2018 Volkswagen Tiguan: check engine light

Filed Sep 23, 2026 · Engine · KS

We have to add 1-2 quarts of oil every 600 miles. Our check engine light came on 02/2026 for carbon buildup. We had it cleaned, had timing chain replaced, piston rings, oil valves, manifold. Cost us $5300. The car ran fine before the light came on and all of a sudden it started making grinding noises and idling rough. We change the oil every 3,000 miles and the car burns through oil constantly. Our car stalled 4 times on the highway since then almost causing wrecks, it runs rough and now our check engine light is back on for the same issue. It’s causing emotional and financial distress. There are multiple lawsuits pending for this but something needs done. This is exhausting.

Filed Apr 22, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · AR

First purchased this car from a dealership in 2023, used at128,051 miles. Did not have any problems with it in the first year I would say. Then suddenly while driving down the road the epc light would come on limiting my speed to 4,000 rpm. It would come on and off also causing my check engine light to come on and off. It has now become more frequent, the epc and check engine lights will come on and off creating a major hazard while driving. Got it scanned while the check engine light was on and it ran a code for a cylinder 4 engine misfire from my fuel injector wiring rail harness. It looks to be a common problem with this model but it’s showing my vin is not attached to a recall.

Filed Jan 7, 2025 · Fuel system · MO

2018 VW Tiguan, 65,109 miles. Unable to add fuel to the vehicle. The filler neck would back up with fuel and even on the lowest setting, the pump would click off on back pressure. Fuel would often splash out. Gas smell or odor in and around the car. When parked in the garage, the fuel odor was strong. No warning lights or check engine lights were on. Dealer replaced B Evapcanist, A C LDPump, AF Valve. Dealer charged full cost for repairs. After multiple calls to VW consumers assistance, the repair charge was covered under warranty and refunded my payment. VW should cover or repair faulty emissions controls that cause serious safety issues with gas vapors inside or around the vehicle, and/or contribute to inability to properly and safely fill the vehicle with fuel.

Filed Nov 30, 2024 · Fuel system · CA

My car has been having issues since I hit 40k in 2022. Each time I took it in to Ontario Volkswagon for a diagnosis and repair they could find anything because the check engine light was not on. So they would tell me "based on milage this is the service we recommend" The dealer kept telling me its the gas your using bad gas but i only ever pump is mobil, or shell and always use 91. So by them saying that at every visit they knew what it was but failed to properly diagnose it. Fast forward to current date my car at 83k my car has stalled out several time going into limp mode on the fwy. It throws an error warning "MAX 4000 RPM" the cars check engine light turn on I am unable to accelerate and my speed starts to decelerate you can only imagine how scary this can be with your kids in the car and your car starts decelerating while the cars around you are going highway speed. Before it started with the error message the car would sputter while accelerating onto the highway then what felt like a hiccups when hitting 2000rpm And keeping it at a steady speed. After spending thousands of dollars fixing recommended services and pleading with Ontario Volkswagon the service advisor finally said volkswagon exteded the warranty on the fuel Injector wiring harness but the only way to get it repaired was if the check engine light was on and the error code for that was present at the time of service. My car obviously is experiencing the symptoms but the dealer fails to honor the warranty. This should be a standard recall on this car. My experience was a frightening one and could of gone differently if it happened at a different time of day.

Filed Jan 15, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · IL

On multiple occasions, while driving on the highway, subject vehicle displayed check engine light and EPC light at random intervals and an alarm saying exceeded 4000 came on. RPM's were not over 4000. Speed and acceleration severely limited making it dangerous to pull over on the highway in traffic. Had to pull car over and restart engine. This has happened numerous times. Also experienced shaking and skipping or missing of transmission. The car has also had the engine stall or stop when at red light or stopped forcing restart of engine.

Filed Aug 23, 2023 · Engine · 140,000 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop at a traffic light, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Aug 30, 2022 · Engine · TX

I took the vehicle in to the local dealership for an oil change and after the oil change was completed, I drove about 10 miles before the engine seemed to lose power an misfile. The "Check Engine" light started flashing before it turned solid. I called the dealership and they asked me to bring the vehicle back. After scanning the vehicle OBD information, per the dealership invoice, it returned the following codes: 1. P0343001 (Camshaft Pos. Sensor Circ. High Input) 2. P0300001 (Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected) Eventually, they contacted VW and were asked to drain the oil, in which they found metal particles. VW then requested them to tear down the engine at which they noticed "excessive amounts of metal on bottom of oil pan". Upon reporting back to VW, dealership was asked to replace "long block with turbo assembly due to metal contamination". My understanding is that the entire engine has been replaced along with the turbocharger. Car was at dealership for 59 days total.

