My car has never been in an accident. One day while turning into my driveway, I heard a large clicking sound. Since then, my airbag malfunction light is on and my car horn does not sound/work. All steering wheel controls are broken. This has been an issue for about 6 months. I've been waiting on a recall impacting my specific VIN/year/make/model, however I am being informed that I will need to pay out of pocket to have this major safety concern taken care of. I will be taking this car to the dealership this week in hopes to have a repair quote that I will have to save a significant amount of money over an extended period of time to complete.
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan airbags problems
37 complaints (38% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 58,000.
- owner complaints
- 37
- of this car's complaints
- 38%
- typical mileage
- 58,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Frontal: driver clockspring/spiral cassette6
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Volkswagen Tiguan airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
- Risk
- Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.
Recall number 19V535000 · Recall details
What 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Airbag error light on dashboard, passenger seat shorted out water pooled under passenger seats front and rear soaking wet coming up through carpets with moldy smell. You tube says it may be the panoramic roof drains.
The electric connection for the air bag has malfunctioned . The same vehicle with different VIN numbers have already been recalled for the exact same reason. Not sure why my car was not included. Many people on the VW forums are having the same issues. Please recall.
Steering Wheel Clock Spring has gone out on my VW Tiguan, driver air bag is on which means the airbag wont come if we get in a accident. Pressure light is on as well. This will be the 3rd Steering Wheel Clock Spring installed.
The clock spring part of the steering wheel has failed rendering all steering wheel controls and most importantly the air bag inoperable. This is a major safety hazard for the driver and ultimately passengers as well. This part has been a well known problem with this vehicle and has been covered under an extended warranty, yet Volkswagen refuses to make the part readily available to their customers who are under extended warranty coverage for said part. This is a major safety risk in that they are showing months long delays in getting parts forcing people to choose ability to get to work over safety. Volkswagen is wilfully exposing customers to undue safety compromises. Recall the car and make them fix this. And compensate owners.
The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing, the vehicle emitted abnormal clicking sounds with the air bag warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the horn was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clock spring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the replacement part was on backorder. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
The clockspring has failed, and all electronics in the steering column do not work, including the horn (as well as cruise control, radio volume, channel, etc). It is also believed the air bag(s) will not deploy in a crash. The clockspring failure has been verified by the local VW dealership. The part has not been available from VW for over 2 months(!), and now my vehicle's safety inspection has expired and the car is not legally drivable on public roads (in Virginia) (and VW will not provide or pay for alternative transportation). VW can not provide and ETA for when this critical safety part will be available.
The clockspring failed at under 62,000 miles. Air bag light came on, steering controls stopped working, and horn stopped working. Lots of other VWs have had clockspring issues--wondering why this is not included yet?
Unknown. Airbag sign went on, Clock does not work, seems like electrical problem.
Clock spring in steering wheel failed and the airbag, horn and steering wheel controls no longer work on my daughter's Tiguan which is still under warranty. ( a very expensive extended warranty) Volkswagon is no longer manufacturing the part, so the only way to repair the car is to replace the whole steering wheel column which costs 5 times as much.(So they don't want to fix it that way) I was told they have multiple cars sitting on their lot since last year waiting for that part, but from what I heard from a mechanic/parts guy is VW is just simply no longer making that part and stringing their customers along saying it is "backordered". The warranty is not being honored. The car is sitting at the dealership collecting dust. They will not provide me with a loaner, or reimburse me for a rental car.
Questions about the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan airbags
Does the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 37 complaints about the airbags of the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan, 38% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 58,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 19V535000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Volkswagen Tiguan have bad airbags?
The Volkswagen Tiguan model years with the most airbags complaints are 2013 (63 complaints), 2014 (46 complaints) and 2016 (37 complaints).
Other 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan problems
Electrical 27Steering 13Engine 11Body 6Fuel system 6Acceleration 3Brakes 3Transmission 3Visibility 3Driver assistance 2Lights 2Suspension 2Wheels 2Seat belts 1Seats 1
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