2019 Volkswagen Tiguan UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Well driving on highway, front portion of sunroof shattered. Very loud, exploding sound.
When the car is at a complete stop such as at a light or pulling onto a street, when you press the gas there will be a delay before it lurches forward. This becomes a very real safety risk trying to pull onto busy roads or even at lights. This car has been taken into multiple shops without it being fixed, the last one kept saying they had no idea why since there are no warning lights. They said they contacted VW who is saying a 5 second delay is within what they consider normal. It's not normal and is a very real risk and has almost caused us to get into numerous accidents.
On [XXX] my sunroof spontaneously shattered while my husband and I were driving down a country road in New Hampshire. There were only pine trees on either side of the road, and nothing dropped on the roof to shatter the glass. The glass rained down on me and the pop noise was very alarming. The only thing we can surmise is that the glass shattered due to temperature differential whereby the hot outside air, since it was an August day, and the cold air conditioning inside the car stressed the glass. However, we have never had this happen before in any car. We were grateful the glass did not fall into our eyes but this could have had a very different outcome. We became concerned for people in climates like Arizona or Florida who may experience this danger, especially when driving on the highway. Regardless, the sunroof glass should be able to withstand the heat of the outdoors and the Volkswagen air-conditioning system. We concluded that this had to be a defect in the glass used, and we feel compelled to write and report this incident. We were put at risk by shattered glass raining down on the front seats, and the dealer was unresponsive and said the sunroof shattering spontaneously was not typical. It has not been inspected yet, and police have not been involved as there was no accident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Moldy smell in car. Wet seatbelt back passenger and carpet on floor. When seatbelt pulled out, wet and moldy smelling. Sunroof cloth has water stains from what appears to be a leak even though sunroof is closed. Car smells like mold and I am concerned to be breathing it. I am in remission from Pulmonary Sarcoidosis and any environmental irritants put me at risk significantly of relapse and I could get a fungal infection. I need this addressed as I do not want to be at risk, nor do I want anyone else jeopardized. MOLD SPORES are DANGEROUS. I called VW and they told me it was part of a recall but my car does not qualify because of my mileage. I have 124K miles. This is a serious problem, and VW is not willing to help me. This is a manufacturer defect and I want it addressed and fixed by VW.
I purchased a 2019 Tiguan as a low milage Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. In less than a year, it's been in the dealership for weeks due to an unidentified water leak. Apparently, VW's panoramic sunroof is prone to leaking. The first time I brought it in, they could not find a leak but there was obviously mold all over the rear passenger floorboard. They charged me roughly $500 to clean the drains and sent me on my way. A couple months later, the leak and mold showed up again, so I brought it back to the dealership. Without completely explaining the fix plan moving forward, they completely disassembled the interior everything from the seats, headliner and trim panels all the way to the metal! Still unable to duplicate the leak, they hired a leak specialist, and still could not find a leak. They finally called me and tried to charge me to reassemble the vehicle. As a young military family, all I value is a safe reliable vehicle, and this vehicle has been nothing but a nightmare. If there is any way you can point me in the right direction to move forward on this known issue, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you again for your time. Aaron
Panoramic sunroof shattered. Looks like it bubbled upwards and exploded. No rock. No defect. Car was parked in my driveway with no trees or rocks or anything around. Motion security cameras don’t have anyone coming on my driveway. This looks like my sunroof popped. So weird. I cut my hand on the glass.
Door switch notice pops up on the dashboard display. It comes on and off randomly. Took to mechanic, he said it has to do something with the door driver side door wire mesh
Bought the car to Puente Hills Volkswagen on March 15, 2023 to perform the TPMS Software recall. When I picked up my car, they told me that my car battery needed to replaced and that the TPMS Software update has been performed. I declined to have the battery replaced due to the high cost. But I had battery tested after and there was no issue found. Car has been starting fine without any issues since on the same battery. Then, I continued to get a Recall Alert from VW on 4/13/2023. Checked on their site as well on NHTSA, and it shows my recall is still not repaired. Contacted back Puente Hills Volkswagen on 4/13/2023 and left a message to my service provider. Haven't received a call as of 4/19/2023, so I called again and was able to speak to my service advisor. He then said it was because I didn't have my battery replaced that they didn't perform the recall repair even though he told me he did on 4/13/2023 (printed workorder he gave me also shows they performed the TPMS Software update). In the end, he told me that I need to replace my battery first for them to perform the recall repair even though there is clearly no issue with my battery.
