NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Unknown Or Other complaints
50 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Oct 27, 2023
Seat BeltsUnknown Or Other
The panoramic sunroof continually leaks into the rear c-pillar. Each time it rains the seat belts become saturated with rain water. I am of the opinion this will cause more rapid deterioration of the seat belts than usual. Additionally, water ponds in the rear floor boards and is a mold hazard. The last rain, the rear seat also …
Read full complaint
The panoramic sunroof continually leaks into the rear c-pillar. Each time it rains the seat belts become saturated with rain water. I am of the opinion this will cause more rapid deterioration of the seat belts than usual. Additionally, water ponds in the rear floor boards and is a mold hazard. The last rain, the rear seat also became saturated and our baby's carseat got wet. VW claims there is no defect in the sunroof.
NHTSA ODI #11552231
Mileage unknown · Sep 20, 2023
Unknown Or Other
The automatic door locks are malfunctioning (starting early September 2023). When the vehicle accelerates, the automatic door locks continuously engage, repeatedly, causing audible distractions while driving. This is a safety issue because with three kids in the rear, the doors are not locked while driving. Typically, once you a…
Read full complaint
The automatic door locks are malfunctioning (starting early September 2023). When the vehicle accelerates, the automatic door locks continuously engage, repeatedly, causing audible distractions while driving. This is a safety issue because with three kids in the rear, the doors are not locked while driving. Typically, once you accelerate from park above a certain speed, the door locks automatically engage. Now they go on/off continuously while at all speeds, including highway speed. Now the doors can be opened, and the noise itself is considerably distracting. It also allows for anyone, while parked at a stoplight or freeway exit, to open the doors. The dealership inspected it and quoted over $900 for the repairs, however I do not agree with this assessment. For a 2018 $30k+ vehicle, a basic function like this should not be malfunctioning. This is not normal wear and tear like brake pads. The cost to repair is unreasonable, and it is not covered under the warranty. There are no warning lights and indicators appearing on the vehicle noting the issue. The issue is ongoing every instance the vehicle is driven and we do not feel safe due to the distraction or the possibility of kids opening the doors while driving (or someone on the outside). The dealer also advised there's a possibility the locks will further malfunction and we could get locked inside or outside the vehicle. Again, neither of those scenarios are safe, especially living in a hot climate like Phoenix, AZ.
NHTSA ODI #11545579
Mileage unknown · Sep 19, 2023
Unknown Or Other
This morning, while driving on the highway with my infant son in the car, my sunroof exploded on my 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan.
NHTSA ODI #11545428
Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2023
SteeringUnknown Or Other
Hi DMV, (NHTSA.gov), The steering light issue, Dealer currently do not have an ETA, the car is at the dealership still waiting for parts. Is unsafe to drive with this issues because the Steering got stuck. Thank you for the opportunity to share this problem. Sincerely [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF …
Read full complaint
Hi DMV, (NHTSA.gov), The steering light issue, Dealer currently do not have an ETA, the car is at the dealership still waiting for parts. Is unsafe to drive with this issues because the Steering got stuck. Thank you for the opportunity to share this problem. Sincerely [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11541991
Mileage unknown · Dec 7, 2022
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other
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.
NHTSA ODI #11496468
Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other
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.
NHTSA ODI #11477017
20,000 miles · Mar 13, 2021
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or Other
I WAS DRIVING WITH A FRIEND IN CAR DOING SPEED LIMIT AND ALL OF OF SUDDEN THE RED VEHICLE ACCIDENT IMAGE CAME ON THE CAR SHUDDERED AND THE AUTO BRAKES CAME ON THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED MY FRIEND FREAKED OUT I BOT IT IN SEPT 18 AND IT HAPPENED A COUPLE MONTHS AFTER THAT I IMMEDIATELY CALLED VW
NHTSA ODI #11402727
Mileage unknown · Jan 25, 2021
Back Over PreventionUnknown Or Other
I'VE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE REVERSE CAMERA AND THE INFOTAINMENT DISPLAY. THIS HAPPENS 70% OF THE TIME BUT WHEN I PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE, THE SCREEN WILL GO BLACK WITH A POP UP SAYING "THE PARKPILOT IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE". THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY, SOMETIMES WHEN I LEAVE HOME THE REVERSE CAMERA WORKS FINE, BUT WHEN I TRY…
Read full complaint
I'VE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE REVERSE CAMERA AND THE INFOTAINMENT DISPLAY. THIS HAPPENS 70% OF THE TIME BUT WHEN I PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE, THE SCREEN WILL GO BLACK WITH A POP UP SAYING "THE PARKPILOT IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE". THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY, SOMETIMES WHEN I LEAVE HOME THE REVERSE CAMERA WORKS FINE, BUT WHEN I TRY TO PARK SOMEWHERE AT MY DESTINATION THE ISSUE APPEARS. SOMETIMES AN IMAGE FROM THE RVC WILL APPEAR FOR A SPLIT SECOND THEN CUT OUT TO BLACK WITH THE POPUP OF THE PARK PILOT NOT BEING AVAILABLE. I DON'T THE HAVE PARK ASSIST FEATURE AVAILABLE ON THE MODEL I'VE PURCHASED, SO I'M NOT SURE WHY THE CAR EVEN THINKS I HAVE "PARK PILOT". THE ISSUE "FIXES" ITSELF WHEN I'VE LEFT THE CAR ON OFF FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES BUT THE ISSUE WILL REAPPEAR AGAIN SOONER OR LATER. IT'S AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND I'VE TAKEN MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITH NO RESOLUTION. I PURCHASED THIS CAR BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT SAFETY FEATURE AND NOW I CAN'T EVEN USE IT BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WORK.
NHTSA ODI #11389911
40,300 miles · Sep 27, 2020
Unknown Or Other
SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN JUNE 2018 I HAVE NOTICED AND REPORTED CONCERNS ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION FEELING LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING WHILE DRIVING. WITHIN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE THAT IS MAKING VARIOUS INDICATOR LIGHTS TO COME ON. MOST CONCERNING AND UNSAFE ON 9/11/20 THROUGH 9/15/20, MY CAR S…
Read full complaint
SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN JUNE 2018 I HAVE NOTICED AND REPORTED CONCERNS ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION FEELING LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING WHILE DRIVING. WITHIN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE THAT IS MAKING VARIOUS INDICATOR LIGHTS TO COME ON. MOST CONCERNING AND UNSAFE ON 9/11/20 THROUGH 9/15/20, MY CAR STALLED RANDOMLY 8 TIMES. NO ISSUE COULD BE DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER, HOWEVER ON 9/16, THERE WAS A RECALL. AFTER THE RECALL WAS FIXED ON 9/19/20, I GOT AN ALERT THAT THE 'TRANSMISSION IS IN EMERGENCY MODE', I RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW GEARSHIFT. I AM TERRIFIED THAT THE CAR WILL RANDOMLY STALK AGAIN AND HAVE HAD NO ASSURANCE THAT IT WILL NOT AS VW NEVER IDENTIFIED AN ISSUE THAT CAUSED THE STALLING.
NHTSA ODI #11361342
25,805 miles · Sep 14, 2020
Unknown Or Other
CAR FALSELY READS ANOTHER CAR OR OBSTACLE IN FRONT AND BRAKES UNEXPECTEDLY
NHTSA ODI #11354844
Official recalls
14Sep 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Illustration