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2018 Volkswagen Tiguan
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2018 Volkswagen Tiguan — Safety Summary
The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan has 13 NHTSA safety recalls and 274 owner complaints on record. Transport Canada separately lists 9 Canadian recalls for this model. The most frequently reported complaint area is engine. It earned an NHTSA overall safety rating of 5 out of 5. Based on this public data we rate its risk profile as high. Enter your VIN above to confirm which of these apply to your exact vehicle, then get the Smart Buyer Report for AI analysis of this model's reliability, common issues by mileage, and a pre-purchase inspection checklist.
NHTSA Safety Ratings
Government crash test results
NHTSA Recalls
13 recall(s) for this year/model
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
20/11/2020Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan LWB vehicles. In the event of a crash, one or both of the front seat belt's webbing may tear.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat belts and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69BH.
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
23/09/2021Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan vehicles. During the repair of roof damage, an incorrect roof reinforcement assembly may have been installed.
Remedy: Dealers will be replace the roof reinforcement, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 51H5.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
16/05/2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan and Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The nut that holds the lower ball joint of the front wheel on each side of the vehicle may be loose or improperly tightened.
Remedy: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will replace the nut on the lower ball joint and, as necessary, clean the thread in the ball joint, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 40N4. Note: owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair has been performed.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
25/09/2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners and repurchase the affected vehicles. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D7. Note: This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 18V-329.
SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER
25/04/2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan long wheelbase (LWB) vehicles. A lower loop of a rear shock absorber may separate from its base due to an incorrect welding process
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear shock absorbers, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42i7.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
06/06/2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan vehicles. In the event of a crash, the passenger frontal air bag may tear or not properly unfold during deployment.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69W8, and 69W9.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
13/07/2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles. The LED module for the panoramic sunroof ambient light bar may short circuit.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the power supply for the panoramic sunroof LED module, free of charge, until a future service action can safely reactivate the feature. The recall began July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall 60D1.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
26/11/2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.
SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
06/03/2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
09/02/2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be intended for use in vehicles sold in the United States. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel and front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69V2.
ENGINE
08/03/2018Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The engine support bolts on these vehicles may not have been properly tightened.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace engine support bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10F7.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
18/10/2017Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The back-up lights in the taillight assemblies may not be bright enough. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected inner taillight assemblies, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94J9.
STRUCTURE:BODY
06/04/2022Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Tiguan and 2018-2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. Due to incorrect installation instructions, the accessory rear hatch spoiler may be insufficiently attached to the vehicle.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the spoiler, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N5.
Transport Canada Recalls
9 Canadian recall(s) from the official Transport Canada database
Lights And Instruments
2017-10-18Certain vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of CMVSS 108 - Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices. The back-up lights within the tail light assemblies do not meet the photometric requirements of the standard. Correction: Dealers will replace the inner tail light assemblies.
Suspension
2018-04-25On certain vehicles, a lower loop of a rear shock absorber may separate and detach from its base cup due to an incorrect weld. If a separation were to occur, it could affect vehicle stability and increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace one or both rear shock absorbers.
Suspension
2018-05-16On certain vehicles, a front lower ball joint nut may be loose or improperly tightened. This could result in a dislocation of a lower ball joint, which could affect steering, traction or stability of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the lower ball joint nut (ball joint to wheel bearing housing/”steering knuckle”) on one or both sides of the vehicle and clean the threads in the ball joint if necessary. Note: In the interim, owners are advised to stop driving their vehicle until the defect has been repaired. Affected owners should call Volkswagen's Roadside Assistance number at 1-800-411-6688 to arrange to have the vehicle towed to the nearest dealer for repair.
Airbag
2018-06-06On certain vehicles, the passenger frontal airbag may not unfold properly or could tear during deployment, which would increase the risk of injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag.
Structure
2018-07-13On certain vehicles, the LED module for the panoramic sunroof ambient light bar may overheat, increasing the risk of a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will install in-line fuses for the left and right panoramic sunroof ambient light LED modules.
Lights And Instruments
2018-11-21Certain vehicles do not to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 114 - Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention. Due to incorrect programming, the vehicle may fail to provide an audible warning when a driver opens their door after turning off the ignition, and the key is left in the ignition switch. This could increase the risk of vehicle theft. Correction: Dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster.
Suspension
2019-03-06Issue: On certain vehicles, the rear suspension coil springs may not have been properly manufactured and could break over time. This could cause damage to a rear tire, resulting in rapid air loss and/or tire failure. Safety Risk: A rear tire failure could affect vehicle control. Additionally, a broken coil spring could also create a road hazard for other motorists. Both of these conditions may increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have both of the rear axle coil springs replaced. If a broken coil spring is found, the rear tires should be inspected for damage and replaced as required.
Seats And Restraints
2020-11-20Issue: On certain vehicles, there could be a problem with the driver and/or front passenger seat belt. As a result, the seat belts could break in a crash. Safety Risk: A seat belt that breaks in a crash could create an increased risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the front seat belts. The driver and front passenger seat belt will be replaced, if necessary.
Structure
2022-04-06Issue: This recall is for accessory rear hatch spoilers that were installed on a new vehicle or sold as an accessory part at a Volkswagen dealership. On certain vehicles, the rear spoiler might not be properly attached to the hatch. As a result, the spoiler could detach from the vehicle while driving. Safety Risk: A spoiler that detaches from the vehicle could create a hazard for other drivers and nearby people. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the rear hatch spoiler.
Contains information sourced from Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database, licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Data is provided "as is" from Transport Canada's monthly release and may not reflect real-time updates. Transport Canada does not endorse this service. Always confirm open recalls with the manufacturer or Transport Canada before purchase.
Owner Complaints
274 complaint(s) filed with NHTSA
Top complaint categories:
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