2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Complaints

A MAJOR SHORT OCCURRED IN THE FUSE BOX, WHICH CREATED ENOUGH HEAT TO CAUSE MELTING DAMAGE - REQUIRING REPLACEMENT AT GREAT COST TO ME. IT ALSO CAUSED MANY OF THE VEHICLE'S LIGHTING SYSTEMS TO BE INOPERATIVE. IN DISCUSSING THE ISSUE WITH OTHER OWNERS, IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A COMMON, RECURRING ISSUE -- COMMON ENOUGH THAT VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE DEPARTMENTS HAVE STOCKED UP ON REPLACEMENT FUSE BOXES SO THEY ARE WELL-STOCKED TO REPLACE THEM WHEN THEY COME IN. VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, HOWEVER, REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR CORRECT THE ISSUE. *TR UPDATED 9/19/13 *CN MOST OF THE LIGHTS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WENT OUT, EXCEPT FOR THE FRONT DRIVING LIGHT. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A WARNING ON THE DASH, THAT THE FOG LIGHT, HEADLIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, TAIL LIGHT AND TURN SIGNALS WERE ALL DEAD.

A 30 AMP FUSE MELTED INSIDE THE FUSE BOX, CAUSING MY RIGHT SIDE HIGH AND LOW BEAM, FOG LIGHT, AND TURN SIGNAL, ALONG WITH THE RIGHT HALF OF ALL MY TAIL AND BRAKE LIGHTS TO STOP WORKING. *TR UPDATED 09/17/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE FUSE BOX WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FUSE WAS REPLACED AND WAS BEING CAREFULLY MONITORED TO ENSURE IT WAS NOT MELTING. *JS

I WAS TAKING MY VEHICLE IN FOR IT'S 40K SERVICE AND THE SERVICE TECH'S NOTICED SEVERAL TROUBLE CODES. ONE OF THESE CODES WAS AN OPEN-CIRCUIT FRONT HEADLIGHT WARNING. WHEN THEY CHECKED THE HEADLIGHT (WHICH I HAD RECENTLY REPLACED) OTHER LIGHTS STARTED SHORTING OUT. TURNS OUT THE MAIN FUSE FOR ALL LIGHTS HAD SHORTED AND THAT THE FUSE BOX ITSELF HAD STARTED TO MELT. THIS SHORTING AND MELTING WOULD HAVE CAUSED ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE CAR TO FAIL OR INCORRECTLY FUNCTION INCLUDING BRAKE LIGHTS. LUCKILY I DID NOT FIND THIS OUT WHEN SOMEONE RAN INTO ME, BUT INSTEAD LUCKILY DURING A SERVICE CHECK. RESEARCHING ON THE WEB SHOWS THAT THIS APPEARS NOT TO BE UNCOMMON. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLE THREADS: HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5927373-FUSE-BOX-LEFT-LOW-BEAM-HEADLIGHT HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5618907-BLOWN-FUSE-CAUSING-RANDOM-EXT-LIGHTS-OUT-2009-TIGUAN HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5891263-2009-TIGUAN-REPLACED-ENGINE-FUSE-BOX-NO-ESP-OR-WINDSHIELD-WIPERS HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5940918-MELTING-FUSE-BOX-STRIKES-AGAIN!-%28THE-40K-CLUB..%29. *TR *UPDATED 09-18-13 *BF

OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS: FIRST-CHECK ENGINE AND EPC LIGHTS ON AND ENGINE PERFORMANCE LOW. SECOND-FUEL RAIL/SYSTEM PRESSURE TOO LOW. THIRD-BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AND VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE NORMAL POWER (BATTERY BRAND NEW OCT12). FOURTH-HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT MULTIPLE TIME OVER A TWO WEEK PERIOD (BULBS BRAND NEW APR13). CAR IS WITH VW NOW FOR MELTED FUSE AND MELTED FUSE BOX. *TR UPDATED 09/17/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WERE MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DTCS. THE FUSE BURNT AT THE CONNECTION AND BOTH RELAYS DUE TO AN OVERHEATED CONDITION. *JS

