2018 Volkswagen Tiguan: start-stop system problems

Filed Apr 28, 2025 · DC

Our car frequently (several times per month) suddenly stops when it is coming to a STOP when the Stop/Start feature is trying to engage. We took it to the dealer, and VW replaced the starter. That DID NOT fix the problem. When the car stops, frequently at or when approaching intersections, the display says we need to stop the car immediately, and the car is stopped, making a high-pitched sound, like a dentist’s drill. This problem started well before our warranty was finished, but after going to the dealer many times (and even leaving the car with them for a considerable amount of time). We were told many times that they could not replicate the problem, and that their diagnostic tools could not find a problem. I requested help from the automaker, VW, and I was told that they only follow the dealer, even though we have had this problem many, many times, and that there was nothing they could do for us. This is a safety problem, and I have seen many similar complaints online. You need to look into this. This problem happens when driving. We cannot get it fixed, and it seems to pose a danger. When I put the date of the incident, I will put the most recent day this happened. Please note that this has happened more than 100 times, and seems to be getting worse. Please investigate with VW. This is a large problem, and it deserves an auto recall.

Filed Feb 17, 2024 · Brakes · GA

While slow8ng to a stop the emergency brake is activating. Auto start stop malfunction warning appears on dash. Takes a minute to get the emergency brake to release. Happened several times in 2 days.

Filed Jun 16, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 18,000 miles · TX

This vehicle has an erratic and often severe hesitation when accelerating, which makes it extremely dangerous to drive on the highway as the driver can not gauge the rate at which the car will speed up. It happens less frequently when driving under 40 miles an hour on a city street but is unpredictable at speeds above this. I've been driving for over 25 years and this is the first vehicle in which I've experience this uneven lag. I've also experience issues with the auto start/stop function, when the vehicle is stopped on an incline at red lights it has failed to restart, requiring a manual restart (put in park and restart engine). This vehicle does not seem safe. The most recent occurrence of the acceleration lag was june 14, 2020, but it had occurred regularly since I purchased the vehicle from the dealership in january 2020.

Filed May 20, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 13,000 miles · MD

Stop/start function on new tiguan is behaving erratically. On a couple of occasions, when the foot brake is applied the car stops, but will not start again when foot is lifted off the brake. Brake goes hard and will not depress. Engine has to be switched off and on again for car to move. Most recent occasion happened while turning into traffic, needed to back up and could not. Thankfully oncoming traffic was just barely able to swerve around me.

Filed Aug 15, 2018 · Transmission · 8,000 miles · CA

Car bucks forward when coming to a stop from motion.( down shifts hard) and shifts into first gear really hard. This happens when stop/start is turned off. Its even worse when more than two people are in car. Vehicle also accelerates too fast in first gear. Turbo kicks in too early.

Filed Apr 12, 2018 · Engine, Fuel system · 800 miles · FL

When the auto start/stop feature is disabled by toggling the button on the center console, the car drives very rough, especially at slow speeds. It feels like the transmission is having trouble shifting gears.

Filed Apr 12, 2018 · Engine · 500 miles · FL

This car has a new "feature" called auto start/stop which, when is enabled by default. If not disabled, this feature will turn off the car when it's at a standstill and consuming little power, then turn back on when you hit the gas. Meant as a fuel consumption mechanism, this is very dangerous. A few times now, I forgot to disable it, and when perched in the median between opposite lanes, I had to accelerate rapidly and almost got slammed into because the car had to first start, then accelerate. I lost 2-3 seconds of reaction/acceleration time. When test driving the car, the salesman told me it was a fuel consumption feature, then turned it off for the test drive. If I had seen this in action, I never would have purchased the car. Vw will not disable it permanently.