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.
Moldy smell in car. Wet seatbelt back passenger and carpet on floor. When seatbelt pulled out, wet and moldy smelling. Sunroof cloth has water stains from what appears to be a leak even though sunroof is closed. Car smells like mold and I am concerned to be breathing it. I am in remission from Pulmonary Sarcoidosis and any environmental irritants put me at risk significantly of relapse and I could get a fungal infection. I need this addressed as I do not want to be at risk, nor do I want anyone else jeopardized. MOLD SPORES are DANGEROUS. I called VW and they told me it was part of a recall but my car does not qualify because of my mileage. I have 124K miles. This is a serious problem, and VW is not willing to help me. This is a manufacturer defect and I want it addressed and fixed by VW.
I have a 2019 VW Tiguan with 2.0 liter turbo 4 cylinder and auto trans. I am experiencing frequent delayed acceleration from standing start in duration of 2 - 6 seconds. This BW is equipped with Drive By Wire technology which means an electrical wire with a solenoid at each ends sends a signal to motor to rev up. If that signal is not perfect the car suffers from a delay in acceleration from stopped position. I have reported this twice to NHTSA since Aug 2019 when car was newly purchased. Within first week I experienced a -??delayed acceleration-?? from stop and under 1800-2000 rpm-??s and under 25mph so this is NOT turbo lag as service manager first suggested. This always occurs from a dead stop pulling into traffic whether left, right or straight away driving. The delay occurs about half the time 5 out of 10. Fortunately for me the six second delay event occurred in church parking lot. During these episodes the engine remains at idle with the accel pedal fully depressed to floor, and at end of the event motor races and car takes off. To repeat there is NOT a mechanical linkage for accel pedal to motor, with -??Drive By Wire-?? technology. There are literally thousand of reports online about these failures and a cottage industry has sprung up to decrease these -??delays-?? (Roar Pedal etc) but they are ineffective. I believe this -??drive by wire technology -?? is a means that an auto mfg attempts to meet EPA city CAFE fuel requirements. I have requested VE replace one or both solenoids but they refuse until they can replicate the issue and BE corporate isn-??t listening and a new 2023 Tiguan I test drive for comparison suffered same issue but less frequent in short 30 minute drive. It is up to you to investigate and require auto manufacturers to correct this major problem in public confidence in auto mfgs and regulatory organizations tasked with protecting the public.
I purchased a 2019 Tiguan as a low milage Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. In less than a year, it's been in the dealership for weeks due to an unidentified water leak. Apparently, VW's panoramic sunroof is prone to leaking. The first time I brought it in, they could not find a leak but there was obviously mold all over the rear passenger floorboard. They charged me roughly $500 to clean the drains and sent me on my way. A couple months later, the leak and mold showed up again, so I brought it back to the dealership. Without completely explaining the fix plan moving forward, they completely disassembled the interior everything from the seats, headliner and trim panels all the way to the metal! Still unable to duplicate the leak, they hired a leak specialist, and still could not find a leak. They finally called me and tried to charge me to reassemble the vehicle. As a young military family, all I value is a safe reliable vehicle, and this vehicle has been nothing but a nightmare. If there is any way you can point me in the right direction to move forward on this known issue, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you again for your time. Aaron
Panoramic sunroof shattered. Looks like it bubbled upwards and exploded. No rock. No defect. Car was parked in my driveway with no trees or rocks or anything around. Motion security cameras don-??t have anyone coming on my driveway. This looks like my sunroof popped. So weird. I cut my hand on the glass.
I put my groceries in the passenger side of my car and walked around to my driver's door. I touched the button on the door handle to unlock the door and it didn't work. I tried the key fob and it also did not work. I tried another key fob and it still did not work. I had to end up calling the dealership and they told me how to take off the door handle cover to use the manual key, which was difficult to pry off, and also scratched the car. This seems like it could be a safety issue. This could have easily been a mother putting her child in a car seat and walking around to get in the vehicle.
- Fortson, GA, USA
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Bought the car to Puente Hills Volkswagen on March 15, 2023 to perform the TPMS Software recall. When I picked up my car, they told me that my car battery needed to replaced and that the TPMS Software update has been performed. I declined to have the battery replaced due to the high cost. But I had battery tested after and there was no issue found. Car has been starting fine without any issues since on the same battery. Then, I continued to get a Recall Alert from VW on 4/13/2023. Checked on their site as well on NHTSA, and it shows my recall is still not repaired. Contacted back Puente Hills Volkswagen on 4/13/2023 and left a message to my service provider. Haven't received a call as of 4/19/2023, so I called again and was able to speak to my service advisor. He then said it was because I didn't have my battery replaced that they didn't perform the recall repair even though he told me he did on 4/13/2023 (printed workorder he gave me also shows they performed the TPMS Software update). In the end, he told me that I need to replace my battery first for them to perform the recall repair even though there is clearly no issue with my battery.
I brought my vehicle to the dealership for its PA inspection and to address a recall that I had specifically listed in my appointment request and also discussed with the staff in person. However, upon checking the nhtsa.org website, I discovered that the recall is still outstanding.
