2012 Volkswagen Tiguan engine problems

“The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. Additionally, while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart. The check engine, EPC, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.”

“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Defective Primary Engine Water Pump, yes. The original primary engine water pump system for a 2012 VW Tiguan 2.0 was replaced under the VW extended warranty in 2020 by an authorized dealer as a the result of the class action suit---please see Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension bulletin issued by NHTSA. The replacement primary engine water pump system installed in 2020 has been found to be defective in March 2025 and the primary engine water pump requires replacement a second time -- without a warranty extension and less than five years from the date of service of the replacement under the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension issued by NHTSA. VW is still using defective primary engine water pump systems throughout the warranty period----does the NHTSA have any evidence that VW made modifications to the primary engine water pump system after the bulletin issued by NHTSA? Was it a requirement that VW modify the primary engine water pump system? I have been informed that no changes were made to the VW primary engine water pump…”

“The engine could not be started after 13 years and 103,000+ miles. I had to get the car towed to my garage at night, after several prior trips same day. There were no check engine lights or any other indicators. The engine had newer spark plugs, ignition coils and pcv valve installed as well as chain checked a year prior to this. Had a mobile mechanic come by and inspect the car. He determined that the engine has lost compression and that the oil was low. The spark plugs were soaked in gas because engine could not properly compress and ignite the fuel. After adding oil the problem did not go away. He performed the compression test and confirmed his suspicion about engine not being able to compress the fuel. The most likely cause was the timing chain issue but he could not inspect the chain to confirm due to difficulty of doing it. The engine valves were not moving as expected as well. He could not read any meaningful codes from the car computer. There were no electrical or starter issues, just that engine has lost compression. The car had regular oil changes, break fluid changes and tire rotations. Just two weeks prior to car breaking down it passed emissions…”

“I was accelerating on the highway when my engine started making a rattling sound and the check engine light came on. I took my car into a specialty European auto shop and they determined my timing chain and tensioner needed replacing. The price is going to be over $5k and there are only 113,763 miles. I’ve always taken my car to a VW dealership for scheduled maintenance. As others have mentioned I never received a notice about this problem earlier from VW.”

“At 77k miles the engine's timing chain jumped a tooth or two at startup. This seems to have destroyed the engine. Prior to that: no problems. My DTC scanner said the cam timing was off. VW wanted $25k to fix it after having it towed in. It sounded like rocks in a coffee can. It had just come from Chicago to visit and my son was stranded. I had to put him on a train home. I now am putting in a used engine for $9500 & it is going to take several weeks. When I looked on the internet I see this has been described as "a ticking time bomb". (REF Jalopnik.com). There was a class action law suit, but I guess --- since we had not had an issue--- redress was over. Still... 77k miles.”

“I'VE ONLY OWNED THE VW TIGUAN 2012 FOR 6 MONTHS, JANUARY 2020 AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, ALL POWER LOST AND HAS TO BE RESTARTED. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 8 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS, 2 TIMES IN THE PAST WEEK, IT SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND YESTERDAY JULY 20,2020 WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION.”