IllustrationEPC electronic power control light is on and indicates speed of 40 mph, transmission light on, car aggressively vibrating.
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Tiguan years
Owner complaints for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan are substantially higher than the model-year median of 124.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tiguan years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1300–25K
1825–50K
250–75K
375–100K
1100–150K
0150K+
154 reports with mileage · 128 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.
- Engine. Review the 80 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports3 fire reports6 injury reports
Engine complaints
80 reportsThe contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated that the EPC warning light illuminated, and a message was displayed on the instrument panel “Engine Speed - Max 4,000 RPM”. The contact stated that when the …
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated that the EPC warning light illuminated, and a message was displayed on the instrument panel “Engine Speed - Max 4,000 RPM”. The contact stated that when the message was displayed on the instrument panel, the vehicle would decelerate to 15 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that she was informed by the dealer that the failure was a known issue and was due to a faulty transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000
When I first purchased my vehicle the epc came on multiple times and I had to take it back to the dealership. Fast forward last week when I was going home on the eway same issues car wouldn’t accelerate the car was idled at the speed of 40mph it wouldn’t go any faster for a few minutes then it took off out of no where. Also when…
Read full complaint
When I first purchased my vehicle the epc came on multiple times and I had to take it back to the dealership. Fast forward last week when I was going home on the eway same issues car wouldn’t accelerate the car was idled at the speed of 40mph it wouldn’t go any faster for a few minutes then it took off out of no where. Also when I was taking my kids to school I was making a left turn and lost control of my vehicle because it was idled and took off out of no where. That’s not safe for me my kids or any passengers traveling with me. It’s also not safe for other drivers or pedestrians. Very scary moment took my vehicle in that same day to be told it was battery issues. They claimed because the epc light wasn’t on it’s harder to diagnose to get another battery and to keep the car overnight to see if that works if not further diagnose the car. I picked my vehicle up had my battery inspected by a different service provider and was told the battery was just fine. I keep reaching out to the location I got the vehicle from their not correcting the issue and corporate just told me to go to another dealership and gave a im sorry about your frustration comment. Clearly the car has a defect always had one since day one when it was supposed to be a cpo vehicle in the first place. And I had issues the same week I purchased the vehicle. Also haven’t had my car a year and I’m having all kind of issues
I was travelling on highway, 55 miles speed , all of sudden voice came from engine and car lost power and came to 10 miles and accelerator was not working it gave me message on dash bord that RPM High. i moved the car towards edge of the road and shut it. after 5 minutes i started again and went to work. However its gave me s…
Read full complaint
I was travelling on highway, 55 miles speed , all of sudden voice came from engine and car lost power and came to 10 miles and accelerator was not working it gave me message on dash bord that RPM High. i moved the car towards edge of the road and shut it. after 5 minutes i started again and went to work. However its gave me same problem while i was coming home .my car has only 20000. miles and no other issue. its dangerous when car is moving with the flow of traffic and loose power and does not move.
Engine failure at 72,614 miles. Volkswagen refusing to assist.
I took the vehicle in to the local dealership for an oil change and after the oil change was completed, I drove about 10 miles before the engine seemed to lose power an misfile. The "Check Engine" light started flashing before it turned solid. I called the dealership and they asked me to bring the vehicle back. After scanning th…
Read full complaint
I took the vehicle in to the local dealership for an oil change and after the oil change was completed, I drove about 10 miles before the engine seemed to lose power an misfile. The "Check Engine" light started flashing before it turned solid. I called the dealership and they asked me to bring the vehicle back. After scanning the vehicle OBD information, per the dealership invoice, it returned the following codes: 1. P0343001 (Camshaft Pos. Sensor Circ. High Input) 2. P0300001 (Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected) Eventually, they contacted VW and were asked to drain the oil, in which they found metal particles. VW then requested them to tear down the engine at which they noticed "excessive amounts of metal on bottom of oil pan". Upon reporting back to VW, dealership was asked to replace "long block with turbo assembly due to metal contamination". My understanding is that the entire engine has been replaced along with the turbocharger. Car was at dealership for 59 days total.
