2021 Volkswagen Tiguan
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 141 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 17 Tiguan model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 2 involved a crash. 2 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraJul 20, 2022
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.
Campaign 22V514000 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
SuspensionMar 23, 2022
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Tiguan, Taos, and 2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. The left or right rear suspension knuckles may corrode, crack, and break.
A broken rear suspension knuckle can cause a loss of stability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace one or both rear suspension knuckles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 13, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42L8.
Campaign 22V176000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsFeb 1, 2021
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Long Wheelbase and Jetta vehicles. Bolts may be missing from the front seat tracks.
The seat can move front and back without restriction if bolts are missing, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat tracks and, as necessary, install the bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 18, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72L6.
Campaign 21V038000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraNov 18, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
A black or frozen rear view image reduces the driver's visibility when reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.
Campaign 20V716000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
141 reports, newest first.
Engine, Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that on three separate occasions, while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, and oil was discovered under the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed, and determined that the breather failure caused the crank case pressure to enter the system, causing the upper timing gasket and seal to be compromised and leak oil. The contact was informed that the oil separator timing cover, CAM magnets, and oil pan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Engine, Aug 20, 2025
VW dealership diagnose by 2021 VW Tiguan with a cracked oil pan and timing cover. The cause was from excessive oil pressure from a failed PCV valve which cracked the plastic oil pan causing excessive oil leak. This occurred driving on the highway and the ECP light on the dash came on with a message "max epinine rpm 3000". Vehicle quickly slowed down and was extremely sluggish to maintain a safe speed with other traffic. Dealer was able to see cracked oil pan and oil leak from timing chain cover and read error codes pointing to the issue. Can physically see crack in oil pan. Oil spilled out from oil pan onto ground when tow truck moved it. Dealer produced a video of the issue and visual see the cracked oil pan and leaking timing chain cover. ECP light and engine max speed error was displayed while driving on the highway. From my understanding, basically the PCV valve fails and it over pressurizes the crankcase. It can cause the gaskets to fail causing leaks or the oil pan to crack which in our case the oil pan cracked.
Other or unspecified, Aug 18, 2025
PURCHASED 2021 TIGUAN NEW, THE REAR SPOILER JUST FLEW OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. CHECKED WITH DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS APPARENTLY UNDER RECALL, BUT NOW IS NOT...WANTING ME TO PURCHASE NEW SPOILER AND PAY FOR SERVICE REPAIR (COST OVER $600.) DEALERSHIP STATED THAT RECALL WAS ONLY GOOD FOR 12 MONTHS....
Exterior lighting, Aug 13, 2025
This over head dome light falls out of nowhere it hit me in the face while driving. There are alot of complaints about this but no recall
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 28, 2025
I purchased the Tiguan just shy of 2 years ago. Since 12/17/24 I have spent over $2,000.00 in that short of time because one incident the oil leaked out in a matter of a day. The second incident, while traveling from St. Louis to Tulsa, the oil light came on every 80 miles because the oil had spewed out. I had to replace the oil about 5 times that day. The third incident came 1,500 miles later. I came out of a restaurant in Claremore, OK and saw every drop of oil had spilled out into the parking lot. Each time I took the car to Autohaus. They only work on Volkswagens. He has been doing so since he was 14. If he can't fix it, no one can. I can't afford to keep dishing out $700 every 2,000 miles.
Engine, Jul 15, 2025
At only 38,200 miles the dealership found shards of metal in my engine. The only solution is to replace the entire engine and my car just passed its warranty 5 months ago. I have kept up to date with services and driven the car responsibly. There is also another 2021 VW Tiguan owner in my town and her car did the same thing at only 29,000 miles! She was still under warranty so the engine was replaced but she now states that it burns through oil at a concerning rate. One day the engine like just turned on, then the car goes into a “limp” mode and doesn’t exceed 3000RPM.
Structure, Jul 3, 2025
The upper control panel housing failed. My safety was put at risk because while driving the panel randomly dropped from my ceiling, blocking my rear view mirror and surprising me. The vehicle has not been looked at by the anyone else other than myself. There are many documented cases online from people experiencing the same kind of situation. There were no warning lights or symptoms that this was going to happen.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 1, 2025
At about 60,000 miles a VW dealer told me it was normal for VWs to use oil. Now at 80,000 I have a $2,000+ bill b/c the PCV is faulty and the timing cover has failed. I did NOT get a low dngine oil warning, but mechanic says panic wait it was low ( oil change 4,000 miles ago). This could have led to a seized engine on the interstate. I am upset to learn this is a common problem with this vehicle. It is an expensive repair. From other posters I fear this is not the end of the problem. VW should recall this part .
Electrical system, Jun 30, 2025
The overhead console fell down with no indication or force - could’ve been heat or weak parts. Overhead console dangled by electrical wires and blocked rearview mirror and line of sight. Upon research, numerous other Volkswagen Tiguan owners have experience similar issues.
