Reliable Auto DB

2013 Volkswagen Tiguan reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan holds 139 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 7 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Tiguan years here — under the median of the other years, which is 12. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Unknown or other, Frontal, and Fuel system, gasoline.

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan
Photo by Alexander-93, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

139

Per year

7

Recalls

3

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (63 of 139), then Electrical system (35) and Engine (29). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Tiguan has 152 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2014 has 84 complaints, 3 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall Unknown or other 2018-05-16 · NHTSA campaign 18V329000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Recall air bags, frontal 2015-08-04 · NHTSA campaign 15V483000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
Recall Fuel system, gasoline 2014-07-21 · NHTSA campaign 14V441000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Tiguan vehicles manufactured July 2007 to June 2014. When using winterized fuel, in certain conditions bubbles may form in the fuel system which could result in the vehicle stalling.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to increase the fuel pump pressure, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 19, 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24AV/2W.

Complaints by component (139 total)

Air bags
63
Electrical system
35
Engine
29
Steering
27
Fuel and propulsion system
14
Powertrain
6
Service brakes
6
Speed control
5
Structure
5
Fuel system, gasoline
4
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
Exterior lighting
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Seat belts
2
Wheels
2
Parking brake
1
Suspension
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

620131120145201511201614201727201810201912202011202112202252023320246202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "When driving down the highway, my power steering went out with zero warning or indicators leading up to it going out. Upon researching, this is a problem that many people have experienced with this make and model of…"
    Steering · filed 2026-05-07
  • "Feb 2026 My airbag light came on few days ago, now my horn doesn't work, and the functions on the steering wheel don't work, like being able to reset tire pressure and check functions for the car, the phone, the…"
    Air bags, Seat belts, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-02-06
  • "Jan 2025 My seat belt (driver ) lock is broken ,to attach the seat belt in place..I have to just keep it clicked in, and put it over my shoulder (over a yr now)"
    Seat belts · filed 2026-02-06
  • "As of Aug 2025, my car keeps having issues of stalling/ bucking, even though my mechanic has changed the points/plugs twice now. Now the overheat light comes on ,off and on.. sometimes clears up once the car is shut off…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-02-06
  • "Feb 2026 My airbag light came on few days ago, now my horn doesn't work, and the functions on the steering wheel don't work, like being able to reset tire pressure and check functions for the car, the phone, the…"
    Electrical system, Air bags · filed 2026-02-06

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Tiguan 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 26 23 MPG $3450
Tiguan 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3800
Tiguan 4motion 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 26 22 MPG $3650

Specs and fitment

1st generation (5N), 2012–2017
Body styles SUV
Oil VW 502.00 5W-30 or 5W-40 (engine dependent) , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 215/65R16, 235/55R17, 255/40R19, 235/50R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Owner complaints for early years of this generation concentrate on the engine. Safety recall 14V-441 covers certain 2009-2014 Tiguans: with winterized fuel under some conditions, bubbles in the fuel system can stall the vehicle; dealers update software to raise fuel-pump pressure. Safety recall 15V-483 covers certain 2011-2014 Tiguans among other VW models: debris can contaminate the driver air-bag clock spring and tear the cable so the frontal air bag may not deploy; dealers install a protective cover or replace the clock spring as needed. Safety recall 18V-329 covers certain 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguans among other VW models modified during an internal evaluation period that may not meet all applicable requirements; dealers repair for compliance or Volkswagen may repurchase if necessary.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Next year 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan See every Volkswagen Tiguan model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan holds 139 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 7 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Tiguan years here — under the median of the other years, which is 12. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Unknown or other, Frontal, and Fuel system, gasoline.

What are common problems with a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (63 of 139), then Electrical system (35) and Engine (29). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Tiguan has 152 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2014 has 84 complaints, 3 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan been recalled?

The 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan?

Owners have filed 139 complaints about the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan is 22 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Volkswagen Tiguan use?

US Tiguan manuals specify VW-approved oil viscosity in the maintenance section.

What generation is the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan?

2nd generation / AD-BW (2018-on) for the US long-wheelbase Tiguan.

What tire size does a second-generation Volkswagen Tiguan use?

Many second-gen US pages list 235/55R18; first-gen trims also used 215/65R16 through 255/40R19.