Problems · by component
2009 Volkswagen Tiguan engine problems
80 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan cite engine, 48% of all 167 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
80
48% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The car keeps throwing sensors (camshaft, crank sensors, throttle body etc) and the ECM needs to be updated. It keeps turning over. I checked the recall list of VINs and mine is within the range, however there aren't any recalls listed.”
“The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V235000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.”
“The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure warning light illuminated and a message to stop the vehicle immediately was displayed. AAA arrived on the scene and diagnosed the vehicle with oil sensor failure. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was vibrating while driving back to the residence. The vehicle stalled upon arrival at the residence in the driveway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and diagnosed with timing chain and timing sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,092. The contact stated that VW of America was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to another dealer for a second opinion and all of the issues were confirmed. It was strongly recommended that the engine be replaced as well.”
“The engine reached 100k miles in the second week of April 2022. After that, I tried to turn on the vehicle, and the engine did not respond. I took my car to the mechanic, and he told me that the car needed an engine replacement. This is very strange since the vehicle had an excellent maintenance schedule, and I usually, this type of car last longer. That engine issue could have caused a severe accident on the road, and fortunately, it never happened. The timing belt might have an issue there, but I had very little information from the engine codes since I did not have an indicator earlier. It just appeared like that. I feel that this type of issue is unfair. After having more than four cars with way more miles, this has never happened, and on average, a Tiguan engine should last at least 150k miles according to the statistics of the vehicle model and year. I feel upset and disappointed with this vehicle model since the cost of replacing the engine cost around 6000$, and I am an international student with no money to do that repair. I feel helpless, and VW told me the only way to get a recall of this car is through a report from the NHTSA, which would be fair…”
“Problems start with ABS and Steering warning lights with EPIC warning on dash, flickering of lights and radio shut off by loosing power steering and rough acceleration and idling. Has been in to VW dealership 5 times now with repairs "fixing" problem for a few days - a week before returning again. This is a safety issue because this happens very quickly and without warning. Once I was on a highway and had to carefully move to side of the road and limp to a safe area (luckily I was in the right lane already).”
“MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE THROTTLE BODY SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE COOLANT HOSE WHICH HAD TO BE REPLACED MY RADIO GOES BLANK TO WHERE I CAN'T SEE MY BACK UP CAMERA ! THIS VEHICLE HAS TO MANY ELECTRICAL ISSUES! *TR”
Showing 6 of 80 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.