2012 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Steering wheel gets locked up while driving; power steering fails. The red steering light turns on. This is a problem that happens to several Tiguans. There were no prior symptoms prior to failure. This is extremely dangerous and difficult to deal with while driving, especially on the freeway. please help.

I was driving the car and the steering wheel locked out of nowhere A red steering light came on the dashboard. I’ve never seen before

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. Additionally, while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart. The check engine, EPC, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

The clockspring has failed and there are recalls on similar models of Tiguans of the same year.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Defective Primary Engine Water Pump, yes. The original primary engine water pump system for a 2012 VW Tiguan 2.0 was replaced under the VW extended warranty in 2020 by an authorized dealer as a the result of the class action suit---please see Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension bulletin issued by NHTSA. The replacement primary engine water pump system installed in 2020 has been found to be defective in March 2025 and the primary engine water pump requires replacement a second time -- without a warranty extension and less than five years from the date of service of the replacement under the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension issued by NHTSA. VW is still using defective primary engine water pump systems throughout the warranty period----does the NHTSA have any evidence that VW made modifications to the primary engine water pump system after the bulletin issued by NHTSA? Was it a requirement that VW modify the primary engine water pump system? I have been informed that no changes were made to the VW primary engine water pump that was used to replace defective primary engine water pump systems as a result of the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A defective primary engine water pump is a safety risk because it creates a potential for engine failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has been confirmed by an authorized VW dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? UNKNOWN Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Indicator warning lights on dash--RED.

The engine could not be started after 13 years and 103,000+ miles. I had to get the car towed to my garage at night, after several prior trips same day. There were no check engine lights or any other indicators. The engine had newer spark plugs, ignition coils and pcv valve installed as well as chain checked a year prior to this. Had a mobile mechanic come by and inspect the car. He determined that the engine has lost compression and that the oil was low. The spark plugs were soaked in gas because engine could not properly compress and ignite the fuel. After adding oil the problem did not go away. He performed the compression test and confirmed his suspicion about engine not being able to compress the fuel. The most likely cause was the timing chain issue but he could not inspect the chain to confirm due to difficulty of doing it. The engine valves were not moving as expected as well. He could not read any meaningful codes from the car computer. There were no electrical or starter issues, just that engine has lost compression. The car had regular oil changes, break fluid changes and tire rotations. Just two weeks prior to car breaking down it passed emissions test. As far as I know, these vehicles have had issues with timing chains stretching out and VW has sent out a recall about these issues a while back. I don't believe my vehicle was under this recall. This vehicle has had all recalls addressed. At this point I will have to get rid of the car because the cost to fix this issue will be the same or more than the car is worth.

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and had occurred at various speeds. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V441000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

I was accelerating on the highway when my engine started making a rattling sound and the check engine light came on. I took my car into a specialty European auto shop and they determined my timing chain and tensioner needed replacing. The price is going to be over $5k and there are only 113,763 miles. I’ve always taken my car to a VW dealership for scheduled maintenance. As others have mentioned I never received a notice about this problem earlier from VW.

Sunroof lets water in and floods in car causing electrical problems, mold, rust, ruining roof interior and carpets. The air bag and horn stopped working and clock spring needs to be replaced. I had no prior warning of that these problems would occur. I have spent thousands of dollars in repairs for electrical trying to figure out why the car stopped working and also how water was getting into car when there is no leaks around the sunroof. This puts the safety of my family as well as others on the road when my car breaks down. I wasn't able to drive my car for months during the winter because the area around the fuel tank froze from rain water sitting in area unknown.

I made a report on 11/1/19 about issues with my vehicle due to a manufactures defect that the panoramic roof drains did not drain properly and water leaked throughout the vehicle. Please refer to ODI# 41277589 and Ref.# 238025. This is a known issue with these vehicles and should have been recalled by volkswagon. On September 18, 2023 my daughter got into an accident because the vehicle shut off and couldn't stop. Air bags never went off either. It has officially been determined that there was in fact an electrical short.

Crash

I made a report on 11/1/19 about issues with my vehicle due to a manufactures defect that the panoramic roof drains did not drain properly and water leaked throughout the vehicle. Please refer to ODI# 41277589 and Ref.# 238025. This is a known issue with these vehicles and should have been recalled by volkswagon. On September 18, 2023 my daughter got into an accident because the vehicle shut off and couldn't stop. Air bags never went off either. It has officially been determined that there was in fact an electrical short.

Crash

I made a report on 11/1/19 about issues with my vehicle due to a manufactures defect that the panoramic roof drains did not drain properly and water leaked throughout the vehicle. Please refer to ODI# 41277589 and Ref.# 238025. This is a known issue with these vehicles and should have been recalled by volkswagon. On September 18, 2023 my daughter got into an accident because the vehicle shut off and couldn't stop. Air bags never went off either. It has officially been determined that there was in fact an electrical short.

