2013 Volkswagen Tiguan Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 57,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

While I was driving, when I turned the wheel I heard a cracking noise. Then airbag light turned on, and an airbag notification popped up on the dash.Owner complaint, filed 2025

my steering wheel was making a crackling sound then it stopped and my airbag light came on along with the message " Airbag error". no controls on my steering wheel work including my horn.Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 58,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

The panoramic sun roof causing water in vehicle.moldy smell, windshield moisture. Gasket do not appear to be cracked or damaged. 2013 wv tiguan. Started after 5 years of ownership. Car was parked. No visible water marks on head liner. Recently had heavy rain. I believe safety risk. Wires under seat, mold, visibility.Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 90,000 miles

A-l-l post 2010 german cars have a battery management system (bms) which is a really cool feature---when it is working and serviced properly. Vw, who invented the system, has software/sensors that will take a dying car battery & attenuate it with higher charging values to compensate for the diminished capacity of said dying battery. My…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 58,640 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 33,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

The turbo cracked with low mileage and regular maintenance destroying many engine components and causing the car to stop while driving. This is the 3rd instance my shop had seen with a Tiguan’s turbocharger cracking and destroying the engine for no clear reason.Owner complaint, filed 2022

The engine light went on due to a timing chain failure and then a leak on the water pump. Coolant leaked and needed to be refilled to keep the coolant light from blinking and beeping. Mechanic both needed to be replaced for ~$4000. Mileage at ~66,000.Owner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 62,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

When driving down the highway, my power steering went out with zero warning or indicators leading up to it going out. Upon researching, this is a problem that many people have experienced with this make and model of vehicle.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Steering of the vehicle, gets stiff and looses the ability to drive smoothly, this happened after driving the car a couple of minutes, this put other people at risk because it happens when you start the vehicle and makes the steering hard to steer, also when the steering light goes off the steering wheel feels very loose. it appeared on…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 17,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

Fuel system problems... Replaced rear fuel pump 8/15/2017. Car blew out fuel line within two weeks.. Spilled gas all under car.. Caught fire and burned to the gound. Vw technical pros did work... @ audi pensacola (sonic auto group) . Car had previously had recall on fuel system fixed in 2016. Still failed. Got into car in am and it would…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 102,000 miles

Hard starting 1st thing am.... Seems to run ok afterward. Vw serivce tech says rear fuel pump and sensor bad..causing engine speed sensor to malfunction. Car stalled on fway twice too...Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 102,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 5,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

Normally vw is extremely intelligently designed but their design of the electronic brake module leaves much to be desired. The module consists of a recessed elongated toggle switch that allows one to set the parking brake at the flick of a finger as opposed to the old handbrake/footbrake pedal (effective model year 2013). Unfortunately…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 75,688 miles

I am a state trooper who investigated a crash. The vehicle in question was involved in the crash. The vehicle that caused the crash was a 2013 vw tiguan. This vehicle has an electrically actuated parking brake. The switch, very similar to a power window switch, is located between the front seats adjacent to the cup holder. The driver…Owner complaint, filed 2013, at 5,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the door locks failed to function as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,709.Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 76,709 miles

The rear driver side door handle fell off completely (both pieces) when I was trying to get in the back seat (simply opening the door by pulling on the handle). Apparently this has been an issue for years (people complaining about it since 2011 across multiple vw models). One person's forum post said there was a free retrofit kit (turns…Owner complaint, filed 2016, at 48,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 24,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2013 volkswagen tiguan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that because of the momentum they were going they were able to pull over to the emergency lane. The vehicle was towed to volkswagen of inver grove (1325 50th st e, inver grove…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 53,000 miles

Vehicle sporadically unresponsive in traffic while in any forward drive selection of automatic transmission. Particularly hazardous while changing lanes in freeway traffic. I push on the accelerator to change lanes and nothing happens...the car just coasts...meanwhile traffic is coming at me at 70mph. I have keep flooring the accelerator…Owner complaint, filed 2016, at 24,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 28,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

When operating at 65mph on cruise control I noticed a truck ahead of me slowing at a hill, so I pressed the "down" button to reduce the speed to 64, then again to 63 MPH. When I clicked again for 62 MPH the vehicle suddenly sped up because the cruise control had jumped back to 65 MPH. By that point I was quite close to the truck and had…Owner complaint, filed 2014, at 18,000 miles

The electronics in the steering wheel started going out, finally nothing on the steering wheel to do with electronics will work, no airbag no horn no cruise control no stereo buttons no other controls this problem is related to the clock spring, and so I took it to a dealer . The dealer said it had already had the recall done , they put…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 54,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The issue involves ongoing water intrusion through the panoramic sunroof, front power windows, and windshield seals. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This recurring leak has caused extensive interior water damage, including visible mold growth in the carpet on multiple occasions. This mold presents serious health…Owner complaint, filed 2025

My 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan has had an airbag light on the instruments display since early March of 2022. At the same time lights on the steering wheel no longer illuminate and the horn does not function. I had earlier received a recall notice and took the car to my dealer for analysis on March 14. The service technician determined that…Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

One wheel show crack , no accident, wheel look like new, but with one crack close to bolting area. (just found recently). Most likely will crack down whole wheel during driving, very dangerous. I am going to replace it with a new wheel, but would like to hold vw responsible.Owner complaint, filed 2021

My wife was driving. Shortly after getting on the interstate, her rear driver side tire blew out (the whole rim was detached). She did not hit anything and she was not speeding. Investigating the parking lot that she pulled out of, there were black marks. We live right off the interstate. The dealer identified a second tire with a flaw…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 20,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

Both front and rear coil springs broke from secure position creating a safety hazard as spring could come in contact with moving tires. Rear spring separated in july 2019, followed by front spring in february 2020. Vehicle was in motion both times, being at highway speeds when front spring broke.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 89,000 miles

Engine light on at around 50K - dealership said it was just an "issue with the warning lights" don't worry unless it blinks. At 74K I found out the turbo boost was the reason for this and I should have been told when the car was still under warranty. Realized in December of 2020 the car was soaking wet inside. Front and Back carpet was…Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

Jan 2025 My seat belt (driver ) lock is broken ,to attach the seat belt in place..I have to just keep it clicked in, and put it over my shoulder (over a yr now)Owner complaint, filed 2026

Feb 2026 My airbag light came on few days ago, now my horn doesn't work, and the functions on the steering wheel don't work, like being able to reset tire pressure and check functions for the car, the phone, the radio/cd information. Jan 2025 My seat belt (driver ) lock is broken ,to attach the seat belt in place..I have to just keep it…Owner complaint, filed 2026