and sounds, and automatic engagement of the parking brake while driving. Some VW models have a recall for this exact problem, indicating that airbag deployment may also be affected: [XXX] This technical tip for many additional VW models indicates that the proper service procedure (error U019900) is to replace the door wiring harness: [XXX] The recall should be widened to include the models affected as indicated in this Technical Tip!! Our local VW dealer (which sold and services the car) claimed not to know anything about this common problem. At our first appt, they replaced the car battery. Prior to our second appointment (each requires ~4 weeks lead time), they said that they would not replace the wiring harness unless the error code occurred while the car was in their possession, despite multiple OBD error codes as cited in the technical tip above. The dealer ultimately agreed to replace the part only after (1) I sent a copy of the class action lawsuit; (2) I sent a copy of the relevant VW Technical Tip; AND (3) I said that I would pay for the repair (despite being covered under warranty). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Lane departure, Back over prevention, Dec 13, 2023
Take blind spot indicator is not working.Not warning of another car in our blind spot posses a safety risk to us and other drivers on the road with us.The dealer, Garvey Volkswagon Queensbury NY 12804, confirmed our complaint. Our car has not been inspected by anyone other than the dealer. The problem first appeared in April 2023 without any warning. I contacted Volkswagon of America and they said they would not pay for the repair. I have a statement from the dealer and Volkswagen of America.
Electrical system, Oct 31, 2023
The read window defroster was not working well. A few days ago, when I turned on the defroster and drove for about 10 minutes, all of a sudden, the rear window made an explosion sound, and windows cracked like a spiderweb. I stopped the car and got out the car and shut the door, the cracked window shattered in pieces. It seems like the heating element overheated as the crack propagated from where the electicla wired were attached.
Electrical system, Aug 11, 2023
Started receiving error message “ 12v Battery Almost Drained, charge while driving” took it to a shop, they told me they battery was dead and replaced it with a new one. Checked the systems said everything else was working fine. Less than a year later the car is doing the same thing again. Car will not start and has to be jumped off.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Vehicle speed control, Jul 7, 2023
While driving an alert comes on that states check engine system. As soon as this happens all power in the car turns off. Engine is still running but you no longer have any turning signals, brake lights, headlights, air conditioning, etc. It happens randomly and has almost cause me to be rear ended due to car behind me not knowing I was slowing down or stopping. This happens when I am not close to a dealership so they have not been able to witness this.
Electrical system, May 29, 2023
Several times now, at outside temp above 90F, drive short distance and all electrical shuts.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, May 1, 2023
I put my groceries in the passenger side of my car and walked around to my driver's door. I touched the button on the door handle to unlock the door and it didn't work. I tried the key fob and it also did not work. I tried another key fob and it still did not work. I had to end up calling the dealership and they told me how to take off the door handle cover to use the manual key, which was difficult to pry off, and also scratched the car. This seems like it could be a safety issue. This could have easily been a mother putting her child in a car seat and walking around to get in the vehicle.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Jan 23, 2023
Error code: "Driver door contact switch". When this comes on randomly I can't unlock or lock my doors. I have had to climb out of my car through the passenger side door after parking because the driver's side won't unlock. Fault: "Auto parking break" When this comes on I can't turn on or off the parking brake. Sometimes when I'm driving and there is a bump or a change in surface level the parking break comes on. My car stops all of a sudden and cars behind me swerve not to hit me. I have noticed that the issues can go as fast as they come on. They only really happen in cold weather. Last year (2022) was the first year that things happened. I took my car in to see what Volkswagen could do. They said that because the error codes weren't running then they couldn't diagnose the issue. They also said that they have never heard of this before. However, when the error codes are on it's unsafe to drive the car. I have read that other Volkswagens have this issue. The link below is one example. https://knightlawgroup.com/volkswagen-tiguan-wiring-harness-automatic-braking-problems/
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Nov 13, 2022
While driving at night the cars IP displayed a warning "ignition system shutdown please check your start system", the Instrument panel and information display then went dark with no symbiology speed, revs or turn signals. The head lights and tail lights shut off and cabin fan and side windows stopped working. The engine continued to run so I was able to safely exit the highway but was a stressful and dangerous moment. When the vehicle was taken for repair VW service says issue was caused by a malfunctioning battery which was replaced at my cost with an OEM part. this has not fixed the issue though and I am attempting to get a new appointment for service.
