What 246 owners told NHTSA about the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Ltd

This is an ongoing issue that occurs every time we drive the vehicle. The vehicle’s engine control software appears to have an issue, whereby the engine severely hesitates when attempting to accelerate from a stop. It’s bad enough that we worry the engine will stall, and we will be struck by oncoming vehicles. The issue generally only occurs when the engine has not yet reached operating temperature. Our VW has been at our dealership for months now, while we wait for a resolution. In the interim, the dealer gave us a free loaner, also a Tiguan (but it’s a 2023), and the loaner has the exact same issue. When pulling out from an intersection, I fear that someday the car will hesitate so bad that it causes an accident. I can only guess that the issue is with the software and not the fuel delivery system itself.

NHTSA ODI 11541078

Ongoing issues with hesitation when accelerating from a stop. The car will feel like it has no power when pushing on the accelerator it may then jerk into gear and accelerate quickly or what feels like jerking in-between gears.

NHTSA ODI 11539049

My VW hesitates when I step on the gas during first use. This condition will continue until the vehicle warms up. The hesitation will cause the vehicle to speed up very fast. It’s a safety risk when I enter traffic, either on a highway or on a local road. That’s because when I pullout in front of on coming traffic, the vehicle will not get up to speed in a timely matter and then it will speed up very quickly. It will hesitate and jerk back and forth. I’ve learn now that I can not pull out into traffic until I don’t see any oncoming traffic. The dealership is unable to repair because they are awaiting on a software update that VW is working on for the vehicle because I’m not the only one with the problem. No warning lamps or messages. It always happens when the vehicle is first started after sitting for several hours. It first appears a few months after I purchased the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11539206

I am having a delay in acceleration on this car. Car hesitates badly. Feels like it just doesn’t want to go. And I have to be very careful when pulling out into traffic. Took it to dealership and they said there is no known fix for this issue, even though others have complained about the same problem.

NHTSA ODI 11536946

Severe throttle lag. Has almost caused three accidents. When pulling into traffic there is a 1-2 second delay in acceleration after pressing the throttle. Seems to be worse in hot weather.

NHTSA ODI 11532876

There is a delayed acceleration issues on my brand new car, which have become progressively worse and worse. You press on the gas pedal and it stutters to the point of stalling out. I took it into the dealership to have it evaluated and they told me this is a computer software update that they have no control over. I contacted VW corporate and they told me there is no problem and the customer service person (Dominique H.) laughed at me. There are a lot of reports just like this on the internet. Someone is going to die because of this issue. Please address this ASAP it is a major safety hazard that is going to become catastrophic in the near future.

NHTSA ODI 11529827

After starting the car, upon first acceleration, the car hesitates badly and has the tendency to lunge forward. It feels like it may stall. When I say cold, I mean when the engine has cooled down. This does not have to do with outside temperature. It happens when it's warm outside as well and the engine has cooled down. This issue has been present since taking ownership in Dec 2022. This poses a serious injury risk to pedestrians as I can not anticipate my acceleration even with light pressure on the gas. In addition, it poses a risk to my car, myself, surrounding vehicles and motorists. Please look into this issue. I've done some research and found other VW Tiguan owners who are experiencing the same hesitation and were told by the dealer as well that they can't fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11528913

Engine and transmission will bog down while driving, when restating the car 1 hour after a trip. In other words, many times after sitting for about an hour, when merging into traffic, the car will stop accelerating. If I pump the gas a couple of times the engine "catches" and off I go. Very dangerous when merging into traffic. No warning it's going to happen or not.

NHTSA ODI 11528917

The car has always had initial take off problems, pressing the gas to accelerate out of my driveway or any place I’m first taking off at when turning on the vehicle again, the acceleration cuts out in the middle of accelerating and then all of a sudden revs up. That’s with keeping a steady consistent foot on the gas pedal. It jerks down and then jerks up and is not able to avoid. Through the last few months I’ve also noticed involuntary steering-I start to think it’s windy outside pushing me from side to side but the trees are clearly not moving as if it is. Then I was driving today, started it up, got about 5 miles from my house, starting shaking the whole car while accelerating up and the EPC and check engine light was blinking. I had to turn around to bring it home, wouldn’t let me go past 35 without shaking intensely but made it back to my driveway.

