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2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 124.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

64 reports with mileage · 127 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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 24 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 reports1 fire reports5 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

39 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2026
EngineUnknown Or Other

Vehicle: 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Mileage: Approximately 84,000 miles Problem: Intermittent Park-position/gear-selector warning and transmission emergency mode My 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan has developed an intermittent safety-related transmission/gear-selector problem. The vehicle intermittently displays the warning: “Only exit ve…

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Vehicle: 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Mileage: Approximately 84,000 miles Problem: Intermittent Park-position/gear-selector warning and transmission emergency mode My 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan has developed an intermittent safety-related transmission/gear-selector problem. The vehicle intermittently displays the warning: “Only exit vehicle in P position. Please service vehicle.” At other times, the vehicle also displays: “Transmission in emergency mode.” The warnings are intermittent, but they have occurred while operating the vehicle. The problem appears to involve the vehicle’s ability to correctly recognize or communicate the transmission/gear-selector position. I am concerned that this may represent a safety defect involving the gear-selector/Park-position detection system rather than a normal transmission failure. I understand that Volkswagen previously recalled certain 2011–2019 vehicles under NHTSA Recall 19V-615 / Volkswagen Recall 37M2 because of a shift-lever microswitch problem involving incorrect recognition of the Park position. NHTSA’s recall documentation states that an incorrect Park-position signal can create a risk of unintended vehicle rollaway. However, the Tiguan was not included in that recall. I am asking NHTSA to investigate if a similar defect may affect 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles and whether the Tiguan should have been included in the prior recall or whether a separate safety recall/investigation is warranted. Because the vehicle can enter transmission emergency mode and may intermittently fail to correctly recognize the Park/selector position, I believe this warrants review as a potential safety defect. I respectfully request that NHTSA review the complaint history for 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles and determine if it is a safety-related defect. I am also requesting that NHTSA consider whether Volkswagen’s prior recall should have included the Tiguan or whether additional vehicles should now be covered.

NHTSA ODI #11763878

Mileage unknown · Aug 14, 2026
Unknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

I am reporting a safety-related electrical defect on my 2019 Tiguan that has been intermittently occurring since March 2026. This typically has happened during the hotter parts of the day when the tempreature in in the 90's. While driving, I get two different warnings that displays; "Check starter system" followed by "ignitio…

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I am reporting a safety-related electrical defect on my 2019 Tiguan that has been intermittently occurring since March 2026. This typically has happened during the hotter parts of the day when the tempreature in in the 90's. While driving, I get two different warnings that displays; "Check starter system" followed by "ignition-system-shut down". Within a few minutes, the engine continues running but the instrument cluster, HVAC and turn signals lose power. Other electrical systems also shut down like, the radio, navigation, head lamps, and side view mirror adjustment. This creates a serious safety hazard because I lose turn-signal and vehicle-information functions while the vehicle is moving." I have found multiple complaints involving 2019 Tiguans with this exact failure mode, including complaints specifically connecting it to Volkswagen recall 28H7 / NHTSA 23V-604 involving the ignition switch and polyfuse. Volkwagen has not aknowledge, reproduced, nor confirmed this issue. I belive that ithe issue is related to the same problem as Volkswagen's 28H7 / NHTSA 23V-604 ignition-switch recall, which currently applies to certain Jettas. That complaint describes the same combination of engine continuing to run while A/C, instrument cluster, headlights and turn signals lose power. I believe that 28H7 should be expanded to the 2019 Tiguan.

NHTSA ODI #11757043

Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2026
Unknown Or Other

While I'm driving, the engine will still be running, but the entire dash shuts down. The radio turns off. The needles for the speedometer, shift gauge, gas gauge, wont work. The ac turns off, but the engine will still run. The warning ignition turned to off please pull over carefully comes up before everything but the engine, tu…

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While I'm driving, the engine will still be running, but the entire dash shuts down. The radio turns off. The needles for the speedometer, shift gauge, gas gauge, wont work. The ac turns off, but the engine will still run. The warning ignition turned to off please pull over carefully comes up before everything but the engine, turns off completely

NHTSA ODI #11749450

Mileage unknown · May 19, 2026
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

The car stopped at a light on a busy street in [XXX] (in the middle lane), then the engine stopped, and my wife could not restart it. I went as fast as possible and met her. I was eventually able to get it started. This is the third time we have had problems like this. I did the same thing for me and another time for my wife. I…

