2.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,734 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Owner Comments

problem #12

Apr 102023

Tiguan

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Water pump melted and needed to be replaced, car won't start, airbag light is on and clock spring needed to be replaced, heated seat gets extremely hot on driver's side when turned on.

- Hudson Falls, NY, USA

problem #11

Feb 132021

Tiguan

  • 88,000 miles
After I turn the car off, the fuel hose connected to the high pressure fuel pumps doesn't pops off and gasoline leaks all over my engine. This started happens repeatedly now. When I get into my car, it is filled with the smell of the gasoline that is leaking because the hose doesn't stay on the fuel pump. I have to pop open my hood and slide the hose onto the fuel pump before I start driving. I've tried using different brackets to keep the hose tight on the fuel pump, however, the hose keeps on falling off. I'm not sure what else I can do, and I can't imagine how dangerous it is that there are pools of gasoline sitting around my engine.

- Rexburg, ID, USA

problem #10

May 292019

Tiguan

  • 81,000 miles
Vehicle engine suddenly began idling roughly while stopped at city street intersection. While driving the engine still felt rough and would occasionally stop running. After getting it to a VW service mechanic it received the following diagnostic - "check engine light: Found camshaft spool valve has come apart. Found cam shaft bearing bracket oil screen damaged." At 81,000 miles this car should not exhibit such problems. There appears to be a recall on 2015 VW Tiguan engines related to the same part, cam shaft. I reached out to VW for any info about this, and have not received any response.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #9

Jul 222018

Tiguan

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

For almost two years, intermittently but consistently, the car will lose power after a warm start. Ignition turns over appropriately and starts, but after pulling out of parking spot in a lot or into traffic, the car just loses power. Battery light goes on and you have to put car back in park and start it again. The second time it starts it struggles but restarts and typically does not lose power or stall again. Sometimes the car will start to lose power and as you prepare for it to stall it regains power and shoots forward regardless of how lightly you're gassing it. I have gone for service multiple times. They ruled out battery, connections, alternator, etc. And say they can not replicate the problem even after keeping the car for days and driving it around, yet it has literally happened when I have been leaving the dealer. Sometimes the epc light goes on after this occurs but never the check engine light. This happens more often when the weather is mild and when the car has already been running for some time. Never hesitates on a cold start.

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #8

Jan 042019

Tiguan

  • 35,000 miles
The gas tank door often gets stuck and won't open. It happened at least two dozen times to me. This is a safety concern because it happens when gas level is very low. One time it was near midnight and I was at a gas station in the very remote area. I was concerned about my safety. If you search online, you will see this is a widespread problem for VW and Audi cars. It is evident that it is a design flaw that VW has refused to acknowledge it. It should be recalled and fixed permanently. Thank you for your attention.

- Mount Kisco, NY, USA

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problem #7

Jun 012018

Tiguan 4-cyl

  • 101,846 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the fuel door would not open. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred periodically. Reeves Volkswagen (11337 N Florida ave, tampa, fl 33612, (813) 935-3354) was contacted and informed the contact that it was not a known failure and to contact the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,846. Consumer stated repair was made by the dealer.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #6

Aug 012017

Tiguan

  • 30,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Fuel door will not open. Therefore, I cannot refuel the vehicle.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #5

Sep 212015

Tiguan

  • 32,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact received a recall repair remedy from the dealer for NHTSA campaign number: 14V441000 (fuel system, gasoline). Shortly after the dealer's repair, the vehicle had a strong hesitation and stalled several times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the fuel pump and provided further testing. The failure recurred randomly. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel filter and intake fuel pump were putting out low fuel pressure. In addition, the dealer cleared the code for the fuel pump supply module and test drove the vehicle. The contact was uncertain if the dealer's repair and the recall repair provided a solution. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #4