I brought my vehicle to the dealership for its PA inspection and to address a recall that I had specifically listed in my appointment request and also discussed with the staff in person. However, upon checking the nhtsa.org website, I discovered that the recall is still outstanding.
I came to a stop light, and the car would not accelerate when I took my foot off the break and pushed the gas pedal. The lights remained on. I had to turn off the car and restart it. Additionally, the car has been leaking.
Rooftop leakage , consistent with rain and snow and 2/3 inches of water sitting on the right side passenger floor and that side is wet for a long time and sometimes mold was formed. Car is now smelling bad. We never crossed our mind about blaming the roof leak but drivers blaming each other for leaving the window a jar or kids spilling water bottles in the car. Now the car was parked in the driveway sitting tight and right. And today, checked the car to move, saw 2/3 inches of water from last week rain with storm IAN. So the problem of manufacturing fault has been with us since we bought it in 2019.
KESSI KEY FOB LOSES POWER/CONNECTIVITY IN COLD WEATHER. OCCURRED TWICE IN 20-25 DEGREE TEMPERATURE. UNABLE TO UNLOCK WITH REMOTE KEY. REQUIRES POPPING OFF LOCK CYLINDER COVER, USING KEY BLADE TO OPEN DOOR, SETS OFF ALARM, MUST HOLD KEY CLOSE TO A DESIGNATED AREA ON STEERING COLUMN TO START..IF THERE IS ENOUGH POWER/TRANSMISSION LEFT IN KEY FOB. COULD BE LEFT STRANDED & HAVE TO BE TOWED. KESSI KEY FOB NO LONGER OPERABLE. MUST GO TO DEALER TO GET NEW BATTERY. STORE BOUGHT BATTERIES DO NOT WORK IN MOST CASES. HAVE HAD MULTIPLE VW'S WITH KESSI KEY FOB IN PAST AND NEVER HAD ISSUE WITH KEY BECOMING INOPERATIVE IN COLD WEATHER.
THE SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 45 MPH ON TOP OF AN OVERPASS. FILE A CASE WITH VW AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE ISSUE. CASE NUMBER WAS [XXX]. WE WERE TRAVEL ON RT 13 IN VIRGINIA THROUGH A SMALL TOWN. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
PURCHASED CAR IN JULY 2019 AND THE CARNET HAS NEVER FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. AFTER CALLING CUSTOMER CARE AND CARNET I WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER TWO SEPARATE VISITS AND LEAVING MY CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS I WAS TOLD IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I HAVE A CASE OPEN WITH CUSTOMER CARE SINCE AUGUST 2019 AND FOLLOW UP EVERY FEW WEEKS, AS THEY TYPICALLY FORGET TO PROVIDE ME WITH THE PROMISED UPDATE EVERY TWO WEEKS. EACH UPDATE IS THE EXACT SAME --- THERE ARE NO UPDATES AT THIS TIME AND NO TIMELINE FOR A FIX. THEY ALSO WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY COMPENSATION UNTIL THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED. THE CARNET APP HAS NOT WORKED CORRECTLY -- KICKS ME OUT REGULARLY, SAYS MY CAR IS UNLOCKED WHEN IT IS LOCKED, UNABLE TO SEND DESTINATIONS FROM THE APP TO MY CAR, ETC. THE BUTTONS IN THE CAR ALSO DO NOT WORK WHEN PRESSED, WHICH MEANS IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION IT WILL NOT WORK.
TERRIBLE WIND VIBRATION NOISE / THUMBING THAT CAUSES PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT IN EARS THE MOMENT ONLY 1 WINDOW IS ROLLED DOWN IN THE CAR. FRONT WINDOW DOWN REQUIRES TO OPEN BOTH FRONT WINDOWS TO BALANCE; CANNOT LOWER A REAR WINDOW WITHOUT AT LEAST OPENING 1 FRONT WINDOW / USUALLY REQUIRES OPENING BOTH FRONT WINDOWS. IF ONLY ONE REAR WINDOW IS OPEN PLUS FRONT WINDOW(S) THE WIND MOVEMENT RESULTS IN ITEMS IN THE LOADING AREA IN THE TRUNK BEING LIFTED UP AND IF LIGHTS EVEN SUCKED TO THE BACK SEAT. APPEARS TO BE SIGNIFICANT DESIGN FLAW ON VEHICLE. WHEN CLOSING WINDOWS HAVE TO CLOSE REAR WINDOWS FIRST BEFORE CLOSING FRONT WINDOWS, OTHERWISE THE AIR PRESSURE ON THE EAR CANAL IS SO STRONG THAT IT CAUSES EAR DISCOMFORT.
