2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Tiguan years
- More complaints than other years 6th of 18 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 153 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. That ranks 6th out of 18 Tiguan model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (50 complaints, 33%), typically at around 50,000 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 6 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 153owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 50 | 33% | 50,000 | “timing chain” (26%) | — |
| Air Bags | 33 | 22% | 56,700 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 23 | 15% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 21 | 14% | 76,800 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 20 | 13% | 51,443 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 8% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 10 | 7% | 11,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 5% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 5% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 3% | 54,910 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 2% | 39,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 2% | 64,818 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 2% | 16,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 2% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 2% | 50,150 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 1% | 17,465 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 28,700 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 52,636 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | 100 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 12,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Unknown or other
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Risk: If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
Fuel system, gasoline
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Tiguan vehicles manufactured July 2007 to June 2014. When using winterized fuel, in certain conditions bubbles may form in the fuel system which could result in the vehicle stalling.
Risk: A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to increase the fuel pump pressure, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 19, 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24AV/2W.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure (EA18003) — opened Apr 18, 2018, still open.
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure (RQ17009) — opened Nov 13, 2017, closed May 4, 2018.
- Air Bag Clockspring Failure (PE15010) — opened Mar 24, 2015, closed Sep 28, 2015, led to recall 15V483000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
A couple of weeks now my steering wheel has been locking while Iâm driving, sadly I thought it was because I needed to get my car serviced. This morning my steering wheel locked out of nowhere as I was turning and I almost ended up in a head on collision with another car while my kids were in the…
Steering wheel gets locked up while driving; power steering fails. The red steering light turns on. This is a problem that happens to several Tiguans. There were no prior symptoms prior to failure. This is extremely dangerous and difficult to deal with while driving, especially on the freeway…
I was driving the car and the steering wheel locked out of nowhere A red steering light came on the dashboard. Iâve never seen before
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. Additionally, while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart. The check engine, EPC…
The clockspring has failed and there are recalls on similar models of Tiguans of the same year.
Other Volkswagen Tiguan years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Tiguan | 35 | 0 |
| 2025 Tiguan | 52 | 3 |
| 2024 Tiguan | 74 | 2 |
| 2023 Tiguan | 69 | 1 |
| 2022 Tiguan | 272 | 5 |
| 2021 Tiguan | 143 | 5 |
| 2020 Tiguan | 141 | 3 |
| 2019 Tiguan | 193 | 5 |
| 2018 Tiguan | 286 | 14 |
| 2017 Tiguan | 76 | 4 |
| 2016 Tiguan | 96 | 2 |
| 2015 Tiguan | 62 | 4 |
| 2014 Tiguan | 84 | 3 |
| 2013 Tiguan | 139 | 3 |
| 2012 | 153 | 3 |
| 2011 Tiguan | 162 | 3 |
| 2010 Tiguan | 110 | 2 |
| 2009 Tiguan | 168 | 3 |
See all Volkswagen Tiguan problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.
Similar Volkswagen models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan?
Owners most often report engine, air bags, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 50 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Tiguan model years, the 2012 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.