NHTSA lists 96 complaints for the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan, 4 of them mention a crash and 2 mention a fire. 3 complaints mention an injury, with 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN.
At a glance
Complaints
96
With crash
4
With fire
2
With injury (complaints)
3
Injuries
3
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
27,822
Investigations
1
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
664
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS
37
38.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
27
28.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
23
24.0%
STEERING
12
12.5%
ENGINE
10
10.4%
STRUCTURE
6
6.3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
4.2%
POWER TRAIN
3
3.1%
SERVICE BRAKES
3
3.1%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
3.1%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
AIR BAGS
FRONTAL
6
STRUCTURE
BODY
6
VISIBILITY
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
DELIVERY
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
CRUISE CONTROL
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Consequence: Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 11, 2016. Vibrations, such as those created by opening and closing a vehicle door, may cause the rear child door locks (excerpt)
Consequence: If an unrestrained child unexpectedly opens a door, they may fall from the vehicle increasing their risk of injury. (excerpt)
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the child lock(s), free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 58C9. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
1 investigations; 1 open.
EA18003
Opened: 2018-04-18. Closed: Not listed.
Air Bag Clockspring Failure
In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan,
Systems: AIR BAGS.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
Manufacturer communications
664 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
EQUIPMENT
296
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
130
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
103
ENGINE
74
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
38
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
30
POWER TRAIN
30
STRUCTURE
30
11038146
Date: 2026-09-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Suggested fuel additive
11038143
Date: 2026-09-09. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
11036868
Date: 2026-08-06. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order
11036870
Date: 2026-08-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Differences between a leak and seepage
11035772
Date: 2026-07-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) a No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.
11035762
Date: 2026-07-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
11034613
Date: 2026-06-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Lubricating engine components before reassembly.
11034614
Date: 2026-06-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.
11034621
Date: 2026-06-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: AIR BAGS.
Inquiries
11034617
Date: 2026-06-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.