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2017 Volkswagen Tiguan

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 124.5.

About this comparison →
75Owner complaints

Model-year median: 124.5

4Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
84
201462
201596
201675
2017282
2018191
2019140
2020
Compare all Tiguan years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
30Engine
15Electrical System
12Steering
12Unknown Or Other
9
All reported categories
Fuel/propulsion System
6Power Train
5Structure
4Service Brakes
3Fuel System, Gasoline
2Engine And Engine Cooling
1Exterior Lighting
1Forward Collision Avoidance
1Seat Belts
1Tires
1Visibility/wiper
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

23 reports with mileage · 52 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

6 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

What owners actually said

75 reports
Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2023
Air BagsSteering

I started to get an "airbag error" message on the dash and then noticed that my horn no longer works, and neither do any of the buttons on either side of the wheel that control the dash menus and sound/phone system. I was able to determine this is a clock spring failure. From what I read, this is not a part that is supposed to w…

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I started to get an "airbag error" message on the dash and then noticed that my horn no longer works, and neither do any of the buttons on either side of the wheel that control the dash menus and sound/phone system. I was able to determine this is a clock spring failure. From what I read, this is not a part that is supposed to wear out or fail from the age of the car and is expected to last the life of the car. Unfortunately, I now have no horn and possibly no airbags and I can't change any view on my dash to look up anything else.

NHTSA ODI #11558514

Mileage unknown · Oct 14, 2023
Air Bags

The clock spring is broken on the 2017 Tiguan 4 motion @ 67,017 miles. The airbag light immediately came on. The part was removed for inspection and replacement by my husband. With the airbag/clock spring disabled turn signals, wipers do not work. Steering is very hard and there is a giant hole where the airbag should be making …

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The clock spring is broken on the 2017 Tiguan 4 motion @ 67,017 miles. The airbag light immediately came on. The part was removed for inspection and replacement by my husband. With the airbag/clock spring disabled turn signals, wipers do not work. Steering is very hard and there is a giant hole where the airbag should be making this vehicle unsafe. I see there is a recall on clock springs but apparently this Tiguan isn’t included but it should be. First noticed this problem Oct 12 2022 The part number is 5k0953569AP

NHTSA ODI #11549985

Mileage unknown · Sep 19, 2023
Steering

Steering column locks upon start up. The light is red on the dashboard. You can not power steer the car thus making the car unusable. The code that comes up is to replace the steering rack. This is a $2k part rebuilt and a $3k part new. This is happening on many many VWs. Ours failed at 130k miles and 6 years old. I’ve heard of…

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Steering column locks upon start up. The light is red on the dashboard. You can not power steer the car thus making the car unusable. The code that comes up is to replace the steering rack. This is a $2k part rebuilt and a $3k part new. This is happening on many many VWs. Ours failed at 130k miles and 6 years old. I’ve heard of others failing at 80k miles, etc. this is absurd that this is happening! a car is supposed to move and steer that’s what makes it a car. Volkswagen needs to recall this and reimburse those who have paid to have it fixed. The car is incredibly dangerous to drive with the steering rack failing.

NHTSA ODI #11545507

Mileage unknown · Aug 22, 2023
Air BagsSteering

Clock Spring - Crackling sound in steering wheel when turning right and left; airbag indicator

NHTSA ODI #11539994

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2023
Air Bags

Airbag light went on at 56k miles. VW service told us it was a faulty airbag. I paid 2k to have passenger side airbag replaced. 500 miles later the airbag light came on again. I had VW service review the problem and this time they said it is the drivers side airbag. The car has never been in any accident. Airbags should last the…

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Airbag light went on at 56k miles. VW service told us it was a faulty airbag. I paid 2k to have passenger side airbag replaced. 500 miles later the airbag light came on again. I had VW service review the problem and this time they said it is the drivers side airbag. The car has never been in any accident. Airbags should last the life of the car and certainly not 57k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11535621

70,000 miles · Jul 11, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that after the vehicle had an oil change, oil leaked onto the driveway while the vehicle was parked. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the valve covers needed to…

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The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that after the vehicle had an oil change, oil leaked onto the driveway while the vehicle was parked. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the valve covers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI #11531517

Mileage unknown · Jun 22, 2023
Air Bags

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan airbag Clockspring has failed. Safety impact: airbags will fail to deploy if needed in the event of an accident. This is an ongoing issue with Tiguan’s and has been investigated in previous models. Part has not been inspected yet. No warning lights prior to a loud click in the steering column followed…

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2017 Volkswagen Tiguan airbag Clockspring has failed. Safety impact: airbags will fail to deploy if needed in the event of an accident. This is an ongoing issue with Tiguan’s and has been investigated in previous models. Part has not been inspected yet. No warning lights prior to a loud click in the steering column followed by an “Error: Airbags” notification on dash and airbag light coming on. Happened 6/18/2023

NHTSA ODI #11528410

Mileage unknown · Feb 10, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Clock spring failure on 2017 model just like all of the past year's that were a part of a recall and investigation.

NHTSA ODI #11506641

Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2022
Power TrainSteeringStructureCrashInjury

I suffered a front-end collision on 11/15/2022 in my 2017 VW Tiguan. I was going on I-66 in Virginia 40-45mph back to college at Howard University, and a car stopped suddenly after being cut off, but it was raining horribly and I was in half a foot of water, so even with braking, I hydroplaned into the vehicle in front of me, ca…

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I suffered a front-end collision on 11/15/2022 in my 2017 VW Tiguan. I was going on I-66 in Virginia 40-45mph back to college at Howard University, and a car stopped suddenly after being cut off, but it was raining horribly and I was in half a foot of water, so even with braking, I hydroplaned into the vehicle in front of me, causing insubstantial damage to them but very significant damage to my vehicle as well as whiplash.

NHTSA ODI #11494504

Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2022
Unknown Or Other

The Infotainment system fails to start or reboots randomly causing the back up camera not to work. Teddy VW of the Bronx dealership stated it is a critical concern. The back up camera not displaying on infotainment screen is a hazardous condition when pulling out of a parking spot.

NHTSA ODI #11491334

Official recalls

4

21V321000 · Unknown Or Other

May 5, 2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

Remedy: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

18V329000 · Unknown Or Other

May 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.

Remedy: 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.

18V102000 · Air Bags:frontal

Feb 9, 2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be intended for use in vehicles sold in the United States. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, the incorrect air bags may not protect the driver as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel and front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69V2.

16V955000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:side/window; Seat Belts:pretensioner

Dec 29, 2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Additional source detail variants (4)

Seat Belts:pretensioner

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:side/window

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Volkswagen Tiguan problems

Volkswagen Tiguan electrical problems →