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2011 Volkswagen Tiguan Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 162 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan, most often about the engine (39% of complaints, typically around 76,000 miles). It is 5th of 18 Tiguan model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan problems
Engine
63 complaints · 39%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the engine would not immediately start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (lakeland Volkswagen, 209 s lake parker ave, lakeland, fl) where it was diagnosed that the timing chain was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired.…
The car had an extreme misfire at idle and very rough running. I took the car for an inspection at the vw dealership. They told me the problem was that the chain had stretch because they were unable get an stable timing. After dissembling the opening up the house covering the timing chain they informed me that the cam…
Electrical
47 complaints · 29%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles. Parts named most often: horn, wiring.
Vehicle just under 45k and was told the clockspring shorted with no real reason as to why this would happen so early in the vehicle life. The impact of the failure from what I can visually tell is that I have no horn, the electronic console does not function and all buttons on the steering wheel do not work. The…
Vehicle just over 45k and was told the clock spring shorted with no real reason as to why this would happen so early in the vehicle life. The impact of the failure from what I can visually tell is that I have no horn, the electronic console does not function and all buttons on the steering wheel do not work. The…
Lights
39 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 43,000 miles.
Passenger side headlight not lighting, the turn signal on the same side does not work and the rear drivers side tail light does not work.
The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the front and rear lights malfunctioned. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The dealer replaced the fuse under warranty. The contact did not have an issue with the light after the repair. The contact…
Air bags
30 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 80,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
As I was turning the steering wheel with the vehicle in motion, I heard a clicking sound and then a snap. The airbag light immediately came on and all electronic controls on the steering wheel and the horn ceased to work. I had the cover put on based on the previous recall, which obviously failed. I took it into the…
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact had not experienced a failure until the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 15v483000 (air bags). Shortly after the dealer's repair, the ribbon cable snapped internally and caused a failure. The steering wheel seized and the air bag…
Steering
14 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 78,500 miles.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact had not experienced a failure until the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 15v483000 (air bags). Shortly after the dealer's repair, the ribbon cable snapped internally and caused a failure. The steering wheel seized and the air bag…
Steering wheel locked up while driving and approaching a 4-way stop sign at approximately 20 MPH on a secondary asphalt pavement roadway. The vehicle was running and an audible beeping noise came from inside the vehicle with no message on the display. It is believed that the steering wheel lock activated causing the…
Other or unspecified
12 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles.
Vw has recognized a defected part in the steering wheel clock spring. We took our vehicle to have the repair, dealership said that the previous owner had the vehicle repaired and a dust cover was put on 7/20/16. Well the dust cover has broke and the air bag light is on and horn is not working. Service department said…
The fuel indicator (gauge) in the instrument panel does not tell how much fuel is in the vehicle. I bought this car used but as a "certified" vehicle. I would expect this to last longer as I have never had one to go out on a vehicle. It never tells how much fuel is in the vehicle whether it is still, being driven…
Fuel system
11 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles.
On four separate occasions the car has lost power while in drive on city streets. First occasion april 23 2014 the coolant/water pump failed as did fuse. May 23 fuel pump failed and fuel pump panel. July 28 car died while driving due to faulty fuel injector. Yesterday aug 15 2016 car again lost power while driving on…
Traveling north/west bound on interstate 94 in maple grove, mn. Car suddenly lost power, started stuttering, and then shut off. Waited 2 hours for a tow on the side of the freeway with a 3 year old in 90 degree heat. Was towed to luther west side vw dealer and they found a failure of the high pressure fuel pump. There…
Transmission
8 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles.
When I am at a traffic light, my transmission tends to bump like it is going into another gear. This happens when my vehicle is stopped and my foot is on the brake.
My Tiguan only running 50k miles broke down in the middle of the highway. The engine light went on and the car stopped accelerating. When I towed it to the mechanic, I was told the timing chain tensioner and crankshaft sensor were bad. The timing chain tensioner defect caused complete engine failure. I now do not have…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Volkswagen Tiguan recalls
Air bags: frontal
Risk: A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on january 15, 2016. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 volkswagen cc, and passat, 2010-2013 eos, 2011-2014 golf, gti, jetta, and tiguan, and 2012-2014 jetta sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Fuel system: fuel system, gasoline
Risk: A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to increase the fuel pump pressure, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin august 19, 2014. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24av/2w.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 tiguan vehicles manufactured july 2007 to june 2014. When using winterized fuel, in certain conditions bubbles may form in the fuel system which could result in the vehicle stalling.
Lights: exterior lighting
Risk: If the holder melts, there may be a partial loss of exterior lighting. Reduced vehicle illumination diminishes the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuse, free of charge. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's recall number is 97z9/2v.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 tiguan vehicles manufactured july 2007 through june 2011. Due to a problem with the fuse for the exterior lights, the holder for the fuse that controls the vehicle's exterior lights circuit may melt.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Air bag clockspring failure
Summary
In august 2015, volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) launched safety recall 15v-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 model year (my) cc, passat, eos, golf, gti, tiguan, jetta and jetta sportwagen models.contamination of the clockspring can cause the ribbon cable to tear resulting in loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag and any steering wheel mounted controls.the loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag will result in i
Air bag clockspring failure
Summary
In august 2015, volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) launched safety recall 15v-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 model year (my) cc, passat, eos, golf, gti, tiguan, jetta and jetta sportwagen models.contamination of the clockspring can cause the ribbon cable to tear resulting in loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag and any steering wheel mounted controls.the loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag will result in i
Air bag clockspring failure
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of steering wheel clock spring/steering column control module (sccm) failures in model year (my) 2012 volkswagen passat and cc models.the sccm is a module within the steering column that incorporates a spiral conductor (a ribbon cable) to electrically connect the steering wheel to the vehicle's electrical system while allowing for the turning of the steering wheel.complainants alleged that that the clock spring failed while driving and without warning.when the sccm fails electrically, an air bag warning light is illuminated on the dash of the vehicle.if a vehicle with a failed sccm were to be invo
Partial loss of exterior lights
Summary
Volkswagen group of america (vw) is conducting a safety recall of approximately 62,155 model year (my) 2009-2011 volkswagen tiguan vehicles to address a partial loss of the exterior lighting (see NHTSA recall 13v-569 for more information).these vehicles' exterior lighting system is protected by two separate fuses contained in a fuse box located in the engine compartment.according to vw, high thermal cycling and soft-coated fuse coating material used at the f16 (also referred to as sb16) location causes movement between the fuse blade and socket, resulting in abrasions on the fuse coating material.this increases resistance and results in overheating of the fuse and disruption of electrical cu
Questions about the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (63 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles); electrical (47 complaints, typically around 45,000 miles); lights (39 complaints, typically around 43,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 4, 2015 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Volkswagen Tiguan?
- It is 5th of 18 Tiguan model years by number of complaints, with 162 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.