Volkswagen Tiguan (2008 – 2016) Review

• October 2007: Available for ordering
• January 2008
• June 2008
• April 2009: New Tiguan R Line
• May 2010: Tiguan Match announced
• July 2011: Revised Tiguan goes on sale
• October 2012
• August 2013: Special Tiguan Match introduced
• October 2014
• April 2015

05-06-2011:

Dual Mass Flywheel failures are occurring on later Tiguan automatics fitted with DSGs. No problem with the earlier torque converter automatics.

07-08-2011:

One report of inlet manifold swirl flap failure on a 3 year old 2.0 TDI. Cost £300. The flaps did not come off and wreck the engine.

29-12-2011:

Standard problem of piston failures of 1.4 TSI with both supercharger and turbocharger seems to be occurring. Not universal. Not sufficiently widespread for every owner to worry.

25-09-2013:

Problems with used 60k mile 2010 Tiguan TDI purchased in August 2013: DPF warning lights came on. Filter cleaned. A week later on a hour and a half drive the DPF warning light came on again, some power loss but on restarting this seemed to clear. Catalytic converter warning came on, then engine block warning light came on. Dealer sent to VW franchiser that charged £1,500 to replace the EGR system. Subsequently, ignition warning light on.

07-11-2013:

Soon after a service the auxilary 'V' belt came off the 2.0TDI engine of a 55k mile 2010 Tiguan, taking out the timing belt and causing damage to the engine and turbo that cost £7,200 to rectify. VW dealer paid 50%.

21-02-2014:

Haldex clutch failed at 47k miles on Volkswagen Tiguan. Quoted £1,900 to replace. When this happens, the car still runs in FWD; it just won't get you out of a muddy field. Eventually billed just £319 for the repair.

23-02-2014:

Timing chain of 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI jumped a few cogs at 105k miles, probably due to failure of the tensioner and the fact that the oil and filter had only been changed very 25,000 miles.

30-03-2014:

7-speed DSG of 2013/63 Tiguan 2.0 TDI 177 thumped from delivery and was replaced under warranty.

16-10-2014:

Inertia reel mechanism of driver's seatbelt of 2008 Tiguan sticking and failing to release belt at more then 19 degrees centrigrade. Volkswagen dealers quoting fortunes to replace.

29-08-2015:

Clutch failed on 2012 Tiguan petrol manual (1.4TSI?) at 21,000 miles and just under 3 years old. Replacement cost was £1,733 for clutch, DMF and replacement slave cylinder.

02-11-2015:

2009 Tiguan with EA189 2.0TDI needed new DPF and EGR at 58k miles in 2014. Subsequently at 85k miles the high pressure pump and injectors failed, but this is most likely to be due to bad diesel or filling with petrol.

17-11-2015:

Failed clutch and DMF reported on 18 month old Tiguan 2.0TDI at 25,000 miles.

27-11-2015:

Report of 4 year old 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0TSI automatic with full Volkswagen service history suffering failed piston rings at 19,000 miles. Dealer offered to pay 70% of rectification; Volkswagen refused to pay the other 30%.

12-01-2016:

Aux belt came off engine of 2010 Tiguan 2.0 TDI at 45k miles, wrapped itself around lower crankshaft pulley, took out the timing belt and wrecked the engine. Timing belt and waterpump had been replaced by VW dealer in May 2015, so reassembly could be suspect. Dealer quoting £6k for new engine.

19-01-2016:

Numerous problems reported with new Tiguan R-Line bought July 2015, including a knocking noise coming from the rear of the car. Dealer has had car for 2 weeks now and after numerous calls over that time has not returned owners calls. Owner now wants to reject the car.

01-05-2016:

Clutch and Dual Mass Flywheel of solicitor's 2012/62 Volkswagen Tiguan failed at 35,000 miles resulting in a bill of £1,439.17.

22-05-2016:

Report of failure of centre propshaft bearing on 4WD 2012 Tiguan at 31k miles.

12-07-2016:

Report that NOx software fix to 2014 Tiguan 2.0TDI 140 DSG has resulted in a significant clatter under load at speeds up to 40mph and engine speeds up to 1600rpm. Suggests that the software fix reduces fuelling and therefore torque at low rpm.