While driving down the highway, my car completely shut off and shut down while going 45mph. Due to everything shutting off, there were no brake lights, hazards, blinkers, etc that I was able to use to warn other drivers of what was happening, therefore I was almost hit multiple times. It turned back on, then back off while drivi…
Read full complaint
While driving down the highway, my car completely shut off and shut down while going 45mph. Due to everything shutting off, there were no brake lights, hazards, blinkers, etc that I was able to use to warn other drivers of what was happening, therefore I was almost hit multiple times. It turned back on, then back off while driving, 4 more times until the final time when it would not turn back on or turn over at all, I had to pull off the road and it wouldn’t turn back on again. At this time I got the battery tested and it was bad. I bought the new battery and the new battery didn’t change anything. It still was doing the same thing, not turning on at all. Not even trying to turn over to turn on. I had my vehicle towed to the Volkswagen dealership in Ocala on college road. While at this shop, they have told me that the NEW battery is what has cause the issues, which is incorrect as the issues began BEFORE I got a new battery. They are also saying that because I got a new battery that they will not cover the repairs under my warranty. I had to get in a new battery for my safety after almost being hit on the highway due to the electronics or other issues being faulty in the car.
The first time this problem occurred was in April right after a routine maintenance check. The car was idling in a parking lot when the engine started to vibrate and a warning was displayed that said "Max Engine Speed 4000 RPM". The car was turned off and then back on. The warning did show up on the display, but the "check engin…
Read full complaint
The first time this problem occurred was in April right after a routine maintenance check. The car was idling in a parking lot when the engine started to vibrate and a warning was displayed that said "Max Engine Speed 4000 RPM". The car was turned off and then back on. The warning did show up on the display, but the "check engine" light was lit. The car was driven back home, and after that drive the check engine light was not lit anymore. To be safe the car was taken to the dealer. The dealer was not able to replicate the issue. Later, in July, the max engine speed and EPC warnings were displayed on the screen in the middle of a trip. At this time there was also a loss of acceleration power. The driver pulled over, stopped the car, and then restarted it. When the car restarted the warning lights were no longer on so the driver completed the trip. In the manual it says that the car can still be operated if the EPC warning light is on, but that it should be taken to a dealer. This led the driver to believe that it was safe to complete the trip and take the car to their home dealership after the holiday. The following day, the EPC warning light and the max engine speed warning both appeared in the middle of a drive. The driver was driving up a hill on a backroad with no possible pull off. The driver had to stop the car in the middle of a road directly after a blind turn. The driver restarted the car and was able to drive about 10 yards before the warning came on again and the engine cut out. The driver repeated turning the car off and then back on multiple times to be able to safely get the car up the hill and to an area where a pull-off was available. Luckily, no other cars were coming at the time the car was stalled. It was a very unsafe location! The car is currently in the process of being towed to the dealer to be worked on. This seems like a very serious safety concern that is affecting other Tiguan owners too.
Car has multiple malfunctions. Has had noisy valvetrain, lack of power upon acceleration, has sputtered with a load on engine especially uphill. Car shut off completely while at 60 mph and nearly caused a catastrophic collision with my whole family in the car. Car presents substantial safety risk. Multiple codes/warnings have fl…
Read full complaint
Car has multiple malfunctions. Has had noisy valvetrain, lack of power upon acceleration, has sputtered with a load on engine especially uphill. Car shut off completely while at 60 mph and nearly caused a catastrophic collision with my whole family in the car. Car presents substantial safety risk. Multiple codes/warnings have flashed up on the display screen(Evap,Trans,fuel inj,etc). Transmission went into "emergency mode" after being started up today, then went away after restarted. Car has been to dealership but issues were not properly addressed/ignored. VW of America is well aware of issues with these cars but ignores the consumers needs and puts consumers at great safety risk by doing so. This vehicle has both engine and transmission issues as well as odd electrical anomalies.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the EPC warning light illuminated, causing the vehicle to go into limp mode. The vehicle decelerated to approximately 20 MPH. The contact pulled over and assessed the vehicle; however, did not physically see any issues with the vehi…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the EPC warning light illuminated, causing the vehicle to go into limp mode. The vehicle decelerated to approximately 20 MPH. The contact pulled over and assessed the vehicle; however, did not physically see any issues with the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and she proceeded to drive however, the vehicle failed to exceed 27 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.
Official recalls
1426V590000 · Steering
Sep 11, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the right-side steering rack mounting bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 10, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 48LG and 48VT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 16, 2026.
22V226000 · Structure:body
Apr 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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An insufficiently attached spoiler may separate from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
21V732000 · Structure:body:roof And Pillars
Sep 23, 2021
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan vehicles. During the repair of roof damage, an incorrect roof reinforcement assembly may have been installed.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The incorrect roof reinforcement may decrease the roof's structural integrity or impact deployment of the side curtain air bags, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will be replace the roof reinforcement, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 51H5.
