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2015 Volkswagen Tiguan
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 124.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tiguan years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
34 reports with mileage · 28 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. 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.
Engine complaints
9 reportsPremature timing chain failure (at 70,000 miles). Regularly maintenanced. Confirmed by mechanic. Check engine light notified 2 months prior to failure.
Repeated failure of EPS system causing highway breakdowns - detail in attachment
Eagle valley motors sold me an unsafe car I kept telling them that the brakes were bad the transmission fluid was dark and the engine oil was black the tires were bad it was in real bad need of a tuneup I wrote and told the bbb about it and they did absolutely nothing I told Carlos he will lie about it just like how they lied to…
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Eagle valley motors sold me an unsafe car I kept telling them that the brakes were bad the transmission fluid was dark and the engine oil was black the tires were bad it was in real bad need of a tuneup I wrote and told the bbb about it and they did absolutely nothing I told Carlos he will lie about it just like how they lied to the bbb about getting in touch with me these people need to be out of business they put profits over people and they’re safety and I’m not the only one they’ve done this to I want all my money back I put close to $2000 dollars in this car 600 For the tires 703.76 for the brakes and tuneup 247.82 for the transmission 117.00 for the oil change they lied and said all that was taken care of bologna it wasn’t I have pictures of all that they said they did and did not I’m out a lot of money because of them I’m a senior on a super fixed income and they took total advantage of me a senior and they put profits over my safety as well as my Family and Friends and my Service Animal i want to pursue this these people need to be held accountable for doing this not only to me but others as well and if You can’t help me please get me someone who can Thank You for your help time and service I really appreciate it I wanted to upload more photos the brake photos and tires it wouldn’t let me I have them and I want You all to have them
My vehicle is experiencing multiple issues and I’m certain it has been hacked. All began happening around the same time. The front passenger seat air bag goes off and on with or without a person sitting in it. The voice activation prompt goes off on its own, the battery drains for no apparent reason, I get messages all at once …
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My vehicle is experiencing multiple issues and I’m certain it has been hacked. All began happening around the same time. The front passenger seat air bag goes off and on with or without a person sitting in it. The voice activation prompt goes off on its own, the battery drains for no apparent reason, I get messages all at once (drivers side auto operation console) all go off back to back and then all messages go off at once and it dies. The car is running poorly (sputtering, very heavy pull on the engine). The temperature and miles left before gas tank is empty is completely off most of the time. I can fill my gas tank up and it should be around 480 miles and go down as driven, but I will show less than that (for example 360) and then as I drive it will go up by a few miles vs down and it isn’t dependable at all. I am a terrified single mother and have a child. I want this car inspected. Please help me. We do not feel safe and I feel forced to drive this car. Thank you
MISFIRE ON COLD STARTS. *TR
THE ENGINE STARTED TO SHAKE AND WOULD ACT LIKE IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER , THEN IT BROKE DOWN ON US ON A ROAD TRIP , GOT IT TOWED AND FIXED BUT THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPEN AGAIN COUPLE MONTHS AFTER OF GETTING IT FIXED , AND NOW IT'S LEAKING OR SMELLING LIKE GASOLINE LEAKING INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR THROUGH THE AIR VENTS AND WHEN YOU LI…
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THE ENGINE STARTED TO SHAKE AND WOULD ACT LIKE IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER , THEN IT BROKE DOWN ON US ON A ROAD TRIP , GOT IT TOWED AND FIXED BUT THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPEN AGAIN COUPLE MONTHS AFTER OF GETTING IT FIXED , AND NOW IT'S LEAKING OR SMELLING LIKE GASOLINE LEAKING INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR THROUGH THE AIR VENTS AND WHEN YOU LIFT THE HOOD. EACH TIME WE NOTICED THE PROBLEM WE WERE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BUT IMMEDIATELY STOPPED ONCE WE NOTICE THE SMELL OF GAS.
MY CAR WAS PARKED IN A PUBLIC AREA AND CAUGHT FIRE AFTER I GOT OUT OF IT ON A CITY STREET
THESE ENGINES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CARBON BUILD-UP, WHICH MAKE THEM RUN EXTREMELY ROUGH, JERK, MISFIRE, AND OVERALL CANNOT GET UP TO SPEED WHEN COLD. THIS IS DANGEROUS, A WASTE SINCE MPG FALLS DRASTICALLY, AND COULD RESULT AN ACCIDENT. OVER NORMAL WEAR AT 70,000 MILES, MY TIGUAN NEEDED A MANUAL CARBON BUILD-UP REMOVAL FROM THE …
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THESE ENGINES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CARBON BUILD-UP, WHICH MAKE THEM RUN EXTREMELY ROUGH, JERK, MISFIRE, AND OVERALL CANNOT GET UP TO SPEED WHEN COLD. THIS IS DANGEROUS, A WASTE SINCE MPG FALLS DRASTICALLY, AND COULD RESULT AN ACCIDENT. OVER NORMAL WEAR AT 70,000 MILES, MY TIGUAN NEEDED A MANUAL CARBON BUILD-UP REMOVAL FROM THE ENGINE CYLINDERS. THIS SERVICE COST OVER $1,200 FROM THE DEALER, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURE/ENGINEERING DEFECT! THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN ONLINE FROM OTHER VW OWNERS AND THE DEALERS, AS THE SERVICE ADVISERS KNOW RIGHT AWAY WHEN YOU DESCRIBE THE SYMPTOMS. PLEASE, HELP!
Official recalls
419V535000 · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module
Jul 17, 2019
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.
18V329000 · Unknown Or Other
May 16, 2018
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI 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 dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
16V045000 · Air Bags:side/window
Jan 28, 2016
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of a seat-mounted air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 7, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69M1 (for Audi) and 69L9 (for VW).
15V311000 · Equipment:other:labels
May 26, 2015
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 22, 2015, to March 20, 2015. These vehicles may be equipped with Certification labels that are missing the required tire pressure information and they may state incorrect weight and loading information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the labels have incorrect weight and loading information, the operator may overload the vehicle which could cause vehicle instability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will correct the information on the certification label, free of charge. The recall began on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01A5.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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