2025 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Vehicle: 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan Incident Description: While driving at approximately 45 mph, about 5 minutes into the drive, my vehicle displayed a Lane Assist warning and a message to place my hands on the steering wheel. Immediately after, multiple warning lights and messages appeared across the dashboard. Followed my emergency warning message. The vehicle then suddenly applied the brakes on its own without any obstacle or hazard present. The brakes locked up, and the vehicle would not move. At the same time, the vehicle began honking and exhibited abnormal alarm/locking behavior. I had to restart the vehicle to regain normal operation. This sudden and unintended braking could have resulted in a rear-end collision, serious injury, or loss of control of the vehicle, especially at highway speeds or in traffic. The vehicle was taken to a Volkswagen dealership. The dealership documented that the brakes locked up and the vehicle would not move, but stated they could not replicate the issue and did not identify a cause or provide a repair. I do not feel safe operating the vehicle due to unintended braking and system malfunction. Date of Incident: 3/19 between 7:30 and 7:57 in the morning Approximate Speed: ~45 mph Location: Colleyville, tx No obstacle, hazard, or driver input caused the braking.

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance system failed to function, with the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light illuminated. The failure had occurred while the contact was driving while it was raining. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a Forward Collision Avoidance module failure; Part Number: J769. The contact was informed that the module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to clean off the Forward Collision Avoidance sensor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times regarding the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V854000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Since buying the car in August 2025, I've had multiple issues. Ive had a noise coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle, brought it in and they could not identify the issue or fix it, to this day I still have this noise coming from the front passenger side. Furthermore, I've had numerous hazard lights come on the dash, lasting 2-4 days and then disappearing and reappearing later on. These lights include the check engine light, oil leaks, and not allowing the car to drive over a certain limit due to engine issues. I've also brought these issues to the service center so they can diagnose and fix the issue. They are unable to find anything wrong. Most dangerous event is the car completely shut down on me while driving. This is extremely dangerous to not only myself but others around me. I brought this concern to the service center and they could not figure out why this happened. This car is unsafe to drive.

While driving at road speed, the vehicle unexpectedly shifted itself into Neutral (N) without driver input. The engine continued running, but the vehicle lost drive power. Simultaneously, the dashboard displayed multiple warning indicators including: “Exhaust System Malfunction” warning Semi-Automated Driving Assistance warning SOS / emergency system warning The driver safely pulled to the roadside and turned the vehicle off. Upon first restart, the vehicle would not shift into Drive. After turning the vehicle off again and waiting approximately 30 seconds, it restarted and allowed Drive engagement. The “Exhaust System Malfunction” warning remained illuminated for the remainder of the trip. The vehicle was taken to a Volkswagen dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the condition after a 50-mile drive. Dealer reported only a rear radar fault code and stated no other diagnostic trouble codes were stored. Warning lights had cleared by the time of inspection. This was an unintended transmission disengagement event while in motion. The loss of drive power at speed presents a safety hazard. The vehicle is a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan built mid-2025 and currently has approximately 1000 miles.

The emergency brake came on and the engine turned off on its own , may be a faulty sensor in the seat. Sensor is detecting no one is in the drivers seat, and you are sitting in it. Car put on emergency brake and shut engine off at red light, as it turned green and you move foot from brake to gas pedal, putting car at risk of collision from behind. Dealership said they can’t reproduce this and therefore can’t fix it. Told Don’t Move when you’re driving by dealership. Car gave no warning. Happens at red lights and while backing up in reverse. The problem appeared on the evening I received car. Dealership said the service supervisor drove car and can’t get it to reproduce problem, so can’t fix it. Told don’t move while driving. Your car is ready Showed service advisor on the instrument panel in the car diagram the front two seats are not registering in the diagram, took car back into service and provided loaner once again.

I got into the middle lane, getting ready to turn left. I was going about 15-20 mph, when I got into the middle lane, the Emergency Brake came on and slammed my car into park. The master technician experienced the problem. There was no warning lamps, but there were symptoms that lead up, like trying to back up or go forward when turning on the vehicle and it deploying the emergency brake and putting it into park MULTIPLE times.

