Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags28
- Electrical system23
- Unknown or other15
- Engine9
- Steering9
- Service brakes6
- Structure4
- Visibility2
- Power train2
- Visibility/wiper2
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 9 2015 Tiguan vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 3 people died inside them. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan failed the safety check 2.53% of the time — 22% more often than the average 2015 passenger car (2.08%). Median odometer at inspection: 82,957 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2015
140,806 new Volkswagen Tiguan cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2015; the largest markets were Germany (58,780), the United Kingdom (21,894), France (15,826).
- Average mass
- 1,625 kg
- Average power
- 110 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 78% · Petrol 22%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan cars on Dutch roads are the 1.4 petrol (118 kW, 158 hp), 1.4 petrol (90 kW, 121 hp) and 1.4 petrol (110 kW, 148 hp), out of 11 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 petrol | 118 kW 158 hp | 554 |
| 1.4 petrol | 90 kW 121 hp | 516 |
| 1.4 petrol | 110 kW 148 hp | 437 |
| 1.4 petrol | 92 kW 123 hp | 312 |
| 2.0 diesel | 103 kW 138 hp | 48 |
| 2.0 petrol | 155 kW 208 hp | 36 |
| 2.0 diesel | 110 kW 148 hp | 35 |
| 2.0 petrol | 132 kW 177 hp | 33 |
| 2.0 diesel | 81 kW 109 hp | 33 |
| 2.0 petrol | 147 kW 197 hp | 27 |
| 2.0 diesel | 130 kW 174 hp | 26 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
2,078 first registered in 2015 are on Dutch roads; 66% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €39,173.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde1,091
- Band onvoldoende profiel610
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld394
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm367
- Roestschade as, wielgeleidingselement of reactiestang254
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht185
- Band beschadigd144
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage123
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
20,386 cars built in 2015 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 251 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 20,116 of these cars first registered in 2015 took their annual MOT test. 81% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2015 the figure was 75%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 8.0% | 6.4% |
| Tyres | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.2% | 7.7% |
| Brakes | 2.9% | 5.1% |
| Visibility | 2.0% | 3.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.4% | 2.1% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
333 of these cars first registered in 2015 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 181,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
671 2015 cars are on the New Zealand register; 7% arrived as used imports, 91% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 0 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV AWD | ★★★★☆ | 17.4 % |
| 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV FWD | ★★★★☆ | 18.5 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- 4 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 10.5–11.2 L/100 km (about 21–22 mpg US), CO₂ 242–258 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiguan · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 11.5 | 9.3 | 10.5 |
| Tiguan 4MOTION · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 11.7 | 9.4 | 10.7 |
| Tiguan · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 13.0 | 9.0 | 11.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan.
| 2020468 6 Oct 2020 | Lights And Instruments Issue: On certain vehicles, the ESC warning light may not remain on if a fault was detected on the previous key cycle. Instead, the warning light does not tur… |
| 2019352 17 Jul 2019 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the airbag control unit may contain a defective capacitor. If the capacitor fails, it could result in a deployment of the airbags … |
| 2016041 27 Jan 2016 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the driver and/or right front passenger seat-mounted airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. In… |
| 2015209 15 May 2015 | Label Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 120 - Tire Selection and Rims. The certification label is missing… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 22, 2015, to March 20, 2015. These vehicles may be equipped with Certification labels that are missing the required tire pressure information and they may state incorrect weight and loading information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Volkswagen told its dealers about the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010024 | Lack of paint under roof |
| 11010022 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11010021 | Additional reporting |
| 11010011 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11008861 | Fluid requirements |
| 11008860 | Manual transmission noise diagnosing |
| 11008858 | A list of engine oil that meet Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards |
| 11008857 | How to perform the engine oil consumption measurement |
| 11008856 | Checking Engine Oil and correctly reading dip stick |
| 11008853 | How to manage software versions using VW diagnostic Tool |
| 11008852 | Recommended Gasoline Quality |
| 11008851 | Engine Misfire Diagnostic Aid |
| 11008850 | Fuel additive to help with misfire faults |
| 11008846 | Wind & Water Leak Checking |
| 11007398 | Battery testing |
| 11007393 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11005825 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11005820 | Engine Assembly Tip |
| 11005819 | Engine Replacement Tip |
| 11002875 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11001508 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 10253481 | Carefree Maintenance and VW Care Maintenance Plans Interim AdBlue Refills -? Diesel Engines Model Year 2015 and Newer |
| 10253477 | Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance Program ? Diesel Engines Model Year 2015 and Newer |
| 10253474 | This communication contains important information and SAGA claim entry requirements for the Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance Program for all Model Year 2015 and newer VW models with Gasoline Engines. |
| 10253473 | Volkswagen Care Scheduled Maintenance Interval Time or Mileage Guidelines |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)