2018 Volkswagen Tiguan: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Apr 15, 2025 · Fuel system · PA

I bought my 2018 Tiguan in 2021 with 20k miles on it from York Volkswagen in York, PA. I'm at 83k miles. My vehicle sporadically stops accelerating, sputters and goes into "limp" mode. ECP light comes on, engine error warning MAX RPM. Car stalls in heavy commuter highway traffic, with no shoulder to safely pull off the highway, which is terrifying and deadly. Also stalls/ hesitates in slower city traffic. Dealer initially suggested an early oil change ($130.00) thinking this might resolve this issue. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN AND WELL DOCUMENTED, EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE. I wonder how many have been killed that we don't know about with the unexpected decelerating and unable to accelerate in speeding traffic. The dealer does not acknowledge this known issue. This has been happening for months. I glad I did some research.

Filed Feb 15, 2025 · Fuel system · NY

Car is hesitating on acceleration.

Filed Oct 27, 2021 · Engine, Fuel system · CO

This vehicle has significant, but intermittent issues with acceleration; it seems mostly when the AC is on or it is cold out (below 40). Vehicle will hesitate, or entirely not respond, to the gas pedal. When this occurs, acceleration is even less predictable (and slower) than a diesel truck. When it does not occur, the acceleration was zippy and fast. Unfortunately, this erratic lag is extremely dangerous - especially when attempting to merge on the highway. I can step on the gas repeatedly and nothing happens, but then the car will accelerate in a manner which feels out of control. Driving in "sport" mode seems to prevent this, so I am inclined to think there is an issue with how the vehicle has been programmed - versus a mechanical issue with the engine. I know some "Eco" modes tend to make cars less responsive to acceleration (in order to save fuel) but this is extreme.

Filed Sep 3, 2020 · Fuel system · 20,000 miles · SC

The vehicle significantly hesitates when accelerating from a stop or occasingly surges under heavier throttle pressure while trying to accelerate onto the highway. You have to push the gas all the way to floor to get a response from the vehicle from a dead stop. The vehicle will start to go then act like it is going to stall then start to move. It is very concerning when trying to pull into traffic. This has been an issue since the vehicle was purchased in 2018, but the issue seems to be getting worse as the vehicle gets more mileage. I began researching the issue online and this seems to be a common issue. Please see link: https://m.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/tiguan/2018/fuel_system/fuel_propulsion_system.shtml

Filed Sep 2, 2020 · Engine · 16,000 miles · VA

I got a new job with a significant raise and was so happy I rewarded myself with a brand new 2018 vw tiguan (sel premium r-line). Besides some seemingly inconsistent hesitation when taking off from start, the car has a great ride, the steering is german and like no other. The adaptive cruise control saves me so much stress on my 40 minutes drive into work. Sound great right? Well, it was, until....I got my first oil changed on time, like I should, then at ~14,500 miles in may 2020, my low oil level light came on. I checked that there were no visible oil leaks in the driveway or under the car, there weren't. I called the dealer to confirm I wasn't nuts and that my oil was changed ~4,000 miles ago. They said I should add oil, that it's normal for volkswagen's to burn through a lot of oil. So I asked what type of oil was used in the car so I could buy the same type. This was very alarming that I was adding oil to a care with only ~14,500 miles. I thought, okay, maybe they didn't actually change my oil, maybe it's a fluke. So I added the oil and the low oil level light turned off, so I proceeded driving it as normal. Now, I've been working from home due to covid-19 so I've been driving very minimally. I put ~1000 miles on the car since added oil and the low oil light came on again on 8/28/2020. I parked the car and called and made a service appointment at the dealership. I didn't drive it all all over the weekend, then took it in on 8/31/2020. The service guy checking me in told me "vw considers it acceptable for their cars to burn through a quart of oil every 1,000 miles." you have to be kidding me. This car doesn't even have 16,000 miles on it yet. This is not okay and not normal. So here I sit on 9/2/2020. The dealership still has my tiguan and are running what they say is a new series of tests to check what could be causing the car to burn oil.

