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2018 Volkswagen Tiguan: misfire or rough idle

10 of the 289 complaints about the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan describe misfire or rough idle.

owner complaints
10
of this car's complaints
3%
recalls
1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 144 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Misfire or rough idle by model year

  • 2026
    2
  • 2024
    1
  • 2023
    2
  • 2022
    1
  • 2019
    3
  • 2018
    10
  • 2016
    2
  • 2015
    2
  • 2014
    1
  • 2013
    1
  • 2012
    3
  • 2011
    5
  • 2010
    3
  • 2009
    2

What owners say

Filed Oct 10, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · IN

Within 6 months of purchasing car CPO from dealer, car went into limp mode. Was less than 35k miles, still having same issues at 85k miles. Took to dealer, they said nothing was wrong with car. Car began to have ECU light come on frequently in the middle of driving, took back to dealer. They replaced the fuel injector harness under warranty. Began to have issues with fuel injector misfires, car stalling and lagging at stop signs, sputtering when given gas. When driven for long periods at a time, would intermittently not start. Took back to dealer within a year, spent 1800 on maybe fixes, modules and carbon filter replacement. Same issues. Took back again, spent another 1800 replacing modules. Same issues repeated. Took to a european car specialist as we were frustrated with not getting the vehicle properly fixed for years at the dealer, had the engine walnut blasted for any carbon buildup and fuel injectors cleaned, they diagnosed and said the fuel rail harness is bad. Took back to Volkswagen, they re-evaluated and said there was no issue- my husband had to explain to them that there was a repair just done so code reading would not be sufficient and they needed to get under the car and use a multimeter to diagnose the wiring harness. Service team needs additional training- after doing so they found the fuel harness used may in fact be bad and replaced it a second time. Called VW corporate who was no help and told me we are at the discretion of the dealer and they years of the same issues are just what happens at times when the vehicle is out of warranty. There are thousands of reports online- I have been out of use of the vehicle for at least 6 months in my 5 years of ownership. I cannot believe that VW has consistently faulty product relating to the fuel rail system and has not recalled the vehicles.

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 Dec 11, 2025 · Airbags, Driver assistance · FL

One time the car Just Lost power on the freeway and the e-card engine light came on and the cat Ran rugh and stalled and jerked hard almost causing me to cause a serious accident...I took it to vw and explained the severity and they bypassed that And installed a new water pump..2months later the same thing happened exactly to where I was very lucky and very upset...and took it to them once again and explained more issues where I'm urging . As to the front warning light and motion has came into play a few times witch was shocking...also the car would be on slow mo mode....and constant warning lights would come on the dashboard as well as the car would feel so unstable and Feel as if it were On gear 1/L while in the drive position...also the Eco turn of feature would playout ..and stall from time to time..then the car would get stuck on speed when foot would come off the accelerator to brake before a stop sign or red light intersection witch just started to concern me and I again took these concerns to Rick case vw and They thought I was inventing this story..then the car leaked coolant..and it rusted out the whole bottom of my car ..hoses...and they replaced the thermostat this time around and now the car has misfired..could not start ..idle was ver rough and just vibrated dramatically and damaged coils and spakplugs and blew out fuel inject #2 and can't hold pressure past 30 ..changed out the spak plugs and coils and the car is just crippled and its a safety hazard and in many occasions has almost caused me to cause a serious accident...

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 Mar 22, 2022 · Acceleration, Electrical · TX

At 48k miles, fuel efficiency began to significantly drop. At next start up, engine would not turn over and EPC light came on. I waited 30 minutes, unlocked the steering wheel and was able to start the vehicle and EPC light turned off. I took it into Volkswagen dealership to have it looked over and they could not duplicate the issue nor find cause for lower fuel efficiency. The issue with fuel persisted intermittently. Then at 57k, while driving long distance, I noticed what seemed like misfiring when accelerating above 65 mph. There were no noises, no warning lights, and fuel efficiency seemed about the same. I continued driving and about 6 hours into my drive, EPC light came on, RPM's shot up to 4,000 and car began violently shaking while losing significant power and dropped down to 30 mph. I was in the left lane when it occurred and had to quickly move over to the right lane. The car then could not exceed 40 mph with the pedal held to the floor. I turned on my hazards while I continued driving an additional 30 miles to the nearest Volkswagen dealership. Because of how heavy the traffic was and the high speeds of the travelers, it put myself and my passengers at risk from not being able to accelerate, along with the other drivers having to either brake hard or quickly change lanes to avoid my car. At the Volkswagen dealership, diagnosis found code p0204 cylinder 4 injector. They confirmed 4th cylinder misfiring and replaced the fuel injector harness. Since that repair, my car has been shaking at idol, when initially taking off, and if I turn of the start/stop function.

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.

Filed May 20, 2019 · Engine · 7,400 miles · AZ

At 2982 miles engine light came on start/stop error when car was moving there was RPM drop and rough engine.. Dealer diagnosed misfire cylinder #2 , poured additive in fuel, told me car was road tested invoice shows same mileage in and out. At approx. 7400 miles the same identical thing happened when I was driving. The car was towed to dealer may 13, 2019. Dealer informed me may 15, 2019 there was misfire cylinder # 2 and cylinder #4. Car is still at dealer as of today may 2019. These miss fires are a driving hazard, they cause RPM to drop, can cause engine shut down loosing power steering and power brakes. Misfires very common on vw / audi 2.0 tsi engines. Vw / audi stalling customer with fixes that don't work. Please investigate.

Filed Aug 10, 2018 · Engine, Fuel system · NV

Vehicles hesitates to start from a slow or dead stop. Will not accelerate as it should. Noticeable lag when shifting and accelerating. Engine misfiring at only 3000 miles. Very dangerous when turning into traffic or merging on to highways. Vehicle gives a false sense of accelerating then stops. This happens reliably over and over.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

EngineReported March 8, 2018 · 4 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The engine support bolts on these vehicles may not have been properly tightened.
Risk
If the engine support bolts were not properly tightened, an unexpected engine breakdown or loss of engine power may occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace engine support bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10F7.

Recall number 18V159000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan misfire

Is misfire or rough idle a common problem on the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan?

10 of 289 owner complaints about the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan (3%) mention misfire or rough idle. The model year with the most reports is 2018.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan?

There is 1 recall and 144 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan

Hesitation 31Stalling 25Check engine light 15Jerking 13Loss of power 10Knocking 8Headlights 8Start-stop 7Won't shift 7Sunroof shattered 7Adaptive cruise 6Backup camera 5Collision warning 5Door locks 5Water leak 5Won't start 5

All model years of the Volkswagen Tiguan

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