Electrical system, Oct 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The battery was jump started and the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to two independent mechanics who tested the battery and determined that the battery did not need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Sep 22, 2022, crash
From a stop at an intersection, the initial depressing of the accelerator produced no throttle response and then suddenly the car lurched forward. This resulted in rear ending the care in front at the intersection. The collision avoidance did not stop the car before contacting the car in front. Even after the accident the car continued to respond in the same way until it was placed on the two truck.
Electrical system, Engine, Lane departure, Aug 11, 2022
Blind spot indicator went out dealer replaced under warranty (passenger side) warranty expired a few thousand miles later and now the driver side is faulty. Vehicle has a rough idle and oil leaks. Dealer will not diagnose problem and now that car is out of warranty they wont do anything unless paid for. Car has rough idle and miscellaneous oil leaks occasionally almost stalling. Independent shop ran a diagnostic and shows one cylinder misfiring and want to inspect pcv as most the time these fail on VW
Electrical system, Back over prevention, Aug 11, 2022
At a random time with nothing in the way the rear and front collision auto braking will engage. The last time this happen the vehicle was halfway into the street when it came to a sudden stop. Both forward and backward. I have a video of this happening. The local dealership says this a normal.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Electrical system, Mar 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Since the initial failure, the failure occurred intermittently and the vehicle would restart soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable to diagnose or duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
Electrical system, Seat belts, Feb 21, 2022
1. Seat belt in middle row. Seat belt will not retract. 2.electric system. Driver door contact switch, car still running, electric brake, drive window will not roll up, passenger window on left side will not roll up, driver door will not unlock.
Electrical system, Engine, Oct 12, 2021
Automatic start/stop feature malfunctioned while vehicle was at a complete stop in a left hand turn lane at the front of an intersection. Caused major traffic jam because vehicle would not restart. No warning signals were given prior to failure, car engine simply turned completely off and dashboard message then read to "manually restart engine". Attempted to do so but it did not work. After that, I randomly started turning the car off and on, switching from park to drive in whatever order to try to get the engine to restart since manually restarting the "normal" way did not seem to work. While the car was not restarting, the yellow engine light did appear, I am not sure exactly when. No one's safety was at risk in this particular instance, however it could have been depending on when this problem occurs. It has happened twice prior to this incident but both times occurred in a parking lot, not in open traffic. Eventually, after about 5 minutes the car did restart and I was able to resume driving. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone for this particular issue and therefore not reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center.
Electrical system, Aug 23, 2021
We bought a new 2019 tiguan for my 16 year old daughter. At just over 5 thousand miles, she was driving the car home from school when all the electric power was lost. The engine kept running, but she lost all the lights, headlights, break lights, radio, ac, speedometer, etc. Basically everything stopped working except the engine. Obviously this was a safety concern for me because she's 16 and didn't have headlight, or break lights, or a speedometer, just to name a few. Volkswagen dealership in mckinney, TX, began diagnosing the issue. They changed the battery and said the car was fixed. Unfortunately, as my now 17 year old daughter was driving, the car all the sudden lost all power again. The danger is that the car starts and performs perfectly at first, but will shutdown everything but the engine while she's driving! So this is the 2nd time this has happened. The car went back to the dealership and they a "software update", and claimed that corrected the problem eventhough I suspect they dint truly believe they fixed it. So my daughter starts her car and drives down the road with no problems, until, for the individual time, she loses power while driving over 50 mph. So the car is at the dealership for a 3rd time. The car has just over 5 thousand miles on it. Volkswagen keeps claiming they've corrected the problem, and keeps returning an unsafe vehicle to my daughter.
