There are 9 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Passenger seatbelt alarm indicates that the seat is occupied when there is only a phone sitting in the seat. This continues until the phone is removed, I have done some testing and this is due to the USB port in the cubby hole for the audio system. If there is a cable plugged into the USB port the light comes on indicating to fasten the passenger seatbelt with a bag of chips in the seat. If I unplug the USB cable the alert goes off. This is very distracting when using the cable for navigation maps creating a false alarm.
I had a tire blowout on the highway and caused my airbags to go off without having impact on my vehicle. The airbags going off was extremely dangerous and could of caused serious harm to me or someone else by possibly crashing into another vehicle. I luckily managed to keep my car in control with minimal damage to the body. The dealer inspected and other than replacing tire and alignments is the 10,000 charge for airbags and seatbelt fixing. There were no warnings by the vehicle before incident.
The seatbelt had some imperfection either in production of the seatbelt from Volkswagen's supplier or the buckle (original VW buckle) has rough spots that have caused the edge of the seatbelt to fray and appears to be getting worse and in my opinion compromises the integrity of the seatbelt and therefore safety. VW refuses to cover the parts repair under their bumper to bumper warranty.
Sunroof drains are not draining correctly causing vehicle to flood when there is precipitation, flooring is wet/molded, seat belts have mold on them, unpleasant smell, and condensation collects on the windows. Also causing water marks/stains on vehicles exterior body.
Passenger and driver air bag lights have come on 3 times (not working). Huge safety concern
I was involved in a collision where I hit another vehicle with the front passenger side. The air bags did not deploy on mine, and the seat belt did not lock into place causing me to hit the steering wheel. The police verified this upon inspection immediately after the accident happened. I have spoken with Volkswagen many times about the transmission lagging and requiring excessive acceleration. Because of the lag I have almost been hit many times, as well as almost hit others due to the increase in speed after the lag.
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the audible passenger’s side seat belt alarm would randomly activate and the seat belt warning light would illuminate even though there was no front seat passenger seated in the vehicle. The seat belt was then connected in order to deactivate the alarm. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 46,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2019 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, WHEN A VEHICLE IN FRONT SUDDENLY STOPPED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO REAR END THEIR VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE'S FORWARD COLLISION PREVENTION SYSTEM HAD FAILED TO ALERT THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED TOTALED. THE CONTACT DID RECEIVE ABDOMINAL, CHEST, AND BACK INJURIES. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. A POLICE REPORT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (HENDRICK VOLKSWAGEN OF CONCORD LOCATED AT 7500 HENDRICK AUTO PLAZA NW, CONCORD, NC 28027; (704) 743-4110) WHO WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, HOWEVER, THE MANAGER HAD CONTACTED THEM BACK AS PROMISED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AN OPENED A CASE REGARDING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,997.*DT*JB
THE FIRST DAY I DROVE MY NEW 2019 TIGUAN SEL HOME, I OPENED THE PASSENGER DRIVER-SIDE DOOR AND THE HANDLE GOT STUCK AND WOULD NOT GO BACK IN...MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR 2-DAYS LATER TO GET THIS FIXED. DURING THE 2-DAY WAITING PERIOD, I WAS STOPPED IN A TURNING LANE ON A FOUR-LANE, LIGHTED ROAD TO MAKE A U-TURN. WHEN I HIT THE GAS PEDDLE TO GO THE CAR JERKED FORWARD, AND WENT TO A STANDSTILL FOR ABOUT 5-SECONDS WHILE MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY PRESSING THE GAS PEDDLE. THIS CAUSED THE TWO ONCOMING VEHICLES TO HAVE TO SCREECH TO A STOP; AND THE VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE LANE HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING ME AND SPIN OUT. WHEN THE TIGUAN STARTED MOVING FORWARD, I HAD TO PULL OVER BECAUSE I WAS SHAKING. THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN THE NEXT DAY, BUT NO ONCOMING CARS WERE IN SIGHT. WENT IN FOR THE DOOR APPOINTMENT, I TOLD THE SERVICE REP ABOUT ENGINE AND ASKED TO SPEAK TO A MANAGER. AN ASSISTANT MANAGER CAME OUT, I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE ENGINE, AND HE RESPOND THAT'S A VW AND GAVE ME A HUG AND TWO FREE T-SHIRTS. NEW DOOR HANDLE HAD TO BE ORDERED DUE TO CORROSION, HAD TO COME BACK 3-DAYS LATER TO HAVE IT FIXED. DURING THOSE 3-DAYS, THE PASSENGER SEAT SEAT BELT WARNING SOUND STARTED RANDOMLY GOING OFF, ALONG WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHING ABOVE THE HAZARD LIGHT WHEN MY HANDBAG WAS ON THE SEAT. REPORTED THAT AND THE ENGINE ISSUE AGAIN AT NEXT APPOINTMENT. HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR FOR TWO DAYS...AT PICK-UP WAS TOLD EVERYTHING WAS TESTED FINE, BUT VW DID NOT BOTHER TO TEST THE SEAT SENSOR. WAS INSTRUCTED TO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THE PASSENGER SEAT, AS STATED IN THE CAR'S MANUAL. REQUESTED A NEW VEHICLE, OR LET ME OUT OF MY LEASE DUE TO FEELING TOTALLY UNSAFE...WAS DENIED BY BOTH CORPORATE AND DEALER. MONEY SHOULD NEVER COME BEFORE SAFETY, SO I PAID $3000 TO BREAK MY LEASE TODAY AS VW CORP & DEALER TOLD ME TO GET BACK IN THAT CAR. THIS IS A DEADLY SAFETY ISSUE.
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