Crash

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel display turned on and turned off intermittently. The contact continued driving at an unknown speed. The contact had since experienced failures related to the electrical system, with the interior and exterior lights not working as needed, the door open indicator malfunctioning, and the infotainment unit not working as needed. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,000.

Steering wheel lock every time I start the engine.

While making a uturn my neighborhood with steering wheel turned to the left I started to hear and feel a "clicking and grinding" noise in steering wheel. Moments later, the airbag error light illuminated on dash and has not turned off. Front driver airbag error, airbag will not deploy in the event of a collision. Horn no longer works. Steering wheel controls do not work. Airbag error warning light displayed on dash and alarms during vehicle ignition. Clock spring seems to be defective and complete power steering failure has happened on multiple occasions, in very dangerous and inconvenient situations (i.e getting on the freeway). Once the engine and computer is powered down and restarted, no longer power steering failure for the time being. No active recall but all sources say this is the recall that has been covered previously. Car is unsafe to drive.

Water pump melted and needed to be replaced, car won't start, airbag light is on and clock spring needed to be replaced, heated seat gets extremely hot on driver's side when turned on.

Tires had 17,000 miles on them. Tire pressure was checked 6 days prior to tire failure. Tire failure occurred on 3/11/23. My 19 year old daughter and two friends were driving on I-26 just east of Columbia, SC, when the tire sidewalls spontaneously failed. The TPMS is functional and never alerted the driver to low tire pressure. I contacted Continental Tire and provided them photos, and they have brushed it off saying that the tire was driven with low tire pressure. Continental Tire recalled 94,000 tires during the same time frame that these tires were manufactured due to sidewall failures. As noted in my correspondence with Continental Tire, there was a hairline crack in the rim which Discount Tire said may have caused the low tire pressure. The TPMS did not go off - the crack in the rim was a result of my 19 year old daughter trying to get to safety while driving at 70 MPH on I-26.

The front headlight does not work on one side but the high beam and running lights still work on both sides. Might be an issue with the ballast or electrical system. A few days later my car would not start in the morning. The engine would crank but never start. There were no warning lights or signs of anything not working correctly. Seems like it might be because of the timing system either the belt/chain or the tensioner. Have to get cared towed to shop to have inspected and prices for repairs are very high. I've owned this vehicle for only 3 months.

Ignition Coil failed while on highway. Car hesitated , shook, and and slowed down. Created dangerous situation where we had to merge across to get off highway.

Pulling out of parking space with steering wheel turned to the left. Heard and felt a "click/grind" in steering wheel and airbag error light illuminated on dash.Front driver airbag error, airbag will not deploy in the event of a collision. Horn does not work. Steering wheel controls do not work. Airbag error warning light displayed on dash and alarms during vehicle ignition. Clock spring defective. Problem was confirmed with independent service center and dealership. VW of America notified. Clock spring is covered under warranty but is on an indefinite national back order, could be months, years or eternity. Car is unsafe to drive without resolution from dealer or Volkswagen.

Bought vehicle used--had apparently been taken in at some point prior to our purchase for clock spring recall. Clock spring has failed and cannot find replacement part at any US-based source. Driver's airbag now deactivated.

At 77k miles the engine's timing chain jumped a tooth or two at startup. This seems to have destroyed the engine. Prior to that: no problems. My DTC scanner said the cam timing was off. VW wanted $25k to fix it after having it towed in. It sounded like rocks in a coffee can. It had just come from Chicago to visit and my son was stranded. I had to put him on a train home. I now am putting in a used engine for $9500 & it is going to take several weeks. When I looked on the internet I see this has been described as "a ticking time bomb". (REF Jalopnik.com). There was a class action law suit, but I guess --- since we had not had an issue--- redress was over. Still... 77k miles.

unexpectedly power steering stop working, second it happened

Our daughter's veh. has mold in the rt front & rt rear seat flooring. The inside of the windshield has water to the point that it is very hard to see out of it at night and the pano. glass roof also has water inside of the suv as well. We have taken the veh. to (2) glass shops & a body shop & they are saying this is a safety & defect issue with this model. We researched on this & there are thousand of consumers who have the same complaints & concerns about the mold that this has caused & also many cases electrical issues inside this model suv. no matter what year same issues. We also know of a relative same thing same model & leakage as well and luckily hers so far no mold as of yet. Our daughter cannot use this suv due to the mold & is forced to use another veh. to get to college. We have video and photos showing the water in the veh & inside the rt windows during the night & day time. We have tried getting this resolved & have done all we could in so far as also going to the dealership but they did not want to hear it nor their VW "Care" dept. as well they just stated to contact NHTSA as our veh. could be included as again there are numerous complaints on this issue. Please let us know what is needed from us to investigate this. I can be reached at [XXX] or email us at [XXX]. ***Thank you so very much for any assistance you can provide us on this.*** Sincerely concerned parent INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Power steering malfunction, it’s a serious safety concern reason why being there is no indication or warning of steering problem. Before The steering stop working. Went online to see if there is a recall and there was none. Seen a lot of report on the same situation.