20V724000 · Seat Belts:front:webbing
Nov 20, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan LWB vehicles. In the event of a crash, one or both of the front seat belt's webbing may tear.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A torn seat belt may not adequately restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat belts and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69BH.
19V679000 · Unknown Or Other
Sep 25, 2019
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible 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 repurchase the affected vehicles. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D7. Note: This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 18V-329.
19V188000 · Suspension:rear:springs:coil Springs
Mar 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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
18V824000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel
Nov 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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
18V467000 · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly
Jul 13, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles. The LED module for the panoramic sunroof ambient light bar may short circuit.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A short-circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the power supply for the panoramic sunroof LED module, free of charge, until a future service action can safely reactivate the feature. The recall began July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall 60D1.
18V375000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Jun 6, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan vehicles. In the event of a crash, the passenger frontal air bag may tear or not properly unfold during deployment.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the air bag were to tear or unfold incorrectly during deployment, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69W8, and 69W9.
18V324000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint
May 16, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan and Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The nut that holds the lower ball joint of the front wheel on each side of the vehicle may be loose or improperly tightened.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loose or improperly tightened ball joint nut can result in the separation of the lower ball joint causing steering, traction or other stability issues, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the nut on the lower ball joint and, as necessary, clean the thread in the ball joint, 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 40N4. Note: owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair has been performed.
18V262000 · Suspension:rear:shock Absorber
Apr 25, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan long wheelbase (LWB) vehicles. A lower loop of a rear shock absorber may separate from its base due to an incorrect welding process
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the lower loop of the rear shock absorber detaches, there may be a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear shock absorbers, replacing them as necessary, 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 42i7.
18V159000 · Engine
Mar 8, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The engine support bolts on these vehicles may not have been properly tightened.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the engine support bolts were not properly tightened, an unexpected engine breakdown or loss of engine power may occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace engine support bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10F7.
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.
17V662000 · Exterior Lighting:tail Lights
Oct 18, 2017
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The back-up lights in the taillight assemblies may not be bright enough. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the back-up lights are not bright enough, other drivers may not see the vehicle reversing, or the driver may back into an obstacle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected inner taillight assemblies, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94J9.
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
2EA18005 · Seat Belt Webbing Failure
Opened Jul 3, 2018 · Closed Feb 27, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts; Seat Belts:front; Seat Belts:front:webbing
In December 2017, NHTSA conducted two (2) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) tests on the Model Year (MY) 2018 Volkswagen (VW) Tiguan. Both tests were 35mph full frontal impacts into a rigid barrier with a 50th percentile male dummy seat-belted in the driver position and a 5th percentile female seat-belted in the right front passenger position. The tests were conducted on December 8, 2017, at MGA Research Corp. (MGA) in Wisconsin and December 13, 2017, at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) of Ohio.During both crash tests, the driver seat belt webbing completely separated at the point where the webbing loops through the Crash Locking Tongue (CLT). In both NCAP tests, the dummy injury criteria requirements, as set forth in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, were met with one exception. The chest deceleration G force requirement was exceeded in the test conducted at TRC. The FMVSS 208 injury criteria requirement for the chest deceleration is 60 Gs and it was measured at 67 Gs in the test conducted at TRC. It should be noted, FMVSS 208 does not include a requirement that the seat belt webbing remain intact during a frontal collision to comply with the standard. Compliance with the standard is based on the dummy injury criteria.Further, the Agency has conducted NCAP testing with no substantial protocol changes for over forty (40) years. This includes tests conducted prior and subsequent to the subject NCAP tests. During that time there has not been a similar failure of the seat belt webbing in any other NCAP tested vehicle manufactured by VW or another manufacturer.In November 2020, VW filed a defect notice (20V-724/69BH) that recalled seat belt systems, both driver, and front passenger, that were manufactured with webbing from the same lot as the two NCAP tested MY2018 Tiguan vehicles. VW has tested and inspected several of the returned seat belt systems and found no anomalies in either the webbing or the CLT that would substantially affect system performance in a frontal collision.