SUV, gasoline, built in Germany. Owner complaints on file from May 22, 2015 to Aug 30, 2025.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.
| Campaign | Filed | Subject | Component | Vehicles | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19V-535 | Jul 17, 2019 | Air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent… | Airbags | 27,822 | Software update |
| 18V-329 | May 16, 2018 | Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the… | Other or unknown | 252 | Repair or modification |
| 16V-045 | Jan 28, 2016 | Affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash | Airbags | 734 | Part replacement |
| 15V-311 | May 26, 2015 | These vehicles may be equipped with Certification labels that are missing the required tire pressure information and they may state incorrect… | Equipment | 2,957 | Label or owner notice |
The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
62 complaints on file, page 1 of 4.
Epc light is on
NHTSA complaint 11684071We are experiencing a recurring safety issue with our 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan. Upon startup, the power steering warning light consistently illuminates and remains on for 5 to 30 minutes. During this time, the vehicle has no functional power steering, making it extremely difficult and unsafe to drive—particularly in residential areas or parking lots where maneuverability is essential. Once the light goes out, steering returns to normal. This occurs regardless of outside temperature or driving conditions and is now happening daily. This presents a serious safety concern, especially if immediate vehicle use is required or if it occurs in traffic.
NHTSA complaint 11659481Car was recently repaired from a deer related accident. Within a week of getting car back I heard an unwinding like sound from steering wheel area while making a left hand turn into parking lot. My airbag light came on and all steering wheel functions like buttons and horn ceased to operate. I did see that this year Tiguan did have an airbag recall.
NHTSA complaint 11627405Premature timing chain failure (at 70,000 miles). Regularly maintenanced. Confirmed by mechanic. Check engine light notified 2 months prior to failure.
NHTSA complaint 11617789Our 2015 Tiguan has consistently had issues with the clock spring. We are now needing a third clock spring only 6 months from the last warranty repair. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection. This issue is serious due to the airbag being non operational until we get this fixed. Additionally, the horn ceases to work as well, which although its not as serious as our airbag not working, its still nice to have it as a safety tool to indicate your presence to other drivers on the road. I'm not sure if the component has been inspected by the manufacturer or anyone else. We have had a warranty repair on it through the dealership so they verified this was an issue that needed replacing. Until the issue occurs there are no warning lights or anything to notify you from the cars system. There is however an audible "clicking" sound as you turn the steering wheel. The sound usually occurs sporadically for a short while before the clock spring breaks again. Upon breaking, you can hear a slightly louder click or pop and a notification/indicator comes up on the dash to indicate that the airbag is not operational.
NHTSA complaint 11587904Car stalled while driving on the highway. No warning codes and mechanics cannot find a reason. This has happened twice before in past year with warning codes but all have been addressed yet it has stalled again with no code now. This has been costly, very dangerous and cannot feel safe driving.
NHTSA complaint 11573834Airbag light comes on indicating that the airbags are not functioning properly per the instrument panel. A recall item on this particular model not listed under my VIN number, however, it is, I didn’t quote the complaints from other VW Tiguan who have experienced the same thing. Apparently this was a recall item that happened in November 2019. The first time my instrument Dental started indicating any issues was after it was serviced July 2021 although it was intermittent. Eventually it became an everyday thing. The airbags are always an indicator and every third start up will trigger intermittent signals that clear once the vehicle is turned off and turned back on yet airbag warnings are still adamant. Be present anytime the vehicle is in the on position.
NHTSA complaint 11549993Repeated failure of EPS system causing highway breakdowns - detail in attachment
NHTSA complaint 11546152The manufactured rear camera and lock. Have been having water leaking in do to improper placing of lock and camera. It has stop working.