Filed Jul 5, 2022 · Acceleration, Engine · CO

The first time this problem occurred was in April right after a routine maintenance check. The car was idling in a parking lot when the engine started to vibrate and a warning was displayed that said "Max Engine Speed 4000 RPM". The car was turned off and then back on. The warning did show up on the display, but the "check engine" light was lit. The car was driven back home, and after that drive the check engine light was not lit anymore. To be safe the car was taken to the dealer. The dealer was not able to replicate the issue. Later, in July, the max engine speed and EPC warnings were displayed on the screen in the middle of a trip. At this time there was also a loss of acceleration power. The driver pulled over, stopped the car, and then restarted it. When the car restarted the warning lights were no longer on so the driver completed the trip. In the manual it says that the car can still be operated if the EPC warning light is on, but that it should be taken to a dealer. This led the driver to believe that it was safe to complete the trip and take the car to their home dealership after the holiday. The following day, the EPC warning light and the max engine speed warning both appeared in the middle of a drive. The driver was driving up a hill on a backroad with no possible pull off. The driver had to stop the car in the middle of a road directly after a blind turn. The driver restarted the car and was able to drive about 10 yards before the warning came on again and the engine cut out. The driver repeated turning the car off and then back on multiple times to be able to safely get the car up the hill and to an area where a pull-off was available. Luckily, no other cars were coming at the time the car was stalled. It was a very unsafe location! The car is currently in the process of being towed to the dealer to be worked on. This seems like a very serious safety concern that is affecting other Tiguan owners too.

Filed Oct 12, 2021 · Acceleration, Engine · NY

Like many other people who have complained, the same EPC engine light turning on after the engine stalls while driving. This has happened multiple times while driving on the highway while going 65mph+. The max speed 4000 rpm message comes on the dashboard. The car does not accelerate and pulling over is necessary in order to shut off the car and restart the engine. This is incredibly dangerous and the car’s speed cannot be controlled.

Filed Feb 5, 2020 · Driver assistance, Electrical · FL

I bought a car from vw south orlando 7 month ago and since than I had a lot of issue with the car engine light was going on and off I been their like 5 times now and just pissing me off I want a replacement car

Filed Jan 3, 2020 · Brakes, Engine · 18,000 miles · OH

I purchased the car brand new iat the end of 2018. At the end of 2019 the car now needs new brakes and has less than 19,000 miles. The car shakes when you break. The dealership stated usually brakes and rotors last 30,000 and cited "common causes" for needing new breaks. The dealership stated they would cover labor at good will to replace brakes and rotors and then came back that would cover 60% and provided me 3 different amounts for a total. Additionally, in december 2019, the check engine light came on after driving through a dangerous intersection turning left the car started to stutter and was shaking, after they reviewed it, they stated that the car had "misfired" and not all 4 engines started at the same time, only 3 of the engines did. I am requesting that the car be reviewed for compliance and safety regarding the brakes and engine. Additionally, I am requesting that volkswagen cover the cost and labor of replacing brakes and rotors.

Filed Dec 11, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 32,000 miles · CA

On multiple occasions, subject vehicle displayed check engine light and epc light at random intervals, causing car to unexpectedly be limited to 4,000 RPM and unable to accelerate past 40mph. As a result, this put driver in extremely unsafe situations and endangered safety of passengers and fellow drivers, particularly on highway. First encountered at 34,000 miles on odometer. Persisted through 41,000 miles. Seconds before error is encountered, vehicle would run rough and undergo rough shifts. In addition, vehicle also suffered with sluggish acceleration from stop. Vehicle taken to service center multiple occasions. On first encounter, technician instructed simply to reset vehicle. When taken second time, code p0203 injector short circuit cyl 3 was diagnosed and engine harness replaced. However, issue continued. When taken third time, injector harness replaced.