20-07-2016:

Report of failure of high pressure diesel injection pump of Tiguan 2.0TDI 4WD at 50,000 miles sending shards of metal into the injectors. No evidence of a manufacturing fault. Could have been caused by a lack of lubricity in the fuel.

11-08-2016:

Another report of a Tiguan TDI, this time a 2012, developing "a horrible rattle in engine when changing up between 2 and 4."

14-08-2016:

Third report of knocking from the engine of a Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0TDI after the EA189 emissions software fix, this time on a 2013 Tiguan.

17-08-2016:

Fourth report of emissions modification to a a 31k mile 2012 Tiguan 2.0 TDI failing and leaving the owner with "a noisy, unresponsive machine completely at odds with the driving experienced prior to modification.

27-08-2016:

Fifth report of rattle from engine of Tiguan 2.0 TDI after the EA189 emissions fix. This was a 2014 Tiguan, performing perfectly before the one and a half hour fix, but started to rattle on the owner's drive home from the dealer.

03-09-2016:

Sixth report of problems after 'emissions fix'.

03-09-2016:

7th failed emissions defeat software remap reported on a Tiguan.

03-09-2016:

8th report of post emissions defeat remap on a Tiguan. The 2012 Tiguan has just has the emissions fix done and it seems down on power.

04-09-2016:

9th report of post emissions defeat remap on a Tiguan: "My Tiguan Sport 2.0 dci 4 Motion Automatic registered Mar 2012 was taken into my dealer who sold me the car for the software update on 06 July 2016. It has under 30,000 miles on the clock. The noise of the engine following the update has become unacceptable. Previously it ran as sweetly as one could have ever expected or hoped but now it 'pinks' every time it is between about 1400 to 1800 revs while under acceleration, particularly if is going up any gradient, particularly between 3rd and 4th gear. In addition the cooling fan seems to be on at all times, or at least it is on when the engine is switched off. How VW can send out a letter jointly headed with VOSA saying that there will be no affect on the car or the fuel consumption is proving unbelievable? I took the car back to the dealer on 13th July 2016 and took an engineer out to listen to the noise but he thought it sounded normal and asked me to log the occasions when it happened. I did and took it back on 16 August 2016. Again I took a different engineer out for a test ride and replicated the noise but he said it would need him to compare my engine sound with another Tiguan. I complained again and was invited to bring the car in for what was said to be an update to the update on 24 Aug. I was then told that the update that was installed on 06 July (stb 9977) was the current version and that they, the dealer, being Lookers of Guildford, would keep it for a week and run tests and liaise with VW. I registered a formal complaint with VW by phone on 24 Aug and they said they would deal with Lookers and monitor the situation when the car was being tested. That test week commences 12 Sept. Neither the dealer or VW will admit there is a system problem or that other owners are having problems. Diesels do not pink unless there is a fault with the ignition system and that is governed by a factory setting. If the fan is running continuously it has to affect the fuel consumption. I have every fuel bill for the last 2 years and know what to expect either on a run or around town.'

06-09-2016:

10th report of problems after emissions defeat software remap, this on a 2013 Tiguan 2.0TDI. Owner received a letter in June 2016 regarding the software update for his Tiguan (RV13 ZDN). He took the vehicle to my local VW dealer White Rose (Petersfield), for what he thought would be a routine procedure, "which, in fact, turned into a nightmare." The vehicle originally went in for what he was told would be an afternoon’s work; that ‘afternoon’ eventually ended up being three weeks. Worse still is that when his vehicle was eventually returned, it wasn’t ‘right’ … and continues not to be ‘right’. But he has told the dealer I will now live with the situation.

20-09-2016:

11th report of problems after emissions defeat software remap, this on a 2013 Tiguan 2.0TDI 4Motion BMT DSG at 21,500 miles. "Car worked perfectly prior to engine software update, which was performed at the end of July during the 3 year service. Symptoms are: Engine exhibits a significant "clatter" under load at speeds up to 40mph /1600 - 2000 rpm; Loss of engine power low down in rev range (up to 2250 rpm); DSG box holds lower gears longer; especially noticeable in 2nd and 3rd, but occurs in 4th and 5th on occasions (very different from original gearbox characteristics); Fuel consumption: seems OK-ish for local, slow journeys, but for motorway driving the fuel consumption is frightening. At 70mph the Avg Fuel consumption display shows between 32 and 33mph over a 20 mile journey. Prior to the software update I would have received 38 to 40mph at least." Reader tried using Shell V-Power for its higher cetane but it did not work.

