2021 Volkswagen Tiguan: check engine light

Filed Oct 14, 2026 · Suspension · MA

I am writing because of a premature rear axle coil spring fracture , which could have caused immediate risk of tire puncture and loss of vehicle control. An engine light had come on in our vehicle, and we brought it in to the dealer to find out why. They could not find any reason that the light had come on, and said everything was fine, but that they did find that the rear spring was broken. We are aware that in 2019, Volkswagon had a recall on some of its models, and I believe that there is a design flaw that made this happen in our vehicle. The technician sent us a video of the situation. Unfortunately, the file of this video is too large to attach.

Filed Aug 25, 2026 · Engine · CA

Noticed the check engine oil light started coming on periodically between oil changes 3-4 years ago, but no external or noticeable oil leaks. Was told by VW multiple times it’s standard for VWs to burn oil. I started having to top off oil much more frequently over the last year, 1 quart per 1000 miles. The check engine oil light would turn on every month at random times while driving. Took my car to a shop; they removed 02 Sensor 1 and borescoped the exhaust system. Found oil leaks from valve seals, leaking into the exhaust manifold. A few weeks later, the check engine light came on for the first time (codes: P24D6 and U3501). Brought car to another shop; they scanned the car and the following codes were found: U350100 (Passive/Sporadic) - Control Module Input Power "A" Circuit Low U041600 (Passive/Sporatic) - Invalid data received from vehicle dynamics control module) P003000 (Passive/Sporatic) - O2 Sensor Heater Control Circuit Bank 1 Sensor 1 U105400 (Passive/Sporadic) - Information electronics 1 control unit No communication P24D600 (Passive/Sporadic) - Evaporative Emission (EVAP) system pressure sensor/switch B circuit range performance. The second shop also stated the valve stem seals needed to be replaced in addition to the Upstream Oxygen sensor and PCV valve. The car was brought to Volkswagen for repair under the extended warranty. Volkswagen confirmed the PCV valve and valve stem seals were bad and needed to be replaced. VW also noted smoke coming from the exhaust. The vehicle has 53k miles on it.

Filed Jul 9, 2026 · Engine · TN

The PCV valve does not last past 60k miles. Multiple forums and customers stating this. When the failure shows up as a check engine light symptom it has already caused a major oil leak in the crank shaft that leaks with the car off at about 500ml and is significantly worse while driving- Up to a quart of oil loss from driving 10miles. VW has had issues with the PCv valve design from 2012. I bought a 2012 Passat but it did not leak till well after 200k miles but the code would continuously go on and off.

Filed Mar 16, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · NJ

Here is a quick description of the issue from our Volkswagon of Huntington service report. We have had this ongoing issue for a few months now. the check engine light will come on. We get it checked, we replace a sensor, and all is good for a day or week. Then we do it again, replacing a different sensor. Now the dealer is saying the oil separator is leaking and requires repairs starting at $8,400 and going up from there as they uncover more. We have always maintained the car properly. From research this appears to be a very known issue with this model car and should be reported and covered by VW. SCANNED VEHICLE AND FOUND FAULTS PRESENT FOR SECONDARY AIR. OBSERVED OIL SEPARATOR LEAKING CUASING UPPER TIMING COVER GASKETS TO BLOW OUT ALLOWING OIL TO ESCAPE. FOUND SECONDARY AIR PORTS IN CYLINDER HEAD CLOGGED TRIGGERING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. ADVISED TO REPLACE OIL SEPARATOR,CAM SHAFT MAGNETS AND CYLINDER HEAD TO START. APPROX $ 8480.00 PLUS TAX

Filed Mar 6, 2026 · Engine · FL

Check Engine Light came on and got estimate from Pete Moore VW Dealer in Pensacola, Florida and was told the car needed extensive engine repair which included a new cylinder head part. So we waited to come get the car repaired on 3/5/2026 once we had saved up the money for it. We found out the cylinder head is on a Nationwide back order with NO estimated time to get it fixed properly. The technician who gave us the estimate back in September 2025 failed to mention that the cylinder head has been on a Nationwide back order during that time. I am not the only person dealing with this issue in the USA but feel VW has not provided a fix or estimate time to repair these cars properly causing a safety hazard. This time to wait for a part is unacceptable and feel our cars fall under the Lemon Law.

Filed Dec 22, 2025 · Fuel system · MO

My fuel system level indicator does not work properly when the tank is below 1/2 full, and the check engine light comes on. It does not correctly deplete, instead leaving me with no gas when it shows it still has gas available. This has left me stranded in various locations as my car runs out of gas, but doesn't show me that until it is completely empty. Most recently, it was on a very busy road in the middle of traffic. The gas gauge went from 1/2 full to empty while I was driving. Upon taking it to the dealer, they said to replace the 1 sensor, which is a very small, simple piece, they have to replace the entire fuel system, which is over $5000 in repairs. My car is only 4 years old and only out of warranty by 6 months. Further research shows this is a common issue with the make and model of my car. Many seem to happen under warranty, but with the age my car is now, many of these warranties will expire, leaving owners to have to pay to fix this outrageous, costly repair.