Engine, Jun 19, 2025
The lower oil pan cracked due to excess pressure in the engine from a broken oil air vent. This is a very common issue in VW tiquans, that VW knows about but doesn't recall. The faulty air oil vent leads to cracked lower oil pans and oil dumps that can damgae the engine and creates dangerous driving situations.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jun 16, 2025
The vehicle has a class action suit for leaking sunroof that soaks the entire floor board of the vehicle. This happened to us and was repaired in 2023. It happened again currently and it is proving to be a defect of the build of the vehicle. This is happened to thousands of people all over the USA. This needs to be an official recall. They are trying to charge us $1000 because the warranty doesn’t cover the flooding the defect causes. Kuhn WV in Tampa is who has the car and they get this problem all the time. This is systemic and NHTSA must do something about it and force VW to recall the vehicles with sunroof issues.
Other or unspecified, Jun 15, 2025
The center console from the ceiling above the rear view mirror (that has the lights and the sunroof controls) broke and fell, making it hang by the cables. This happened while I was driving on the highway and I got startled. I had to hold it up with one hand since it blocked my rearview mirror and I had to pull over to see what had happened. All of the 4 screws were still in place but the plastic had basically crumbled/broken off without reason. This is a real safety issue because I could've had an accident.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 15, 2025
The oil separator in this vehicle failed resulting in other additional damages at 46,000 miles. I was not given the oil separator, upper timing cover, or lower oil pan for inspection. All maintenance in this vehicle was done timely and only touched by the VW dealer. The manufacturer warranty ended 17 days before the component failure. VW agreed to pay half for the repairs that were quoted at 1600 dollars because the warranty expired by time so closely and was under on miles. The service advisor at the dealer reached out to VW about this on his own accord before updating me on the issue because he told me that this exact component has been happening very frequently with this model/year and didn’t think this should be happening at such low mileage. This component failure rapidly causes other serious damage resulting in very high repair bills on the vehicle. The check engine light came on over the weekend (6/7) and the car was brought to the dealer Tuesday (6/10) and was driven about 75 miles between the light coming on and the car being dropped at the dealer. The diagnosis quoting email from the dealer: “the vehicles oil separator failed and caused excess crankcase pressure to be put on the plastic components of the engine, mainly the upper timing cover and lower oil pan. That pressure causes the components to crack and leak oil, which is what happened” this resulted in a quoted 1600 dollars in repair. This is very concerning. I believe that an oil separator going bad at 46,000 miles in a perfectly maintained car as per recommendations of the dealer is unacceptable. I am reporting this in hopes that a recall from the manufacturer will be forced as this is unacceptable at such low mileage and the part needs to be replaced by another manufacturer with better quality.
Other or unspecified, Jun 13, 2025
The sunroof of my vehicle spontaneously exploded as I was driving on the highway, shattering the entire sunroof and spilling broken shards of glass onto me and into my vehicle as I was going 70 mph on the highway. I had to cross 6 lanes of traffic, with glass flying off of my vehicle and bouncing around on the sunshade, with my hazards on, to get into an exit lane and get off of the highway. This was not only terrifying, but incredibly dangerous to both me and those around me. Volkswagen has received MULTIPLE reports of this SAME incident, and previously issued a voluntary recall in 2014 for the SAME ISSUE with their "Panoramic Sunroof" on their Beetle cars. I called both the non-emergency police and highway safety control to try and make a report or have someone dispatched to assess the situation, but they did not do anything or even come inspect the vehicle because "it was not a collision with another vehicle and there was nothing that could be done". This needs to be known, addressed, fixed by Volkswagen so others are not put at risk like I was.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Jun 3, 2025
The overhead console that controls the interior lights, sunroof, SOS button, etc. just popped off while driving and almost hit me in the head.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 2, 2025
Fuel gauge showed close to empty and we filled up the tank. The fuel gauge is still reading empty and not properly reporting the gas level in the tank.
Other or unspecified, May 31, 2025
The inside console above the rear view mirror fell out. It could have caused an accident and prevents full clearance of the rear view mirror.
