2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Steering Problems

I have a 2022 Tiguan SEL R-Line with constant beeping of Lane assist not available.The steering wheel was replaced before but now i'm no longer in warranty but the lane assist not available is still happening. there is a NHTSA Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 2070207/1 but it only applies for warranty coverage vehicles.

The "Travel Assist currently not available" chimes every 30 seconds or so sometimes back to back constantly which is incredibly distracting and annoying. It causes me to lose focus of the road every time it pops up on the screen behind my steering wheel.

Travel Assist option is controlled by a sensor in the steering wheel. There is no way to disable it. When the sensor malfunctions, it plays an extremely loud and repetitive beep that cannot be disabled. It’s extremely distracting while I drive and happens every 30-45 seconds.

I had a warning light for lane assist not working that would ding constantly. Dealer said known issue. Replaced steering wheel. Now I’m out of warranty at 59000 miles and it needs another steering wheel. They did not fix the issue. It is part of the airbag system and I’m worried about the lane assist which I can’t turn off might go haywire and make vehicle swerve itself into other cars.

This vehicle was purchased in 2021, while the vehicle was under warranty, we had issues with the travel assist 2 times. The vehicle was taken twice to the main VW dealership to fix the issue with the travel assist. Both times they change the entire steering mechanism and the vehicle worked fine after that. Recently, the car started having issues again with the travel assist but now it’s not under warranty anymore. The main issue it’s that it’s unstoppable noise and alerts while driving and it is very distracting and it’s unsafe. I have tried to contact the dealership regarding this issue however because the car is not under warranty anymore, the price is unreasonable. I do believe there has been always a main issue with the car since we purchased it in 2021. I would really like some help with this matter, Thank you

This first happened while I was driving. First, it started with a loud warning tone along with the notice on the console telling the travel assist is currently not available. It’ll be there for a few minutes and then it will go away. A couple of months later during the winter of December 2025- January 2026. It was constantly a problem. Every time I drove every 2 to 5 minutes it will give me the same loud beep along with the notice. It didn’t matter whether I was using the feature or not it kept constantly beeping. In the best of times it was very annoying and in the worst of times it just is so loud that it scares me. I tried so many things to fix it. I would often try to clean the cameras. And I couldn’t use the lane keeping assistance at all through all this. There is a feature I’ve been using extensively and I think it’s important for having helped me driving safely in the highway. In the end, it was so distracting I’m not having the lane keeping Assistance that I was forced to go get it repaired. That’s when I understood that it was a widely reported issue.

I was informed from the Volkswagen dealership of where I purchased the vehicle that there are malfunctions with the Lane Assist system and other driver assistance functions caused by a fault in the steering wheel. However, I was also told that Volkswagen no longer manufactures or provides a replacement steering wheel for my vehicle. This leaves me without a viable solution to restore the safety systems that are integral to the vehicle’s operation.

There is a continuous alert stating "Travel Assist not available" even though Travel Assist is actively on, working, and exterior sensors are clear and clean. A Volkswagen dealer confirmed that it is due to faulty sensors in the steering wheel. There seem to be hundreds of people who have reported the same issue over several years, yet there has not been a recall yet for this issue.

Crack spontaneously appeared near VW logo on steering wheel. The crack is growing. Volkswagen dealership said the airbag and steering wheel plate cover need to be replaced but unwilling to cover under warranty. Steering wheel plate cover looks to be swollen and other visible areas show stress marks. Dealership is ordering replacement part to replace next week. Dealership did not say this is a safety concern, but I feel it is needs to be reported to the correct persons. No warning lights have occurred.

Travel assist warning alarm rings all the time. It has been inspected and the VW dealership said that I need a new steering wheel. Vehicle is available to be inspected at any time. The alarm is completely distracting while driving and that alone is a hazard. Also, with the alarm ringing so sporadically, there's no way to tell if there is a true hazard or not. Inspected by dealership in December 2023, determined that the steering wheel needs to be replaced due to faulty travel assist alarm. I was told the steering wheel is on back order. I found out this week that there is no projected replacement date available! It has not been inspected by anyone other than dealership. The travel assist alarm has been ringing like crazy since November 2023. This car should be recalled. I am paying insurance and a car note for a car that is not safe. My daughter refuses to drive my car even though she's insured on it, because the alarm scares her when she's driving. Please do something.

