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Electrical systemPart report

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan Electrical system Problems

Complaints
57about this part
Share
29%of 196 total for the year
Median mileage
2,742miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 57 complaints about the electrical system of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan, 29% of the 196 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 2,742 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The automatic breaking sensors went off for no reason. Car started breaking on it's own. Luckily no car behind me. Car was in motion on a 35 MPH part of route 30 in indiana when it started to break suddenly. Took it to the dealership and they could not replicate it. I sent Volkswagen a message and they didn't reply.”

NHTSA complaint #11230520, filed 2019-07, 50 miles

“Carnet in-car system doesn't work. Brought home the new 2019 Tiguan with only 5 miles on it and when I pushed the carnet buttons....nothing. Contacted the dealer and the service department took two days to try to fix it. I was told there was no fix. It's a software problem and vw must come up with a fix. Over 2 months later, still fix. This is a safety issue and very frustrated with vw.”

NHTSA complaint #11242396, filed 2019-08, 5 miles

“Vehicle frequently shakes/shudders violently under light/normal acceleration in stop-and-go traffic, creating a safety hazard and extremely uncomfortable driving situation. I purchased it a few weeks ago and have approximately 1300 miles on it - this has been happening since I took delivery. Under load, shortly after the transmission shifts and as the vehicle reaches approximately 9-11 MPH at 2000rpm, the entire vehicle shudders as if the engine is being lugged or is misfiring. …”

NHTSA complaint #11232134, filed 2019-07, 300 miles

“I was beginning to merge south on i75 but pulled over on the shoulder before my speed reached approx 50 MPH and I was less than .2 miles on the ramp. I immediately pulled over when I could smell and saw smoke coming out of the vents on the dash. Upon exiting the car I saw flames under the hood. While I was getting my children out of the car, a few men had stopped to help with fire extinguishers, but they were unsuccessful. The fire chief thought that the cause may have been an electrical short or some soft of manufacturing defect. …”

NHTSA complaint #11329287, filed 2020-06, 11,000 miles

“The car stopped accelerating unexpectedly in the middle of the freeway while I was driving about 60mph. All kinds of emergency lights came up for no apparent reason, and the car blocked. The gear was locked and wouldn't respond to restarting the car. The car had to the towed, and after getting it in the truck I realized that one side of the headlights weren't working. The car has only 1700 miles. A similar but less severe event happeed threes days before. I took it to the dealer's service and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car.”

NHTSA complaint #11179811, filed 2019-02, 1,776 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20261026%
20251832%
20242836%
20231318%
20226323%
20212517%
20203424%
20195729%
20184616%
20171216%
20162728%
20152337%
20142226%
20133626%
20122315%
20114729%
20103128%
20094024%

Other parts of the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

Engine
44 complaintsOther or unknown
39 complaintsForward collision avoidance
25 complaintsBrakes
24 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
18 complaintsVehicle speed control
14 complaintsExterior lighting
11 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsBody and structure
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
9 complaintsAir bags
7 complaintsSuspension
6 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology