NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 77 owner complaints for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan.
Recalled components: air bags and seat belts. Most-described problem: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (18 complaints, 23%). Most-reported area: air bags (30 complaints, 39%).
One of the best Tiguan years by owner complaints
The 2017 drew 15 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 42 for a typical Tiguan year since 2016. No open NHTSA investigation names it, and it has no recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside.
Years to avoid: 2018 and 2022; best years: 2016 and 2017. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016e-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.
The fix and full notice
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be intended for use in vehicles sold in the United States. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash, the incorrect air bags may not protect the driver as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel and front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69V2.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Components: Air bags: frontal, driver side, inflator module; Air bags: frontal, passenger side, inflator module; Air bags: side/window; Seat belts: pretensioner. Volkswagen campaign VW: 69P4; Audi 69P2.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan.
What owners report
Owners have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Tiguan. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Airbag warning light or airbag fault18 · 23%
Power steering problems or locked steering8 · 10%
Stalling or shutting off6 · 8%
Loss of power or limp mode4 · 5%
Check engine light4 · 5%
Steering rack problems: sticking, play or pulling4 · 5%
Most named: frontal, driver clockspring/spiral cassette (6)
Engine15 · 19%
Steering14 · 18%
Electrical system12 · 16%
Fuel and propulsion system6 · 8%
Powertrain5 · 6%
Body structure4 · 5%
Most named: body (3)
Unknown or other9 · 12%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Volkswagen Tiguan recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2017 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Tiguan drew the most (179) and the 2017 drew 15.
Owner complaints
2017: 77 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model year
Complaints
2010
110
2011
162
2012
153
2013
140
2014
84
2015
62
2016
97
2017
77
2018
296
2019
196
2020
141
2021
146
2022
281
2023
72
2024
80
2025
58
2026
38
Safety recalls
2017: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model year
Recalls
2010
2
2011
3
2012
3
2013
3
2014
3
2015
4
2016
2
2017
4
2018
14
2019
5
2020
3
2021
5
2022
5
2023
1
2024
2
2025
3
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 77 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan, the problems described most are the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (18), power steering problems or locked steering (8), and stalling or shutting off (6). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan.
How do I check if my Tiguan has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Volkswagen dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: TIGUAN.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.