InsightArise CarsU.S. Owner Complaint Index
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Volkswagen Tiguan Electrical problems

1.1 vs. all vehicles Rising

204 of the 1,181 complaints about the Volkswagen Tiguan (17.3%) concern Electrical, making it the model's second-largest problem area. That share is 1.1× the Electrical share across all tracked vehicles.

204Complaints · Electrical
17.3%Share of complaints
1.1×vs. all vehicles
68Last 12 months
2.5%Share involving a crash or fire
5Related recalls

Analysis

By model year, Electrical complaints peak with the 2019 model (45, 24% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2025 model (6). 68 Electrical complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 19 in the 12 months before — the pace is rising.

Owners most often describe: “check starter”, “starter system”, “infotainment”, “travel assist” and “camera”. 5 of these reports (2.5%) describe a crash or fire, with 7 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.

5 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 26V321000 (2026-05-20, model years 2024).

By model year

2018: 36 36 2018 2019: 45 45 2019 2020: 31 31 2020 2021: 17 17 2021 2022: 44 44 2022 2023: 9 9 2023 2024: 16 16 2024 2025: 6 6 2025
YearComplaintsShare of complaints
20183612.5%
20194523.8%
20203122.3%
20211712.5%
20224416.9%
2023915.0%
20241625.8%
2025613.0%

When complaints were filed

2018: 5 5 2018 2019: 13 13 2019 2020: 3 3 2020 2021: 7 7 2021 2022: 27 27 2022 2023: 36 36 2023 2024: 28 28 2024 2025: 34 34 2025 2026: 51 51 2026

Last 12 months: 68 · Previous 12 months: 19

Common terms in reports

  • check starter15
  • starter system14
  • infotainment27
  • travel assist12
  • camera36
  • switch23

What owners report

Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.

Related recalls

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE Campaign 26V321000 · 2026-05-20 · Model years: 2024

Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024 Tiguan vehicles previously repaired under recall 25V082. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy: Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91NF. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 27, 2026.

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE Campaign 25V082000 · 2025-02-12 · Model years: 2022, 2023, 2024

Summary: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tiguan, 2023 Arteon, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3 vehicles. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy: Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners April 3, 2024, and Volkswagen owners November 18, 2025.Volkswagen owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91NY and (Audi) 90AV.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA Campaign 22V514000 · 2022-07-20 · Model years: 2021, 2022

Summary: 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."

Remedy: 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.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA Campaign 20V716000 · 2020-11-18 · Model years: 2021

Summary: 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."

Remedy: 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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL Campaign 18V824000 · 2018-11-26 · Model years: 2018, 2019

Summary: 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."

Remedy: 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.

Problem areas · Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan problems, complaints & recalls by model year ›

Related reading

Frequently asked questions

How common are Electrical problems on the Volkswagen Tiguan?

204 of the 1,181 complaints about the Volkswagen Tiguan (17.3%) concern Electrical, making it the model's second-largest problem area. That share is 1.1× the Electrical share across all tracked vehicles.

Which Volkswagen Tiguan model years have the most Electrical complaints?

By model year, Electrical complaints peak with the 2019 model (45, 24% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2025 model (6).

Is there a recall for Volkswagen Tiguan Electrical problems?

5 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 26V321000 (2026-05-20, model years 2024).