2018 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Complaints

The automatic emergency braking activated and slammed on the brakes, for no apparent cause. There were no cars, people, animals around. And luckily, no car was behind mine. This has happened NUMEROUS times previously, especially when going through roundabouts and downhill. This issue needs to be addressed by VW. I have mentioned it to service at a VW dealer, and they just tell you to turn off the front brake assist, but that is not a solution. Plus, you would have to turn it off EVERY time you start your car.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while the cruise control was activated with a vehicle in the lane directly next to the vehicle or two lanes over, the Collision Avoidance System would determine that the vehicles were too close and the Crash Imminent Braking System would activate and stop the vehicle. The issue most recently occurred while driving 70 MPH causing the contact to aggressively depress the accelerator pedal. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who informed him that there was no malfunction detected. The contact spoke to the manufacturer who informed him that the issue was known however, there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

This vehicle has significant, but intermittent issues with acceleration; it seems mostly when the AC is on or it is cold out (below 40). Vehicle will hesitate, or entirely not respond, to the gas pedal. When this occurs, acceleration is even less predictable (and slower) than a diesel truck. When it does not occur, the acceleration was zippy and fast. Unfortunately, this erratic lag is extremely dangerous - especially when attempting to merge on the highway. I can step on the gas repeatedly and nothing happens, but then the car will accelerate in a manner which feels out of control. Driving in "sport" mode seems to prevent this, so I am inclined to think there is an issue with how the vehicle has been programmed - versus a mechanical issue with the engine. I know some "Eco" modes tend to make cars less responsive to acceleration (in order to save fuel) but this is extreme.

The vehicle has had multiple issues with uneven and premature wearing of the brakes. Brake shop determined it was possibly the result of defective calipers. The inside and outside pads wore completely differently on every axle. Brakes wore out prematurely at 35k. I am suspicious that this also may have been caused by the forward collision warning system's proclivity to errantly activate, thus forcefully slamming on the brakes.

This vehicle's forward collision warning system is inaccurate and dangerous. It is very prone to errant activation. At least once a month, the vehicle's collision system would detect objects that were not there (often, when there was no traffic and also no roadway barriers like guardrails). These activations would result in the vehicle slamming on it's breaks, which culminated in warped brakes and premature wear on the vehicle. It was also hazardous to any vehicles driving behind me, as well as occupants of the vehicle - due to sudden jarring. My local VW dealer acknowledged this is a common problem with no solution, and not worth doing diagnostics on.

My VW Tiguan was out of alignment, as happens to every car. Unfortunately, the VW Dealership informed me that I cannot get a simple alignment for $100 because VW requires calibration of the Adaptive Cruise Control any time an alignment is done. I could not find this anywhere in the Owner's Manual, nor are there any other warnings on the car or in any paperwork I signed. The VW dealership wanted an additional $400.00 (for a total exceeding $500) to provide both services. I am concerned about this 1) because VW does not communicate that this is a limitation of the ACC system, and 2) while an alignment should be the customer's responsibility to pay for, calibrating the ACC system should not. Anyone could go get an alignment done at a tire or brake shop for about $100 - what happens if they try to use their ACC afterwards and an accident happens? VW should cover ACC calibration as part of the limited warranty, and clearly warn customers not to perform one service without the other.

During the life of a 48 month lease, the EPC and emissions control module failed four times, placing the vehicle out of service for at least 40-days total. When these components failed, a message popped up stating there was a 4000 RPM max. The ability to accelerate was immediately lost, and actually the vehicle not let me exceed 2000 RPMs. I had to pull over and restart the engine in order to continue my journey. This was extremely hazardous.

Like many other people who have complained, the same EPC engine light turning on after the engine stalls while driving. This has happened multiple times while driving on the highway while going 65mph+. The max speed 4000 rpm message comes on the dashboard. The car does not accelerate and pulling over is necessary in order to shut off the car and restart the engine. This is incredibly dangerous and the car’s speed cannot be controlled.

I was involved in a head-on collision going 35mph. The airbags failed to deploy. Due to this fact, my leg arms, and shoulder took all the force of the accident causing edema and bursitis to my left shoulder. The car was towed to one of State Farm’s Collison centers where it was inspected. There were no warnings or symptoms prior to total failure of the system.

When placing car in reverse camera does not always turn on. Sometime camera does not turn off when then driving forward for a few miles. Sometimes when driving, screen will go black and radio stops working for approx. a minute. Accident or injury could occur when backing up .Concerned that other systems could also fail if info system goes black. Took to Herzog Motors in Beaverton, Oregon. Service department only said, "Yes that happens". Did not say that fix or review further. No warning lamps. First occurred about six months ago.