The Lemon Index

All cars · Volkswagen Tiguan · 2017

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index73100 = average car
Complaints22NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold21,023U.S. model year
Per 100K sold105complaints
Year rank#6 of 12#1 = fewest complaints

Engines and drivetrains 2

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
2.0L 4-cyl turboAuto (S6)FWD20 / 24 / 22Premium$3,500
2.0L 4-cyl turboAuto (S6)AWD20 / 23 / 21Premium$3,700

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 3,800 and 39,300 miles. Median 26,000, from 23 complaints with a mileage.

SystemMedianMiddle halfComplaints
Airbags27,70014,900–52,6005
Engine33,50025,600–61,0006

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Airbags27%
Electrical23%
Engine14%
Transmission & drivetrain9%
Brakes9%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
7660415

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 4

  • 21V321000 May 2021 Unknown Or Other

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

    Risk. Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.

  • 18V329000 May 2018 Unknown Or Other

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.

    Risk. If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

  • 18V102000 Feb 2018 Air Bags / Frontal

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be intended for use in vehicles sold in the United States. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    Risk. In the event of a crash, the incorrect air bags may not protect the driver as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel and front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69V2.

  • 16V955000 Dec 2016 Seat Belts / Pretensioner

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Manufacturer communications 585

Volkswagen filed 585 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Tech Tips (Comfort Module (J393) or BCM (J519) Replacement): This document informs if a…
  • Customer states noise from the engine/turbo and/or MIL-on and misfire faults
  • Water leaks from the sunroof/overhead light console area, Park distance to sensitive to…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV AWD★★★★☆★★★☆☆★★★★★★★★★☆
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV FWD★★★★☆★★★☆☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardNoNo

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
2014501525,121Airbags
2015521835,843Electrical
2016693043,638Airbags
2017732221,023Airbags
201821819789,476Engine
20197887109,572Electrical
20206662100,687Automatic emergency braking

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated

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