There are 6 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I am writing to bring to your attention a pressing safety concern regarding my 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan, with VIN [XXX] . Despite reaching out to Volkswagen of America on August 18th, 2025, and visiting my local dealership multiple times, the issue remains unresolved. The problem is with the gas pedal, which fails to accelerate properly when starting from a standstill, such as when reversing or driving from a traffic light or stop sign. This issue also occurs when attempting to merge onto a highway or freeway. The dealership has been unable to identify the cause, and the problem is becoming more frequent. I am extremely concerned for the safety of my family and other road users. I have attached a video recording of the issue, taken by my daughter on [XXX]. I urge Volkswagen to take immediate responsibility for providing a safe and reliable vehicle. I request that they provide a loaner car while my vehicle is under inspection. However, when I requested a loaner car from the dealership, they informed me that none were available and suggested that I rent a car instead. Unfortunately, I am unable to afford the cost of renting a car, especially for an indefinite period. I would appreciate your assistance in resolving this matter. Please find below the details of my previous correspondence with Volkswagen: - Initial complaint to Volkswagen of America: August 18th, 2025 - Visit to local dealership: August 14th, 2025 - Scheduled appointment: August 29th, 2025 Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt response. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When trying to accelerate from a full stop the car is not accelerating when pressing the gas pedal. It happened at a stop light, I pressed the gas, the car went nowhere, pressed the gas harder until gas pedal was floored and then the car accelerates forward very quickly. Also happened when i was making a left turn crossing 2 lanes of traffic. Stepped off the gas to make a left turn, car begins to roll forward but when i press the gas nothing happens, I am now in both lanes of traffic flooring my gas pedal, nothing happens for about 5 seconds and the car lurches forward quickly. There are no lights illuminated on the dashboard. Brought car to VW delearship, they say they went over the entire car and found nothing wrong. When investigating online it seems others are also having the same issue and getting the same response from VW.
Me and my family were driving to Los Angeles on a freeway. All of a sudden the car showed a warning saying something like "Limited to 4,000 RPM", and we felt strong vibration under the hood. We decided to pull over at a first available gas station. While turning into the gas station, the car refused to go and refused to start, making a loud clicking sounds. We had to tow the car to the nearest VW dealership (Galpin VW). Later they informed us that they have to replace fuel injectors and harness and it will cost us approximately $2,600. After paying the amount, I found that VW issued a recall/bulletin for this very problem - VWP-23-03 for my model year (VW Tiguan 2019). I contacted VW but they refused to honor the warranty claiming that the warranty does not apply to my VIN. It seem obvious to me that this is the same exact problem as described in the bulletin VWP-23-03. I feel like VW has made a mistake by not applying this bulletin to my VIN number (and probably others) and is endangering motorists that would otherwise get this serious issue fixed during regular maintenance.
I LEASED MY 2019 TIGUAN IN MARCH 2019. SHORTLY AFTER (~1,500 MILES), I EXPERIENCE MY 1ST ACCELERATION FAILURE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN LEFT WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC (WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD IN THE BACK SEAT), MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ALTHOUGH MY FOOT WAS PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. AFTER MULTIPLE SECONDS AND MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE FORWARD, I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK, TURNED IT OFF, TURNED IT BACK ON, PUT IN DRIVE, AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN. THANKFULLY THE VEHICLES COMING TOWARDS ME WERE PAYING ATTENTION AND HALTED, OR IT WOULD'VE RESULTED IN A COLLISION. THIS FAILURE HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES SHORTLY AFTER, 1 OF THE THEM OCCURRING WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING. WHILE GETTING MY VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE, 1 OF THE VW EMPLOYEES MENTIONED THEY RECEIVE CALLS REGARDING THIS SAME FAILURE EVERY WEEK, SOMETIMES EVERY DAY. A 2ND VW EMPLOYEE MENTIONED THEY HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A CALL ON THIS FAILURE FOR MY VEHICLE. ????. THE DEALERSHIP PERFORMED A 26M1 SOFTWARE UPGRADE THAT 'SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM.' CONCERNED FOR NOT ONLY THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY, BUT THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVERS AROUND ME, I FILED A CLAIM WITH VW CORPORATE AND ASKED TO BE REMOVED FROM MY LEASE DUE TO THE FAILURES ALMOST RESULTING IN MULTIPLE CAR ACCIDENTS. THEY REFUSED TO ALLOW ME TO GET OUT OF THE LEASE AS MY EXPERIENCED FAILURES 'DO NOT WARRANT THE ABILITY TO BE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE.' SHORTLY AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I'VE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE 3 MORE TIMES (1 OF THEM WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE). HERE WE ARE AGAIN' I HAVE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED FOR 09/10 AND OPENED MY VW CORPORATE CLAIM BACK UP.
THE CARS BREAKING ASSISTANCE BRINGS THE CAR TO A COMPLETE STOP AT ANY SPEED. IT WILL BREAK WHEN NOTHING IS AROUND, WHEN BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY, DRIVING DOWN FREEWAY, AND PULLING OUT ONTO THE ROAD.
MY BRAND NEW 2019 VW TIGUAN FWD NEXT DAY AFTER BUYING SHOWED MULTIPLE PROBLEMS THAT RELATED TO TRANSMISSION AND BREAKING AND A UNKNOWN SOURCE OF RATTLING SOUND. I NOTICED WHEN I COLD START THE TIGUAN AND LET IT IDLE FOR 3-4 MINUTES THE NORMAL ENGINE SOUND SLOWLY GOES DOWN BUT A LOUDER AND MORE NOTICEABLE RATTLING SOUND COMES UP. IT IS HEARD WHILE DRIVING ALSO. IT'S CONCERNING BUT WHAT IS MORE CONCERNING IS THE THAT THE TIGUAN HESITATES WHILE SHIFTING GEARS. I NOTICED IT HAPPENS WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. NOT ONLY IT HESITATES TO ACCELERATE YOU'D FEEL THE CARS STRUGGLE WHILE SHIFTING GEARS. EACH TIME THE GEAR IS SHIFTING YOU COULD FEEL THE CAR IS AT A CONFUSED STATE AND SO YOU FEEL IT THUMP. AT OTHER TIMES I'VE EXPERIENCED THE CAR ALMOST STALLS WHERE THE RPM GOES UP BUT TRANSMISSION SLIPS. IT DOESN'T CHANGE GEAR. THE WORST OF ALL IS THAT WHILE SLOWLY BREAKING THE CAR TRIED TO SPEED UP. THE RPM IS ALSO SEEN TO GO UP. THE VERY UNFORTUNATE NEWS IS THAT THOUGH THE DEALER'S TECHNICIAN DROVE WITH ME AND SAW THE ISSUE THEY DON'T HAVE A FIX. VW CORPORATION ALSO ISN'T PROVIDING A FIX. THERE'S OTHER REPORTS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE TIGUAN HAS A KNOWN TRANSMISSION PROBLEM ACCORDING TO OTHER OWNER REPORTS. IT MAY NOT BE ALL TIGUAN BUT MY CAR IS A LEMON. THE PROBLEM PROBABLY HAS TO DO WITH WHICH LOCATION THE CAR WAS MANUFACTURED. THIS IS A VERY BIG SAFETY CONCERN. I AM VERY WORRIED ABOUT SUCH ERRATIC ISSUES 2ND DAY. HOW DID VW GET PAST SAFETY BOARDS. THEY NEED TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE BEFORE DEVASTATING EVENTS SUCH AS DEATH OR OTHER THINGS OCCUR. NO VEHICLES SHOULD SLIP GEARS WHILE ACCELERATING NOR SPEED UP WHILE BREAKING.
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