2017 Volkswagen Tiguan problems & reliability
75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles were involved in 26 fatal crashes with 16 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 30 | 40% |
| Engine → | 15 | 20% |
| Electrical System → | 12 | 16% |
| Steering → | 12 | 16% |
| Unknown / Other | 9 | 12% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 8% |
| Power Train | 5 | 7% |
| Structure | 4 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 20 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 27,875 miles (middle 50% between 14,500 and 40,218 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Ive had every now and then a steering wheel light come on then come off. Well today 9/1/26 I had lost all steering to my 2017 vw tiguan. The electronic power steering has failed and I believe this is a safety issue that needs to be addressed. And push for a recall to be made on these vehicles.”
Steering · filed Sep 2, 2026
“A/C has been a consistent issue since I purchased this from Columbia SC- CarMax's dealership in 2022. I've replaced the compressor and valves, and no resolve. The car sucks up oil and the electrical system is wacky!”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Aug 29, 2026
“No crash or incident occurred. While starting the vehicle normally, the airbag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed fault code P0588 — driver side airbag igniter at resistance limit. The mechanic confirmed that all airbags are non-functional as a result of this…”
Air Bags · filed Jun 19, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
583 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. The 10 most recent:
Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order
TT 00-13-04_7 · Other · issued Aug 6, 2026
Differences between a leak and seepage
V0026012081638_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2026
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery…
VOS-26-42 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 15, 2026
Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
V1718062017813_24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 9, 2026
Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.
TT 13-20-01_3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 18, 2026
Lubricating engine components before reassembly.
TT 10-18-02_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 18, 2026
Inquiries
V6919012010479_17 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 11, 2026
Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards
V1719012012855_81 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 4, 2026
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the error message ERP0204E could occur during…
VOS-26-21 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 27, 2026
Safety Related Inquiry and Reporting
V0018092053065_6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 25, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 27,875 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.