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2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 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

Limited mileage data: 6 of 64 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

64 reports
Mileage unknown · May 21, 2024
Engine

VW Dealership in West Lebanon NH is acknowledging that there is an issue with VW Tiguan engines burning oil at a higher rate than the standard. The fuel low indicator keeps coming on. They advise me to add oil which is coming out of my pocket vs theirs under warranty. I've had two appointments. They are now doing a fuel consum…

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VW Dealership in West Lebanon NH is acknowledging that there is an issue with VW Tiguan engines burning oil at a higher rate than the standard. The fuel low indicator keeps coming on. They advise me to add oil which is coming out of my pocket vs theirs under warranty. I've had two appointments. They are now doing a fuel consumption test and I have to return for a 3rd appointment. They stated they are seeing a lot more folks like myself coming in with lower mile Tiguan with this issue. Normally they are seeing many with 50K + miles. While I was there another customer overheard the service adviser talking to me and he said he has the same issue. Blue puffs of smoke coming out of the back too when we start car. Seems like this is a huge issue that is now coming to light. Dealership told me i'm at a stage 2 with VW and next steps is taking engine apart and warning VW of issue.

NHTSA ODI #11589991

Mileage unknown · May 19, 2024
Forward Collision Avoidance

The Automatic Emergency Braking, also called Front Assist, activates for no reason. No cars or elements in front of the vehicle. I'm trying not to use cruise control for fear that the Automatic Emergency Braking system might fail and cause an accident. My vehicle was inspected twice by a Volkswagen dealerhsip located in Michiga…

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The Automatic Emergency Braking, also called Front Assist, activates for no reason. No cars or elements in front of the vehicle. I'm trying not to use cruise control for fear that the Automatic Emergency Braking system might fail and cause an accident. My vehicle was inspected twice by a Volkswagen dealerhsip located in Michigan, and on both occasions, they told me they didn't find any faults, but while I'm driving the alarm keeps activating suddenly every 2 or 3 weeks. On the other hand, I've noticed that sometimes I approach another vehicle very quickly, which in my opinion should trigger the alarm, but it doesn't activate.

NHTSA ODI #11589565

Mileage unknown · May 13, 2024
Electrical System

The vehicle trunk automatically opens when parked and the doors will unlocked.

NHTSA ODI #11588408

Mileage unknown · Apr 22, 2024
Electrical SystemForward Collision Avoidance

On [XXX], I took this vehicle to Galpin VW for service on the collision warning system which began to malfunction on a daily basis and would spontaneously come on multiple times throughout the day, without any other vehicles in front of me nor around me. The service advisor at this service center, Pedro silva, declared to me an…

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On [XXX], I took this vehicle to Galpin VW for service on the collision warning system which began to malfunction on a daily basis and would spontaneously come on multiple times throughout the day, without any other vehicles in front of me nor around me. The service advisor at this service center, Pedro silva, declared to me and my wife that this vehicle was unsafe to drive and stated that he is in contact with VW and their engineering department which instructed to run additional tests on this vehicle. This vehicle now has been in service for this same issue for 6 days and running, including the previous attempt to fix this same issue at Winn VW earlier in the week, which failed to result in any correction. The Galpin advisor further stated that he can not release the vehicle to us in this condition and must continue working on this serious issue in which we agreed, since we can not accept such a vehicle in this extremely dangerous condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11584523

Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2024
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Brand new VW Tiguan. The start stop system has failed since a month after I bought it. When I am stopped at a stoplight, stop sign or in traffic, often the vehicle will completely shut off and die. The dash displays a message that says must "manually restart". So then you have to put the car in park and press the engine start …

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Brand new VW Tiguan. The start stop system has failed since a month after I bought it. When I am stopped at a stoplight, stop sign or in traffic, often the vehicle will completely shut off and die. The dash displays a message that says must "manually restart". So then you have to put the car in park and press the engine start button again. This happens every few weeks at random since I've bought the car. I have had it into two different Volkswagen dealerships for a total of four times. Volkswagen has not been able to fix the issue and in fact they say several times it has not even showed a code when they scan it. It's very very concerning that the vehicle computer/scanner isn't even picking up this issue!!! This is a huge safety concern as sometimes when the vehicle dies I am holding up traffic on the freeway or in intersections.