Dec 272014

Tiguan 4-cyl

  • 49,000 miles
We recently (12-23-2014) brought the car in for the August 11th 2014 recall of the Tiguan ECM/air bubble issue related to the fuel pump in the cars. Our car was not experiencing any issues relating to the recall and described, but due to potential issues decided to bring it in to have it applied anyways. Upon leaving the dealership, the car was accelerating funny, and we noticed gas mileage had gone down. Due to ECM being reflashed as a part of the recall, we chalked it up as the computer needing to re-"learn" driving habits, shift points, etc.. about 25 miles later we were on the way home from an event about a few miles from home. We were on a very busy 6 lane highway when the car lost all engine power. It put us in an extremely dangerous position, 4 adults in a car on a busy 6 lane highway. We managed to coast over to the shoulder and to an offramp. The car restarted and the epc and check engine lights came on. The car was able to run, but only in limp mode, enough to get us the final couple miles home. Took the car to the dealership the following Monday. Issue was a failed high pressure fuel pump, needs to be replaced. It apparently is a very common part to fail, and at low mileage on cars, in any condition. It failed after the "new car warranty" but was replaced under the extended warranty provided by VW. Due to it's high failure rate at low vehicle mileage, and the impact it can have on safety, the fuel pump recall from August 11th should be expanded to cover the fuel pump replacement and extend the warranty of the part.

- Goodyear, AZ, USA

problem #3

Jan 172014

Tiguan 4-cyl

  • 39,963 miles
Car completely stalled multiple times while driving. Luckily this happened mostly while driving at low speeds, but happened once while pulling out in a busy intersection. I was told by the VW dealer that I would need a new fuel pump and fuel pump module. Being such a dangerous problem, I had these parts fixed for an out of pocket cost of $889.95. In August of 2014, I received a letter discussing a safety recall (safety recall 24av--fuel pump 2009-2014 model year Volkswagen Tiguan) that matched the exact problem I had originally described when fixing my car back in January of 2014. After submitting all of the invoices to seek reimbursement to the costs incurred trying to fix the problem, Volkswagen customer care has denied my claim and has yet to provide an explanation as to why I do not qualify for reimbursement.

- Groton, MA, USA

problem #2

Nov 012013

Tiguan

  • 45,000 miles
Several times, after starting my Tiguan and backing out of a parking space or driving out of my driveway within minutes of starting the engine, while in reverse or in drive, the car just turns off with it in gear, so then I have had to restart the engine to continue on with my travels. This appears to happen after the car has been running for awhile, then is turned off for about a half hour and then I go to drive it somewhere else, so it is warmed up. I have brought it to my local VW dealership two times now for this issue. The first time, they suggested replacing the fuel pump module, which we did do, however it is occurring again. I brought it back to VW and they can't seem to find out what is wrong with it, but have suggested replacing the fuel pump itself, for a mere $600 or more, which I have not opted to do yet, as I don't feel I should have to replace this costly part for something that seems to be a recurring issue with many Tiguan owners. I think Volkswagen needs to step up and issue a recall on these fuel pumps if that is the case. The vehicle is only 2 years old and I have read of several people complaining of the same issue with their Tiguans. It appears that there is something drastically wrong with these cars, whether it be the fuel pump or what not, but no one seems to know. This is a huge safety hazard as the vehicle just turns off while in drive or reverse in public places, hoping that someone can look into this issue and take the appropriate action to rectify it.....updated 02-28-14. The consumer stated the problem was rectified and would like to withdraw her complaint. Updated 03/07/14

- Rehoboth, MA, USA

problem #1

Jan 112013

Tiguan

  • 15,000 miles
After stopping at a traffic control device, driver accelerated into an intersection, at which time the vehicle's engine stalled. The vehicle had to be placed into park, and was then able to be restarted. The dealership's service center performed a fuel pump pressure test, resulting in a failure. It was determined that the fuel pump had failed, and needed to be replaced. Owner has two of these vehicles (exact model and model year), and the same incident/equipment failure took place with both vehicles during the span of a month. The same part was replaced on the other vehicle which had less than 10,000 miles at the time of incident. If the incidents had transpired on a highway, or other heavily traveled roadway, this failure could have resulted in a serious crash.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

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