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The car stopped at a light on a busy street in [XXX] (in the middle lane), then the engine stopped, and my wife could not restart it. I went as fast as possible and met her. I was eventually able to get it started. This is the third time we have had problems like this. I did the same thing for me and another time for my wife. I believe it is the stop-start capability, but I can't say for sure. We have also had bad engine oil burning problems and electrical problems. All of these (I now know, but did not before) are recurring problems for 2019 Tiguans. The cylinder head was rebuilt last year, associated with a similar instance. I am now fully aware that the 2019 Tiguans are known to experience all of these problems, but when I brought my car in on previous occasions, that never got mentioned. I am told XYZ is an issue, then billed for repairs. The car was originally leased, and when I purchased it at the end of the lease, I also purchased a full premium warranty. When the issue happened in May of 2025, the policy eventually covered this, but it took over a month of justifications and records before the third-party insurance company agreed to cover the repairs. All of this said, I am no longer comfortable that this car is safe for my wife to drive, as the issues that are repeating are known issues, and yet Volkswagen seems to sweep these under the rug from both a manufacturer and dealership perspective. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11738875

Mileage unknown · Mar 23, 2026
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

The starter system failed & yes it is available for inspection. Others & my safety was put at risk, as the car shut off while I was driving. The gauges turned off, I could not see how fast I was going and the turning and brake lights did not work either, the radio & a/c all turned off. The problem has been reproduced while the v…

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The starter system failed & yes it is available for inspection. Others & my safety was put at risk, as the car shut off while I was driving. The gauges turned off, I could not see how fast I was going and the turning and brake lights did not work either, the radio & a/c all turned off. The problem has been reproduced while the vehicle is parked on hot days and in the winter when the the heater is on for a period of time. There are online forums of other Volkswagen owners having the same issue. Volkswagen owners have had the ignition switch replaced and the issue has not happened to them again. There were not any warnings or messages prior to the failure. The message that appears says, "please check the starter system. When the vehicle is parked in the shade it turns on fine. I have an appointment scheduled at my local Volkswagen service department to have the ignition switch replaced on my 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. Please contact me asap, this should be a recall and any costs associated with it should be covered by Volkswagen as this is a common safety issue.

NHTSA ODI #11726333

Mileage unknown · Mar 23, 2026
Unknown Or Other

Car turns off while driving and says to check starter system when sitting in the sun, mechanics can not find anything wrong. Has happened twice in a two week period

NHTSA ODI #11726268

Mileage unknown · Mar 9, 2026
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

When it is hot out, while i am driving the car will say "pull over, shutting down" and then it says "please check the starter system." The car will just shut off This was SOO dangerous. This happened on the highway, with my two kids in the car and nothing worked. everything black and my blinkers and lights werent working and ju…

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When it is hot out, while i am driving the car will say "pull over, shutting down" and then it says "please check the starter system." The car will just shut off This was SOO dangerous. This happened on the highway, with my two kids in the car and nothing worked. everything black and my blinkers and lights werent working and just stopped in the middle of the street and wouldn't turn on. VERY UNSAFE I am bringing it in to the dealership but they do not think it is that. It quickly flashed and then just shut off This has happened numerous amount of time-- only when its hot out. The first occurrence was last summer but now that its hot out again, happened today 3/9/26 I see that there was a recall for this of my car and MY year but nothing on my vin

NHTSA ODI #11723159

Mileage unknown · Jan 2, 2026
Unknown Or Other

Well driving on highway, front portion of sunroof shattered. Very loud, exploding sound.

NHTSA ODI #11708398

Mileage unknown · Nov 5, 2025
Electrical SystemService BrakesUnknown Or Other

Parking brake would not disengage and the shop told me it was because water was in the floor pan behind the passenger seat and it’s causing shorts In the electrical system. The cause of the water was diagnosed as a leaking sunroof. This has caused me loss of vehicle, time and too much money!

NHTSA ODI #11697565

Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2025
Unknown Or OtherVehicle Speed Control

When trying to accelerate from a full stop the car is not accelerating when pressing the gas pedal. It happened at a stop light, I pressed the gas, the car went nowhere, pressed the gas harder until gas pedal was floored and then the car accelerates forward very quickly. Also happened when i was making a left turn crossing 2 lan…

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When trying to accelerate from a full stop the car is not accelerating when pressing the gas pedal. It happened at a stop light, I pressed the gas, the car went nowhere, pressed the gas harder until gas pedal was floored and then the car accelerates forward very quickly. Also happened when i was making a left turn crossing 2 lanes of traffic. Stepped off the gas to make a left turn, car begins to roll forward but when i press the gas nothing happens, I am now in both lanes of traffic flooring my gas pedal, nothing happens for about 5 seconds and the car lurches forward quickly. There are no lights illuminated on the dashboard. Brought car to VW delearship, they say they went over the entire car and found nothing wrong. When investigating online it seems others are also having the same issue and getting the same response from VW.

NHTSA ODI #11674577

Official recalls

5

22V815000 · Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

Oct 31, 2022

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

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.

19V241000 · Equipment:other:labels

Mar 27, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Tiguan LWB vehicles. The tire information label contains inaccurate tire dimension and inflation pressure specifications. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The incorrect specifications can result in improper tire inflations or to installing a tire of the wrong size on the vehicle. Either of these situations can increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will install a corrected tire information label, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D2.

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.

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