The Lane Check

CarsVolkswagen › Tiguan › 2017

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
50%
23 of 46 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

50% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 64% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 29 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 31%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
Share this car

Looking at a specific Tiguan?Check its VIN: the full report, quotes about its own engine, and whether its recalls are still open. First report free.

Check a VIN
Drivetrain complaints
23
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
75
this model year
Fires reported
0
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
4
6 crashes · 4 injuries

Complaints by component

AIR BAGS30 · 40%
ENGINE15 · 20%
STEERING12 · 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12 · 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER9 · 12%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM6 · 8%

The years either side

2010
63%
56 of 110
2011
73%
71 of 161
2012
58%
66 of 152
2013
53%
40 of 139
2014
34%
13 of 84
2015
32%
11 of 62
2016
29%
16 of 96
2017
50%
23 of 75
2018
50%
124 of 288
2019
34%
57 of 189
2020
25%
32 of 139
2021
51%
67 of 139
2022
54%
138 of 265
2023
52%
31 of 62

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other compact SUVs with no elevated signal in 2017

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

STEERING,POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE11/21/2022CRASH1 INJURED
I suffered a front-end collision on 11/15/2022 in my 2017 VW Tiguan. I was going on I-66 in Virginia 40-45mph back to college at Howard University, and a car stopped suddenly after being cut off, but it was raining horribly and I was in half a foot of water, so even with braking, I hydroplaned into the vehicle in front…
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS04/19/2018CRASH1 INJURED
PURCHASED 05/19/2017. HORN AND DASHBOARD LIGHTS DID NOT WORK IN APPROXIMATELY 12/2017. WAS REPAIRED AND TOLD WAS A COIL PROBLEM. THEN ON 04/12/18 IT SUDDENLY FLASHED ALL THE DASHBOARD AND STEERING WHEEL LIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DRIVING AND SUDDENLY DIED ON ME WHEN I TURNED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND THE STEERING WHEEL …
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/29/2026
A/C has been a consistent issue since I purchased this from Columbia SC- CarMax's dealership in 2022. I've replaced the compressor and valves, and no resolve. The car sucks up oil and the electrical system is wacky!

Three of 23 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (4)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 Tigu…
SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicl…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be in…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

Check a VIN

Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.