Other or unspecified, May 8, 2025
While driving on the highway, the panoramic sunroof on my vehicle suddenly shattered out of nowhere leaving small shards of glass on the rear seat. It sounded like I was getting shot at as a loud pop caused me to almost swerve off the road before I pulled to the side of the road. My passenger, who was in the front passenger seat, informed me that sunroof had just randomly shattered. I made my way to my residence and call VW Customer Care immediately. I was informed to take my vehicle to my local VW dealer and have the issue diagnosed and that it should be covered under warranty. I took my vehicle to my local VW dealer first thing the next morning for diagnosis. After they documented the issue they sent the information to VW Customer Care for review. After having my vehicle for several days, I was contacted my local VW dealer who stated that VW corporate will not be covering the sunroof issue and that the repair would cost in excess of $4,000.00 to repair. I have contacted VW corporate numerous times since, looking for an explanation as to why this was denied but have been unable to speak with a Customer Care Rep via phone. I have been getting the run around that they didn’t have the right phone number for me which know a lie. My VW account is very clear and had my cell number listed. Today I received an email from VW Customer Care that they will not be covering the sunroof issue because they feel that it was not a manufacturer defect. This is also a lie. Sunroofs just do not shatter out of nowhere. It has been well documented in numerous class action lawsuits against VW and online internet posts, on such websites as Reddit, that VW has major issues with these panoramic sunroofs leaking and shattering out of nowhere. This is through no fault of the operator. I feel that a thorough investigation is warranted in regards to these defective sunroofs before someone gets seriously hurt or killed while driving one of these vehicles.
Engine, Apr 22, 2025
volkswagen vehicles have a real serious problem that can cause your car fails in the middle of the road, and it is the oil separator. A failing oil separator can lead to poor engine performance and potential damage. It will cause a massive oil leak that will damage others' engine components, and the car can stop working at any moment, and it can be a dangerous situation. The most affected vehicles are Volkswagen tiguan. Please investigate this problem because a lot of people are dealing with this dangerous situation.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Apr 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing power and was unable to drive uphill. The contact also stated the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil; however, the dealer had informed her that the oil consumption was normal. The check engine and electronic power control (EPC) warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbo cylinder and timing chain needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Engine, Apr 7, 2025
My 2021 Tiguan suddenly lost power causing my wife and daughter to be stranded. Car was not drivable and lost both oil and power. Towed to VW dealer and was diagnosed with a faulty pcv/oil separator causing excessive crankcase pressure. This party failed once car warranty was over costing almost $2000. Prior to the car stranding them they had to drive at less than 25 MPH on the Long Island expressway. oil was leaking from the upper timing cover seals. VW Dealer removed and replaced oil pan with gasket, pov and upper timing cover seals. filled o i l to correct level,road tested vehicle and rechecked and no leaks at this time. All this damage occurred by no fault of our own. I have learned thru my research that this is a common problem on the VW Tiguans. All has been repaired and replaced as you can see from the receipt attached. Prior to the party failing multiple lights lit up on the dashboard forcing my wife to pull over and get out of. harms way until someone could come and get her.
Engine, Mar 25, 2025
Engine oil light came on and car was down about 2 quarts of oil AGAIN. Car was last serviced as noted below VW service 11/22/2024 Mileage in 62086 Mileage out 62087 (what kind of test drive was this, less than a mile) ?? 2021 VW Tiguan Service Advisor 413 Montpelier VW 802-223 -3434 ____________________________________________________________ A C/S: Check Engine light is no CEL Default 1000 CP606.33 1.1 06M-906-517-E VALVE 32.67 2.1 06Q-103-495-B SEPARATOR 93.74 3.2 06l—103-583-C GASKET130.06 4.1 06L-103-483-a GASKET 77.20 PARTS: 333.67 LABOR: 606.33 OTHER: 00.00 TOTAL line A $940.00 620000 P04F000; EVAP system high pressure purge line performance Checked purge valve and found oil in line, due to a defective crankcase breather and causing an oil leak, replaced crankcase breather, replaced the EVAP purge valve and replaced the upper timing cover gaskets, cleared code cleaned oil off engine and test drove. ________________________________________________________________ B. Multipoint Inspection MPI Default 1000 CVP Parts 00 labor 000 other 000 total line B 0000 C. Customer states oil change done on 11/17- checked oil and was extremely low and had to add oil, please advise. Recommend Maint 1000 CP000 Parts 00 labor 00 other 000 total line C 000 D. Customer states tires pressure always on and off, please advise 01 Recommend Main 1000 CP000 Parts 000 labor 000 other 000 total line D 000
Engine, Mar 17, 2025
There was an issue with excessive oil consumption. In as little time as I have owned this vehicle I have had to top my oil off between oil changes because my low oil light had came on. I then, over the winter got a check engine light, it threw code P24D6 which pertained to the oil leak and/or seperating. I then noticed that on my driveway, I have some oil from my car. I paid a mechanic $200 to fix this plastic drain that according to the mechanic doesnt reseal.
Other or unspecified, Feb 28, 2025
While my daughter was driving, the panoramic sunroof of her 2021 VW Tiguan just shattered for no reason and stated that it sounded like a gunshot, she was terrified and decided to pull over on the side of the road. She called me crying and I can tell that she got scared thinking that someone shot her car. Upon researching there are numerous same exact incident but there are still no action taken. This is a safety issue especially when children or infants are on board. Please take the time to take a look at this and hoping for some resolution before any serious injuries takes place.