Steering complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 4% | 6,000 miles |
| 2024 | 3 | 4% | — |
| 2022 | 26 | 10% | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2019 | 3 | 2% | 1,000 miles |
| 2018 | 14 | 5% | 7,000 miles |
| 2017 | 13 | 17% | 28,000 miles |
| 2016 | 13 | 13% | 55,000 miles |
| 2015 | 9 | 15% | 66,000 miles |
| 2014 | 20 | 24% | 47,000 miles |
| 2013 | 27 | 19% | 62,000 miles |
| 2012 | 21 | 14% | 77,000 miles |
| 2011 | 14 | 9% | 82,000 miles |
| 2010 | 13 | 12% | 97,000 miles |
| 2009 | 15 | 9% | 54,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
On multiple occasions, while actively steering, I have gotten a warning on the dash to take over steering. Within seconds, the car brakes hard. I am typically in interstate traffic when this occurs.This happens when using cruise control. Speed does not matter as it has happened at 40 mph, 70 mph, and in between these two.
Lane keep assist will activate randomly and try to steer the car and vibrate the steering wheel like lane departure warning going off. Also the Lane keep assist and emergency sos fault lights will randomly come on.
I purchased this vehicle in June 2022 VW of Orlando North Florida. I had issues with salesperson [redacted] as he caught himself in lies. Anyway, my vehicle has 5,000 miles I keep in excellent condition I was going to detail and add some wheel options when I observed all 4 tires on this vehicle do not match. 3 are scorpions and 1 is Pirelli. Which means unbeknownst to me I've been driving this new Tiguan and suv with different tires. I was always aware especially vehicles awd should be fitted with the same tires. This is a violation, a safety hazard. I contacted VW of America, Vw Orlando and others I will take this incident complaint all the way to the President if I have to When I purchased this vehicle I was charged for ventilated front seats which was included in the car cost. A disclaimer read they are not installed even though there are buttons. …
I've had a 2022 VW Tiguan SEL-Premium 4-Motion for about 1 week. It has approximately 23,000 miles on it. After a few days of problem free driving, the car displays a warning "Travel Assist Currently Not Available" upon startup and also while driving. The problem sometimes goes away on its own, other times it keeps warning the driver of an error with the system. I've seen in reoccur at least half a dozen times in one week. There is no way to fully disable this system to prevent the warning from occurring. I ran a scan of the error codes, and found code B17B8F2 to be the issue. I cleared the code and then it returned within 15 minutes. Research led me to find this is a very common problem. VW has issued their own TSB which can be found on this website. TSB transaction no. 2070207/1. It appears the entire steering wheel needs to be replaced to resolve this issue. …
Vehicle was purchased from Volkswagen Marin Dealership As Certified Pre-owned 2019 model year Tiguan SE 4motion Turbo Color Red on August 24, 2021 and has 18,664 mileage already upon delivery. We have received a recall letter for the water pump & made an appointment to the Dealership& brought the car there In VW Sunnyvale, Ca.. According to the service advisor (Tanya) that the recall we are acquiring is not in their database, but oil change service performed on 27,450 mileage (estimated) during that scheduled appointment for water pump service recall letter received. …
In September 2022, we began to hear clunking sounds from the front left, especially when turning. We took the vehicle to the VW dealer and were told that there is a known issue with the steering and they will order the part. At this point, the vehicle was still under warranty. For several months, we continued to ask the dealer for an update on the part and were told that it was back-ordered but to continue driving the vehicle, as it was safe to do so. We continued to drive the vehicle as our daily driver. We also informed the VW dealer that the clunking was becoming louder and more prevalent. They continued to tell us the vehicle was safe and the part was back-ordered, with no estimate of when it would be back in stock. We asked about the part every time the vehicle was at the dealer, and called periodically to check in, almost every month until August 2023. …
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while reversing out of the driveway, the rack and pinion fractured while steering the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to the local dealer. The contact was informed that the bolt had fractured inside the rack and pinion. The contact called the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The vehicle was not yet repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
When I first purchased my vehicle the epc came on multiple times and I had to take it back to the dealership. Fast forward last week when I was going home on the eway same issues car wouldn't accelerate the car was idled at the speed of 40mph it wouldn't go any faster for a few minutes then it took off out of no where. Also when I was taking my kids to school I was making a left turn and lost control of my vehicle because it was idled and took off out of no where. That's not safe for me my kids or any passengers traveling with me. It's also not safe for other drivers or pedestrians. Very scary moment took my vehicle in that same day to be told it was battery issues. They claimed because the epc light wasn't on it's harder to diagnose to get another battery and to keep the car overnight to see if that works if not further diagnose the car. …
Related recalls (2)
Steering
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the right-side steering rack mounting bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 10, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 Tiguan vehicles. A tie rod bolt on the rear axle assembly may be loose, which can lead to a loss of vehicle control.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the affected tie rod bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 5, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800-893-5298.
Frequently asked questions
Which Volkswagen Tiguan years have steering problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2013 (27), 2022 (26), 2012 (21), 2014 (20) and 2009 (15) model years. Steering complaints make up 19% of all complaints for the 2013.
Is there a recall for Volkswagen Tiguan steering problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 26V-590 (steering, Sep 11, 2026); 25V-526 (tie rod assembly, Aug 13, 2025). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Tiguan steering problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles; 39% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the rack and pinion (1 mentions), followed by the electric power assist system (1).
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.