Hello, I have a VW Tiguan 2025 lease since June2025. i just received a Safety Recall letter from VW on February 2026 advising that because of a potential airbag defect I should not have anyone seating in the passenger seat of my car until further notice. a recall repair is not yet available. How can VW asks to keep a car with such inconvenience of not being able to have a passenger?

Snow sticks between the rim and brake when I am driving causing vehicle to majorly shake. I can not manually reach in this area to remove the snow This is a hazard when I am driving on a thruway or country roads. The dealer does not know why this is sticking so badly.

I own a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan SE R-Line purchased new in August 2025. Since shortly after purchase, the vehicle has exhibited a recurring safety defect where the electronic parking brake engages without driver input and the vehicle shifts itself into Park. This happens suddenly and without warning. This defect occurs multiple times per week, on average (upwards of 50+ times total since purchase) under varied low-speed conditions, including at stoplights, while slowly moving through traffic, and during parking maneuvers, etc. When it occurs, the vehicle stops abruptly as Park is engaged. This creates a significant risk of being rear-ended or losing control in an intersection or traffic lane. There are no warning lights, chimes, or alerts beforehand. The behavior is intermittent and unpredictable, so there is no way to anticipate or prevent it during normal driving. This has not yet caused a collision, but there have been near-miss situations in traffic due to the sudden stop. I notified the dealership when the vehicle was new, but because the model had only recently been released and the defect could not be reproduced on demand, there was no formal inspection or repair, and no guidance was provided. The issue has continued multiple times per week since then. I have now found other 2025 Tiguan owners reporting the same behavior, which suggests this may be a broader safety defect rather than an isolated case. I am requesting an investigation due to the frequency of occurrence and the clear collision risk associated with unintended braking and shifting into Park.

I purchased a new 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan (VIN [XXX] ) on December 9, 2025. On January 18, 2026, with 1,243 miles, the closed sunroof suddenly shattered as I slowly backed out of my indoor garage. There was no debris, no storm, and no outside impact. I took photos immediately, including wide and close‑up shots; none show any impact point. I reported the incident to Brookdale Volkswagen the same day and sent my photos. The dealership submitted a warranty request, but Volkswagen denied it as “outside influence,” without identifying an impact point or providing written inspection notes. I requested evidence supporting that conclusion, the VW case details, and a physical inspection with written findings. After the car was towed to the dealer, the service manager sent a new photo labeled a “rock chip.” This mark does not appear in any of my original photos taken immediately after the shattering, before towing. The dealer referenced VW Tracking [XXX] and repeated the denial. Volkswagen Customer CARE later issued a formal denial and directed me to BBB AUTO LINE for dispute resolution. No external cause was present; the vehicle was indoors and stationary. No impact point appears in my original photos, and the later “chip” only appeared after the vehicle left my possession, so it is not reliable evidence of pre‑existing damage. Tempered roof glass can fail spontaneously due to manufacturing or installation stress, making this a warranty‑covered defect absent proof of impact. I am requesting warranty coverage for replacement of the panoramic sunroof assembly and related interior cleanup or repairs, written inspection findings and all photos used to support any continued impact claim, and reimbursement or coverage of reasonable costs tied to the failure. I am filing this claim through BBB AUTO LINE, and a related NHTSA complaint is being filed to document the safety concern. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Spontaneous Panoramic Sunroof Shattering on 2025 VW Tiguan

Car randomly brakes by itself with no obstacle in front, no cars in front, sometimes emergency brake activates when standing on red light. On attached photos you can see messages after incident occures

Engine stumbles repeatedly, stutters and dies. No warning lamps. Car inspected twice by manufacture but no solution found. Continues to show same characteristics. Have to pull off the road to avoid danger to self and other autos.

I was at a complete stop at the red light, vehicle began shaking and shut down. Gears would not work therefore I was not able to put it in neutral to at least push out of the road. The vehicle then began cranking on and off on its own, without me pushing start/stop engine. This was completely unexpected as the truck is one week old, had a full tank of gas and it was especially dangerous to have shut down on a busy highway. Also when reversing the vehicle makes a weird click noise.