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) estimates that between 2000 and 3500 frontal collisions involving MY2018 VW Tiguan vehicles have occurred in the field during the time these vehicles have been in service. This estimate is based on vehicle population and an estimated yearly rate of severe frontal collisions.A severe frontal collision is defined, in this instance, as being of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment of the frontal air bags. These collisions would place a significant load on the seat belt system similar to loads experienced during the NCAP tests. To date, neither ODI nor VW is aware of any frontal collision in the field that resulted in separation of the seat belt webbing. ODI believes that had any field collisions involved separation of the seat belt webbing, the Agency would have been notified.In view of the recall being conducted by VW, and lack of field data demonstrating a system defect, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Seat Belts:front
In December 2017, NHTSA conducted two (2) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) tests on the Model Year (MY) 2018 Volkswagen (VW) Tiguan. Both tests were 35mph full frontal impacts into a rigid barrier with a 50th percentile male dummy seat-belted in the driver position and a 5th percentile female seat-belted in the right front passenger position. The tests were conducted on December 8, 2017, at MGA Research Corp. (MGA) in Wisconsin and December 13, 2017, at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) of Ohio.During both crash tests, the driver seat belt webbing completely separated at the point where the webbing loops through the Crash Locking Tongue (CLT). In both NCAP tests, the dummy injury criteria requirements, as set forth in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, were met with one exception. The chest deceleration G force requirement was exceeded in the test conducted at TRC. The FMVSS 208 injury criteria requirement for the chest deceleration is 60 Gs and it was measured at 67 Gs in the test conducted at TRC. It should be noted, FMVSS 208 does not include a requirement that the seat belt webbing remain intact during a frontal collision to comply with the standard. Compliance with the standard is based on the dummy injury criteria.Further, the Agency has conducted NCAP testing with no substantial protocol changes for over forty (40) years. This includes tests conducted prior and subsequent to the subject NCAP tests. During that time there has not been a similar failure of the seat belt webbing in any other NCAP tested vehicle manufactured by VW or another manufacturer.In November 2020, VW filed a defect notice (20V-724/69BH) that recalled seat belt systems, both driver, and front passenger, that were manufactured with webbing from the same lot as the two NCAP tested MY2018 Tiguan vehicles. VW has tested and inspected several of the returned seat belt systems and found no anomalies in either the webbing or the CLT that would substantially affect system performance in a frontal collision.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) estimates that between 2000 and 3500 frontal collisions involving MY2018 VW Tiguan vehicles have occurred in the field during the time these vehicles have been in service. This estimate is based on vehicle population and an estimated yearly rate of severe frontal collisions.A severe frontal collision is defined, in this instance, as being of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment of the frontal air bags. These collisions would place a significant load on the seat belt system similar to loads experienced during the NCAP tests. To date, neither ODI nor VW is aware of any frontal collision in the field that resulted in separation of the seat belt webbing. ODI believes that had any field collisions involved separation of the seat belt webbing, the Agency would have been notified.In view of the recall being conducted by VW, and lack of field data demonstrating a system defect, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
Seat Belts:front:webbing
In December 2017, NHTSA conducted two (2) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) tests on the Model Year (MY) 2018 Volkswagen (VW) Tiguan. Both tests were 35mph full frontal impacts into a rigid barrier with a 50th percentile male dummy seat-belted in the driver position and a 5th percentile female seat-belted in the right front passenger position. The tests were conducted on December 8, 2017, at MGA Research Corp. (MGA) in Wisconsin and December 13, 2017, at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) of Ohio.During both crash tests, the driver seat belt webbing completely separated at the point where the webbing loops through the Crash Locking Tongue (CLT). In both NCAP tests, the dummy injury criteria requirements, as set forth in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, were met with one exception. The chest deceleration G force requirement was exceeded in the test conducted at TRC. The FMVSS 208 injury criteria requirement for the chest deceleration is 60 Gs and it was measured at 67 Gs in the test conducted at TRC. It should be noted, FMVSS 208 does not include a requirement that the seat belt webbing remain intact during a frontal collision to comply with the standard. Compliance with the standard is based on the dummy injury criteria.Further, the Agency has conducted NCAP testing with no substantial protocol changes for over forty (40) years. This includes tests conducted prior and subsequent to the subject NCAP tests. During that time there has not been a similar failure of the seat belt webbing in any other NCAP tested vehicle manufactured by VW or another manufacturer.In November 2020, VW filed a defect notice (20V-724/69BH) that recalled seat belt systems, both driver, and front passenger, that were manufactured with webbing from the same lot as the two NCAP tested MY2018 Tiguan vehicles. VW has tested and inspected several of the returned seat belt systems and found no anomalies in either the webbing or the CLT that would substantially affect system performance in a frontal collision.