NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 196 owner complaints for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan.
Recalled components: tires, body structure, equipment, suspension, and 1 more. Most-described problem: hesitation or slow acceleration (14 complaints, 7%). Most-reported area: electrical system (57 complaints, 29%).
More complaints than most Tiguan years
The 2019 drew 70 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 42 for a typical Tiguan year: 1.6 times as many. It is not a year to avoid, which takes at least twice the typical count and at least 50 complaints.
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 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Risk: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Tiguan and 2018-2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. Due to incorrect installation instructions, the accessory rear hatch spoiler may be insufficiently attached to the vehicle.
Risk: An insufficiently attached spoiler may separate from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the spoiler, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N5.
NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Volkswagen campaign 66N5.
Equipment
Mar 27, 2019
labels
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Tiguan LWB vehicles. The tire information label contains inaccurate tire dimension and inflation pressure specifications. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: The incorrect specifications can result in improper tire inflations or to installing a tire of the wrong size on the vehicle. Either of these situations can increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will install a corrected tire information label, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D2.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.
Risk: If a coil spring fractures while driving, it may damage a rear tire causing a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear axle coil springs, free of charge. The recall began April 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42J5.
NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Volkswagen campaign 42J5.
Electrical system
Nov 26, 2018
instrument cluster/panel
Fails federal standard 114 (theft and rollaway protection)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
Risk: If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.
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 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan.
What owners report
Owners have filed 196 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Tiguan. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Median 1,200 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Forward collision avoidance25 · 13%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (18); warnings (10)
Brakes24 · 12%
Powertrain18 · 9%
Speed control14 · 7%
Exterior lighting11 · 6%
Unknown or other39 · 20%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Volkswagen Tiguan recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2019 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 2019 drew 70.
Owner complaints
2019: 196 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
2019: 5 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 196 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan, the problems described most are hesitation or slow acceleration (14), stalling or shutting off (12), and loss of power or limp mode (12). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2019 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.