2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Problems, Recalls & Reliability
450 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan, alongside 13 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 9,497 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings.
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Where 2018 sits among all Tiguan years
What owners report
“Car engine cuts out for a few seconds then accelerates after coming to a complete stop”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Tiguan
“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”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Tiguan
“This morning, while driving on the highway with my infant son in the car, my sunroof exploded on my 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Tiguan
“My car hesitates when accelerating at a complete stop. I press the accelerator to pull into traffic and it seems the car just doesn't want to go! This makes it very dangerous to drive period. It takes a few seconds for the car to 'wake up' and finally accelerate.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Tiguan
“Interior b-pillar noise coming from passenger side. Passenger side dash where it meets a-pillar also produces noise”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Tiguan
“Vehicles hesitates to start from a slow or dead stop. Will not accelerate as it should. Noticeable lag when shifting and accelerating. Engine misfiring at only 3000 miles. Very dangerous when turning into traffic or merging on to highways. Vehicle gives a false sense of accelerating then stops.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Tiguan
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 207 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 8,150 miles. Half of those reports fall between 3,000 and 18,340 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (13)
Volkswagen 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.
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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.
Fix: 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 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.
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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.
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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.
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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.
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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.
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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.
Fix: 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 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…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen 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…
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 20V724000.
Technical service bulletins
743 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 Tiguan TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan reliable?
The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan drew 450 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan are engine (79 complaints), electrical (59), and other (55).
At what mileage do 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan problems around 8,150 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 3,000 and 18,340 miles.
Does the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan have recalls?
13 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.