TWO TIMES MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF ON MY 2019 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN HAS EXPLODED. THE FIRST TIME WAS FEB. 13, 2019, JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW. THE SECOND TIME WAS A WEEK AND A HALF AGO ON AUG. 8, 2019. BOTH TIMES THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY GOING TO WORK AND DRIVING ABOUT 60MPH. IT SOUNDED BOTH TIMES LIKE A GUN SHOT GOING OFF IN MY CAR. THERE WAS NO WARNING EITHER TIME, IT JUST HAPPENED AND WAS VERY FRIGHTENING. BOTH TIMES IT HAPPENED I WAS FAR ENOUGH BACK FROM OTHER VEHICLES. THE MOST RECENT EXPLOSION WAS WORSE. A HUGE HOLE WAS LEFT AND PIECES WERE FLYING OFF BEHIND MY VEHICLE. THANKFULLY I HAD THE MESH SCREEN CLOSED, SO NONE OF THE GLASS CAME INTO THE VEHICLE ON ME. THE HOLE THAT WAS LEFT THE SECOND TIME WAS HUGE AND FLARED OUTWARDS, WHICH INDICATES A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE GLASS. IT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY RISK. THANKFULLY BOTH TIMES IT HAPPENED I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BUT I WORRY IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. THANKFULLY IT WASN'T RAINING EITHER TIME, IF IT WAS I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN IN AN ACCIDENT WITH THE RAIN COMING IN ON ME AND KEEPING ME FROM BEING ABLE TO SEE THE ROAD. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE 2019 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN PANORAMIC SUNROOF.
TWO TIMES MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF ON MY 2019 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN HAS EXPLODED. THE FIRST TIME WAS FEB. 13, 2019, JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW. THE SECOND TIME WAS A WEEK AND A HALF AGO ON AUG. 8, 2019. BOTH TIMES THE PANORAMIC SUNROOF EXPLODED I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY GOING TO WORK AND DRIVING ABOUT 60MPH. IT SOUNDED BOTH TIMES LIKE A GUN SHOT GOING OFF IN MY CAR. THERE WAS NO WARNING EITHER TIME, IT JUST HAPPENED AND WAS VERY FRIGHTENING. BOTH TIMES IT HAPPENED I WAS FAR ENOUGH BACK FROM OTHER VEHICLES. THE MOST RECENT EXPLOSION WAS WORSE. A HUGE HOLE WAS LEFT AND PIECES WERE FLYING OFF BEHIND MY VEHICLE. THANKFULLY I HAD THE MESH SCREEN CLOSED, SO NONE OF THE GLASS CAME INTO THE VEHICLE ON ME. THE HOLE THAT WAS LEFT THE SECOND TIME WAS HUGE AND FLARED OUTWARDS, WHICH INDICATES A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE GLASS. IT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY RISK. THANKFULLY BOTH TIMES IT HAPPENED I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BUT I WORRY IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. THANKFULLY IT WASN'T RAINING EITHER TIME, IF IT WAS I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN IN AN ACCIDENT WITH THE RAIN COMING IN ON ME AND KEEPING ME FROM BEING ABLE TO SEE THE ROAD. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE 2019 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN PANORAMIC SUNROOF.
BIG MANUFACTURER DEFECT ISSUE ON TIGUAN WINDSHILED. BOUGHT NEW 2016 VW TIGUAN ON 2016 APR, WINDSHIELD BROKE IN TWO WEEKS, WHILE I'M DRIVING IN A LOCAL WAY, SLIGHT TURING RIGHT, CROSSING TRAFFIC @45 MILE/H, (HWY 75 TO EAST EXCHANGE, ALLEN, TX, 75002) NO TRUCKS SEEN. BOUGHT NEW 2019 VW TIGUAN ON 2019 MAR, WINDSHIELD BROKE IN APR, WITHIN A MONTH. A QUIET HIGHWAY, NO BIG TRUCKS PASSING BY, AND SPEED @ 65MILE/H.(HWY 75 @ RENNER) ASKED DEALER TO REPORT AS QUALITY OR DESIGN ISSUE, WITH NO RESPONSE.
I PURCHASED THIS CAR AND THE CAR-NET IN MY CAR HASN'T WORKED SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR. I HAVE CONTACTED VW MULTIPLE TIMES AND I JUST KEEP GETTING THE 'THEY'RE WORKING ON IT ' WITH NO RESOLUTION IN SITE.
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Quick Summary
The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan has 19 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.