I've had a 2022 VW Tiguan SEL-Premium 4-Motion for about 1 week. It has approximately 23,000 miles on it. After a few days of problem free driving, the car displays a warning "Travel Assist Currently Not Available" upon startup and also while driving. The problem sometimes goes away on its own, other times it keeps warning the driver of an error with the system. I've seen in reoccur at least half a dozen times in one week. There is no way to fully disable this system to prevent the warning from occurring. I ran a scan of the error codes, and found code B17B8F2 to be the issue. I cleared the code and then it returned within 15 minutes. Research led me to find this is a very common problem. VW has issued their own TSB which can be found on this website. TSB transaction no. 2070207/1. It appears the entire steering wheel needs to be replaced to resolve this issue. In my mind, this should be a voluntary recall on all models affected by this problem. It appears this is a manufacturing defect but I've also seen that there is a huge backlog of steering wheels needed before parts can be installed to rectify the situation, leaving owners without a remedy to fix a distracting warning light and sound.

Car was purchased new on 3 Oct 2022. I was at dealer on 17 Jul 2023 for the 5th time for issues with infotainment screen going black and/or freezing. Diagnosis revealed it needed another F5 computer chip (the 2nd replacement). In addition, I was informed I needed a new steering wheel. A few days later, lane departure and travel assist function would turn off/on spontaneously, frequently pulling me from my lane. As of 23 Jul 2023, the infotainment screen died. I no longer have a my backup camera which I rely on extensively. In addition, I lost my navigation, apple play, radio, phone charger. VW has no ETA for a replacement parts and stated a loaner was not included in my purchase warranty. I am investigating their buyback program, however that may take over 45 days. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE.

The car has always had initial take off problems, pressing the gas to accelerate out of my driveway or any place I’m first taking off at when turning on the vehicle again, the acceleration cuts out in the middle of accelerating and then all of a sudden revs up. That’s with keeping a steady consistent foot on the gas pedal. It jerks down and then jerks up and is not able to avoid. Through the last few months I’ve also noticed involuntary steering-I start to think it’s windy outside pushing me from side to side but the trees are clearly not moving as if it is. Then I was driving today, started it up, got about 5 miles from my house, starting shaking the whole car while accelerating up and the EPC and check engine light was blinking. I had to turn around to bring it home, wouldn’t let me go past 35 without shaking intensely but made it back to my driveway.

I purchased this vehicle in June 2022 VW of Orlando North Florida. I had issues with salesperson [XXX] as he caught himself in lies. Anyway, my vehicle has 5,000 miles I keep in excellent condition I was going to detail and add some wheel options when I observed all 4 tires on this vehicle do not match. 3 are scorpions and 1 is Pirelli. Which means unbeknownst to me I’ve been driving this new Tiguan and suv with different tires. I was always aware especially vehicles awd should be fitted with the same tires. This is a violation, a safety hazard. I contacted VW of America, Vw Orlando and others I will take this incident complaint all the way to the President if I have to When I purchased this vehicle I was charged for ventilated front seats which was included in the car cost. A disclaimer read they are not installed even though there are buttons. The took off $200 I’m not a mathematician but a 2,000 option not connected with a $200 credit appears they made 1800 extra off me. I want this investigated, as a former law officer I know this is illegal and a very bad safety issue especially regarding the mismatched tires [XXX]. It appears this dealership is selling cars with dangerous tires what else did they cheat on. Thank you INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

While driving the vehicle, frequent faults stating "travel assist is currently not available" display on the instrument cluster, along with a warning light. During this time, the travel assist features can not be used. The error occurs randomly, and can happen multiple times back to back - it is not uncommon for the car's warning sound to alarm 10 or more times in a 20 minute drive. Scans of the vehicles's modules show multiple communication errors stemming back to the "Control Module for Steering Wheel Touch Detention". After taking the car to the dealership for an official diagnosis, it was determined that the steering wheel is indeed faulty and must be replaced. The car had just under 6000 miles prior to being brought to the dealership for diagnosis.

Unknown

My vehicle has been to the dealer multiple times for a well-known and common error: Travel Assist Unavailable. My dealer is saying that the steering wheel needs to be replaced, but the parts are 200+ on back order with no update on when they will come in. This is a major design flaw with this vehicle.

Since I purchased this vehicle new, there have been several persistent, and dangerous problems. I have repeatedly reported these to my local dealership, Larry Miller VW, in Lakewood, Colorado, and they have effectively ignored me. The first problem is with the steering column/lane assist functions. The failure light/beep for lane assist is frequently alarming, and the control of the steering changes depending on whether lane assist is "on" or "off" or malfunctioning. Sometimes the steering jolts severely in one direction. This is manifestly dangerous. The second problem is that the radio malfunctions in all manner of distracting and dangerous ways. The radio sometimes shuts off without warning and cannot be turned back on. Sometimes the sound remains "on" but the screen goes "black" so that you cannot read a map or make a selection from the control menu. Sometimes the radio alarms that the driver is about to hit an object in front or in back of the vehicle, when there is no object anywhere around. This is very dangerous because the alarm is loud and the brakes are applied if the car believes an object is near. I have videos of these problems occurring. There is no specific date as these problems have been happening since I purchased the car new, until today, 7/10/24.