NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
56 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Oct 31, 2023
Electrical System
The read window defroster was not working well. A few days ago, when I turned on the defroster and drove for about 10 minutes, all of a sudden, the rear window made an explosion sound, and windows cracked like a spiderweb. I stopped the car and got out the car and shut the door, the cracked window shattered in pieces. It seems …
Read full complaint
The read window defroster was not working well. A few days ago, when I turned on the defroster and drove for about 10 minutes, all of a sudden, the rear window made an explosion sound, and windows cracked like a spiderweb. I stopped the car and got out the car and shut the door, the cracked window shattered in pieces. It seems like the heating element overheated as the crack propagated from where the electicla wired were attached.
NHTSA ODI #11552773
Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2023
Electrical System
Started receiving error message “ 12v Battery Almost Drained, charge while driving” took it to a shop, they told me they battery was dead and replaced it with a new one. Checked the systems said everything else was working fine. Less than a year later the car is doing the same thing again. Car will not start and has to be jumpe…
Read full complaint
Started receiving error message “ 12v Battery Almost Drained, charge while driving” took it to a shop, they told me they battery was dead and replaced it with a new one. Checked the systems said everything else was working fine. Less than a year later the car is doing the same thing again. Car will not start and has to be jumped off.
NHTSA ODI #11537989
Mileage unknown · Jul 7, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior LightingVehicle Speed Control
While driving an alert comes on that states check engine system. As soon as this happens all power in the car turns off. Engine is still running but you no longer have any turning signals, brake lights, headlights, air conditioning, etc. It happens randomly and has almost cause me to be rear ended due to car behind me not kno…
Read full complaint
While driving an alert comes on that states check engine system. As soon as this happens all power in the car turns off. Engine is still running but you no longer have any turning signals, brake lights, headlights, air conditioning, etc. It happens randomly and has almost cause me to be rear ended due to car behind me not knowing I was slowing down or stopping. This happens when I am not close to a dealership so they have not been able to witness this.
NHTSA ODI #11530993
Mileage unknown · May 29, 2023
Electrical System
Several times now, at outside temp above 90F, drive short distance and all electrical shuts.
NHTSA ODI #11524326
Mileage unknown · May 1, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
I put my groceries in the passenger side of my car and walked around to my driver's door. I touched the button on the door handle to unlock the door and it didn't work. I tried the key fob and it also did not work. I tried another key fob and it still did not work. I had to end up calling the dealership and they told me how …
Read full complaint
I put my groceries in the passenger side of my car and walked around to my driver's door. I touched the button on the door handle to unlock the door and it didn't work. I tried the key fob and it also did not work. I tried another key fob and it still did not work. I had to end up calling the dealership and they told me how to take off the door handle cover to use the manual key, which was difficult to pry off, and also scratched the car. This seems like it could be a safety issue. This could have easily been a mother putting her child in a car seat and walking around to get in the vehicle.
NHTSA ODI #11519810
Mileage unknown · Jan 23, 2023
Electrical SystemService Brakes
Error code: "Driver door contact switch". When this comes on randomly I can't unlock or lock my doors. I have had to climb out of my car through the passenger side door after parking because the driver's side won't unlock. Fault: "Auto parking break" When this comes on I can't turn on or off the parking brake. Sometimes when …
Read full complaint
Error code: "Driver door contact switch". When this comes on randomly I can't unlock or lock my doors. I have had to climb out of my car through the passenger side door after parking because the driver's side won't unlock. Fault: "Auto parking break" When this comes on I can't turn on or off the parking brake. Sometimes when I'm driving and there is a bump or a change in surface level the parking break comes on. My car stops all of a sudden and cars behind me swerve not to hit me. I have noticed that the issues can go as fast as they come on. They only really happen in cold weather. Last year (2022) was the first year that things happened. I took my car in to see what Volkswagen could do. They said that because the error codes weren't running then they couldn't diagnose the issue. They also said that they have never heard of this before. However, when the error codes are on it's unsafe to drive the car. I have read that other Volkswagens have this issue. The link below is one example. https://knightlawgroup.com/volkswagen-tiguan-wiring-harness-automatic-braking-problems/
NHTSA ODI #11503278
Mileage unknown · Nov 13, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
While driving at night the cars IP displayed a warning "ignition system shutdown please check your start system", the Instrument panel and information display then went dark with no symbiology speed, revs or turn signals. The head lights and tail lights shut off and cabin fan and side windows stopped working. The engine continue…
Read full complaint
While driving at night the cars IP displayed a warning "ignition system shutdown please check your start system", the Instrument panel and information display then went dark with no symbiology speed, revs or turn signals. The head lights and tail lights shut off and cabin fan and side windows stopped working. The engine continued to run so I was able to safely exit the highway but was a stressful and dangerous moment. When the vehicle was taken for repair VW service says issue was caused by a malfunctioning battery which was replaced at my cost with an OEM part. this has not fixed the issue though and I am attempting to get a new appointment for service.
NHTSA ODI #11493350
40,000 miles · Oct 27, 2022
Electrical System
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The battery was jump started and the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to two inde…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The battery was jump started and the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to two independent mechanics who tested the battery and determined that the battery did not need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
NHTSA ODI #11491115
Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2022
Electrical SystemVehicle Speed ControlCrash
From a stop at an intersection, the initial depressing of the accelerator produced no throttle response and then suddenly the car lurched forward. This resulted in rear ending the care in front at the intersection. The collision avoidance did not stop the car before contacting the car in front. Even after the accident the car c…
Read full complaint
From a stop at an intersection, the initial depressing of the accelerator produced no throttle response and then suddenly the car lurched forward. This resulted in rear ending the care in front at the intersection. The collision avoidance did not stop the car before contacting the car in front. Even after the accident the car continued to respond in the same way until it was placed on the two truck.
NHTSA ODI #11485954
Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineLane Departure
Blind spot indicator went out dealer replaced under warranty (passenger side) warranty expired a few thousand miles later and now the driver side is faulty. Vehicle has a rough idle and oil leaks. Dealer will not diagnose problem and now that car is out of warranty they wont do anything unless paid for. Car has rough idle and m…
Read full complaint
Blind spot indicator went out dealer replaced under warranty (passenger side) warranty expired a few thousand miles later and now the driver side is faulty. Vehicle has a rough idle and oil leaks. Dealer will not diagnose problem and now that car is out of warranty they wont do anything unless paid for. Car has rough idle and miscellaneous oil leaks occasionally almost stalling. Independent shop ran a diagnostic and shows one cylinder misfiring and want to inspect pcv as most the time these fail on VW
NHTSA ODI #11478844
Official recalls
5Oct 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 Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
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.
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.
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.
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 ↗