The Used Car Index

2020 Volkswagen Tiguan problems

NHTSA lists 140 complaints for the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan, 5 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 5 complaints mention an injury, with 7 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN.

At a glance

Complaints
140
With crash
5
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
5
Injuries
7
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
6,553
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
521

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
UNKNOWN OR OTHER5237.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3424.3%
ENGINE2517.9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE1611.4%
STRUCTURE1611.4%
SERVICE BRAKES107.1%
VISIBILITY/WIPER107.1%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING85.7%
POWER TRAIN53.6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING42.9%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING14
STRUCTUREBODY8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS6
STRUCTUREINTERIOR PANELS5
BACK OVER PREVENTIONREARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING2
BACK OVER PREVENTIONWARNINGS1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEFUEL INJECTION SYSTEM1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIRANTILOCK1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLACCELERATOR PEDAL1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure5337.9%0.89
electrical electronic3927.9%0.86
loss of control2014.3%0.72
fluid or fuel leak107.1%0.59
noise or comfort53.6%0.95
visibility or lighting53.6%0.71
restraint or airbag32.1%0.99
unclear32.1%0.89
structural or corrosion21.4%0.74
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate9668.6%0.87
low3222.9%0.67
high107.1%0.91
none21.4%1.00

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 140 tagged complaints of 140 complaints (100.0%).

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.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

3 recalls.

22V226000

Date: 2022-04-06. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Defect: 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.

Consequence: An insufficiently attached spoiler may separate from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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 this recall is 66N5.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V579000

Date: 2020-09-23. Systems: SEAT BELTS.

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Tiguan LWB vehicles. The third row seat belt anchor bolts may not have been properly torqued.

Consequence: Improperly torqued bolts may prevent the third row seat belt from performing as designed in a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. Owners are advised: No one should occupy the third row seat due to the safety risk. The recall began October 7, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen number for this recall is 69BA.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V505000

Date: 2020-08-26. Systems: SEATS.

Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.

Consequence: In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

521 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT190
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM110
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING93
ENGINE59
UNKNOWN OR OTHER51
STRUCTURE24
POWER TRAIN21
SERVICE BRAKES18

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.

11036878

Date: 2026-08-27. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.

Repair or Replace Information

11036886

Date: 2026-08-14. 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: Part number 3Q0-959-435N software version number 1307 has incorrect coding.

11036874

Date: 2026-08-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Replacement instruction

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

11034614

Date: 2026-06-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.

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.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
TIGUAN140

Same model, other years

All model years | All Volkswagen models

Other Volkswagen models, 2020

Sources

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