While driving my 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan (equipped with approximately 39,000 miles), the vehicle suffered a sudden and catastrophic total engine failure without prior warning, resulting in an immediate loss of power and propulsion while in motion. This sudden stall on an active roadway created a severe, immediate safety hazard and a high risk of a collision. The vehicle has been meticulously maintained with a complete and documented history of annual professional servicing. Prior to the failure, the engine repair light would frequently illuminate. Upon subsequent teardown and investigation of the failed engine, the authorized manufacturer dealership discovered heavy metal shavings in the engine oil, indicating severe and premature internal mechanical destruction of critical engine components. The vehicle has been diagnosed as requiring a complete engine replacement costing $9,000. A catastrophic mechanical failure of this nature at exceptionally low mileage, despite regular annual maintenance, points to a significant manufacturing or material defect.
2020 Volkswagen Tiguan: engine stalls while driving
6 of the 141 complaints about the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan describe engine stalls while driving.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- recalls
- 0
Engine stalls while driving by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while the outside temperature was cool, the vehicle operated normally. However, when the heat index was high, the message that the starter was hot was displayed. Shortly afterwards, the instrument cluster went black, and the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to coast the vehicle to the roadside. The contact waited approximately five minutes and restarted the vehicle. While driving in a subdivision, the vehicle stalled again. The local dealer was contacted, but there was no response despite the contact leaving a voicemail. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light on an extremely hot day, the message that the starter was hot was displayed and the vehicle shut off unexpectedly. On another occasion, while making a turn, the vehicle stalled and lost power. The contact was able to safely coast over to the emergency lane. After waiting for the engine to cool down, the vehicle was restarted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
We purchased car two weeks ago. Twice the engine has shut off while driving down a hill. The warnings say "Check the starter system" and "Ignition Switched Off". There was one warning about the starter system being deactivated or something like that. After the first time we brought it back to dealership. They couldn't diagnose. They found something with AC and took care of that. The car drove for a week and then it happened again. Both times it has happened after being parked for a couple of hours and both times it happened while driving down a hill. 2020 Volkewagen Tiguan with about 56k miles.
There is a major lag in acceleration. It happens randomly so taking to a dealership won’t help because they will only try one time then say they can’t reproduce the problem. From a stop or turning into a lane I can have the pedal to the floor and the car just stalls and doesn’t go. After a few seconds the car finally gets a boost then goes. Well personally those seconds could lead to a car hitting me. I have asked my local dealership many times about it and they don’t seem to care or want to look into a problem. The idea of a car is hit pedal and it goes but not the Tiguan. There is a known problem and this should be fixed. This has been going on since I purchased car. Just getting tired of this situation.
My 2020 volkswagon tiguan stalls while idling in traffic. The engine makes a grinding noise and there is no power. I have to put it in park and turn it off and then back on. It happened several times in 2021 and the dealer replaced the starter-that worked for a while but in the past 7 days (may 30, 2022 to june 6, 2022) it has stalled 5 times while idling in traffic.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Prevent Sporatic Misfire Faults.
- Checking engine oil level.
- Reprogramming Control Module process
- Engine missfire diagnostic aid
- Identifying and Mixing Volkswagen Engine Coolants
- When replacing Evaporative Emissions System components, it is not always necessary to replace the entire...
- Suggested fuel additive
- Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan stalling
Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan?
6 of 141 owner complaints about the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan (4%) mention engine stalls while driving. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan?
There are 0 recalls and 130 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan
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