2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Reliability Report

Loss of power on the highway, with the EPC light and a maximum RPM warning, is the main pattern. Speed falls off no matter how hard the pedal is pressed. Oil consumption is the second theme. Owners top up oil between changes, and one dealer called for cylinder head replacement over valve seals near 70,000 miles, with the part on backorder. Early misfires, a timing chain replacement, and full engine replacement also appear. Hesitation from a stop followed by a sudden lurch is common. One report describes a burning odor after parking.

Low beams that light only a short stretch of road are the main complaint. Owners call night and rain driving unsafe and lean on the high beams. Automatic headlights switch on and off under bridges and trees, which other drivers can mistake for braking. On other cars, the auto headlights stay on in full sun. Backup lights are described as very dim. Several reports cover the sunroof ambient light bar recall, which disconnects the feature, and owners say they have waited months for it to be restored.

Front Assist triggers hard braking with no car or obstacle ahead. It happens at walking pace and at highway speed, and some owners report whiplash. One injury is on file. A second pattern is early and uneven pad and rotor wear, sometimes blamed on sticking rear calipers, with one case as early as 6,900 miles. Less common failures include an ABS control module that applied the brakes erratically, with replacement parts backordered, and a rear brake line that snapped and drained the brake fluid.

Driver belts that will not retract or stay snug are the main true belt failure, along with seatbelt chimes set off by a phone on the passenger seat. Many other filings here describe the B-pillar rattle near the belt retractor rather than a belt fault. Sunroof leaks soak the belts and can freeze them in place in cold weather. One owner received the seat belt recall, campaign 20V724000, but the repair part was unavailable.

Cars refuse to start and show a "Steering Lock Fault" message when the steering column fails. Some fail under 10,000 miles, some fail again after a new column goes in, and some wait at the dealer for parts. Lane assist steers toward adjacent lanes or locks the wheel, causing near misses. Other reports describe a power steering pump failure with full loss of assist and a fractured bolt inside the rack and pinion near 65,000 miles. One crash report involves the car stalling at a light and refusing to move.

Hesitation from a stop and short losses of power while merging or changing lanes are the main reports. Some cars go into limp mode on the freeway with the EPC light and a "MAX 4000 RPM" warning, including cars around 83k miles. One dealer traced this to the fuel injector harness, and the owner was told the VWP-23-03 extended warranty did not cover that VIN. Other reports describe fuel backing up at the pump, gas odor in the garage or cabin, and a fuel line that came off and sprayed fuel.

Two crash reports say the airbags did not deploy, one in a head-on collision at 35 mph, and both list injuries. Warning light faults are more common, including a driver-side crash sensor open circuit and passenger occupant sensing set off by a phone. One owner reports repeated passenger airbag repairs that left collision protection and adaptive cruise disabled while parts were unavailable. Some filings mix in seat belt warnings and a fuel injector harness fault.