Filed Sep 2, 2020 · Engine · 14,500 miles · VA

Bought a brand new 2018 vw tiguan (sel premium r-line). Besides some seemingly inconsistent hesitation when taking off from start, the car has a great ride, the steering is german and like no other. The adaptive cruise control saves me so much stress on my 40 minutes drive into work. Sound great right? Well, it was, until....I got my first oil changed on time, like I should, then at ~14,500 miles in may 2020, my low oil level light came on. I checked that there were no visible oil leaks in the driveway or under the car, there weren't. I called the dealer to confirm I wasn't nuts and that my oil was changed ~4,000 miles ago. They said I should add oil, that it's normal for volkswagen's to burn through a lot of oil. So I asked what type of oil was used in the car so I could buy the same type. This was very alarming that I was adding oil to a care with only ~14,500 miles. I thought, okay, maybe they didn't actually change my oil, maybe it's a fluke. So I added the oil and the low oil level light turned off, so I proceeded driving it as normal. Now, I've been working from home due to covid-19 so I've been driving very minimally. I put ~1000 miles on the car since added oil and the low oil light came on again on 8/28/2020. I parked the car and called and made a service appointment at the dealership. I didn't drive it all all over the weekend, then took it in on 8/31/2020. The service guy checking me in told me "vw considers it acceptable for their cars to burn through a quart of oil every 1,000 miles." you have to be kidding me. This car doesn't even have 16,000 miles on it yet. This is not okay and not normal. So here I sit on 9/2/2020. The dealership still has my tiguan and are running what they say is a new series of tests to check what could be causing the car to burn oil. I'll provide an update as soon as I speak with them.

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 Mar 24, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 26,873 miles · AZ

When accelerating, engine does not respond accordingly. Engine hesitates to accelerate and will stay in the low rpms despite the pedal being full pushed in. After a few seconds(maybe 15-30sec), it will rapidly accelerate corresponding to where the pedal is. This constantly happens, it has occurred ever since I purchased the vehicle 1 year ago. I cannot tell if it is an issue with the engine, the transmission, or the electrical components between the 2. It makes trying to merge onto a highway, accelerate into another lane, or turn onto a street very dangerous as I cannot be certain when it will accelerate. This issue occurs in all modes (eco, normal, sport). I have taken this to a dealership once but they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Additionally, there is an issue with the side passenger seatbelt sensor. It keeps going off if I have my phone charging sitting on top of it or if I rest my hand on the seat.

Filed Mar 19, 2020 · Acceleration, Engine · AZ

My car hesitates when accelerating at a complete stop. I press the accelerator to pull into traffic and it seems the car just doesn't want to go! This makes it very dangerous to drive period. It takes a few seconds for the car to 'wake up' and finally accelerate.

Filed Dec 18, 2019 · Engine · VA

The car hesitates one to two seconds from a stop when the accelerator pedal is depressed quickly halfway or more as you would do to merge quickly into fast moving traffic. The problem can also be duplicated when moving slowly around 5 MPH. This problem has existed since the beginning but now seems to be getting worse. I consider this a safety issue since the car does not respond as expected/required under all conditions.

Filed Nov 7, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 7,200 miles · CT

Severe hesitation when trying to accelerate, most noticeable from a full or near stop. Pulling out quickly into moving traffic often results in moments of no acceleration at all. It can be frightening and potentially dangerous. A quick google search for "tiguan hesitation" brings up many complaints about this issue. Dealer is aware but says there is nothing that can be do as it is the nature of the transmission and engine. Vw america says thank you for the feedback and they will "keep an eye out for trends and report as needed." I believe that if not corrected this issue will result serious accidents and injuries. The date below is the last time I experienced the issue but has happened many times since leasing the car this past january 2019.

Filed Oct 3, 2019 · Transmission · 100 miles · WI

There is an initial hesitation from a stopped position that could lead to an accident when pulling out into traffic.