2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Fuel System Problems

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I am reaching out regarding ongoing and escalating issues with my 2022 VW Tiguan R-Line Black. Over the past year, I have had to stop at Jiffy Lube multiple times because the oil level kept running low, and they repeatedly topped it off. I found this unusual, given how recently oil changes and services had been performed. This summer, the vehicle began experiencing episodes of stuttering and stalling, accompanied by smoke from the tailpipe. Over Labor Day weekend, after another stall, I brought the car into the VW dealership. They investigated but were unable to identify the cause. Unfortunately, the situation has now worsened. Today alone, the car stalled twice - both times in the middle of traffic. The "check oil level" warning light came on, followed shortly by the "check engine" light. There was also a significant amount of smoke coming from the tailpipe. …

Subject: Ongoing Mechanical and Electrical Issues - 2022 VW Tiguan I'm experiencing ongoing issues with my 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan, purchased new and maintained under single ownership. Primary Issue: The vehicle shuts off unexpectedly under various driving conditions-while accelerating on the highway, from a stop at traffic lights, and especially when going uphill or over high bridges. The issue initially occurred once or twice a year around 45,000 miles but has become more frequent. As of 70,000 miles, it now happens on a weekly basis. When this happens, the only way to temporarily resolve the issue is to turn off the vehicle completely and wait approximately 5 minutes before restarting. …

Since new (1/12/2022) the vehicle looses power when shifting between 1st and 2nd and/or 2nd and 3rd. This has been to the dealer several times and they always claim they can not duplicate the issue as it tends to be intermediate. I had to go to the dealer, drive the vehicle with the service manager and show him exactly what it does. I did that 3 weeks after the car was left with the dealer, this latest time, which it is currently still at the dealer for over a month now. Now they are telling me that this is how the transmission works and there is nothing they can do. This is dangerous! You don't know when it is going to happen and it doesn't matter if the car is warm or cold. You don't know, when pulling into traffic, if the vehicle is going to accelerate or not. Volkswagen claiming this is a normal function is a complete lie. …

When the car engine is cold, upon first acceleration, the car hesitates badly and has the tendency to lunge forward. It feels like it may stall. When I say cold, I mean when the engine has cooled down. This does not have to do with outside temperature. It happens when it's warm outside as well and the engine has cooled down. This issue appeared when I first took ownership of the vehicle in July of 2022. This poses a serious injury risk when making turns with oncoming traffic. It hesitates to the point that oncoming traffic may hit my vehicle if there isn't enough room for them to stop in time. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer and they were able to recreate the issue. Unfortunately, they said this is a known issue and they can't do anything about it. Diagnostics did not report any failure codes and the car computer firmware is up to date. …

This stalling issue has occurred three times so far, most recently on [redacted], while exiting [redacted] . Each time, the stall happens when I attempt to accelerate after coming to a complete stop in traffic, at a light, or at a stop sign. When it occurs, the vehicle will not move forward, and multiple rapid warning messages appear on the dashboard. The only way to recover is to shift into Park, power the car off, and then restart the engine. After restarting, the vehicle will usually operate normally, allowing me to continue driving. I brought to VW Dealership Pasadena -- they have been unable to diagnose the cause of stalling! Text from Dealership below! This happened exiting the freeway this is very dangerous. …

The cylinder head has passages that collect carbon build up that build up outside of general maintenance that clog the cylinder head and can eventually lead to combustion failure. This car has been taken to an independent, reputable mechanic in the area, as well as now the dealer. Dealer has confirmed they have at least 4 other vehicles currently with the same issue in just this one location, and parts replacement to remedy the issue (new cylinder heads) are on back order (over 2500 on order in US). This car has been caught early, before this engine failure, as the check engine light first came up and multiple rounds of mechanic checking and trying to fix have lead to this conclusion. Car at this time has not failed in a safety situation, but has the potential to if not remedied, by engine failing while driving. …

My VW hesitates when I step on the gas during first use. This condition will continue until the vehicle warms up. The hesitation will cause the vehicle to speed up very fast. It's a safety risk when I enter traffic, either on a highway or on a local road. That's because when I pullout in front of on coming traffic, the vehicle will not get up to speed in a timely matter and then it will speed up very quickly. It will hesitate and jerk back and forth. I've learn now that I can not pull out into traffic until I don't see any oncoming traffic. The dealership is unable to repair because they are awaiting on a software update that VW is working on for the vehicle because I'm not the only one with the problem. No warning lamps or messages. It always happens when the vehicle is first started after sitting for several hours. It first appears a few months after I purchased the vehicle.

The vehicle hesitates and then jerks forward when accelerating from a stop. This symptom is more apparent when the vehicle is cold before it has warmed up. The car is available for inspection if requested. It put my safety and the safety of others at risk because the acceleration is unpredictable. This danger is apparent when trying to slowly pull through a crowded parking lot and the car accelerates abruptly or when you're pulling into traffic and the car hesitates in front of oncoming cars. The dealers service department has said they are unable to reproduce the symptoms or they say it is a normal trait for that car. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. There is no warning lamp or indicators of system failures for this issue. This issue first appeared approximately 500 miles into ownership.

Vehicle has hesitation during cold acceleration. If vehicle is started, pulled to end of short driveway, then go to accelerate onto road, vehicle hesitates and stumbles at times, not wanting to move properly and safely enter roadway. Tried accelerator pedal position reset and no change. This is a common VW Tiguan issue. No fix for it and dealer does not want to acknowledge that it exists. Simply looking on this site and a quick internet search will confirm it exists and is a common issue. And very well could be a significant safety issue when pulling into traffic. In addition, our tiguan also burns an excessive amount of engine oil with no repairs wanting to be made by VW and now has a p2402 code causing engine light to come on all the time. Numerous troubles that are adding up fast and no help or support from VW and its dealers.

I purchased a VW 2022 Tiguan I reported the acceleration issue to the sales person at Norm Reeves VW Englewood fl. and I was told the acceleration issue would work it self out because of low fuel and air was in the fuel line. I brought the car in for a service check with under 350 mile on the vehicle. I was told the issue can't be duplicated. and nothing was wrong with the car. The second service appointment for the same issue was approx 1100 miles later now the acceleration issue was more severe. The car now sometimes goes non responsive when making a turn left or right coasting into the turn and then you try to accelerate and the gas pedal does down and nothing happens then suddenly the turbo kicks and takes off and it's a very frightening and dangerous situation . This issue is an accident waiting to happen.

Fuel System complaints in other Tiguan years