AFTER I TURN THE CAR OFF, THE FUEL HOSE CONNECTED TO THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMPS DOESN'T POPS OFF AND GASOLINE LEAKS ALL OVER MY ENGINE. THIS STARTED HAPPENS REPEATEDLY NOW. WHEN I GET INTO MY CAR, IT IS FILLED WITH THE SMELL OF THE GASOLINE THAT IS LEAKING BECAUSE THE HOSE DOESN'T STAY ON THE FUEL PUMP. I HAVE TO POP OPEN MY HOOD AND SLIDE THE HOSE ONTO THE FUEL PUMP BEFORE I START DRIVING. I'VE TRIED USING DIFFERENT BRACKETS TO KEEP THE HOSE TIGHT ON THE FUEL PUMP, HOWEVER, THE HOSE KEEPS ON FALLING OFF. I'M NOT SURE WHAT ELSE I CAN DO, AND I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW DANGEROUS IT IS THAT THERE ARE POOLS OF GASOLINE SITTING AROUND MY ENGINE.

WATER IS LEAKING FROM THE SUNROOM ON THE PASSENGER FRONT SIDE WHEN IT RAINS. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE IT IS SOAKING THE AREA AROUND THE ELECTRONICS, AND HAS FLOODED THE FOOTWELLS OF THE FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, NOW THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HVAC SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND I CANNOT DE-FOG THE ENTIRE RIGHT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING. THERE IS ALSO SIGNIFICANT MOLD BUILD UP FROM THE DAMP AREAS, AND IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA TO BREATHE THAT IN. WATER DRIPS AND SOAKS THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHEN STATIONARY OR IN MOTION IN THE RAIN. LEAK HAS BEEN GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED TO OPERATE AS NEEDED. THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SYMBOL APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHERE THE RACK AND PINION, STEERING ANGLE SENSOR, CLOCKSPRING, AND THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE WERE ALL REPLACED. THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE IN THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO UPDATE HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED SHORTLY AFTER EACH REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD YET TO BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

FAULTY AND FAILING DRAINS IN ALL 4 CORNERS OF PANORAMIC SUN ROOF HAVE CAUSED EXTENSIVE WATER DAMAGE ON PILLARS, HEADLINER, CARPET, PAD AND SEATS IN FRONT AND BACK SEAT, PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE OF CAR. MOISTURE INSIDE OF CABIN CREATES FOGGED WINDSHIELD AND UNKNOWN POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL DAMAGE.

WE ALREADY HAD A PRIOR COMPLAINT IN ABOUT THE MANUFACTURERS DEFECT OF THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN THIS VEHICLE ODI# 412775589 REF# 238025. WE SAID IT WAS AFFECTING THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS IN THE CAR. TODAY WE HAD TO REPLACE THE IGNITION STARTER BUTTON DUE TO THE CONDENSATION. WE HAVE ALSO CONTACTED VOLKSWAGON PRIOR TO THIS, BUT THEY JUST IGNORE THE ISSUE.

I'VE ONLY OWNED THE VW TIGUAN 2012 FOR 6 MONTHS, JANUARY 2020 AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, ALL POWER LOST AND HAS TO BE RESTARTED. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 8 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS, 2 TIMES IN THE PAST WEEK, IT SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND YESTERDAY JULY 20,2020 WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION.

