Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The emergency braking system caused a rear accident . Leaving at fault " unable to control vehicles ", listed by State Farm, resulting in a personal injury claim with no injuries for $475,000.00 all parties including Volkswagen will be sued . The vehicle has caused loss of employment and a lawsuit on top of that I'm still paying a $586.00 Car note and $686.00 car insurance just for me to drive now . I'm mad asf !!!!
While driving and starting to go into the turn lane on the right, to make a right turn, the car would not slow down, while pressing the brake the car would not slow, I could not turn at the speed and was unable to get back into the flow of traffic either , so was left driving into a guard wire holding up a pole.
My Tiguan is doing the same thing as the Atlas. I have been told by the Dealer and the Vw representative that did a physical inspection of my vehicle. That the issues are the same. I was doing 70 mph on the highway all the dash lights went on and then the breaks engage bring my vehicle to a complete stop. This was in March of 2021. Vehicle was taken straight to dealer I was told then what was happening. And was told the issed was resolved. Then in January 2022 the vehicle did the same thing once at a low speed, and again that same morning going 30 mph, were the truck behind us did everything he could to avoid hitting the vehicle as my vehicle came to a complete stop. I was the front car and thankfully the truck behind me was the only other vehicle on the road. I pulled in to a parking lot, I attempted to back up and the vehicle would not go in to reverse. …
Error code: "Driver door contact switch". When this comes on randomly I can't unlock or lock my doors. I have had to climb out of my car through the passenger side door after parking because the driver's side won't unlock. Fault: "Auto parking break" When this comes on I can't turn on or off the parking brake. Sometimes when I'm driving and there is a bump or a change in surface level the parking break comes on. My car stops all of a sudden and cars behind me swerve not to hit me. I have noticed that the issues can go as fast as they come on. They only really happen in cold weather. Last year (2022) was the first year that things happened. I took my car in to see what Volkswagen could do. They said that because the error codes weren't running then they couldn't diagnose the issue. They also said that they have never heard of this before. …
Driving my vehicle on two occasions the brakes just automatically engaged, an error warning with an exclamation mark flashed briefly then went away. The car did not come to a complete stop but engaged the brake for at least 2 seconds. I was driving approximately 30-40 mph. I took it to the dealership were they indicated that they get about two complaints a month on this issue. They stated they believe the car falsely recognized someone in front of me and engaged the brakes. The dealership was unable to recreate the issue and said they found no signs of the warning that came on the screen in the logs. I was able to provide the exact times that the issue occurred so Im concerned there was no log of it. If I was on the express way and the brakes engaged it would have caused a serious accident. …
I dont know what fail in the car.brakes system sensors i really dont know.but i was leaving the dentals office about to take main road when all the sudden my car just fully stopped all four weels where some how braked and the car turned off by itself i was stuck in the middle of the road and cars barely missed me. I honestly was in a very dangerous situation.i have a video of how the car braked by itself the engine turned off on its own..please help us check this immediatly in my opinion it is super dangerous..it has happened to me once but thays enough. There was no warning lights on the dash..thats all i can remember..thank yku
At 79,200 mi. metallic grinding noise was coming from rear wheel. Disassembly of rear brake pads on driver side revealed inner brake pad completely worn to the metal backing (no braking material remaining.) An inspection of the pad showed that the manufacturer installed the pad such that the brake pad wear indicator was positioned too far from the pad. The wear indicator never made contact with the pad and therefore, never made the characteristic high pitched audible tone as the inner pad reached critical wear. This resulted in a complete failure of the driver side rear brake pad.
Parking brake would not disengage and the shop told me it was because water was in the floor pan behind the passenger seat and it's causing shorts In the electrical system. The cause of the water was diagnosed as a leaking sunroof. This has caused me loss of vehicle, time and too much money!
The electronic parking brake would not disengage. After trying all the tips found online I finally got it to disengage but now it won't re-engage and I am getting a warning "electronic brake fault" on the dash. It's very dangerous not to have a working parking brake.
I was driving down a side road in a parking lot with no cars in front of me and no one in back of me. Suddenly the car braked and threw me forward. It scared the living daylights out of me. There was no reason why this happened. There was nothing in the road. I reported this problem to Volkswagen and they had no answer and told me to disable the braking sensor which I did. I felt the need to report this issue since I felt this was a possible defect in the braking sensor. If this would have happened on a busy road I could have been hit from behind. Again there was no reason for the sudden braking. This is a leased car and when I turn it in I just want to let them know that the sensor is turned off for the next person who leases it and has no idea it is turned off. In summary, I was going around 35-40 MPH when this braking occurred with no reason whatsover. Thank you for your time.
Brake complaints in other Tiguan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the brakes of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan, 12% of the model year's 193 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan, though it has 5 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 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 3,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes 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.