20-09-2016:

12th report of problems after emissions defeat software remap on a Tiguan 2.0TDI 4Motion DSG. "I've had 2 software updates on my VW Tiguan and had all the symptoms mentioned in previous posts, ie engine knock at low revs , loss of power and engine vibrations etc. The dealership that I bought the car from basically gone into denial mode and insisting the car is running within the parameters but it drives crap nothing like the smooth drive before the update. So I contacted VW customer care and took it to another dealership. They took it on a 5min test drive and confirmed my issues straight away, VW technical requested the test to be carried out and again they said it's operating within the parameters set. How can they backtrack after telling me that they have recognised a fault? What can I do? I'm at my wits end what are my options now?" The two updates are 23R7 9977 and 23R7 9978. All recorded at. In the USA when the cars cannot be fixed, VW is being compelled to buy them back at market price. It may be that this can be used un UK courts to force WW to do the same here. The strange thing is that. so far, the only problems with the fix have been with Tiguan 2.0TDIs and with the 1.2TDI engine.

01-10-2016:

13th report of Tiguan TDI malfunctioning after emissions recall. 2012 Tiguan 2.0 TDI 140 Bluemotion 4m had its emission update (23R7) completed in June. Next day owners wife compared engine noise to a rattling canteen of cutlery. VW dealer immediately acknowledged a rattle was noticeable when the DSG changed up through the low gears. Asked for a loan car and VW in Germany agreed owner should be kept mobile, so for ten days we had use of a Passat while they kept the Tiguan. On our return owner told car had had a further update. Terrible clatter had gone but the engine was not as quiet as it was pre 23R7, and in recent weeks appears to be getting generally noisier. The car has been filled almost exclusively with Shell V Power and BP Ultimate from new so poor grade fuel can not be the cause. Also, the DSG has never operated smoothly. Momentary pause when moving of, and reluctance to accelerate smoothly through low gears continue to frustrate yet dealer refuses to acknowledge these as faults.

10-10-2016:

14th report received of engine rattle similar to 'pinking' on a Tiguan 2.0TDI after the emissions software update. This car was a 2013 model.

17-10-2016:

Misfiring/juddering reported from engine of 2009/59 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0TSI that had been building up for a couple of years. Car always fully maintained on schedule by a VW dealer. No OBDII fault codes, so dealer stripped engine down and found it needed work at a discounted £3,755.46. (Guessing cokes up inlet valves, but must have needced more than that.)

26-10-2016:

Report from reader that 4th letter from VW regarding emissions defeat software fix received stating that fix for his Tiguan 2.0TDI still isn't ready.

09-11-2016:

15th report of failed software update on a 2012/62 VW Tiguan 2.0TDI 4-Motion. Reader took car to loacal VW dealer after received a letter from VW stating ACTION REQUIRED. Afteer the work, she noticed that the car felt sluggish/noisier/less sharp in performance and fuel consumption had increased probably 15%. When she returned the car for diagnostics they found the "clutch pump" was malfunctioning. She agreed to its replacement at a cost of £435. When she collected the car she did not find any improvement in its performance so rang the dealer telling him. He basically lied, stating that they "had no problems with other Tiguans and that anyway the emissions update had not been compulsory." She asked if the previous tune could be re-instated so she could get her performance back, but was told this was not possible. She then contacted VW Customer Care for advice via the telephone line on the VW letter Action required. She was told that although certain 2L vehicles had been called in that VW had now received the final writtten clearance from KBA (Germany) for the software and that they had not had any Tiguans reported as adversely affected that did not have another fault. She was also told that the procedure was ‘not compulsory’ so she challenged the letter stating Action required.

22-11-2016:

'Klunk' reported from front driveshaft of 2014 VW Tiguan when reversing with full left hand lock down ever since new and never rectified by the supplying dealer.

27-11-2016:

16th report of problems following Emissions defeat remap on a VW Tiguan 2.0TDI: "Left the car with a noisier engine. It used to be nice and smooth and now it is like a growling noise especially when pulling under load. It sounds like a sports exhaust or a blowing exhaust but it is coming from the front. It is a 2011 2.0tdi bluemotion / 4motion and has only done 26k miles with full five years VW service at same VW garage. Dealer denies any problems.

