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Volkswagen Tiguan Problems by Year

Which Volkswagen Tiguan years have the most owner complaints, what goes wrong, and how many recalls each year has.

Volkswagen Tiguan, 2018 to 2024 model years
Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0

Owners have filed 1,808 complaints with NHTSA about the Volkswagen Tiguan from 2012 to 2024. Across every year, the most reported problem areas are the engine and cooling, the electrical system and the air bags. The years with the most complaints are 2018, 2022 and 2019.

Years to avoid

The most complaints compared with other Tiguan years.

Safer bets

Clearly fewer complaints than a typical Tiguan year. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate.

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Complaints by year

Tap a year to see its most reported problems, its recalls and what to check before you buy. Newer years have had less time on the road, so they always look better here. Red marks the worst years, orange years worse than most, and green the better ones.

Every year at a glance

YearVs. other yearsComplaintsRecallsMost reported
2012 TiguanAbout average1533Engine and cooling
2013 TiguanAbout average1403Air bags
2014 TiguanOne of the better years843Air bags
2015 TiguanOne of the better years624Air bags
2016 TiguanOne of the better years972Air bags
2017 TiguanOne of the better years764Air bags
2018 TiguanAmong the worst years28814Engine and cooling
2019 TiguanWorse than most years1965Electrical system
2020 TiguanAbout average1413Electrical system
2021 TiguanAbout average1445Engine and cooling
2022 TiguanWorse than most years2765Engine and cooling
2023 TiguanToo new to judge721Engine and cooling
2024 TiguanToo new to judge792Electrical system

Other Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Tiguan questions

What are the worst Volkswagen Tiguan years?

Compared with its other years, the Tiguan years with the most owner complaints to NHTSA are 2018. The most reported problem area across all years is the engine and cooling.

What are the best Volkswagen Tiguan years?

The Tiguan years with clearly fewer complaints than a typical year are 2014, 2015 and 2017. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly, since complaints keep coming in as cars age.

What are the most common Volkswagen Tiguan problems?

Across 2012 to 2024, owners report problems with the engine and cooling, the electrical system and the air bags most often. Each model year has its own pattern, so check the year you are looking at.

How many recalls does the Volkswagen Tiguan have?

NHTSA lists 54 recalls across the 2012 to 2024 Tiguan, counted per model year. A recall can cover several years.

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Where these numbers come from. Complaints are reports that owners filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), counted from NHTSA’s complaint database as of November 5, 2026. Owners do not have to prove a problem to file one, so a complaint is a report, not a confirmed defect. Models that sell in big numbers get more complaints, and newer model years have had less time on the road, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Recalls come from NHTSA’s recall database and cover every vehicle of that model year, not one particular car. Quotes are trimmed, and anything that looks like a VIN is hidden.