2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

On September 14, 2026, my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line experienced a sudden electronic/system failure while the vehicle was in use. The infotainment system entered a continuous reboot cycle and subsequently displayed a black screen. At approximately the same time, the SOS/emergency-call indicator illuminated red and the vehicle/app reported “Emergency call function limited! Service vehicle.” Multiple vehicle functions then became unavailable, including Front Assist/automatic emergency braking, cruise control, navigation, compass, and Dynamic Road Sign Display. The instrument cluster displayed active warnings, and the Dynamic Road Sign Display fault generated a loud warning chime approximately every 30 seconds while driving. The repeated audible warning was significantly distracting. Attempts to restart the infotainment system and completely power-cycle the affected systems did not restore normal operation. Disconnecting and reconnecting the 12-volt battery also did not correct the original failure. The vehicle was subsequently taken to an authorized Volkswagen dealership for diagnosis. I am reporting this because the failure was not limited to entertainment or convenience equipment. The electronic failure coincided with loss of multiple driver-assistance functions, including Front Assist/automatic emergency braking, as well as loss of the vehicle’s SOS/emergency-call capability. The repeated warning chimes also created an additional distraction while operating the vehicle. The vehicle is currently at an authorized Volkswagen dealership awaiting diagnosis/repair. Volkswagen Customer CARE case 07734827 has been opened regarding the incident.

The vehicle has experienced multiple intermittent electrical and safety-related malfunctions that have become more frequent over time. The most serious issue involves the Automatic Emergency Braking system activating unexpectedly while the vehicle is slowly reversing out of a residential driveway. The brakes suddenly apply with significant force even when there is no visible obstacle behind the vehicle. This causes the vehicle to stop abruptly, jerks all occupants forward, and creates a risk of being struck by other vehicles because the sudden stop is unexpected. The vehicle has also experienced an intermittent engine shutdown while stopped in traffic. While waiting at a stoplight or waiting for another vehicle to reverse, the engine will unexpectedly shut off and a message appears instructing the driver to place the vehicle in Park. This creates a safety hazard because the vehicle cannot continue moving until it is restarted. Additional intermittent electrical issues include the infotainment/navigation screen freezing or glitching, the air conditioning unexpectedly blowing warm or hot humid air instead of cold air, and the horn failing to operate properly. The horn will sometimes not sound at all or will be much quieter than normal, reducing the driver’s ability to warn other motorists or pedestrians in an emergency. These problems occur intermittently and without warning. There are no consistent warning lights prior to the failures other than the message instructing the driver to place the vehicle in Park when the engine shuts off. The unexpected braking, engine shutdown, and horn malfunction create significant safety concerns for the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and other motorists. The cause of these issues is UNKNOWN.

I purchased this vehicle on August 9th 2025 and it has been in shop 4 times . It is in the shop as I am writing this email. I have had nothing but issues with this vehicle and had to come out of pocket 308 dollars just to find out a problem that I told them that already was an issue the first week I had the car . I am a senior on a fixed income and I cant afford to pay anything more out of pocket . I filed a complaint with the BBB and a represented from the service department called me and said , his boss said they will not work on my car unless I remove my complaint to the BBB . I find this very unethical and a bad customer service representation. This car has been diagnosed unsafe to drive . And even though I have a loaner it is not my car I am paying for . Like I had stated it has been in the shop 4 times and I have not missed a payment even though I have not had my car .The front strut is completely broke , the left one is in bad shape , needs a front end alignment and the front collision warning alert does not work . It has been confirmed these issues are there. They said they were going to take care of it until they noticed I filed a complaint to the BBB.

While driving south bound on i95 express lane, the vehicle in front of me stopped abruptly. I attempted to break but was unable to do so. Also the emergency breaks/front vehicle collision warning did not activate. In order to avoid a head on collision, I swerved to the right and my front left side made impact to the other vehicle on their right back side. This impact cause my vehicle to spin out of the express lane and into the regular traffic 180 degrees causing me to be facing incoming traffic. The air bags did not deploy- the state trooper, fire safety, and tow truck representative all commented that it should have. After the incident FDOT had to tow my vehicle to the shoulder prior to being towed away. During this time I was not able to turn the engine off- it remained on and was towed with the engine still running. The vehicle is currently under assessment with my insurance provider.

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.

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)