2012 Volkswagen Tiguan: engine failure

Filed Aug 25, 2025 · Engine · 135,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. Additionally, while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart. The check engine, EPC, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

Filed Mar 17, 2025 · Engine · MT

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Defective Primary Engine Water Pump, yes. The original primary engine water pump system for a 2012 VW Tiguan 2.0 was replaced under the VW extended warranty in 2020 by an authorized dealer as a the result of the class action suit---please see Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension bulletin issued by the federal safety agency. The replacement primary engine water pump system installed in 2020 has been found to be defective in March 2025 and the primary engine water pump requires replacement a second time -- without a warranty extension and less than five years from the date of service of the replacement under the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension issued by the federal safety agency. VW is still using defective primary engine water pump systems throughout the warranty period----does the federal safety agency have any evidence that VW made modifications to the primary engine water pump system after the bulletin issued by the federal safety agency? Was it a requirement that VW modify the primary engine water pump system? I have been informed that no changes were made to the VW primary engine water pump that was used to replace defective primary engine water pump systems as a result of the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A defective primary engine water pump is a safety risk because it creates a potential for engine failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has been confirmed by an authorized VW dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? UNKNOWN Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Indicator warning lights on dash--RED.

Filed Apr 9, 2019 · Engine · 93,000 miles · NC

The timing chain & timing chain tensioner malfunctioning prior to 93,000 miles, below the projected owners manual 120,000 miles, caused the timing chain to fail and the engine to not have the correct oil pressure/volume. This LED to oil leaking from all of the covers and LED to complete engine failure. Although the engine was serviced regularly by certified mechanics for oil changes and multiple water pumps ( 3 water pumps in 4 years) the engine exploded due to high oil pressure caused by the faulty time chain tensioner and timing chain malfunctioning.

Filed Apr 4, 2019 · Engine · 78,000 miles · NC

Water pump malfunctions and oil leaks leading to water pump malfunctions that over heat the engine and cause significant engine damage. Three water pumps in three years and ultimately blown engine.

Filed Feb 13, 2019 · Engine · 133,000 miles · IN

I have faithfully taken my volkswagon tiguan 2012 to a vw dealership every 10,000 miles, as recommended, so I would save the life of my engine, it would be considered a certified preowned vehicle and last me 10-15 years. My car wouldn't start saturday morning 12/16/18 in my garage, I had just driven it the night before and parked in it my garage about 8pm. I had to have it towed to the vw dealership that has been servicing my vehicle.. They called me on 12/20/18 and told me my timing chain failed and that my engine had catastrophic damage and I needed a new engine which would be $9500. (?) really I then proceeded to call volkswagen main headquarters. The gentleman took all of my information down, asked me what I think should happen and I told him I wanted help with repairing the engine. I paid a large price for this 'quality vehicle', had it serviced faithfully as instructed by vw and was never informed about a recal on this faulty tension chain failure and was never informed to have my timing chain replaced at 60,000 miles. It's only 6 years old for god's sake. He put me on hold, came back and told tell me he was so sorry there was nothing he could do because of the mileage of 138,000. (highway miles)

Filed Jun 27, 2018 · Engine · 115,000 miles · WI

Timing chain tensioner failed (common issue with vw tsi engine) and caused an interference which resulted in a catastrophic failure of the engine during a regular engine start-up. This issue happened at about 115,000 miles and resulted in an engine replacement. The car was stationary and was working properly earlier in the day. The car was up to date with all recommended maintenance/ service tasks. Upon searching the web, it was noted this was a common issue to a point that there are several sites that offer "kits" to repair the engine (just search "timing chain tensioner issue + vw tsi" on google). One example of such site is this one: https://www.shopdap.com/blog/2-0t-vw-and-audi-tsi-timing-chain-tensioner-problems.html this failure resulted in a repair job of over usd 5000 to replace the engine on a relatively new car that supposedly has a timing chain system that should last the life of the engine. This is a know issue to vw as they have updated the tenssioner design. I wish vw would have issued a tsb/ recall to update the tensioner to the lasted design and prevent such failure.

Filed Feb 11, 2018 · Engine · 65,000 miles · OH

Timing tensioner chain blew and shredded our engine at 65,000 miles. Metal pieces were found in the oil pan. This happened in a parking lot when the car failed to start - thankfully not while the vehicle was in motion. Vw service tried to insinuate that we may not have changed the oil often enough, which is low considering we have all records showing we changed the oil exactly when prescribed by vw, as the service guy later admitted. The real issue is the tensioner chain is susceptible to failure. This is not only dangerous (I.e. If the engine failed while on a highway with young children in the back) but expensive, and it is infuriating that vw did not recommend a simple replacement when they became aware of the problem.

Filed Aug 31, 2017 · Engine · 89,000 miles · WA

My check engine light came on, indicating code p0341. I took the car into the shop and they replaced the camshaft position sensor in an attempt to fix the problem. The car was returned to me with the check engine light off. Two drives later the check engine light was back on, and while driving the epc light would intermittently light when a nasty rattle became audible. This typically happened upon acceleration, near 2k RPM. I have not driven it over 30 MPH since this issue started, only accelerating very gingerly. I took the car back into the mechanic, at which point they informed me the cam chain tensioner and guides had failed or were in the process of failing. They informed me that repairing the timing chain components would cost $4000, but that the engine is also burning oil. They recommended a total engine replacement for $5400. I purchased the tiguan used from larson vw in tacoma, wa november 2015 (just under 2 years ago) with 59000 miles on it. It currently has ~89000 miles.

Filed Aug 14, 2017 · Engine · 80,000 miles · GA

Timing chain failed and resulted in engine failure at 80,000 miles. Volkswagen refuses to help me. I've had problems with this car since I purchased it. I see there are many vw owners with this very same issue.

Filed Jun 27, 2014 · Brakes, Engine · 3,500 miles · AA

The brakes first appeared to be sluggish as I was stopping for a light. Once the car finally stopped, the catalytic converter warning light began to flash and the engine died. I put the car in park, turned off the ignition, then turned it back on, and put the car into drive. The engine started, but the car shuddered. It drove less than a mile before the engine died again. I went through the same sequence in order to restart the car, but the engine kept dying. In all, it died five times in five miles, dying faster and shuddering harder upon restart. Now, this car is like new. It was bought brand new 2.5 years ago and has less than 4000 miles on it. It had a clean inspection three months ago, and up until today never showed any mechanical problems. It has been in no collisions. The problems began suddenly without warning. And now the car barely functions. If I had been in fast-moving traffic, I could have been killed.

Filed Jan 24, 2012 · Electrical · 4,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen tiguan. The contact stated that the rear wheels seized abnormally with the illumination of the electronic emergency warning light and causing the contact to loose control of the vehicle on more than one occasion. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed that the vehicle was performing normally. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000 and the current mileage was 4,300.