NHTSA ODI 11528683

“The car stumbles when cold, it will not accelerate. It does this for the first mile or two. Then it is OK. This has been happening for several months. The dealer says they hooked it up to their computer and can find no faults. It is very scary when trying to pull out into traffic or make a left turn into another street.” “After a cold start the car stutters and jerks on start up. The engine rattles and It kangaroos on acceleration while the revs fluctuate between 1000 – 1500 rpm but the car drives as if it were in limp mode causing it not to accelerate. This is a huge safety issue when you are trying to pull out onto a main street which causes others to break to avoid an accident. I’ve taken it into three different Volkswagen dealerships a total of 8 times but due to the car not having a dashboard light on or an error code they immediately told me the car was fine and there’s nothing they can do being they can’t replicate the issue.” “Vehicle regularly, stutters or hesitates strongly upon cold start. Throttle response under light to moderate acceleration results in hesitation or bucking. Situation starts to disappear after warm up. Always after sitting for extended periods of time or upon first started the day.” “When I leave somewhere it will stall very noticeably when giving it gas, to the point it won’t accelerate and feels like it’s not getting fuel for a second or two. It typically does it once and then drives normally. This happens almost daily and has done this since the car was bought new a few months ago. I have experienced this when pulling into traffic and the car not accelerating to get me up to a safe speed. It has not been inspected by a dealer at this time but several other owners of 2022 Tiguans are reporting the same issue. No warning lights are on or come on when the vehicle does this”

NHTSA ODI 11528527

From a cold start even with warming up the car, I can only drive so many feet before the car begins to hesitate as I proceed. It is as if the transmission cannot respond to the petal. At 25k miles, it is persistently getting worse and will visibly hop as I proceed. Then the transmission will finally remember how to drive and it won’t do it again until it sits for awhile. I make a left turn from my road where the cars are going 55mph. It’s an accident waiting to happen. Furthermore, it is the same problem that Volkswagen has been having for the previous years. The dealership claims this is what they do. Also that it’s normal for my low oil light to come on in between oil changes!

NHTSA ODI 11528046

My 2022 VW Tiguan 2.0T has delayed acceleration, hesitation, and often bangs into gear at start up. This issue can easily cause an accident when merging into traffic due the lack of reliable acceleration. I have had the vehicle to the dealer and they have found no problem. However, when pressed about internet reports of such problems with the 8 speed transmission they do acknowledge they have heard similar reports. They note there are no repair solutions from VW.

NHTSA ODI 11525265

I have owned the vehicle since October 2022, currently ~4,400 miles. During second week of ownership, backup camera was blank upon startup and placing vehicle into reverse. A system reboot solved the issue, but several reboots have been required in subsequent months. Common that audio doesn't initiate (from any source) as well. Second issue - cold-engine acceleration is borderline dangerous as the vehicle can seem to bog down then lurch with sudden acceleration. After engine warms, this does not occur. Third issue - during straight-line driving, car sometimes changes gears for no apparent reason - sometimes not smoothly. Downshifting can skip gears far too often. Final issue - safety sensors (collision warning) have activated at least twice since owning (6 months) for no reason - looks like 'red space invader' in center of dash and loud chime comes on as well.

NHTSA ODI 11517091

When the car engine is cold, upon first acceleration, the car hesitates badly and has the tendency to lunge forward. It feels like it may stall. When I say cold, I mean when the engine has cooled down. This does not have to do with outside temperature. It happens when it's warm outside as well and the engine has cooled down. This issue appeared when I first took ownership of the vehicle in July of 2022. This poses a serious injury risk when making turns with oncoming traffic. It hesitates to the point that oncoming traffic may hit my vehicle if there isn't enough room for them to stop in time. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer and they were able to recreate the issue. Unfortunately, they said this is a known issue and they can't do anything about it. Diagnostics did not report any failure codes and the car computer firmware is up to date. I am fearful for my life and whoever is in my vehicle. Please look into this issue. I've done some research and found other VW Tiguan owners who are experiencing the same hesitation and were told by the dealer as well that they can't fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11512846

The car will not accelerate when cold, after it falls on it's nose when trying to accelerate, it then surges ahead. After the first few accelerations, it is fine. It is especially dangerous when we try to pull out of our home onto the busy street where we live. This has been an issue sine we bought the car and it seems to get worse with time. The dealer has tried to correct this problem with no success. The first time they said the could not duplicate he problem, the second time they said they adjusted the transmission, that made it worse.

NHTSA ODI 11510334

The vehicle hesitates and then jerks forward when accelerating from a stop. This symptom is more apparent when the vehicle is cold before it has warmed up. The car is available for inspection if requested. It put my safety and the safety of others at risk because the acceleration is unpredictable. This danger is apparent when trying to slowly pull through a crowded parking lot and the car accelerates abruptly or when you’re pulling into traffic and the car hesitates in front of oncoming cars. The dealers service department has said they are unable to reproduce the symptoms or they say it is a normal trait for that car. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. There is no warning lamp or indicators of system failures for this issue. This issue first appeared approximately 500 miles into ownership.

