2009 Volkswagen Tiguan problems
Owners have filed 248 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 36% of complaints. After that come electrical system (16%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 248 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 36% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 71,000 miles 222 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 19 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 30 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 36 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 41 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 48 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 21 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 20 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 222 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 71,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 84,000 miles (79 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 9 complaints mention a fire; 7 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 18 model years of the Volkswagen Tiguan with enough data (107 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I own a 2009 VW tiguan. The car burst into flames this morning after the check engine light went on while my pregnant wife was driving the car this morning. The car has been maintained by VW and had roughly 22,000 miles on it. I bought the car from evanston autobarn VW in 2010 and serviced it at fletcher jones VW of chicago. I filed an insurance claim this morning and contacted both VW dealerships and your 24 hour help line. VW has been zero help to us. Everyone said to call my insurance company.
On june 13, 2008 I was traveling west bound on a typical south florida day, very hot and humid clear day. Just then a pick-up truck put out very fast in front of me. I slammed on my brakes with plenty of time to stop, but just before I came to a complete stop, the engine roared and I hit the truck very hard. At first I thought my foot slipped off the brake to the gas, but no way, I broke my foot because I hit the brake so hard. My question is this,is there a known problem with this newcar?
I have a 2009 VW tiguan. The front seats are heated cloth. Yesterday, the passenger seat malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat. I am taking it to the dealership on 12/22/10.
After driving for about 17 miles and cutting the car off and then getting back into it after about 20 to 30 minutes to start up , the car started and cut off. I started it back up and it cut off. So I waited a few minutes and started it and it stayed on long enough for me to get home safely. After that it will continue to do this often. More frequent to the point of me be scared to go anywhere far. The vehicle was stationary during the first time it stalled.