Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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 contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving in extremely hot weather, the fault code message stating that the ignition was switched off, check the starter system, and to please pull over to the side of the road was displayed, while emitting a beeping sound to alarm the driver. The electrical systems, excluding the engine, became disabled. The contact stated that the headlights, taillights, instrument panel, and several other electrical functions were inoperable. The driver coasted to the side of the road and waited until the engine had cooled off before continuing to drive. The failure occurred consistently, in approximately 2 to 3 minutes, causing the driver to repeat the actions for the vehicle to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. …
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Since the initial failure, the failure occurred intermittently and the vehicle would restart soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable to diagnose or duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The battery was jump started and the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to two independent mechanics who tested the battery and determined that the battery did not need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
From a stop at an intersection, the initial depressing of the accelerator produced no throttle response and then suddenly the car lurched forward. This resulted in rear ending the care in front at the intersection. The collision avoidance did not stop the car before contacting the car in front. Even after the accident the car continued to respond in the same way until it was placed on the two truck.
We bought a new 2019 tiguan for my 16 year old daughter. At just over 5 thousand miles, she was driving the car home from school when all the electric power was lost. The engine kept running, but she lost all the lights, headlights, break lights, radio, ac, speedometer, etc. Basically everything stopped working except the engine. Obviously this was a safety concern for me because she's 16 and didn't have headlight, or break lights, or a speedometer, just to name a few. Volkswagen dealership in mckinney, TX, began diagnosing the issue. They changed the battery and said the car was fixed. Unfortunately, as my now 17 year old daughter was driving, the car all the sudden lost all power again. The danger is that the car starts and performs perfectly at first, but will shutdown everything but the engine while she's driving! So this is the 2nd time this has happened. …
The car stopped at a light on a busy street in [redacted] (in the middle lane), then the engine stopped, and my wife could not restart it. I went as fast as possible and met her. I was eventually able to get it started. This is the third time we have had problems like this. I did the same thing for me and another time for my wife. I believe it is the stop-start capability, but I can't say for sure. We have also had bad engine oil burning problems and electrical problems. All of these (I now know, but did not before) are recurring problems for 2019 Tiguans. The cylinder head was rebuilt last year, associated with a similar instance. I am now fully aware that the 2019 Tiguans are known to experience all of these problems, but when I brought my car in on previous occasions, that never got mentioned. I am told XYZ is an issue, then billed for repairs. …
Automatic start/stop feature malfunctioned while vehicle was at a complete stop in a left hand turn lane at the front of an intersection. Caused major traffic jam because vehicle would not restart. No warning signals were given prior to failure, car engine simply turned completely off and dashboard message then read to "manually restart engine". Attempted to do so but it did not work. After that, I randomly started turning the car off and on, switching from park to drive in whatever order to try to get the engine to restart since manually restarting the "normal" way did not seem to work. While the car was not restarting, the yellow engine light did appear, I am not sure exactly when. No one's safety was at risk in this particular instance, however it could have been depending on when this problem occurs. …
My 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan suddenly shut off on the highway with my children in the car. The vehicle lost all power, including steering, air conditioning, radio, navigation, and windows. I was barely able to coast to safety. The dealership diagnosed the issue as the ignition switch, part number 5Q1 905 865. This is the exact same part number included in Volkswagen's current recall of nearly 50,000 Jettas for ignition switch failure. Despite this, VW has not expanded the recall to cover Tiguans. I paid over $700 for the repair, even though the part itself costs around $50. Worse, the dealership reinstalled the same recalled part number into my Tiguan, meaning the defect has not been corrected and could occur again at any time. This is a serious safety hazard. A sudden engine shutdown at highway speeds could easily result in injury or death. …
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. …
Volkswagen Recall: 28H7-Ignition Switch. In vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch, the polyfuse can fail, particularly when the vehicle is operated in high temperature environments. If the polyfuse fails, it can result in the engine stalling while driving and failure of the vehicle's electrical system, increasing the risk of a crash. When sitting in the sun, this has happened 5 or so times. Yesterday it was only 77 degrees outside and it happened. The electrical shuts off completely. No brake lights, no blinkers, no odometer reading, nothing. The windows worked once. And several times, the car will still drive; however it is terrifying driving in these conditions. After letting it sit in the shade overnight, the car wont start the first time and then usually starts the second attempt. …
Related recalls
Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Electrical complaints in other Tiguan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the electrical system of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan, 30% of the model year's 193 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 18V-824 (instrument cluster/panel, Nov 26, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 3,000 miles, and 77% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 1 injury to electrical system 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.