2016 Volkswagen Tiguan: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 96 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
96
Complaints
2
Recalls
4
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
3
Injuries
54.2
Severity index
Severity index 54.2 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan ranks 88 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 37% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 37 | 38.5% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 27 | 28.1% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 23 | 24.0% |
| STEERING | 12 | 12.5% |
| ENGINE | 10 | 10.4% |
| STRUCTURE | 6 | 6.2% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 4.2% |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 | 3.1% |
The single most-reported system is AIR BAGS, cited in 37 of 96 complaints (38.5%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 17 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 28 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 2 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V535000 | 17/07/2019 | AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags. |
| 16V464000 | 24/06/2016 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.