More and more people seem to be flocking toward the compact SUV category in hopes of finding the perfect family car and they aren’t wrong. The 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan convinces us why all these people might be right because the car offers a good amount of space, low maintenance costs, and an excellent list of standard safety and convenience features. Its reliability has also improved a lot over the ages, reporting only 11 complaints and 4 recalls this year. We find that common problems include Volkswagen Tiguan forward-collision warning problems, sunroof problems, and other small areas. These complaints are very few in number, which is good considering that the car is competing against the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V, and the Mazda CX-5, all cars having established themselves in terms of reliability. With prices starting at $26,950, we find that most people will be able to afford it as well.
2021 Volkswagen Tiguan User Complaints and Problems
Electrical system problems:
- There are some problems with the gas door of the vehicle. Although the operation is supposed to be quite simple, one vehicle reported that it was jammed in place.
- Multiple owners have issued complaints regarding the electronic parking brake deploying accidentally.
Exterior problems:
- There have been some cases of the sunroof exploding and causing glass fragments to fall inside the car. This happens even when there is no impact on the outside and seems to be a problem with the glass.
- One owner reported issues with vibration and the rattling sound coming from their vehicle. The issue was found to be concerning the welds in the B-pillar structure.
Safety problems:
- There have been multiple complaints about some safety systems of the car not working under remote start functions. These systems include adaptive cruise control, cruise control, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, and forward-collision warning. Since this takes away a lot of active safety features from the car, the issue is quite serious.
Interior problems:
- There have been some complaints about the center console clips breaking and causing the car to have problems with fit and finish.
2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Recalls
|
S. No. |
Date |
NHTSA Campaign Number |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
April 6, 2022 |
22V226000 |
Insufficiently attached spoiler can separate |
The spoilers may not have been attached to correct installation instructions and therefore separate |
Dealers will replace the spoiler |
|
2 |
March 23, 2022 |
22V176000 |
Rear suspension knuckle may break |
The right or left rear suspension knuckles can corrode and break |
Dealers will inspect and replace the suspension knuckles as necessary |
|
3 |
February 1, 2021 |
21V038000 |
Bolts may be missing from front seat tracks |
The front seat tracks may have missing bolts |
Dealers will inspect the seat tracks and install the bolts as necessary. |
|
4 |
November 18, 2020 |
20V716000 |
The rear-view camera image may be frozen |
Due to an ignition cycle, the rear-view camera image could malfunction |
Dealers will update the infotainment system |
Should you buy the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan?
The Volkswagen Tiguan has reinvented itself over time and has proven to be quite a good pick in the segment. In terms of reliability, we can observe that it is quite good. Problems with advanced safety features such as adaptive cruise control are quite common in today’s cars and are not really a deal-breaker. Despite the presence of highly regarded cars in the segment, we feel that Volkswagen excels in certain areas. It has an interior quality that is quite unbeatable and the safety features that come standard in the car make you and your family feel very safe as well. To wrap everything up, we are offered the timeless design of the German brand that is composed of very simple lines, something we cannot really say about its competition anymore.
