A couple of weeks now my steering wheel has been locking while I’m driving, sadly I thought it was because I needed to get my car serviced. This morning my steering wheel locked out of nowhere as I was turning and I almost ended up in a head on collision with another car while my kids were in the car. Then my brother did some research and sent me the federal safety agency link talking about the recalls. This is absolutely dangerous and I need to get reimbursed or something for my SUV doing this. It’s dangerous and can possibly kill someone.
Volkswagen Tiguan steering lock-up problems
15 of the 2,354 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Tiguan describe steering wheel locks up, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 15
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical mileage
- 82,300
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20211
- 20181
- 20171
- 20151
- 20142
- 20123
- 20112
- 20102
- 20092
Often reported together
Engine failure 3Airbag light 3Power steering loss 1Loss of power 1Coil spring 1Adaptive cruise 1
What owners say
I was driving the car and the steering wheel locked out of nowhere A red steering light came on the dashboard. I’ve never seen before
the power steering system fails sometimes. that happens most of the time when you start the vehicle. A red symbol comes on for the power steering locking the steering. When you turn off the vehicle after some minutes you can start the vehicle. sometimes works and sometimes not. you have to try couple times to make it work.
On 4/6/24 the steering wheel locked while driving the car . Causing the car to go off the road into a 40 ft ditch and hit a tree
My 2018 Tiguan won’t turn on. The dash says, “Steering Lock Fault. Stop!” I towed it to the dealership and they replaced the steering column. Four days later it happened again while I was in the middle of the city at night and couldn’t go anywhere. This is a safety hazard because it could mean even after a repair, it can continue to lock up and not turn on out of no where. Both times there was never any warning given anywhere by the vehicle that this could happen. Just out of the blue it decides not to turn on and gives me that message.
Steering wheel lock every time I start the engine.
The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power of steering assist. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that this was a common failure with the year, make, and model. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, while parked, the steering wheel seized. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
While driving down the road the steering wheel began to wobble and shake really bad and the power steering light came on and then power steering locked up, I was barely able to get out of the way of oncoming traffic which was very difficult for me because I have Lupus and not very much strength in my arms. Had to turn car off and restart several times before getting the light to stay off long enough to get home but it was still wobbling, this was a very scary situation for me.
I was approaching my driveway in my 09 vw tiguan when the red power steering assist warning light came and steering wheel locked. I could not turn the car. Fortunately, I was not driving fast or I could have been in and accident or worse. There was no warning of the yellow light, the red came on and that was it. This is a very unsafe feature on the volkswagen that can kill someone. I have the vehicle in my driveway, waiting to be towed and repaired.
Steering wheel locked up while driving and approaching a 4-way stop sign at approximately 20 MPH on a secondary asphalt pavement roadway. The vehicle was running and an audible beeping noise came from inside the vehicle with no message on the display. It is believed that the steering wheel lock activated causing the problem to occur which is possibly a result from a malfunction in the anti-theft system.
Related recalls
Steering
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.
- Risk
- A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the right-side steering rack mounting bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 10, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 48LG and 48VT. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on September 16, 2026.
Recall number 26V590000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 Tiguan vehicles. A tie rod bolt on the rear axle assembly may be loose, which can lead to a loss of vehicle control.
- Risk
- A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the affected tie rod bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 5, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42E7.
Recall number 25V526000 · Recall details
Questions about the Volkswagen Tiguan steering lock-up
Which Volkswagen Tiguan years have steering wheel locks up problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (3 complaints), 2009 (2 complaints) and 2010 (2 complaints).
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