GRADUAL COOLANT LEAK WITH DEALERSHIP KNOWLEDGE UPON SALE OF THE CAR (44,000 MILES). REFILL OVERFLOW EVERY 8 TO 10 MONTHS. LEAK UNKNOWN. HAD TO INCREASE REFILLING GRADUALLY OVER TIME, THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO USE FROM WORK IN 2016. INCREASED TO ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS 2017. FILL EVERY WEEK OR TWO FROM 2018 TO 2019....DAILY SINCE LATE 2019 TO NOW. ENGINE DOES NOT OVER HEAT. REFILLING OVER FLOW COOLANT TANK EVERY TIME I NEED TO DRIVE THE CAR. I HAVE TO TURN ON THE CAR, POP THE HOOD, AND SEE HOW MUCH IT GOES BELOW THE MINIMUM LINE. THEN FILL TO MAXIMUM. DAILY REFILL STARTED AROUND OCTOBER 2019. RECEIVED TRANSMISSION FLUSH AND FUEL INDUCTION SERVICE. MECHANIC SAID I NEED A WATER PUMP AND RADIATOR. HE THOUGHT THE RECALL WOULD COVER MY CAR BUT SAID MY VIN WASN'T SHOWING A DEFECT. I'M NOT SURE WHY IT'S NOT. DEALERSHIP KNEW ABOUT THE LEAK UPON THE SALE OF THE CAR. HELP!! I HAD NO IDEA THE LEAK WAS GOING TO GET WORSE. THE DEALERSHIP MADE IT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING MINOR I JUST HAD TO DEAL WITH. *TR

Crash

THE VEHICLE CHECKS ENGINE AND OIL LIGHT OFTEN APPEAR IN THE PANEL, EVEN AFTER CHANGE THE OIL AND THE CAR SHOW NO LEAKING. THE OIL WAS CHANGED ALWAYS BY VW, WHO NEVER DETECTED ANY PROBLEM, EVEN WHEN THE PAPER THEY GAVE TO US SAYS, 'OUR TECHNICIAN HAS INSPECTED YOUR VEHICLE'. WE LEFT THE CAR IN VW SERVICE WE RECEIVED THE DIAGNOSTIC: "REPLACE TIMING CHAIN AND TURBO." BY THE WAY, THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THEY REPLACE THE TURBO: ORIGINAL ONE, AND 2 REPLACEMENT. AFTER THEY CHANGE THE TURBO, THEY DISCOVERED A NEW PROBLEM WITH CAMSHAFT. OUR CAR HAS THE MPP COVERAGE, THE LAST OWNER HAS TOO. ALL THE REPAIR AND OIL CHANGE NEVER BE MADE BY OUTSIDE OF VW. THIS COST TO OUR COVERAGE AND FOR US A LOT OF MONEY AND WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITHOUT THE CAR. WE WOULD DO LIKE AN ANSWER FROM VW ABOUT THIS SITUATION BECAUSE THE CAR STILL HAS A PROBLEM WITH VIBRATION. *TR

THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYS FAULT: ABS/STABILIZATION CONTROL. TIRE PRESSURE ERROR AND AIRBAG ERROR WHEN DRIVING AND CAR BEGIN TO SLOW DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH. *TR

MY AIRBAG LIGHTS ARE ON. BOTH ON THE DASHBOARD AND ON THE SCREEN. IT SAYS AIRBAGS: ERROR. *TR

I WOKE UP AND THERE WAS WATER ON THE ON THE RIGHT PASSENGERS' SIDE FLOOR. YET IT HASN'T RAINED IN ALMOST A MONTH. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WAS THERE BUT MADE THE DISCOVERY AFTER CARRYING A PASSENGER AT THE FRONT AND BACK SEAT.

MY CAR ONLY HAS 50K MILES ON IT. THE COOLANT LIGHT COMES ON EVERY MONTH OR SO. WHEN I CHECK THE COOLANT THE LEVER IS SEVERELY LOW. THERE MUST BE A PROBLEM WITH A DEFECTIVE PART ON THE VW TIGUAN WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THE ISSUE HERE? THANKS. *TR

I HAVE VW TIGUAN, 2012 MANUAL TRANSMISSION. IT APPEARS THAT WHEN THE CAR IS COLD, ESPECIALLY DURING COLD WEATHER, THE ACCELERATION OF THE CAR IS INCONSISTENT. TOOK TO DEALER TO TAKE A LOOK BUT THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING. THE ISSUE APPEARS TO AFFECT MULTIPLE OWNERS AND MULTIPLE TIGUAN MODELS, AS SEEN HERE IN THIS FORUM DISCUSSION: HTTPS://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?9237567-VERY-DELAYED-ACCELERATION-NO-FIX

THE WATER PUMP HAS BEEN CRACKED, LEAKING THE COOLANT. THE CAR ENGINE WAS OVERHEATED BUT DIDN'T LEAD TO ACCIDENTS IN MY CASE. VW GROUP IS PRODUCING THE WATER PUMP OUT OF PLASTIC, WHICH EVENTUALLY CRACKS FOR MANY OF VW AND AUDI CAR OWNERS, AND COULD LEAD TO THE ROAD ACCIDENT INDIRECTLY.

AFTER RAIN DRIVERS SIDE FRONT & REAR CARPET IS SOAKED