Owners have filed 49 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the engine, electrical, and transmission. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2023Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2023's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | AWD, FWD | 25–27 mpg |
Owners report these failures starting around the mileages below. A car inside one of these ranges deserves a closer look at that part, or records showing it was already fixed.
Cold-start acceleration hesitation
3,000–12,000 miles
Excessive oil consumption
10,000–24,000 miles
NHTSA complaints for the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Oil consumption is the dominant failure. The low oil warning comes on between changes, often every 2000 to 3000 miles, and the engine is typically a quart or more low. Reports start under 20,000 miles and continue past 48,000. Dealers run oil consumption tests, sometimes call the rate normal, and leave owners to buy the oil themselves. Blue exhaust smoke also appears. A second pattern is hesitation and near-stalling when pulling away from a cold start, which owners see as a crash risk at intersections. Recurring EVAP check engine codes round out the list.
The digital instrument cluster goes black while driving, taking the speedometer and fuel gauge with it, and the infotainment screen resets on its own. Other reports describe the start-stop system shutting the engine off at lights with a manual restart message, false forward collision warnings, a trunk that opens by itself while parked, and a wireless charger that will not charge. Dealers often find no fault codes, repeat visits are common, and several problems go unfixed. Losing the gauges at highway speed is the main safety concern.
Acceleration from a stop hesitates, bogs down, or does nothing for several seconds, then surges, sometimes with wheel spin. The problem is worst in the first minutes after a cold start and fades once the car warms up. Some reports describe hard, jerky shifts in first and second gear that feel like slipping or a misfire. No warning lights come on, and dealers either call it normal or say there is no fix. Owners report near-misses turning left and entering traffic, plus loss of control when the car lurches forward.
Loud squealing from the pads and rotors on every stop is the clearest brake pattern, starting as early as 12,000 miles. A dealer linked the noise to different pad material and thinner rotors. Another report says automatic emergency braking randomly fails to work. One complaint filed under brakes is really about oil consumption, with repeated low oil warnings and advice from the dealer to carry oil and top it off between services.
The gas pedal sometimes fails to respond from a complete stop, leaving the car creeping at idle while traffic approaches. Dealers acknowledge hearing similar complaints but offer no fix. A separate report describes unintended acceleration at about 14,171 miles that sent the vehicle off the road with loss of control, and the dealer neither diagnosed nor repaired it. Both failures carry direct crash risk during turns and at intersections.
Automatic emergency braking activates with nothing in front of the car, flashing the red collision warning and applying the brakes. In some cars the false alerts recur every few weeks. Dealer inspections find no faults. Owners also note the opposite problem, with no warning when closing quickly on another vehicle, and some avoid cruise control because of it. Sudden braking on an empty road raises the risk of being hit from behind.
Acceleration from zero stutters, hesitates, or lurches, mostly in the first 5 minutes after startup. The car shakes and seems starved of fuel, then takes off hard after a second or two, even with the pedal held steady. Letting the engine warm up first does not help. Dealers struggle to reproduce the problem once the engine is warm, and a fuel additive made no difference. Owners describe it happening daily from new and see a real risk when pulling into traffic.
Excerpts from complaints Tiguan owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Extreme oil consumption would cause a catastrophic engine failure. Low oil warning light going off (3 times within 3000 miles) requiring the need to add oil. Oil on dipstick is down to the bottom. Had local Big O check it out - oil had been lost. Currently doing a 1000 mile oil consumption test through dealer. Started at around 48,000 miles. Currently have 52,000.
Filed with NHTSA, July 2025
Oil light continues to come on after about 1,000-1,500 miles after an oil change. This has happen several times now and I have to put oil in it to keep it from ruining the engine. I see hat there have been complaints about this already with these models with excessive oil consumption and even engine failure. This needs to be fixed.
Filed with NHTSA, February 2026
The wireless phone charger in my 2023 VW Tiguan does not function as intended and consistently fails to charge any phone, regardless of placement, brand, or case. The charging pad repeatedly disconnects, overheats the phone, or never initiates charging at all, making the feature completely unusable. This is a safety concern because it encourages drivers to handle their phones while driving after assuming the vehicle would keep the device charged.
Filed with NHTSA, December 2025
Jittery acceleration. Intermittent accelerator hesitation from a stop. The car hesitates or bogs down which can be unpredictable when pulling into traffic. Sometimes the RPMs surge during low speed without input from the gas peddle. I have had the car serviced twice since leased in July 2023. The dealership is fast to say they are all the same. there are no warning lamps for this issue and the dealership states no faults can be found with VDAS or GFF.
Filed with NHTSA, September 2023
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2023 ranks sixth for owner complaints among 8 Tiguan years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2023 is the sixth model year of the Tiguan's second generation (2018–2023).
It includes the 2021 update.
What changed for 2021
Recall repairs are free at any Volkswagen dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tiguan, 2023 Arteon, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3 vehicles. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility.".
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners April 3, 2024, and Volkswagen owners November 18, 2025.Volkswagen owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91NY and (Audi) 90AV.
Cars shoppers compare with the Volkswagen Tiguan, with their own 2023 checklists.
2023 owner complaints, side by side