03-12-2016:

17th report of problems following Emissions defeat remap on a VW Tiguan 2.0TDI: "We bought a 62 plate Tiguan 2.0tdi 4motion in February with 32k miles. It had the emissions fix in August and has been a bit lumpy and not as refined since. This week it stopped and the engine has seized (currently under investigation). It started making a tapping noise for a short time then gave two fan belt type squeals and just died, only about a mile or so of driving from tapping to death. 39,500 miles on the clock."

05-12-2016:

Complaint of infrequent entry into "limp mode" with EPC and exhaust warning lights lit on occasions of 2009 VW Tiguan 2.0TSI. Stopping and re-starting re-set it until it went into limp and would not re-set. VW dealer diagnosed that replacement of entire inlet manifold together with oil and filter change at a cost of £840. Less than a month later the car again entered limp mode and the dealer advised that the throttle body must now be replaced. We think another possibility is coking up of the inlet valves that is common with this engine until the major revise of the EA888 2.0TSI in 2013 that brought with it indirect as well as direct injection so some fuel still enteres via the inlet valves and has the effect of cleaning them.

09-12-2016:

Report of clutch slipping and oil leak from transmission of 2011 Tiguan at 49,000 miles shortly after NOx emissions remap. Dealer charged £83 for a tow in, £73 for diagnostics (to pinpoint a clutch failure?) then told owner it is is a known problem which has affected Tiguans, Golfs and Passats. He stated VW will pay 70% of the price of parts and 50% labour however this could owner having to pay £1,100. That would cover the replacement of clutch , flywheel and gearbox if all 3 are effected. There had been been no warning of this and the car has light use.

24-01-2017:

Report of rear nearside coil spring of 56k mile 2011 VW Tiguan 2.0TDI auto 4WD shattering while car was parked. Front suspension bushes also needed to be replaced.

08-02-2017:

Report of 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0TDI being recalled for emissions fix and subsequently suffering an increase in fuel consumption. Point made that after the fix these engines actively regenerate their DPFs much more frequently and this may account for the increase in fuel consumed. A further concern is that if engines are switched off mid-regeneration then some of the extra fuel injected into the engine to promote regeneration may dribble down the bores, contaminating the engine oil and raising its level.

08-02-2017:

Report of 2014 VW Tiguan 2.0TDI being recalled for emissions fix in October 2016. Owner immediately noticed loss of mpg when driving down a slight incline with foot off accelerator in 3 or 4 gear, and revs drops to 1,250 -1,500revs, and you start to accelerate, sometimes gets a juddering feeling through the accelerator and seat. EGR failure a couple of months after the update. DPF is regenerating once per week, more ofter than ever before. Change down gear symbol on the instrument panel rarely comes on any more. Acceleration from low revs is not as good as before. EGR was replaced free as car is still under warranty. Both VW UK and dealer refuse to tell owner exactly what parameters they have changed in the car's ECU.

27-03-2017:

Report of loss of compression of 1.4TSI engine of 2010 VW Tiguan at 65,000 miles. Problems started in November 2016 when catalytic converter light came on and car was taken to a local garage. Garage checked and told owner it had low fompression and owner should take it to a dealer as a car of that mileage shouldn’t require a new engine. No charge by local garage. Car taken to VW dealer in November. They tested it and said it was a problem with the Control Manifold and fixed it at a cost of £150. They did not check the compression. Then in Merch 2017 the light came back on, owner took it to the VW dealer and after agreeing another £200 for investigation, they finally told owner it had low compression and needed a new engine. VW offered no goodwill. VW dealer reduced the price of a new engine from £8k to £6.5k. We referred owner to http://www.fer.co.uk for a possible rebuilt of the engine that might be possible if the fault was merely carbon build up on the valves.

18-05-2017:

Report of repeated faults with 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan. Problems began in March 2017 with a coolant leak. Different VW dealer from supplying dealer told owner to keep filling it up until they had time to take it in. Owner took it back to supplying deaer who fitted a new expansion tank. A few days later more lights were flashing on the dashboard and once again the car wasn't safe to drive. Supplier picked the car up and fitted a whole new engine. I week later engine lost power on the motorway. Owner tried to reject the car to the dealer and to the finance company. They refused, saying it was more than 6 months old, but agreed to contact Volkswagen.