Electrical system, Apr 8, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD BLOW HOT AIR. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO HARPER VOLKSWAGEN (9901 KINGSTON PIKE, KNOXVILLE, TN 37922) WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INSPECTED THE A/C UNIT AND FOUND NO FAULT WITH THE SYSTEM. AS THE FAILURE CONTINUED, THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE SHE WAS INSTRUCTED TO PURCHASE A THERMOMETER AND KEEP TRACK OF THE TEMPERATURE READINGS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THEY STOOD BEHIND THE DIAGNOSTIC OF THE MECHANIC AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT ALSO SENT AN EMAIL TO THE MANUFACTURER DOCUMENTING THAT THE TEMPERATURE READING INSIDE THE VEHICLE WAS ABOVE NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,742.*DT*DT*DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THE AIR FROM THE VENT REACHED 180 DEGREES.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jan 21, 2021
SUNROOF LEAKED WHILE CLOSED FILLING THE CAR WITH GALLONS OF WATER, CREATING WATER DAMAGE AND RISK OF ELECTRICAL FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A DRIVEWAY. THERE IS AN EXISTING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER THE OWNERS WERE NOT MADE AWARE, AND THE SOONEST DEALERSHIP APPOINTMENT TO REMEDY THE ISSUE WAS 1 WEEK FROM THE CALL, WITH NO SENSE OF URGENCY. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A VEHICLE UNDER MFG WARRANTY, WHICH IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE IN THE MEAN TIME.
Electrical system, Aug 11, 2020
SINCE MY 2019 VW TIGUAN WAS SERVICED IN EARLY JULY 2020 THE HORN HAS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. IT WAS FIRST NOTICED WHEN LOCKING THE CAR USING THE REMOTE. THE HORN SOUNDED ONLY SOMETIMES WHEN LOCKING THE CAR BY THE REMOTE. AFTER RECOGNIZING THIS IT WAS NOTICED THAT WHEN DRIVING OR STATIONARY TIME THE HORN WORKED ABOUT HALF THE TIME IT WAS PRESSED. THE DEALER CLAIMED TO HAVE FIXED IT TODAY (8/11/2020) AND THE HORN WORKED WHEN THE CAR WAS LOCKED BY THE REMOTE ON ARRIVING HOME. ON TESTING THE LOCKING AGAIN THE HORN DID NOT WORK AND WE TESTED THE HORN BY PRESSING IT AND THERE WAS ALSO NO SOUND AGAIN. I AM RETURNING TO THE DEALER IN STONE MOUNTAIN, GA AGAIN ON 8/12/2020. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS ONE CANNOT WARN PEDESTRIANS OR OTHER VEHICLES IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.
Electrical system, Engine, Jun 17, 2020, fire
I WAS BEGINNING TO MERGE SOUTH ON I75 BUT PULLED OVER ON THE SHOULDER BEFORE MY SPEED REACHED APPROX 50 MPH AND I WAS LESS THAN .2 MILES ON THE RAMP. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER WHEN I COULD SMELL AND SAW SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE VENTS ON THE DASH. UPON EXITING THE CAR I SAW FLAMES UNDER THE HOOD. WHILE I WAS GETTING MY CHILDREN OUT OF THE CAR, A FEW MEN HAD STOPPED TO HELP WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHERS, BUT THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE FIRE CHIEF THOUGHT THAT THE CAUSE MAY HAVE BEEN AN ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SOME SOFT OF MANUFACTURING DEFECT. I AM NOT CERTAIN WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE UNDER THE HOOD, BUT DO KNOW THAT I HAD NOT HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THE CAR UNTIL JUNE 4TH. IT WAS A 2019 ;EASE THAT I HAVE BEEN LEASING LESS THAN A YEAR. THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW WHEN I ROLLED IT OFF THE LOT. IT WAS IN THE DEALERSHIP ON 1/31 FOR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. *TR
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 4, 2020
VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SERVICE 5 TIMES SINCE PURCHASED. CAR STALLS AND DOES NOT RESTART.