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2018 Volkswagen Tiguan: won't start

5 of the 289 complaints about the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan describe won't start.

owner complaints
5
of this car's complaints
2%
recalls
1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 144 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Won't start by model year

  • 2024
    3
  • 2019
    4
  • 2018
    5
  • 2017
    1
  • 2016
    1
  • 2015
    2
  • 2013
    1
  • 2012
    4
  • 2011
    3
  • 2010
    6
  • 2009
    14

What owners say

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 2, 2020 · Engine, Steering · 9,500 miles · PA

After fueling up at a gas station the 2018 tiguan would not start. It was dead. Stationary at the fuel pump. Warning lights came on the dash to indicate steering column failure. No symptoms, the car would not try to start or begin to start. Just errors on dash. Car is only 1 year old with less than 10k miles on it. Dealer asked technician to jump car. No change. Car had to be towed to dealer. Dealer indicated a new steering column needed to be ordered and installed and that it was very odd to have failed. Quick research shows this happens all the time on vws. How can a part like this fail in less than 10k miles?

Filed Nov 4, 2019 · Acceleration, Engine · 17,608 miles · NY

The car gets filled with strong odor of gasoline inside the cabin and I was loosing gas at a rapid rate in addition the car was loosing speed. There is also the problem with the sto-start system, once the car was at a stop, the car would not turn over and start again. It would get stucktrying to turn on and at the same time I was loosing gasoline. I had to remove all passengers from the vehicle including my one month grand son due to the strong odor of gasoline. This incidents occured several times during the weekend of november 1 through november 4th when I dropped off the vehicle at the dealership.

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 25, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 3,000 miles · FL

2018 tiguan was purchased new in april - mid may car would not start, all warning lights went on. Car eventually turned on. A few days later while driving (on the road), car stopped completely, all warning lights went on. Had to be towed to closest vw where it would remain for over a month. First diagnosed as unknown electrical prob - needed to be analyzed by vw engineer who believed it to be the battery. New battery did not remedy issue - new alternator was ordered, again did not remedy the issue. Finally was identified as a issuing with the wiring being stripped. Feel completely unsafe in my new car - has also been effected by two recalls since (in addition to the one month in the vw dealership from non recall issue) - current sunroof recall has no fix only a temporary solution to disconnect the wiring - I feel completely unsafe in the car and will not drive the vehicle. Car should be bought back by vw - open recalls with no fix leave the car worthless. What else will go wrong with the 2018 tiguan - will not purchase another vw in the future.

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 won't start

Is won't start a common problem on the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan?

5 of 289 owner complaints about the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan (2%) mention won't start. The model year with the most reports is 2009.

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 10Misfire 10Knocking 8Headlights 8Start-stop 7Won't shift 7Sunroof shattered 7Adaptive cruise 6Backup camera 5Collision warning 5Door locks 5Water leak 5

All model years of the Volkswagen Tiguan

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