Volkswagen Tiguan start-stop problems

Filed May 19, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · IL

The car stopped at a light on a busy street in [XXX] (in the middle lane), then the engine stopped, and my wife could not restart it. I went as fast as possible and met her. I was eventually able to get it started. This is the third time we have had problems like this. I did the same thing for me and another time for my wife. I believe it is the stop-start capability, but I can't say for sure. We have also had bad engine oil burning problems and electrical problems. All of these (I now know, but did not before) are recurring problems for 2019 Tiguans. The cylinder head was rebuilt last year, associated with a similar instance. I am now fully aware that the 2019 Tiguans are known to experience all of these problems, but when I brought my car in on previous occasions, that never got mentioned. I am told XYZ is an issue, then billed for repairs. The car was originally leased, and when I purchased it at the end of the lease, I also purchased a full premium warranty. When the issue happened in May of 2025, the policy eventually covered this, but it took over a month of justifications and records before the third-party insurance company agreed to cover the repairs. All of this said, I am no longer comfortable that this car is safe for my wife to drive, as the issues that are repeating are known issues, and yet Volkswagen seems to sweep these under the rug from both a manufacturer and dealership perspective. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 22, 2025 · Fuel system, Transmission · CA

My 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan (purchased used) has a recurring and unsafe issue related to acceleration and the automatic start/stop feature. When accelerating from a stop or while maintaining slight pressure on the gas pedal, the vehicle lurches forward as if aggressively accelerating, even though my foot pressure has not changed. Additionally, when the start/stop feature re-engages after idling, the vehicle sometimes lunges forward despite my foot being firmly on the brake pedal. This behavior has occurred multiple times, creating near-miss situations that could have resulted in accidents. Service History: The issue was replicated by one Volkswagen technician during an overnight test drive but was not accurately reflected in the official service notes. A different technician (shop foreman) later claimed the concern could not be replicated and dismissed it as a “normal vehicle characteristic,” despite my report. The dealership performed a factory reset but the problem persists. Safety Concern: This is a serious safety risk that poses a danger to myself, my passengers, and others on the road. I am especially concerned because my teenage daughter is about to begin driving this vehicle, and I do not feel it is safe for her. Manufacturer Response: Volkswagen of America has declined my buyback request, stating that the situation “does not merit an offer.” I strongly disagree, as the vehicle’s behavior is not normal or acceptable, and could result in unintended acceleration accidents. Request: I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate whether this issue is a defect in the 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan and whether other vehicles may be experiencing the same unsafe condition.

Filed Apr 28, 2025 · DC

Our car frequently (several times per month) suddenly stops when it is coming to a STOP when the Stop/Start feature is trying to engage. We took it to the dealer, and VW replaced the starter. That DID NOT fix the problem. When the car stops, frequently at or when approaching intersections, the display says we need to stop the car immediately, and the car is stopped, making a high-pitched sound, like a dentist’s drill. This problem started well before our warranty was finished, but after going to the dealer many times (and even leaving the car with them for a considerable amount of time). We were told many times that they could not replicate the problem, and that their diagnostic tools could not find a problem. I requested help from the automaker, VW, and I was told that they only follow the dealer, even though we have had this problem many, many times, and that there was nothing they could do for us. This is a safety problem, and I have seen many similar complaints online. You need to look into this. This problem happens when driving. We cannot get it fixed, and it seems to pose a danger. When I put the date of the incident, I will put the most recent day this happened. Please note that this has happened more than 100 times, and seems to be getting worse. Please investigate with VW. This is a large problem, and it deserves an auto recall.

Filed Feb 17, 2024 · Brakes · GA

While slow8ng to a stop the emergency brake is activating. Auto start stop malfunction warning appears on dash. Takes a minute to get the emergency brake to release. Happened several times in 2 days.

Filed Jun 13, 2023 · Acceleration, Transmission · OH

When engine is cold, the transmission hesitates/stutters and then slams into gear. After a couple of minutes of driving, the issue stops. Turning the auto start/stop off does not have an impact on the hesitation/stuttering. This is a safety issue. Dealership claims they cannot replicate and no issues on computer diagnostics. Issue has been on going since it was purchased.

Filed Aug 25, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · CA

After a cold start the car stutters and jerks on start up. The engine rattles and It kangaroos on acceleration while the revs fluctuate between 1000 - 1500 rpm but the car drives as if it were in limp mode causing it not to accelerate. This is a huge safety issue when you are trying to pull out onto a main street which causes others to break to avoid an accident. I’ve taken it into three different Volkswagen dealerships a total of 8 times but due to the car not having a dashboard light on or an error code they immediately told me the car was fine and there’s nothing they can do being they can’t replicate the issue. The second issue is when I’m at a stop light or stop sign and upon releasing the brake pedal the car engine doesn’t kick back on and restart. It starts rolling backward and I’ve almost hit people. I get an error message on the dash telling me to manually restart the car. I have to put my foot on the brake put the car into park press the stop-start button to completely turn the car off and then re-press it to turn the engine back on all while sitting at a green light with a row of cars behind me honking. As of recently, the car doesn't have to be at a complete stop to suddenly shut off now it's happening while the car is moving and struggles to start back up.

Filed Oct 12, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · CA

Automatic start/stop feature malfunctioned while vehicle was at a complete stop in a left hand turn lane at the front of an intersection. Caused major traffic jam because vehicle would not restart. No warning signals were given prior to failure, car engine simply turned completely off and dashboard message then read to "manually restart engine". Attempted to do so but it did not work. After that, I randomly started turning the car off and on, switching from park to drive in whatever order to try to get the engine to restart since manually restarting the "normal" way did not seem to work. While the car was not restarting, the yellow engine light did appear, I am not sure exactly when. No one's safety was at risk in this particular instance, however it could have been depending on when this problem occurs. It has happened twice prior to this incident but both times occurred in a parking lot, not in open traffic. Eventually, after about 5 minutes the car did restart and I was able to resume driving. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone for this particular issue and therefore not reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center.

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 Jul 3, 2019 · Brakes, Electrical · 135 miles · CA

Purchased car june 30, check engine light illuminated on way home from dealer. Next day check engine light off, brake power boost failure flicker on screen, auto start/stop not functioning, restart car all gone. Next trip tire pressure warning, unable to reset. Had to go to an appointment and was heading to dealer on the way home, car went black, lost acceleration, no response from throttle while driving 75mph on busy freeway. Had to coast across five lanes of traffic to be safe. Restart car, drove to dealer. Total amount of miles on car 152. Purchased sunday evening 6:30 pm in repair after near collision tuesday evening 5:00 pm.

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.