AutoUtility currently tracks 133 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 47 complaints (35.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 2 report one or more injuries. The 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan belongs to the 2nd Generation (Typ 5N2 / MQB LWB) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
47 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
23 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
12 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
15 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
5 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Vehicle abruptly lost power on the highway and limited itself to 3000 RPM. PCV valve failed and oil pan cracked at only 45k vehicle miles."
"PCV value/oil leak is a known issue with this specific model of car. The repair I was quited was over $2700 when the car is just out of warranty. There was no oil light indication showing that the oil was low! I only checked everything out because I saw oil in the drive way. The car read zero oil..."
"My name is [XXX], and I am writing today to express my complete frustration mentally and financially with a CPO 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan (VIN [XXX]) I purchased XXX. To date my vehicle has been in for service multiple times – countless times for an issue with the infotainment system and driver..."
"My Tiguan leaks and burns oil like crazy. Now it has 111k miles on it, but this has been an ongoing issue for the last five years since I've had it. I now have to put a quart of oil in every 100 miles. This is not the fault of me getting an oil change, this is a persistent problem caused by the..."
"Electrical screen fail. Makes backup camera turn black and turns off while using. off and on repeatedly while in use. Very dangerous."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan | 62 | 1 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan | 96 | 4 | 2 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan | 73 | 6 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan | 280 | 5 | 13 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan | 188 | 6 | 5 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan | 138 | 5 | 3 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Current Page | 133 | 2 | 5 | Current |
| 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan | 254 | 3 | 5 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan | 60 | 1 | 1 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan | 59 | 2 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan | 46 | 1 | 2 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 47 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PARKING BRAKE,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 47 records (35.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (23) and Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (14).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 133 consumer defect complaints and 5 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan, 2 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 2 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.