FIRST, THIS EXACT SAME SCENARIO ALSO HAPPENED IN OCTOBER 2010. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AND NOW THIS TIME, WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. BOTH OF US, EACH HAVE 30+ YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE AND NEITHER OF US HAVE EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN A CRASH OR EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF LOSS OF CONTROL IN A VEHICLE, EVER. BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE TURNING A CORNER AT APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 15 MPH IN APPROXIMATELY 1- 3 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. THE CAR SLID WITH TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKES, SMASHING INTO THE CURB, BREAKING THE AXLE, CONTROL ARM, STEERING KNUCKLE, ETC... THERE WAS NO CONTROL WHATSOVER. THIS WAS NOT ICE. THIS HAS NEVER EVER HAPPENED BEFORE WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE WE HAVE EVER DRIVEN. THE CAR DID NOT CORRECT ITSELF EVEN WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS RELEASED. WE BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFICIENCY IN THE ESP MONITORING SYSTEM. THE ESP SYSTEM TOTALLY FAILED WHILE TURNING. THE ESP SENSORS DID NOT DETECT THE SITUATION AND DID NOT REACT AT ALL INDEPENDENT OF THE DRIVER. THE ESP SYSTEM DID NOT USE THE VEHICLE'S BRAKING SYSTEM TO "STEER" THE VEHICLE BACK ON TRACK. THE ESP DID NOT INITIATE ANY BRAKING INTERVENTION AT ALL. IT WAS LIKE ALL SYSTEMS JUST TOTALLY MALFUNCTIONED. HORRIBLE. SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY HURT. I AM THANKFUL ANOTHER VEHICLE OR PERSON WAS IN THE AREA. *TR

VEHICLE COMPLETELY STOPPED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE, AND THE ENGINE FAILED AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. I PUT MY HAZARDS ON AND CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE. WHILE ON THE PHONE IT WAS CLEAR THAT I WAS NOT IN A SAFE POSITION, SO MYSELF AND MY PASSENGER EXITED THE VEHICLE WHEN THERE WAS A BREAK IN TRAFFIC. WE WERE ABLE TO GET ACROSS TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD, BEHIND A GUARDRAIL. WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH 911 SOMEONE SLAMMED INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR, CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BOTH VEHICLES. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED, AND NO OTHER CARS WERE AFFECTED. BOTH VEHICLES WERE INOPERABLE AND HAD TO BE TOWED FROM THE SCENE. I WAS TOLD BY THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP THAT AN ENGINE COIL BROKE OFF, AND BACKFED INTO THE HARNESS, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO FAIL. IN ADDITION, I HAD JUST BEEN TO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHANGE THAT MORNING, AND HAD DRIVEN 8 MILES WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED. THE DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO RELATIONSHIP, AND THAT ENGINE PARTS FAILED. I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE IS A DEFECT WITH THIS PART, AS I HAVE VERY LOW MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE. THIS INCIDENT PUT ME IN AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE SITUATION, AND I WANT TO REPORT THIS IN ORDER TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PIECE, SO THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. *TR

APPARENTLY, THE TOP PORTION OF MY FUSE BOX MELTED WHEN THE TEMPERATURES IN CHICAGO REACHED 100 DEGREES. THE EFFECTED AREA CONTROLS THE LIGHTING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR, AND MAY ALSO IMPACT THE POWER STEERING AND TRACTION CONTROL. ALTHOUGH THE CAR IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY, THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF THE FUSE BOX IS NOT DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND NORMAL HOT TEMPERATURES GIVEN THAT THE ENTIRE CAR IS IMPACTED BY THE FUSE BOX, LOSS OF ELECTRONIC CONTROLS IN A CAR WITH COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY THAT CONTROLS ALL OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THANKS. *TR...UPDATED 09-18-13 *BF

GRINDING SOUND WHEN BRAKING, NOW SEEMS TO HAVE EVOLVED INTO BRAKE FAILURE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BRAKE RED LIGHT IT ON AND THE PARKING BRAKE IS ON, AND WILL NOT GO OFF EVEN WHEN DIRECTIONS ARE FOLLOWED TO DISENGAGE PARKING BRAKE. YELLOW P LIGHT ON. CAR SEEMS TO LURCH FORWARD AT TIMES OR HESITATE AT OTHERS. WILL HAVE TO TAKE TO LOCAL DEALER. *TR

I WENT TO TAKE MY CHILD TO GYMNASTICS IN THE MORNING. WHEN I TURNED ON TO THE STREET THAT THE GYM IS OFF OF, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. LESS THEN 10TH OF A MILE LATER I PARKED. WE WERE EARLY SO I CALLED THE LOCAL VW DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT AND GET IN A LITTLE EARLY FOR MY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. WE THEN GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND ENTERED THE GYM. WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF BEING INSIDE THE GYM, A MAN CAME IN THE BUILDING AND STARTED ASKING WHO'S SUV WAS OUTSIDE BECAUSE IT SMOKING. I RAN OUT SIDE TO SEE MY VEHICLE ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO COME TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. ITS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. WHILE TRAVELING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT PROPERLY ACCELERATE AND BEGUN TO SURGE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF BY THE CONTACT AND WOULD NOT RESTART. PRIOR TO THE SURGING, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THE CONTACT WAS NOT INFORMED WHAT CAUSED THE ENGINE FAILURE. TWO MONTHS AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CONTACT WAS EXAMINING THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE MAIN FUSE BOX WAS MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FUSE BOX WAS REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. K