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) estimates that between 2000 and 3500 frontal collisions involving MY2018 VW Tiguan vehicles have occurred in the field during the time these vehicles have been in service. This estimate is based on vehicle population and an estimated yearly rate of severe frontal collisions.A severe frontal collision is defined, in this instance, as being of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment of the frontal air bags. These collisions would place a significant load on the seat belt system similar to loads experienced during the NCAP tests. To date, neither ODI nor VW is aware of any frontal collision in the field that resulted in separation of the seat belt webbing. ODI believes that had any field collisions involved separation of the seat belt webbing, the Agency would have been notified.In view of the recall being conducted by VW, and lack of field data demonstrating a system defect, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
Seat Belts
In December 2017, NHTSA conducted two (2) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) tests on the Model Year (MY) 2018 Volkswagen (VW) Tiguan. Both tests were 35mph full frontal impacts into a rigid barrier with a 50th percentile male dummy seat-belted in the driver position and a 5th percentile female seat-belted in the right front passenger position. The tests were conducted on December 8, 2017, at MGA Research Corp. (MGA) in Wisconsin and December 13, 2017, at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) of Ohio.During both crash tests, the driver seat belt webbing completely separated at the point where the webbing loops through the Crash Locking Tongue (CLT). In both NCAP tests, the dummy injury criteria requirements, as set forth in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, were met with one exception. The chest deceleration G force requirement was exceeded in the test conducted at TRC. The FMVSS 208 injury criteria requirement for the chest deceleration is 60 Gs and it was measured at 67 Gs in the test conducted at TRC. It should be noted, FMVSS 208 does not include a requirement that the seat belt webbing remain intact during a frontal collision to comply with the standard. Compliance with the standard is based on the dummy injury criteria.Further, the Agency has conducted NCAP testing with no substantial protocol changes for over forty (40) years. This includes tests conducted prior and subsequent to the subject NCAP tests. During that time there has not been a similar failure of the seat belt webbing in any other NCAP tested vehicle manufactured by VW or another manufacturer.In November 2020, VW filed a defect notice (20V-724/69BH) that recalled seat belt systems, both driver, and front passenger, that were manufactured with webbing from the same lot as the two NCAP tested MY2018 Tiguan vehicles. VW has tested and inspected several of the returned seat belt systems and found no anomalies in either the webbing or the CLT that would substantially affect system performance in a frontal collision.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) estimates that between 2000 and 3500 frontal collisions involving MY2018 VW Tiguan vehicles have occurred in the field during the time these vehicles have been in service. This estimate is based on vehicle population and an estimated yearly rate of severe frontal collisions.A severe frontal collision is defined, in this instance, as being of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment of the frontal air bags. These collisions would place a significant load on the seat belt system similar to loads experienced during the NCAP tests. To date, neither ODI nor VW is aware of any frontal collision in the field that resulted in separation of the seat belt webbing. ODI believes that had any field collisions involved separation of the seat belt webbing, the Agency would have been notified.In view of the recall being conducted by VW, and lack of field data demonstrating a system defect, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
PE18001 · Seat Belt Webbing Failure
Opened Jan 10, 2018 · Closed Jul 3, 2018
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:front:webbing
In December 2017, NHTSA conducted two New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) tests on the 2018 MY Volkswagen (VW) Tiguan. Both tests were 35 mph, full frontal impacts into a rigid barrier with a 50th percentile male dummy seat-belted in the driver position and a 5th percentile female seat-belted in the right front-passenger position. The tests were conducted on December 8, 2017 at MGA Research Corp. in Wisconsin (MGA) and December 13, 2017 at the Transportation Research Center of Ohio (TRC).During both crash tests, the driver seat belt webbing completely separated in tension where it looped through the seat belt latch tongue (see attached photos). Based on its analysis of the NCAP test results, VW asserted that the test dummy umbilical cord exerted additional forces on the seat belt system causing the separation. To support this theory, VW conducted several sled tests.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-001) on 01/10/2018 to evaluate the two (2) incidents of seat belt separation. ODI and NCAP reviewed the sled test data submitted by VW in support of their theory. Micro analysis, conducted by the Materials Laboratory at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), verified the seat belts failed in tension and not due to cuts or abrasion.PE18-001 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA18-005) to further examine seat belt behavior in the subject vehicles and to determine, among other things, a root cause for the seat belt separation. ODI will perform a thorough review of any vehicle and seat belt design changes for the new 2018 MY Tiguan platform and their effects on the performance of the seat belt system.