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Volkswagen Tiguan collision warning problems

23 of the 2,354 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Tiguan describe false forward collision warnings, most of them for the 2018 model year.

owner complaints
23
worst model year
2018
typical mileage
17,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

  • 2025
    3
  • 2024
    1
  • 2023
    4
  • 2022
    4
  • 2021
    1
  • 2020
    1
  • 2019
    3
  • 2018
    5
  • 2015
    1

What owners say

Filed Oct 15, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · TN

I am reporting a serious engine defect on my 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan at approximately 39,500 miles. The vehicle has excessive oil consumption and an oil leak. The authorized dealer diagnosed the problem as requiring full cylinder head replacement. This is a major engine repair at low mileage. I previously told the dealer the vehicle needed oil added between changes. The issue has worsened and now requires a cylinder head. I escalated with dealership management and Volkswagen Customer Care. Volkswagen refuses full coverage and offers only partial goodwill, leaving me to pay a large portion out of pocket despite the low mileage. This issue is widespread on 2022–2023 Tiguan models with the 2.0 TSI EA888 engine. Multiple owners report the same oil consumption and cylinder head replacement. Consumer Reports has documented cylinder head and oil consumption complaints on the 2022 Tiguan. Class action lawsuits allege a defect causing excessive oil consumption. The Canadian Automobile Protection Association has also reported premature valve guide wear leading to cylinder head replacement on 2018–2024 Tiguans. Excessive oil consumption creates a safety risk. Low oil can cause engine damage, stalling, or complete engine failure while driving. A vehicle needing frequent oil top-offs and a major internal repair under 40,000 miles indicates a possible manufacturing defect that Volkswagen has not addressed with a recall. I have also experienced issues with the forward collision warning system, the PCV valve, the infotainment system, and brake vibration when braking. These secondary problems further show reliability concerns, but the cylinder head failure is the most serious and safety-related issue. I request that the federal safety agency review this complaint with other similar reports and investigate whether a safety-related defect exists in the 2022–2023 Volkswagen Tiguan that requires further action or a recall. Vehicle: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Mileage: approximately 39,549 miles

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Electrical · 3,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the Collision Warning light and Auto emergency braking warning light illuminated. The messages "Front Assist not Available", and "Lane Assist System Not Available" were display on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause for the failure was not found. The contact stated that the failure codes were cleared. The manufacturer declined the repair, and the vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred and an appointment with the dealer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

Filed Jul 29, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · OH

This car has several issues and I could only select a few. Electrical: the infotainment system disconnects from Wireless car play at random when you drive the vehicle. It then returns a Wifi error on screen and you cannot use car play any longer on both android and iOS. Additionally, the electronic system will reboot when the car is in use. In my case, it always happens on the freeway when driving 75 MPH. The entire car dash is electronic, no buttons. So when this happens, you lose all safety features, have no idea what speed your driving, can't use the radio, navigation, air conditioning, etc. Most importantly, this is a deadly error WV knew about but sold the car anyways. The dealer and WV North America says this is a problem between the infotainment system manufacture and T-Mobile cell towers. There is no fix for it. So what are consumers to do? I paid cash for a product, the product does not work, the manufactuer cannot fix it. Normally when this happens the company either 1) fixes the problem for free or B) lets you return the product. VW says I can't do either. Backup Cam - the camera is cheap, blurry and picks up nonexistent items and slams on the breaks everytime I back down my driveway. Not a human, animal or event a tree limb blowing in the wind. However, when a car is behind you, the backup cam will let you back into the car. Again, this is a "Software" issue and the dealer cannot fix it. Forward collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assistance only work intermittently. I'd say about 30% of the time I drive the car, it just dings at me while my dashboard lights up and says all these features failed. VW has no record of it in the cars "error log" so I had to set up a camera in my car to prove them wrong. Once they saw it, they said they don't know a fix. Maybe they can swap out the infotainment system / software, but that requires several layers of approval first.