Started noticing issues within first week of purchase. Cruise control will not increase nor decrease speed when set. Steering wheel controls will not advance or decrease speed. Intermittent problem. First service dealer could not replicate. Second service dealer contacted VW assist and was advised to replace steering wheel buttons. Did not fix problem. Third service VW assist advised to replace clock spring and wiring harness. Part still on back order almost a month later. Meanwhile, vehicle now rapidly decreases or advances speed on own while cruise control is set. Adaptive control function is off and not source of issue. I feel this is software related issue as I have also had malfunction of infotainment radio system. Another reason I feel software issue is due to vehicle back up safety braking activates and throws vehicle into park when nothing is behind me.

I bought this car, a 2025 Tiguan 4MOTION, on 10/25/2025. On 11/26, when I used the car, I noticed that the covers of the front doors are made of leather and padded, while the rear doors are made of hard, non-flexible plastic. In the event of a side impact, the rear passengers could suffer bodily injuries from being hit by a surface. VW agreed to replace the car, but I had to cover the difference in value between one car and the other. The new car is an Atlas Cross Sport.

The automatic emergency braking feature comes on when it shouldn’t; but it instead, throws me into park and puts on the emergency brake. The date 6/28/25 is just the first time it happened. Its happened multiples times (upward of 15), and I’ve physically had the car for less than 3 months (it’s been in the shop for just under a month, total). It’s very jarring when it happens and is so dangerous and happens so often, I don’t even want to drive it. The front assist fault light has been illuminated and turns off when I restart the car. Other directional (sides and rear) fault lights have also illuminated on the dash, just to turn off right after. They appear randomly or usually after it happens. The dealership has replicated the issue and currently has my car. No warning lights are currently illuminated. But I do have pictures of them. Luckily, it hasn’t caused an accident YET. But I am very wary about braking because it’s a common occurrence at this point. I don’t have a repair invoice as my car is still currently in the shop.

When placing the vehicle on reverse the rear back up camera screen goes dark, preventing to see anything when backing up. I’ve cleaned the back up camera and there is nothing obstructing the lens.

My wife purchased herself a new 2025 Volkswagen Tiguen on June 20, 2025. On July 20, 2025 she hit a deer. The car sustained significant front end damage. Being that we live 45 minutes from the dealership we brought it to our local body shop, Petrella Bros. The damage total was over $13,000.00. Petrella Bros. has been trying to get new parts for this vehicle for almost a month and has been told that Volkswagen has not made extra parts for their new cars yet. Today I personally spent an hour on the phone with the dealership as well as over 3 hours with Volkswagen corporate who both also told me they cannot currently get the parts and have no idea when they would be available. Our body shop expressed that when a new model comes out the manufacturer is obligated to have a surplus of replacement parts on hand for this very reason. On top of all this our insurance company has done their due diligence and gave us a rental car as well as extended it but after 7 more days we will need to pay out of pocket. Also my wife is making a fairly large monthly payment and still paying insurance for an Toyota Corolla rental car. It's disheartening when the dealership and manufacturer cannot stand behind their product.

Crash

Sunroofs suddenly exploding

I purchased Tiguan SE on July 2, 2025 and 6 days later with about 200 miles on vehicle, check engine light appeared with message ‘fuel system error.’ I was very disappointed that such a new vehicle reported an error on a critical system. Dealership had trouble identifying source of light and advice of VW technical advice was advised to replace entire fuel tank. This clearly sounds like a manufacture defect and I would like to know if other Tiguan owners have experienced similar issues. Given that VW has a history of defrauding consumers over diesel fuel systems, could this be another fuel problem. So far, upon contacting manufacturer they have brushed aside concerns stating it’s covered warranty and not acknowledging diminution of value that such an early defect could have on the resale/economic value of this car.

To whom it may concern: I wish to report what a believe is a defect in the new Tiguan which is causing the engine to overheat. The check engine light came on the day after we purchased the vehicle. This was due to a part of the lower shutter in the front of the car breaking off, which prohibited the shutter from opening and shutting. It could not cool the engine and thus the engine started to overheat. We are not entirely sure what caused the piece to break, the mechanic said it was likely a rock. We did not get into an accident and in fact had only driven the car once. So I wanted to make this report in case someone else had a similar issue as if this piece is prone to breaking, it could potentially cause other more serious issues.