Home · 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Ltd · Complaints

What 185 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Ltd

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (185)Crash / fire / injury (10)Electrical system (55)Engine (37)Brakes (24)Driver assistance (24)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Speed control (12)Fuel system (10)Lights (10)Body & structure (9)Visibility & wipers (9)

55 of 185 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters · page 3 of 3

Jul 15, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system1 injury

VEHICLE FREQUENTLY SHAKES/SHUDDERS VIOLENTLY UNDER LIGHT/NORMAL ACCELERATION IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD AND EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING SITUATION. I PURCHASED IT A FEW WEEKS AGO AND HAVE APPROXIMATELY 1300 MILES ON IT - THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I TOOK DELIVERY. UNDER LOAD, SHORTLY AFTER THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS AND AS THE VEHICLE REACHES APPROXIMATELY 9-11 MPH AT 2000RPM, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SHUDDERS AS IF THE ENGINE IS BEING LUGGED OR IS MISFIRING. THIS REALLY ONLY OCCURS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS HAD SUFFICIENT TIME TO WARM UP AND HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR SOME TIME IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC. IT IS MORE PRONOUNCED WITH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL TURNED ON. THE SHAKING/SHUDDERING HAS MADE ME EXTREMELY DIZZY AND NAUSEOUS TO THE POINT WHERE I HAVE ALREADY BECOME PHYSICALLY SICK TO MY STOMACH ONCE. I HAD TO CUT OFF 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO REACH THE SHOULDER SO I COULD AVOID GETTING SICK IN THE CAR - THIS WAS ON 7/8/2019, A WEEK AGO TODAY. SEVERAL PASSENGERS WILL NO LONGER RIDE IN THE CAR WITH ME. I HAVE RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE SELLING DEALER TWICE OVER THIS ISSUE AND ALTHOUGH THEIR EFFORTS TO DIAGNOSE IT WERE MADE IN GOOD FAITH, THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPRODUCE IT. I HAVE SEVERAL VIDEOS OF THIS ISSUE THAT I ATTEMPTED TO SHARE WITH THE DEALERSHIP UPON DROPPING IT OFF THE SECOND TIME, WHICH THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME HE DID NOT VIEW AFTER I PICKED THE CAR UP. I ALSO RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT MY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION/AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT NOTIFICATION SYSTEM (CAR-NET), IS COMPLETELY NON-FUNCTIONAL DUE TO A SOFTWARE BUG AND WILL NOT WORK AT ALL UNTIL VOLKSWAGEN COMES UP WITH AN UPDATE FOR IT (PER THE DEALER). I AM EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR THESE REASONS AND CONTINUE TO FEEL SICK TO MY STOMACH EVERY TIME I USE IT TO COMMUTE TO OR FROM MY JOB, WHICH IS JUST OVER 30 MILES FROM MY HOME.

NHTSA ODI 11232134

Jul 9, 2019Electrical systemSpeed controlBrakes

THE AUTOMATIC BREAKING SENSORS WENT OFF FOR NO REASON. CAR STARTED BREAKING ON IT'S OWN. LUCKILY NO CAR BEHIND ME. CAR WAS IN MOTION ON A 35 MPH PART OF ROUTE 30 IN INDIANA WHEN IT STARTED TO BREAK SUDDENLY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE IT. I SENT VOLKSWAGEN A MESSAGE AND THEY DIDN'T REPLY.

NHTSA ODI 11230520

Jul 3, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemBrakes

PURCHASED CAR JUNE 30, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON WAY HOME FROM DEALER. NEXT DAY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OFF, BRAKE POWER BOOST FAILURE FLICKER ON SCREEN, AUTO START/STOP NOT FUNCTIONING, RESTART CAR ALL GONE. NEXT TRIP TIRE PRESSURE WARNING, UNABLE TO RESET. HAD TO GO TO AN APPOINTMENT AND WAS HEADING TO DEALER ON THE WAY HOME, CAR WENT BLACK, LOST ACCELERATION, NO RESPONSE FROM THROTTLE WHILE DRIVING 75MPH ON BUSY FREEWAY. HAD TO COAST ACROSS FIVE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO BE SAFE. RESTART CAR, DROVE TO DEALER. TOTAL AMOUNT OF MILES ON CAR 152. PURCHASED SUNDAY EVENING 6:30 PM IN REPAIR AFTER NEAR COLLISION TUESDAY EVENING 5:00 PM.

NHTSA ODI 11229296

May 30, 2019Electrical system

FRONT COALITION SENSON AND WARNING LIGHT GOES ON FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED DISABLELING THE SENSON. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 5 TO 6 TIMES ON VARIOUS DATES WHILE DRIVING IN THE CITY AND I HAVE TO STOP TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON IN ORDER TO RESET THE COMPUTER BY ITSELF. SOMETIMES IT WILL TURN OFF BY ITSELF TOO!. DRIVER SIDE MIRROR LIGHT COALITION SENSON WAS ACTIVATING ALL THE TIME WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT ANY CARS AROUND. NEVER NOTICED THIS HAPPENING BEFORE, BECAUSE I LIVE IN QUEENS NY AND I USUALLY DRIVE TO THE CITY AND I HAVE LOTS OF CARS ALL THE TIME SO IT'S CONSTANTLY TURNS ON AND OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11216926

Feb 13, 2019Electrical systemSpeed control

THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING UNEXPECTEDLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 60MPH. ALL KINDS OF EMERGENCY LIGHTS CAME UP FOR NO APPARENT REASON, AND THE CAR BLOCKED. THE GEAR WAS LOCKED AND WOULDN'T RESPOND TO RESTARTING THE CAR. THE CAR HAD TO THE TOWED, AND AFTER GETTING IT IN THE TRUCK I REALIZED THAT ONE SIDE OF THE HEADLIGHTS WEREN'T WORKING. THE CAR HAS ONLY 1700 MILES. A SIMILAR BUT LESS SEVERE EVENT HAPPEED THREES DAYS BEFORE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER'S SERVICE AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11179811

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Working with the data? Download all 185 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 23, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Ltd verdict →