NHTSA ODI #11584285

Mileage unknown · Apr 15, 2024
Unknown Or Other

From a stop the vehicle has a dangerous delay. From the time the pedal is pressed until the vehicle moves it can be a second or even two. The delayed response has come close to causing me to be rear ended on multiple occasions.

NHTSA ODI #11583074

10,000 miles · Mar 22, 2024
Fuel System, Gasoline

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the odor of fuel was present. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a fuel leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who discovered a small hole in the seam of the fuel tank. The vehicle…

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The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the odor of fuel was present. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a fuel leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who discovered a small hole in the seam of the fuel tank. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.

NHTSA ODI #11578927

Mileage unknown · Jan 18, 2024
Service Brakes

I purchased this vehicle brand new in 2023. At 12,000 miles, the brakes started squeaking very clearly and loudly and the right rotor would make noises as well. These noises from both the brakes, on both sides, and the rotor happen simultaneously, and instantly, and do so every time I brake or attempt to brake. I immediately to…

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I purchased this vehicle brand new in 2023. At 12,000 miles, the brakes started squeaking very clearly and loudly and the right rotor would make noises as well. These noises from both the brakes, on both sides, and the rotor happen simultaneously, and instantly, and do so every time I brake or attempt to brake. I immediately took it to the dealership where I purchased it. They told me that the company is using different material for brake pads than they used to use. They also stated that the rotors are a much thinner type of rotors than these vehicles used to have. These statements were very alarming and also made sense completely. I had previously leased this same type of vehicle in 2020 (the same exact model). That previous vehicle had absolutely no issues with the brakes or rotors at all. In fact, that previous vehicle performed so well, that I purchased the same model again in 2023, which unfortunately turns out to be the vehicle I am now complaining about. This VW dealership was unsuccessful in finding a remedy for the noisy brakes. A second VW dealership service department was also unsuccessful in finding a remedy for the noisy brakes. Both service departments claim that these noisy brakes are normal and a normal part of the car. I know these statements are not true and am worried, as a best case scenario, that these brakes and rotors might get noisier as time passes and diminish their stopping power, and as a reasonable case scenario, I fear that these brakes could fail in the future. I have two kids that I constantly usher around in this current vehicle and find it prudent to file a complaint and bring this serious matter to your attention.

NHTSA ODI #11566375

1,000 miles · Jan 9, 2024
Visibility

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the front windshield had defects, creating a visibility hazard while driving. The contact stated that the front windshield appeared to have bubbles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the f…

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The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the front windshield had defects, creating a visibility hazard while driving. The contact stated that the front windshield appeared to have bubbles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the front windshield was replaced with an aftermarket windshield. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. The contact stated that while driving, the contact noticed white dots in the front windshield. The contact stated that the white dots affected visibility while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

NHTSA ODI #11564393

Mileage unknown · Dec 13, 2023
Power Train

My Tiguan has had a jerky transmission issues since I purchased it brand new. Dealer says operation is normal. I have read several forums and website where people have stated similar issues for this vehicle. Extremely hesitant in first and second gear. Jerks around especially during first minute or two of driving. Have tri…

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My Tiguan has had a jerky transmission issues since I purchased it brand new. Dealer says operation is normal. I have read several forums and website where people have stated similar issues for this vehicle. Extremely hesitant in first and second gear. Jerks around especially during first minute or two of driving. Have tried to let car idle to normal temperature and it still happens. It’s as if it won’t go into gear and freezes up /hesitates for a few seconds, then finally switches gears. Extremely unsafe when pulling out onto road. Transmission shifts hard and will sometimes slip when changing gears. Beware! This has been happening since being brand new. Transmission reset did not resolve.

NHTSA ODI #11559820

Official recalls

1

25V082000 · Back Over Prevention:software

Feb 12, 2025

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tiguan, 2023 Arteon, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3 vehicles. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners April 3, 2024, and Volkswagen owners November 18, 2025.Volkswagen owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91NY and (Audi) 90AV.

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