Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 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 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. …
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).
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.
Vehicle completely stopped while I was driving on the freeway. I was in the far left lane, and the engine failed and I was not able to move to the right shoulder. I put my hazards on and called for assistance. While on the phone it was clear that I was not in a safe position, so myself and my passenger exited the vehicle when there was a break in traffic. We were able to get across to the right side of the road, behind a guardrail. While on the phone with 911 someone slammed into the back of my car, causing extensive damage to both vehicles. Luckily no one was injured, and no other cars were affected. Both vehicles were inoperable and had to be towed from the scene. I was told by the Volkswagen dealership that an engine coil broke off, and backfed into the harness, causing the engine to fail. …
I was driving on rolling road (north) toward old keen mill road in springfield, virginia around 4:05 pm on November 4, 2014 (Tuesday). I saw the smoke coming out near the hood in the front while waiting for traffic light, so I pulled over to the parking lot near a gas station. I saw people waved to me, and yelled at me to stop, I got off my car and they told me my car was on fire at the bottom, we bend down and looked the bottom of the vehicle, and saw the fire burning on the material hanging down. Fortunately, a driver ran over carrying a fire extinguisher from his car, and a person from the gas station also brought another fire extinguisher, they spread the fire extinguisher to put out the fire. I could not wait for the tow truck, so I carefully drove the car to the vw dealership in fairfax, virginia. …
On a cross country road trip, my 2009 vw Tiguan was running perfectly. Stopped at a rest stop, and when tried to restart car, it rattled severely and the engine light went on. Vehicle was towed to vw service, and I was told I needed an engine replacement, due to a failed timing chain tensioner. It cost me $5800, along with 5 days of lodging while waiting for repair. The vw dealer supported the fact that I should get reimbursed by vw. My vehicle had a perfect maintenance record. There is nothing in the manual pertaining to maintenance requirement for timing chain/tensioner. All it takes is a quick search on the internet to see the unbelievable amount of cases and complaints, even to vehicles with as low as 10,000 miles. There is apparently a new tensioner service kit available to avoid the catastrophic damage, but vw has not notified customers. This is absolutely a safety issue. …
Timing chain tensioner failure: my Tiguan had been running perfectly and was a great car since purchasing it 7 months prior to this incident. I drove it 250 miles and at the end of the trip as I was pulling into my destination, I noticed back-and-forth rocking and the engine sounding a bit clunky. I planned to take it back to the dealer I purchased it from to get checked out and wasn't going to drive it if I noticed the back-and-forth rocking again, but I didn't. Approximately 100 miles before making it back home, I pulled into a gas station for a rest stop. I came back out to my car turned the key, and nothing happened. The battery was at full charge, but the engine had the starter wanted to fire up the engine, but there was nothing. …
Whiel driving on a busy state road, the check engine light came on around 70,900 miles. I heard rattling sound from engine, front end shake. I pulled over near my house and shut the car off. I then had trouble starting the vehicle. I was able to drive the car to a Volkswagen dealership where they informed me of the following, "tech found that timing chain adjuster has reached its limits. Found coolant fans have internal short circuit. Tech recommends to replace all timing chain components and to replace both coolng fans. Timing chains and all components $2887.68 cooling fans $1252.16" the tech then told me he would not recommend me driving the vehicle anymore. I'm not sure when the timing adjustor failed, but if I were to keep driving the Tiguan, it could have caused my engine to seize at any time. …
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
Volkswagen is recalling 4,079 my 2008 passat and 2,500 my 2009 tiguan passenger vehicles equipped with 2.0t fsi ulev ii engines. These vehicles have an engine control module (ECM) containing software that May not properly control engine idle with the air conditioning turned on.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and update the ECM software free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2008. Owners May contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298.
Engine complaints in other Tiguan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan?
NHTSA has 88 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan, 52% of the model year's 168 complaints. The component named most often is engine (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 08V-235 (engine and engine cooling, May 28, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.