NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan (Page 1 of 2)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,308 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan electrical problems

electrical problem

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2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #35

Aug 222023

Tiguan

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

EPC electronic power control light is on and indicates speed of 40 mph, transmission light on, car aggressively vibrating.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #34

Nov 122022

Tiguan

  • miles
Solo prendieron la luz

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #33

Jun 262023

Tiguan

  • miles
EPC electronic power control light is on and indicates speed of 40 mph

- Fayetteville , GA, USA

problem #32

Apr 252022

Tiguan

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine keeps failing and dings while driving non-stop. Causes the vehicle to think there is another vehicle near me and activates the emergency braking in the middle of the highway almost causing me to crash. I have taken the vehicle to dealer and told it is fixed about 8 times now

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #31

Mar 012023

Tiguan

  • miles
fuel injector wire hardness failed, very costly to fix

- Clinton Ct, CT, USA

problem #30

Aug 142022

Tiguan

  • miles
The front passenger door locking system does not function properly. The door intermittently is unable to be unlocked or opened from the outside and must manually be opened from the inside. The door also intermittently doesn't lock. This is a safety concern for thieves. If in immediate danger, ie. accident, no one is able to open the passenger door to access the person. No indication lights appear on the vehicle.

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

problem #29

Sep 052022

Tiguan

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The dealership for my vehicle is over 70 miles away. My battery died and I went and replaced it. When I did all sorts of lights came on in my car, my power steering wouldn-€™t work, my cruise control wouldn-€™t work, and my AC wouldn-€™t work. I took it to the dealership to see what was going on with it. It turns out my battery was placed backwards in my car and when that happened it fried the fuse for my entire system, it broke my AC unit, it broke my alternator, and messed up my electrical system. Yes I do believe there is a risk to my safety with this issue. I could not turn my car when I drove it. I was told by service representative that this has been happening a lot more often with people who are just trying to change the battery. The only time the vehicle was inspected was by the service department at the dealership. No they-€™re weren-€™t any problems prior to failure and they appeared after the battery was placed.

- Cheraw, SC, USA

problem #28

Jul 312022

Tiguan

  • miles
While driving down the highway, my car completely shut off and shut down while going 45mph. Due to everything shutting off, there were no brake lights, hazards, blinkers, etc that I was able to use to warn other drivers of what was happening, therefore I was almost hit multiple times. It turned back on, then back off while driving, 4 more times until the final time when it would not turn back on or turn over at all, I had to pull off the road and it wouldn-€™t turn back on again. At this time I got the battery tested and it was bad. I bought the new battery and the new battery didn-€™t change anything. It still was doing the same thing, not turning on at all. Not even trying to turn over to turn on. I had my vehicle towed to the Volkswagen dealership in Ocala on college road. While at this shop, they have told me that the NEW battery is what has cause the issues, which is incorrect as the issues began BEFORE I got a new battery. They are also saying that because I got a new battery that they will not cover the repairs under my warranty. I had to get in a new battery for my safety after almost being hit on the highway due to the electronics or other issues being faulty in the car.

- Beverly Hills , FL, USA

problem #27

Mar 252022

Tiguan

  • miles
Micro switch in driver door module I believe is the cause. I cannot open the door even when hitting the unlock button on the keys or inside the vehicle. All other doors will unlock and open fine but not the driver door. Safety issue comes that if I were to be in an accident, unconscious, people would be unable to get my door open even if unlocking it on the passenger side. Currently, I have to go through the passenger door and pull the inside handle to open the door.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #26

Mar 122022

Tiguan

  • miles
At 48k miles, fuel efficiency began to significantly drop. At next start up, engine would not turn over and EPC light came on. I waited 30 minutes, unlocked the steering wheel and was able to start the vehicle and EPC light turned off. I took it into Volkswagen dealership to have it looked over and they could not duplicate the issue nor find cause for lower fuel efficiency. The issue with fuel persisted intermittently. Then at 57k, while driving long distance, I noticed what seemed like misfiring when accelerating above 65 mph. There were no noises, no warning lights, and fuel efficiency seemed about the same. I continued driving and about 6 hours into my drive, EPC light came on, RPM's shot up to 4,000 and car began violently shaking while losing significant power and dropped down to 30 mph. I was in the left lane when it occurred and had to quickly move over to the right lane. The car then could not exceed 40 mph with the pedal held to the floor. I turned on my hazards while I continued driving an additional 30 miles to the nearest Volkswagen dealership. Because of how heavy the traffic was and the high speeds of the travelers, it put myself and my passengers at risk from not being able to accelerate, along with the other drivers having to either brake hard or quickly change lanes to avoid my car. At the Volkswagen dealership, diagnosis found code p0204 cylinder 4 injector. They confirmed 4th cylinder misfiring and replaced the fuel injector harness. Since that repair, my car has been shaking at idol, when initially taking off, and if I turn of the start/stop function.