Filed Dec 18, 2025 · Engine · 93,000 miles · CO

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's dad who was following behind the vehicle noticed oil splashing onto the front windshield of his vehicle. The contact's dad then noticed while the contact was driving uphill, oil was splashing out of the oil pan. In addition, the contact's dad noticed smoke coming out of the exhaust. The check engine and PCV warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was inspected, and the contact's dad noticed that the oil pan was completely empty. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a cracked oil pan. The contact was informed that the oil pan, gasket, and filter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's dad noticed the oil splashing underneath the vehicle again. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was inspected, and the contact noticed that oil was spilling out onto the road. The oil pan was empty. The vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic. The independent mechanic contacted the dealer. The independent mechanic was informed that this was a known failure with the vehicle. The independent mechanic was informed that the failure was that the PCV valve had either failed or was clogged. The independent mechanic was informed that the failure normally occurred between 60,000-100,000 miles. The contact was informed that the failure might recur after the repair, however there was no recall for the failure. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

Filed Nov 16, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · MN

I’ve had my Volkswagen Tiguen since 2021 fresh off the lot. I have been the only owner of the car at about 30,000 miles my head gasket blew, causing the engine to go into default after weeks in the dealer. They replaced the head gasket and stitched it up, the head gasket blew again at this point I was still under warranty so they agreed to replace the engine. It drove fine after the engine was replaced this year 2025. I started to have a whole host of problems. It began to jerk and hesitate at acceleration. My engine light came on with continuous jerking upon acceleration for weeks until I started to lose power in my engine. I couldn’t go over 50 60 mph. I would always pull the car over power it off and power it back on just to see if it would change and it didn’t do much I had a local mechanic add oil to each tire also drain the engine, which had shards of metal in it. And basically stitch the car back together until we can figure out the bigger issues. It’s only been a day since the oil was added to each tire. I had a very violent jerk of the engine, which made it feel and sound like I blew a tire I got out to look at the tire and it was just fine. It was the backfire of the engine going into the exhaust that caused such the violent jerk. Happy that no one was on the road. If somebody was behind me it would’ve easily been an accident. Most of these dealerships know exactly what’s going on and have been avoiding the big conversation of what to do next they rather just replace and Band-Aid these things into the consumer just gives up. I have two small children and this is the only means of transportation. I’m fearful that I’ll be stuck with a car note for a car. I can’t drive.

Filed Nov 14, 2025 · Engine · VT

Check engine light came on with excessive oil leaking from engine. Dealer inspected and diagnosed the PCV/Oil separator had failed, multiple valve stem seals had failed, and valve stem guides were worn causing excessive crankcase pressure. Dealer recommended cylinder head replacement. Vehicle has been at the dealer a month with the cylinder head on backorder and no timeline for resolution. Dealer indicated thousands of cylinder heads in the queue, with tens of units being distributed per month.

Filed Sep 2, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · CA

Upon starting my 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan, the vehicle immediately went into "limp" mode and the check engine light and EPC light came on. The vehicle would not drive over 18 mph. The car was towed to a close by Volkswagen dealership and checked for codes using a multipoint inspection. The report came back with a throttle body issue (Multipoint inspection report attached). The throttle body was replaced and the vehicle was taken for a 15 mile test drive. During the drive, the same problem occurred. After the drive, 34 codes were found in VWs report. I have also attached the report to this complaint. The technicians at the VW dealership didn't understand the problem, so they opened up communication with Volkswagen in Germany. The Volkswagen engineer advised the dealership to replace the wire harness. After the wire harness was replaced, the car has no more issue (although it has only been 5 days since), which cost $2314.54 in total. There is a class action lawsuit in the state of New Jersey (Case [XXX]) against Volkswagen Group of America that states "VW is aware of concerns involving faulty wire harnesses"... affecting 2019-2022 Volkswagen Atlas, Golf, Jetta, TIGUAN, and Taos. Thank God that this happened to my vehicle with the car was at rest and not traveling at a high rate of speed that could have been fatal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 25, 2025 · Engine · 50,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that on three separate occasions, while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, and oil was discovered under the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed, and determined that the breather failure caused the crank case pressure to enter the system, causing the upper timing gasket and seal to be compromised and leak oil. The contact was informed that the oil separator timing cover, CAM magnets, and oil pan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Filed Jun 15, 2025 · Fuel system · NJ

The oil separator in this vehicle failed resulting in other additional damages at 46,000 miles. I was not given the oil separator, upper timing cover, or lower oil pan for inspection. All maintenance in this vehicle was done timely and only touched by the VW dealer. The manufacturer warranty ended 17 days before the component failure. VW agreed to pay half for the repairs that were quoted at 1600 dollars because the warranty expired by time so closely and was under on miles. The service advisor at the dealer reached out to VW about this on his own accord before updating me on the issue because he told me that this exact component has been happening very frequently with this model/year and didn’t think this should be happening at such low mileage. This component failure rapidly causes other serious damage resulting in very high repair bills on the vehicle. The check engine light came on over the weekend (6/7) and the car was brought to the dealer Tuesday (6/10) and was driven about 75 miles between the light coming on and the car being dropped at the dealer. The diagnosis quoting email from the dealer: “the vehicles oil separator failed and caused excess crankcase pressure to be put on the plastic components of the engine, mainly the upper timing cover and lower oil pan. That pressure causes the components to crack and leak oil, which is what happened” this resulted in a quoted 1600 dollars in repair. This is very concerning. I believe that an oil separator going bad at 46,000 miles in a perfectly maintained car as per recommendations of the dealer is unacceptable. I am reporting this in hopes that a recall from the manufacturer will be forced as this is unacceptable at such low mileage and the part needs to be replaced by another manufacturer with better quality.