Filed May 31, 2026 · Driver assistance · PA

The adaptive cruise control (ACC), forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking/front assist systems have repeatedly malfunctioned. The vehicle has been returned to the dealership multiple times for diagnosis and repair, but the issues remain unresolved. These are safety systems designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions. When the adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking systems become unavailable or fail to function properly, I cannot rely on features intended to assist in maintaining safety. The loss of these systems creates a potential safety risk for me, my passengers, and other motorists. The vehicle has been presented to an authorized Volkswagen dealer on multiple occasions for these concerns. The dealer has attempted repairs, but the problems continue to occur. Warning messages indicating that adaptive cruise control, front assist, or automatic emergency braking systems were unavailable appeared before and during the malfunction. I thought before they were just faulty sensors. The dealer never explained these features were not functioning. The symptoms first appeared while the vehicle was under warranty and have continued despite multiple repair attempts. The car was purchased brand new from the dealer.

Filed Mar 9, 2026 · Driver assistance · 3,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance system failed to function, with the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light illuminated. The failure had occurred while the contact was driving while it was raining. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a Forward Collision Avoidance module failure; Part Number: J769. The contact was informed that the module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to clean off the Forward Collision Avoidance sensor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times regarding the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

Filed Nov 7, 2025 · Driver assistance, Suspension · FL

I purchased this vehicle on August 9th 2025 and it has been in shop 4 times . It is in the shop as I am writing this email. I have had nothing but issues with this vehicle and had to come out of pocket 308 dollars just to find out a problem that I told them that already was an issue the first week I had the car . I am a senior on a fixed income and I cant afford to pay anything more out of pocket . I filed a complaint with the BBB and a represented from the service department called me and said , his boss said they will not work on my car unless I remove my complaint to the BBB . I find this very unethical and a bad customer service representation. This car has been diagnosed unsafe to drive . And even though I have a loaner it is not my car I am paying for . Like I had stated it has been in the shop 4 times and I have not missed a payment even though I have not had my car .The front strut is completely broke , the left one is in bad shape , needs a front end alignment and the front collision warning alert does not work . It has been confirmed these issues are there. They said they were going to take care of it until they noticed I filed a complaint to the BBB.

Filed Nov 13, 2024 · Airbags, Brakes · FL · crash · 1 injury

While driving south bound on i95 express lane, the vehicle in front of me stopped abruptly. I attempted to break but was unable to do so. Also the emergency breaks/front vehicle collision warning did not activate. In order to avoid a head on collision, I swerved to the right and my front left side made impact to the other vehicle on their right back side. This impact cause my vehicle to spin out of the express lane and into the regular traffic 180 degrees causing me to be facing incoming traffic. The air bags did not deploy- the state trooper, fire safety, and tow truck representative all commented that it should have. After the incident FDOT had to tow my vehicle to the shoulder prior to being towed away. During this time I was not able to turn the engine off- it remained on and was towed with the engine still running. The vehicle is currently under assessment with my insurance provider.

Filed Jun 8, 2024 · Driver assistance, Visibility · MO

Travel assist goes on and off at random times . The wipers turn on and off by themselves. Also the front collision warning light comes on randomly.. what should I be doing with this vehicle… I’ve read many reviews that other people have the same issues.

Filed Jun 5, 2024 · Driver assistance · LA

Twice now I’ve been driving with no vehicles or anything in front or even behind me & the big red collision warning comes on & the brakes activate.

Filed May 14, 2024 · Driver assistance · TX

I was driving down a completely clear road, not a single car or turn in sight. When suddenly my cars front collision warning comes on the screen and brakes my car for me. There was no advance warning, just hard braking.

Related recalls

Back over prevention: softwareReported May 20, 2026 · 8 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024 Tiguan vehicles previously repaired under recall 25V082. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk
A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91NF. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on beginning May 27, 2026.

Recall number 26V321000 · Recall details

Back over prevention: softwareReported February 12, 2025 · 29,569 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tiguan, 2023 Arteon, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3 vehicles. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk
A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners April 3, 2024, and Volkswagen owners November 18, 2025.Volkswagen owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298 or Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91NY and (Audi) 90AV.

Recall number 25V082000 · Recall details

Back over prevention: sensing system: cameraReported November 18, 2020 · 32,048 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan LWB, Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas FL and Arteon vehicles. The rear view camera could malfunction during an ignition cycle, leading to a black screen or infotainment system freeze. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk
A black or frozen rear view image reduces the driver's visibility when reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.

Recall number 20V716000 · Recall details

Questions about the Volkswagen Tiguan collision warning

Which Volkswagen Tiguan years have false forward collision warnings problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2018 (5 complaints), 2022 (4 complaints) and 2023 (4 complaints).

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