- League City, TX, USA

problem #25

Oct 032021

Tiguan

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Epc light came on and engine started to stall

- Middletown , NY, USA

problem #24

Mar 052020

Tiguan

  • 25,000 miles
Like many other complaints I have read, an error appears saying the engine had exceeded 4000rpm, when it does not. Then the car drops down to 10 mph and will not exceed. The car shakes uncontrollably. The car is 28 months old and has been having these issues since 6 months in. The car has been at volkwagen dealerships for 3-4 weeks at a time 4 times already for the same issues. I have filed multiple complaints with Volkswagen and they have done nothing to rectify this dangerous situation.

- Charleston, SC, USA

problem #23

Mar 072020

Tiguan

  • 26,873 miles
When accelerating, engine does not respond accordingly. Engine hesitates to accelerate and will stay in the low rpms despite the pedal being full pushed in. After a few seconds(maybe 15-30sec), it will rapidly accelerate corresponding to where the pedal is. This constantly happens, it has occurred ever since I purchased the vehicle 1 year ago. I cannot tell if it is an issue with the engine, the transmission, or the electrical components between the 2. it makes trying to merge onto a highway, accelerate into another lane, or turn onto a street very dangerous as I cannot be certain when it will accelerate. This issue occurs in all modes (eco, normal, sport). I have taken this to a dealership once but they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Additionally, there is an issue with the side passenger seatbelt sensor. It keeps going off if I have my phone charging sitting on top of it or if I rest my hand on the seat.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #22

Feb 012020

Tiguan

  • miles
I bought a car from VW South orlando 7 month ago and since than I had a lot of issue with the car engine light was going on and off I been their like 5 times now and just pissing me off I want a replacement car

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #21

Mar 232019

Tiguan

  • 32,000 miles
On multiple occasions, subject vehicle displayed check engine light and epc light at random intervals, causing car to unexpectedly be limited to 4,000 RPM and unable to accelerate past 40mph. As a result, this put driver in extremely unsafe situations and endangered safety of passengers and fellow drivers, particularly on highway. First encountered at 34,000 miles on odometer. Persisted through 41,000 miles. Seconds before error is encountered, vehicle would run rough and undergo rough shifts. In addition, vehicle also suffered with sluggish acceleration from stop. Vehicle taken to service center multiple occasions. On first encounter, technician instructed simply to reset vehicle. When taken second time, code P0203 injector short circuit cyl 3 was diagnosed and engine harness replaced. However, issue continued. When taken third time, injector harness replaced.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #20

Apr 012019

Tiguan

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the outside temperature sensor was not operating properly. The contact stated that the vehicle displayed improper temperature readings and the sensor also controlled the vehicle's cooling fans. The fans operated independently due to the outside sensor. The contact took the vehicle to dick hannah Volkswagen of portland (12345 E burnside St, portland, or 97233, (503) 622-9507) where the part was replaced; however, the failure continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #19

Aug 122019

Tiguan

  • 14,829 miles
Nothing but problems with my sister's leased 2018 Tiguan.... repeated service calls...constantly in the shop...currently a whopping 10 recalls...airbag not working... no help from Volkswagen..called customer service...pushed number as directed... nothing! couldnt speak to a human being...tried chat option on facebook...no reply! nothing in this car works properly. Asked to be let out of lease... apparently not possible unless it has the same exact issue 3 times!! my car has had issues in multiple areas repeatedly but not specifically meeting lemon law standards. $400 payment and no help. She will never buy a Volkswagen again and I will make sure to tell everyone I know to avoid Volkswagen at all cost! may have to speak to a lawyer I guess.

- Grawn, MI, USA

problem #18

Oct 162019

Tiguan

  • 12,000 miles
Leaking sunroof drain causes the computer to mulfunction and report multiple car issues, like: Fault: Electronic parking brake error: ABS/electronic stabilization control (ESC) error: Airbag this happens every time there is a heavy rain

- Weehawken, NJ, USA

problem #17

Aug 132019

Tiguan

  • 3 miles
On normal driving collision light come on and brakes lock for few seconds

- Forked River, NJ, USA

problem #16

Jun 112018

Tiguan

  • 8,150 miles
Vehicle engages automatic braking system without any prompting...no other vehicle anywhere in sight. It has happened on a rural two lane road, with a farm on one side and woods on the other and has also happened on a 4 lane road within city limits, but no vehicle in front of me, but one to the rear passenger side in the lane heading in the same direction. Every time this happens it brings the vehicle to a complete stop, regardless of speed. I have experienced whiplash on several occasions, as well as my husband and my 7 year old daughter. The amount of force is so violent that I would imagine it is equivalent to being hit by another vehicle. I had just picked up take-out once when this had happened, and the salsa in the takeout bag flew off of the back seat and the force caused the lid to come off and salsa was all over the 2nd row, front row, as well as myself and windshield to put into perspective how forceful this is. I fear the day that it engages and a car is behind me, because it will kill someone. We only drive this car now only if it is absolutely necessary and we can't make other arrangements.

- West Point, NY, USA

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