NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 140 owner complaints for the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan.
3Safety recalls
140Owner complaints
5Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: body structure, seat belts, and seats. Most-reported area: electrical system (34 complaints, 24%). Includes the 2018 Tiguan Limited, the previous generation sold alongside the new Tiguan.
3 safety recalls for the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020 Tiguan LWB vehicles. The third row seat belt anchor bolts may not have been properly torqued.
Risk: Improperly torqued bolts may prevent the third row seat belt from performing as designed in a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners and will repurchase the vehicles. Owners are advised: No one should occupy the third row seat due to the safety risk. The recall began October 7, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen number for this recall is 69BA.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
Risk: In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
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.
What owners report
The areas named in the 140 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Tiguan. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Electrical system34 · 24%
Engine25 · 18%
Body structure16 · 11%
Most named: body (8); interior panels, ceiling (4)
Forward collision avoidance16 · 11%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (14); warnings (6)
Brakes10 · 7%
Visibility/wiper10 · 7%
Exterior lighting8 · 6%
Unknown or other52 · 37%
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 2020 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 2020 drew 38.
Owner complaints
2020: 140 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model year
Complaints
2016
96
2017
75
2018
289
2019
191
2020
140
2021
141
2022
269
2023
66
2024
68
2025
48
2026
30
Safety recalls
2020: 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model year
Recalls
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV AWD
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV FWD
Questions
What are the most common 2020 Tiguan problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: electrical system (34), engine (25), body structure (16). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
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 Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.