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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2016 Volkswagen Tiguan — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 97 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

97
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
4
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
2
Involved Fire
owner-reported
3
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Volkswagen Tiguan — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

110 complaints

162 complaints

153 complaints

139 complaints

84 complaints

62 complaints

97 complaints

76 complaints

286 complaints

193 complaints

141 complaints

143 complaints

272 complaints

70 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Air Bags 37 reports
Electrical System 27 reports
Unknown Or Other 23 reports
Steering 13 reports
Engine 10 reports
Structure 6 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 4 reports
Power Train 3 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Air Bags ODI 11291178 12/25/2019

I BEEN SENDING MESSAGES TO EXECUTIVEVOLKSWAGENOFNORTHHAVEN ABOUT THE RECENT RECALL OF MY 2016 VW TIGUAN. FOR SOME REASON IT'S BEEN A MONTH NOW AND STILL NO UPDATE ON THERE PART. I GAVE THEM THE MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER 69Z5 FOR THE FAULTY CAPACITOR IN THE AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE. THEY BEEN TELLING ME THAT THEY WILL CONTACT ME OR EMAIL ME BUT I NEVER RECEIVE OR GET ANY CALLS FR…

Electrical System ODI 11561070 12/20/2023

Leaking panoramic sunroof only when it rains. I have taken it for the 5th time and you can’t drive it in the morning or when any condensation comes inside because u can’t see out of the windows at all. It smells awful and it’s a lot of water! It has ruined the touchscreen . I have been paying out of pocket trying to get this fixed. There should be a recall!

Air Bags ODI 11378039 12/05/2020

AIRBAG ERROR MESSAGE POPPED UP IN CAR. NONE OF THE BUTTONS NOR HORN WORKS.

Unknown Or Other ODI 10927905 11/25/2016

AFTER GETTING IN TO THE DRIVERS SEAT ON 11/24/2016 I SHUT THE DOOR AND THE WINDOW SHATTERED ONTO ME.THERE WAS PREVIOUSLY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE WINDOW. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AND WAS PARKED ON A CITY STREET. I DO NOT HAVE AN INVOICE YET BECAUSE I DROPPED OFF MY CAR TODAY TO THE DEALERSHIP.

Unknown Or Other ODI 10927699 11/23/2016

REAR DOOR THE REAR DOOR (LEFT) HAS A DEFECT. SINCE NEW IT HASN'T BEEN FIXED PROPERLY. LAST WEEK IT OPENED BY ITSELF WHILE RIDING OVER 45 MPH. WHEN IT HAPPENED THE DOOR INDICATOR WASN'T ON. NO INDICATION TO ME. EXCEPT FOR MY DAUGHTER SCREAMINGS. MY DAUGHTER WAS SITTING NEXT TO THE DEFECTIVE DOOR WHEN IT HAPPENED. IT WAS SERVICED AT THE DELEARSHIP FOR THAT DOOR BUT IT …

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan reliable?
Owners have filed 97 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan, most often about air bags. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Volkswagen Tiguan years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.