25-07-2017:

Heavy oil conrumption of 1 litre every 2 - 4 weeks reported from 2012 VW Tiguan with original EA888 2.0TFSI engine engine.

14-08-2017:

Report of VW Tiguan EA189 TDI back to dealer three times post-fix because cat converter light keeps coming on.

15-08-2017:

Report of VW Tiguan EA189 TDI losting power fafter NOx emissions fix, seeming to stall and finally going into limp home mode. Dealer can't take it back to fix it (replace the EGR) for more than 2 weeks.

24-08-2017:

Report of 2013 VW Tiguan 2.0TDI getting NOx emissions fix in early July. Has now gone into limp mode "dashboard lit up like a xmas tree". Owner took it back to VW. After they had it for a day they told him it was the wiring loom so they kept it for another day. He picked up the car and it was ok for 6 days then back into limp mode with the dashboard lights back on again.

18-09-2017:

Clutch slave cylinder of 2011 VW Tiguan failed at 23,000 miles. VW dealer quoted £900 for replacement, presumably clutch as well as slave cylinder.

06-10-2017:

Report of repeat problems with EGR of 2013 VW Tiguan TDI 2WD purchased in May 2016. NOx emissions fix carried out in November 2016. MoT passed May 2017. Dash light came on 5th June 2017, but misunderstanding with VW dealer so took it to local garage who fitted new EGR for £600. Then in August 2017 after 2k miles dash light came on again and EGR turned out not to be warranted so they had tyo take the car to the previously unhelpful VW dealer who fitted a replacement EGR FoC. Then late September 2017 dash light came on again, VW dealer checked, found the EGR had failed again and still has the car trying to make it work.

02-01-2018:

Report of continual problems with 2012 Tiguan since NOx emissions fix on 28th November 2016. First problem 3 December 2016 and thereafter repeated at regular 3 month intervals until the last incidence on 12 December 2017. Each incidence characterised by lumpy running, to the point of almost cutting out, then the engine management warning light coming on and when the fault was investigated it was discovered that various components were severely sooted up. Each time the dealer repaired it on a goodwill basis albeit sometimes only after owner indicated my dissatisfaction. Now at 50,000 miles owner wants a permanent solution.

01-09-2018:

Report of leak from factory fitted panoramic sunroof of Tiguan SE R-Line TDI purchased new in October 2012. The leak is on the drivers’ side with water seeping down the head lining into the floor well.

30-11-2018:

Report of Dual Mass Flywheel of 2012 Tiguan 2.0TDi 140 DSG 4Motion BlueMotion failing at 55,000 miles.

22-12-2018:

Report of leak thought to be from factory fitted sunroof of 2009 Tiguan. Initially flooded footwell behind the driver’s seat, then all bar the one behind the front passenger seat, now all 4.

17-04-2019:

Report of 2012 Tiguan 2.0 TDI failing MoT at 91,000 miles. Needed all brake discs and pads replaced, plus front suspension bushes. Soon after one of the rear coil springs failed.

10-06-2019:

Report of a/c compressor of 2015 Tiguan shearing off at its fixings at 30,000 miles and costing £836 to replace.

23-06-2019:

Report of failure of mechatronics of 7-speed wet clutch DQ500 DSG transmission of 2014 Tiguan 2.0 TDI 140 4Motion at 34,000 miles.

07-10-2019:

Report of 2013 Tiguan 4Motion having NOx emissions 'fix' in January 2017.

25-10-2019:

Report of 46,000 mile 2013 Tiguan 2.0 TDI 4WD needing a "replacement propshaft" at a cost of £1500.

06-12-2019:

Report of EGR Valve coking up on 2002 Tiguan 2.0 TDI and costing £1200 to replace. The reader did not specify if this occurred witin the 2 year 'Restoring Trust' warranty against consequential issued following the NOx fix.

22-01-2020:

Another report of wet roof lining in 2008 Tiguan with a sunroof. Mould has formed inside the car and it smells. A garage suggested the drainage pipes (running from roof to floor) could be blocked.

01-07-2022:

DSG gearbox failure reported on 2016 Tiguan DSG 4Motion.