NHTSA complaint 11538865Eagle 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
NHTSA complaint 11527281I have a 2015 VW Tiguan, VIN: [XXX]. The Steering Wheel Clock Spring has gone bad causing multiple failure lights to come on and has also caused the car to be difficult to drive. Especially the steering. Most of the systems themselves are not failing, it is just the Clock Spring giving faulty readings to the car's computer. The lights that are on are the Green Break light, the Yellow Airbag and safety belt pretensioner system malfunction, and the Yellow Steering Wheel System light. The cause of this Clock Spring failure was because the car battery died. After we replaced the battery, the warning lights came on. The dealer had said it was the Steering Wheel Clock Spring that is causing all the system lights to come on. The dealer made me pay for the replacement ahead of time because he said that there was a long waiting list for the part that was being manufactured in Ukraine (?). [XXX]i is the service manager that made me pay for the future warranty repair. The local VW dealership in Waipio has made it extremely difficult to get this repaired under warranty or by a recall. I did get a notice for a class action lawsuit opened against VW and this issue. There is also an extended warranty repair, except my VW had too many miles (88K), and they said this year was skipped over for some reason. The Lawsuit is Water Pump Settlement 7577, PO Box 2636, Faribault, MN, 55021-9636. The attorney handling the case is [XXX]. I did not sign up for this lawsuit because again the year 2015 Tiguan was excluded for some reason that I do not understand. Please note that in Europe the very same part on this year VW Tiguan has been recalled. Why haven't they recalled the it here in the United States? INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint 11490073The clock spring went out on my car. This is a known defect at VW. My horn and airbags do not work now. Both are essential to safe driving. The part is backordered and people have been waiting for months. VW is letting people drive in death traps vehicles and recklessly allowing people to put themselves in danger because they cannot afford new vehicles nor will VW provide rental cars while the part is on backorder. We need help. VW has a reputation for taking advantage of these situations and doing nothing. Please help us. VW won't.
NHTSA complaint 11480853The airbag clock spring on my 2015 Tiguan broke in June. The car has a warranty extension for this failure, but no parts are in stock. It has now been 2 months and neither the dealer (Hendrick VW in Frisco, TX) nor VW Customer "Care" can help. There is not even a date for the replacement part available. My daughter is (was) the main driver and I don't want her driving an unsafe vehicle without horn / airbag. Worse, the registration has now expired, as the car can't pass the State Safety inspection required to renew the sticker. Car is now just parked until further notice.
NHTSA complaint 11480670My 2015 VW Tiguan has a broken clock spring. The clock spring functions to control the airbag deployment, horn and dashboard screen controls. This is a significant safety risk, as the steering wheel airbag will not deploy in a crash. A certified Volkswagen technician diagnosed the issue at a VW dealership. The airbag dashboard light is on, indicating that the airbag will not deploy in a crash. No warnings prior to failure, car operated well, with no issues before this was reported. Volkswagen is aware of the issue. They will be able to fix it, under warranty, but the parts are on backorder with no ETA as parts are manufactured in the Ukraine. This is a widespread issue across many VW models and model years. My car is not identified in the recall and there are thousands of cars waiting for the same repair. A recall should be issued. Having a safety issue like this, with no proposed time for resolution is unacceptable.
NHTSA complaint 11475088Broken clock spring affecting all collision safety systems such as airbag deployment and collision avoidance like horn and cruise control along wiht computer functions controlled exclusivley through the steering wheel.
NHTSA complaint 11471439While driving steering became very stiff and I could not turn the car. The red steering icon lit up on the dashboard and a gurgling sound was coming out from underneath the dash. The car only has 50,000 miles and I have never experienced a steering problem the car was nearly underivable. I took it to the dealer and they stated there was a 50851 Fault Torque Sensor Reading out of range and the steering rack had to be replaced with updated harness tierods and related hardware
NHTSA complaint 11470899The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the horn became inoperable. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the clockspring needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.
NHTSA complaint 11467212Airbag light comes on. There has been no accident to cause this
NHTSA complaint 11464195Airbag error light has been on since February 2022, clockspring malfunctioned and is covered under warranty. There are no loaner cars available forcing me to drive an unsafe vehicle with no airbags. The part has been on back order with no estimated date of arrival.
NHTSA complaint 11463179While driving in a congested area of Jacksonville, FL a small child pulled bike from behind another vehicle, I attempted to sound my horn in an attempt to get the child’s attention or that of the other driver. The horn failed. I continued to try and nothing. I noticed the airbag light on. I called the VW dealership and was told this is a problem with the clock spring in the steering wheel behind the airbag. This part controls all the functions of the steering wheel. He also mentioned NHTSA has several complaints and the warranty was extended to 120,000 miles. This is relatively a low threshold as more and more people are keeping cars longer with cost. I have 121,190 miles on my Tiguan and am told this is an $800 fix. It is only a miracle this child was not killed. I would be curious how many have been injured, or killed, and the faulty spring has not been pinpointed. I believe this is and immediate threat to safety as one cannot be sure if the airbag will work nor can you summons help with the panic feature as the horn does not work. I believe an immediate recall should be issued regardless of mileage.
NHTSA complaint 11461165Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall; the 60 most recent are listed.