There are 3 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE ELECTRONIC E-BRAKE APPEARS TO HAVE SHORTED OUT AND ENGAGED FROM MOISTURE AND I WAS UNABLE TO DISENGAGE THE BRAKE FOR NEARLY AN HOUR. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, HOWEVER WITH THE LOCATION OF THE EMERGENCY E-BRAKE BUTTON IN THE CENTER CONSOLE AND THE POTENTIAL IT CAN SHORT OUT OR BE ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED WHILE DRIVING THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE.
THE REAR BRAKES SEEM TO BE DEFECTIVE IN DESIGN, THEY GRIND AND SCREECH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS CRAWLING ALONG, WE HAVE HAD THE DEALER REPLACE THEM AND THEY STILL DO IT AND VW SAYS THAT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT AND WE ARE WORRIED THAT AS IT GETS WORSE IT WILL AFFECT THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS OF THIS BUT VW HAS DONE NOTHING TO FIX IT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH AND ATTEMPTING A RIGHT TURN, THE BRAKES EXHIBITED AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHEN DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 4,891.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026