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2019 Volkswagen Tiguan: engine and transmission complaints

ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
34%
57 of 170 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

34% of relevant owner complaints on the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.

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

Excludes 19 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 30%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
57
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
189
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
5
6 crashes · 5 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM56 · 30%
ENGINE39 · 21%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER38 · 20%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE24 · 13%
SERVICE BRAKES24 · 13%
POWER TRAIN17 · 9%

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 2019

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

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER07/15/20191 INJURED
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 T…
ENGINE08/07/2026
The car, a 2019 VW Tiguan, had a “check engine” light come on, and the resulting diagnosis and repairs - using VW’s specific engine fault codes - led to the replacement of both water pumps at 72,000 miles. An investigation of the water pump problem on such cars revealed that Volkswagon previously settled a major nati…
ENGINE08/01/2026
This vehicle is burning oil! I have stayed on top of getting the regular/required oil changes but inbetween we have had to constantly top off the oil. I also get all oil changes at the dealer. Last time when I complained about it the guy told me that it would be a lot of work to try to find out why and left it at th…

Three of 57 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 (5)

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Tiguan LWB vehicles. The tire information label contains inaccurate tire dimension and inflation…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entr…
SUSPENSION:REAR:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil s…

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

Before you buy a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

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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.