NHTSA ODI 11509113

The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the EPC warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508357

When backing up the rear camera is on to see behind, when shifting into drive and headed forward the camera is still in the reverse mode and NOT showing the front of the car but still showing the rear view. Dealership said you have to push the camera button to get the front view after shifting to drive. This is crazy. And when the engine is cold it hesitates when accelerating until the engine warms up.

NHTSA ODI 11507438

When I leave somewhere it will “stall” very noticeably when giving it gas, to the point it won’t accelerate and feels like it’s not getting fuel for a second or two. It typically does it once and then drives normally. This happens almost daily and has done this since the car was bought new a few months ago. I have experienced this when pulling into traffic and the car not accelerating to get me up to a safe speed. It has not been inspected by a dealer at this time but several other owners of 2022 Tiguans are reporting the same issue. No warning lights are on or come on when the vehicle does this

NHTSA ODI 11499463

I purchased a VW 2022 Tiguan I reported the acceleration issue to the sales person at Norm Reeves VW Englewood fl. and I was told the acceleration issue would work it self out because of low fuel and air was in the fuel line. I brought the car in for a service check with under 350 mile on the vehicle. I was told the issue can't be duplicated. and nothing was wrong with the car. The second service appointment for the same issue was approx 1100 miles later now the acceleration issue was more severe. The car now sometimes goes non responsive when making a turn left or right coasting into the turn and then you try to accelerate and the gas pedal does down and nothing happens then suddenly the turbo kicks and takes off and it's a very frightening and dangerous situation . This issue is an accident waiting to happen.

NHTSA ODI 11493942

I recently purchased my 2022 VW Tiguan new and have a problem with it having a bad hesitation at acceleration. This happens every time at a cold start, as well as at a warm start if it it sat for a few minutes after turning off. It has a terrible lag and bucking, at which point I have to accelerate hard to get it to go forward. This is a brand new car so should not be having these issues. I had our VW service department look at it in Twin Falls Idaho and was told they couldn't find anything.

NHTSA ODI 11486141

I took possession of this vehicle on 7/08/2022 and have had multiple problems with the infotainment ctr, cruise control, homelink, wireless charging pad, etc. However the most serious problem occurred on 08/27 when while sitting at a stop light on a downward hill ( I was the front car with a line of vehicles behind me ) while attempting a left turn I accelerated to realize that the car had turned off and I was coasting into the middle of a busy intersection with no way to stop as cars behind me were attempting to turn left also. I attempted to coast off the side of road and out of the intersection as cars were flying around my vehicle, honking their horns and trying to avoid a collision with me. I had a passenger in the car, we were both terrified. The car was still in Drive and a warning message appeared that the vehicle must be manually restarted. The cross traffic started to drive through the intersection as I now had put the vehicle in park and restart and get the car out of the intersection and into a safe place. The day prior ( 08/26 ) the car had also shut down on me as I was pulled off the side of the road and attempted a left turn into a driveway ( while working on my job ). I went directly to my dealership and was told they would get me an appt the following week, however the same problem occurred the next day ( 08/27 ) which almost resulted in a crash. I was told by the dealership that it is a Start/Stop issue, that VW is aware of the problem however there is no fix at this time. I no longer feel safe driving this car. The problem has been reported to VW and a case has been opened. The dealership has had my car for 27 days as of today. They state that they have not been able to duplicate the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11484817

Vehicle regularly, stutters or hesitates strongly upon cold start. Throttle response under light to moderate acceleration results in hesitation or bucking. Situation starts to disappear after warm up. Always after sitting for extended periods of time or upon first started the day.

NHTSA ODI 11484451

After a cold start the car stutters and jerks on start up. The engine rattles and It kangaroos on acceleration while the revs fluctuate between 1000 - 1500 rpm but the car drives as if it were in limp mode causing it not to accelerate. This is a huge safety issue when you are trying to pull out onto a main street which causes others to break to avoid an accident. I’ve taken it into three different Volkswagen dealerships a total of 8 times but due to the car not having a dashboard light on or an error code they immediately told me the car was fine and there’s nothing they can do being they can’t replicate the issue. The second issue is when I’m at a stop light or stop sign and upon releasing the brake pedal the car engine doesn’t kick back on and restart. It starts rolling backward and I’ve almost hit people. I get an error message on the dash telling me to manually restart the car. I have to put my foot on the brake put the car into park press the stop-start button to completely turn the car off and then re-press it to turn the engine back on all while sitting at a green light with a row of cars behind me honking. As of recently, the car doesn't have to be at a complete stop to suddenly shut off now it's happening while the car is moving and struggles to start back up.

NHTSA ODI 11481292

The car stumbles when cold, it will not accelerate. It does this for the first mile or two. Then it is OK. This has been happening for several months. The dealer says they hooked it up to their computer and can find no faults. It is very scary when trying to pull out into traffic or make a left turn into another street.

NHTSA ODI 11480419