Model Years

2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 146 owner complaints for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan.

Recalled components: backover prevention and rearview camera, body structure, suspension, and seats. Most-described problem: excessive oil consumption (21 complaints, 14%). Most-reported area: engine (55 complaints, 38%).

Fewer complaints than a typical Tiguan year

The 2021 drew 35 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 42 for a typical Tiguan year.

Years to avoid: 2018 and 2022; best years: 2016 and 2017. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Tiguan year ranked

5Safety recalls
146Owner complaints
2Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Volkswagen dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated

5 safety recalls for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Backover prevention and rearview camera

Jul 20, 2022

sensing system · camera

  • Fails federal standard 111 (rear visibility)
  • NHTSA 22V-514
  • 43,091 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Golf GTI, Jetta GLI, Jetta NF, Arteon FL, Tiguan LWB, 2022 Taos, Jetta PA, Tiguan PA, 2021-2022 Atlas Cross Sport, and Atlas FL vehicles. The manufacturing process of the eMMC memory module in the infotainment system may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix and full notice

Fix: Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.

NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Components: Backover prevention and rearview camera: sensing system, camera; Equipment: electrical, infotainment, software. Volkswagen campaign 91DV.

Body structure

Apr 6, 2022

body

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.

Suspension

Mar 23, 2022

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Tiguan, Taos, and 2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. The left or right rear suspension knuckles may corrode, crack, and break.

Risk: A broken rear suspension knuckle can cause a loss of stability, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix and full notice

Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace one or both rear suspension knuckles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 13, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42L8.

NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Volkswagen campaign 42L8.

Seats

Feb 1, 2021
  • Fails federal standard 202 (head restraints)
  • NHTSA 21V-038
  • 57 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Long Wheelbase and Jetta vehicles. Bolts may be missing from the front seat tracks.

Risk: The seat can move front and back without restriction if bolts are missing, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

The fix and full notice

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat tracks and, as necessary, install the bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 18, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72L6.

NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Components: Seats; Seats: critical fasteners. Volkswagen campaign 72L6.

Backover prevention and rearview camera

Nov 18, 2020

sensing system · camera

  • Fails federal standard 111 (rear visibility)
  • NHTSA 20V-716
  • 32,048 vehicles

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A black or frozen rear view image reduces the driver's visibility when reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix and full notice

Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.

NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Volkswagen campaign 91BB / 91BC.

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 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan.

What owners report

Owners have filed 146 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 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

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

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 2021 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 2021 drew 35.

Owner complaints

2021: 146 complaints

Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model yearComplaints
2010110
2011162
2012153
2013140
201484
201562
201697
201777
2018296
2019196
2020141
2021146
2022281
202372
202480
202558
202638

Safety recalls

2021: 5 recalls

Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model yearRecalls
20102
20113
20123
20133
20143
20154
20162
20174
201814
20195
20203
20215
20225
20231
20242
20253
20260

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 versionOverallFrontalSideRollover
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV AWD
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV FWD

2021 Tiguan MPG

EPA rates the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan up to 25 mpg combined.Every version and fuel cost

Questions

What are the most common 2021 Tiguan problems?

In the 146 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan, the problems described most are excessive oil consumption (21), oil leaks (19), and the check engine light coming on (16). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.

Is the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan safe?

In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.

Is NHTSA investigating the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan?

No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2021 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.