Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Clock Spring in steering wheel is broken. Driver Airbag is non-functional, as are the controls on the steering wheel. No Driver air bag is a huge safety issue! We immediately "scheduled" an appointment to have this issue repaired. At the appointment, a VW dealer (VW Castle Downers Grove IL) confirmed the issue and noted that this was the subject of a recall (15V483000) with an ongoing & perpetual duty to repair. Despite the recall, the dealer does not have the parts, nor can they provide a date when they might be available (they are "backordered"). We checked with another dealer, and this seems to be a common problem. Also, we did a thorough search online to assess the situation with other drivers/vehicles - this is a common issue! Someone (either the dealer or VW) is dragging their feet on this mandatory, potentially life-threatening issue & repair. …
When turning the car, I heard a sound in the steering wheel and then lost functioning of the horn and all other steering wheel controls and buttons; The air bag light also came on - indicating the driver's side airbag is not functioning. Based on research believe it is identical problem others that have reported with defective steering wheel clock spring. Cannot find evidence that this vehicle was subject to or repaired under the previous recall on this issue. 1) it is available for inspection 2) safety risk because driver side airbag is now malfunctioning 3) not inspected by dealer or service center yet 4) not inspected by any others 5) no, no other warning lamps, message or symptoms appeared prior to the failure - airbag malfunction light went on at the same time the car lost other electrical functioning in the steering wheel. …
Clock spring failed in the steering wheel after having the part replaced 2 years ago under a VW warranty. Now that the clock spring failed a second I am told that there is no ETA to get the vehicle fixed and there are over 10k people waiting for the part needed to fix the vehicle. The wait is likely over 9 months. With a failed clock spring the airbags do not work. The horn also doesn't work. 2 key safety features are no longer working in my vehicle because of a manufactures defect that is highly known. VW taking no responsibility and will not expedite parts replacement or offer an alternate vehicle. Because of VW a vehicle that would fail a safety inspection in most states will be on the road. They are not offering a loaner vehicle and are instead allowing cars to be on the road without horns and airbags. …
Unable to complete vehicle inspection . Horn does not work, some electronics malfunction, airbags light is on. Cannot use dashboard related functions i.e. adjust tire pressure settings, gas tank door lock malfunctions, hands free communication malfunction. This is the 2nd time in a year that the clock spring failed. The manufacturer is not being able to provide the parts due to conflict area manufacturing, perhaps its time to relocate manufacturing. It's been 3 1/2 month and still no ETA on parts. Perhaps it's a poorly designed part. Maybe back to the drawing board. I understand the malfunction can set off airbag without a collision.
I was turning into a parking spot and heard a loud "snap" coming from my wheel. The "error: airbag" light came on and all electrical on my wheel stopped working. And the horn does not work. I googled it and my year and model has a recall for the clock spring. It says my airbag will not deploy. I have no way to change the computer screen. So I can't digitally see my speed and I can't update my tire pressure amongst other things.
This is the second time my Volkswagen Tiguan's spring clock has broken. As a result I have lost access to my airbags and horn. I also can't contact my driver electrical from the steering wheel. I am being told there is no way of knowing when the dealership may be able to get the part. I will be driving in an extremely unsafe care with my one-year old son. This is terrifying.
The clock spring in my vehicle went out. There is a backorder of upwards of 1 yr for part to replace. VW stated its a known issue. Until the clock spring gets fixed, I have no drivers side airbag, no horn, all lights on dash are on. With them all on, I am not alerted to any issues that may be occurring with any system in my vehicle.
One day I noticed that my horn wasn't working. Then a few days later I noticed that I couldn't connect to my phone from the steering wheel. The the airbag light came on. Garage said it is malfunctioning of electrical parts in the steering wheel column.
Airbag light came on. At the same time we lost all of our steering wheel controls as well as our horn. Some vehicles are covered by a recall but supposedly this yr and model isn't covered for some reason
Although vw has had recalls in multiple of its 2010-2014 vehicles with the exact same issue I'm having currently there is no recall on my 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan. I was parallel parking and I turned my wheel one way and heard a "tick-tick-tick" sound in the steering wheel column. When I turned the wheel the opposite way to finish parking it did not tick. After that I had no power in my steering wheel controls, alongside the airbag light turning on notifying me they were no longer working and my horn does not work when attempting to use while driving or inside the car. When outside the car and I hit the lock button the horn works notifying me it has been locked. I was nearly rammed into after another car tried merging into my lane and I wasn't able to honk my horn as warning to them. …
Electrical complaints in other Tiguan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the electrical system of the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan, 26% of the model year's 84 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
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.