Door switch notice pops up on the dashboard display. It comes on and off randomly. Took to mechanic, he said it has to do something with the door driver side door wire mesh
I came to a stop light, and the car would not accelerate when I took my foot off the break and pushed the gas pedal. The lights remained on. I had to turn off the car and restart it. Additionally, the car has been leaking.
Rooftop leakage, consistent with rain and snow and 2/3 inches of water sitting on the right side passenger floor and that side is wet for a long time and sometimes mold was formed. Car is now smelling bad. We never crossed our mind about blaming the roof leak but drivers blaming each other for leaving the window a jar or kids spilling water bottles in the car. Now the car was parked in the driveway sitting tight and right. And today, checked the car to move, saw 2/3 inches of water from last week rain with storm IAN. So the problem of manufacturing fault has been with us since we bought it in 2019.
Kessi key fob loses power/connectivity in cold weather. Occurred twice in 20-25 degree temperature. Unable to unlock with remote key. Requires popping off lock cylinder cover, using key blade to open door, sets off alarm, must hold key close to a designated area on steering column to start..if there is enough power/transmission left in key fob. Could be left stranded & have to be towed. Kessi key fob no longer operable. Must go to dealer to get new battery. Store bought batteries do not work in most cases. Have had multiple VW's with kessi key fob in past and never had issue with key becoming inoperative in cold weather.
Sunroof leaked while closed filling the car with gallons of water, creating water damage and risk of electrical failures. The vehicle was parked in a driveway. There is an existing class action lawsuit regarding this problem, however the owners were not made aware, and the soonest dealership appointment to remedy the issue was 1 week from the call, with no sense of urgency. This is unacceptable for a vehicle under mfg warranty, which is not safe to drive in the mean time.
I was driving on a residential street with no cars in front of me and my autonomous emergency braking system engaged itself bringing my car to an abrupt stop. There was nothing in the street, on the front on my car, or in front of me.
The sunroof exploded while driving at about 45 mph on top of an overpass. File a case with VW and they refuse to fix the issue. Case number was [xxx]. we were travel on rt 13 in Virginia through a small town. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Purchased car in July 2019 and the carnet has never functioned properly. After calling customer care and carnet I was told to take it into the dealership. After two separate visits and leaving my car for several days I was told it's a known issue and there's nothing they can do. I have a case open with customer care since August 2019 and follow up every few weeks, as they typically forget to provide me with the promised update every two weeks. Each update is the exact same --- there are no updates at this time and no timeline for a fix. They also will not provide any compensation until the issue is resolved. The carnet app has not worked correctly -- kicks me out regularly, says my car is unlocked when it is locked, unable to send destinations from the app to my car, etc. The buttons in the car also do not work when pressed, which means in an emergency situation it will not work.
I purchased this car and the car-net in my car hasn't worked since the day I bought the car. I have contacted VW multiple times and I just keep getting the 'they're working on it ' with no resolution in site.
Terrible wind vibration noise / thumbing that causes physical discomfort in ears the moment only 1 window is rolled down in the car. Front window down requires to open both front windows to balance; cannot lower a rear window without at least opening 1 front window / usually requires opening both front windows. If only one rear window is open plus front window(s) the wind movement results in items in the loading area in the trunk being lifted up and if lights even sucked to the back seat. Appears to be significant design flaw on vehicle. When closing windows have to close rear windows first before closing front windows, otherwise the air pressure on the ear canal is so strong that it causes ear discomfort.
Two times my panoramic sunroof on my 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan has exploded. The first time was Feb. 13, 2019, just a couple of months after I purchased the vehicle brand new. The second time was a week and a half ago on Aug. 8, 2019. Both times the panoramic sunroof exploded I was on the highway going to work and driving about 60mph. It sounded both times like a gun shot going off in my car. There was no warning either time, it just happened and was very frightening. Both times it happened I was far enough back from other vehicles. The most recent explosion was worse. A huge hole was left and pieces were flying off behind my vehicle. Thankfully I had the mesh screen closed, so none of the glass came into the vehicle on me. The hole that was left the second time was huge and flared outwards, which indicates a defect in the manufacturing of the glass. It is a definite safety risk. Thankfully both times it happened I was able to maintain control of the vehicle but I worry if it happens again. Thankfully it wasn't raining either time, if it was I might have gotten in an accident with the rain coming in on me and keeping me from being able to see the road. There should be a recall on the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan panoramic sunroof.
Two times my panoramic sunroof on my 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan has exploded. The first time was Feb. 13, 2019, just a couple of months after I purchased the vehicle brand new. The second time was a week and a half ago on Aug. 8, 2019. Both times the panoramic sunroof exploded I was on the highway going to work and driving about 60mph. It sounded both times like a gun shot going off in my car. There was no warning either time, it just happened and was very frightening. Both times it happened I was far enough back from other vehicles. The most recent explosion was worse. A huge hole was left and pieces were flying off behind my vehicle. Thankfully I had the mesh screen closed, so none of the glass came into the vehicle on me. The hole that was left the second time was huge and flared outwards, which indicates a defect in the manufacturing of the glass. It is a definite safety risk. Thankfully both times it happened I was able to maintain control of the vehicle but I worry if it happens again. Thankfully it wasn't raining either time, if it was I might have gotten in an accident with the rain coming in on me and keeping me from being able to see the road. There should be a recall on the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan panoramic sunroof.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Aurora, IL, USA