Reliable Auto DB

2014 Volkswagen Tiguan reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan has 84 complaints with NHTSA after 13 years, or 3 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Tiguan years on this site. 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

84

Per year

3

Recalls

3

Years on the road

13

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (46 of 84), then Electrical system (22) and Steering (20). Those filings include 2 that report a crash.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 Tiguan has 139 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2015 has 62 complaints, 4 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

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 2014 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 (84 total)

Air bags
46
Electrical system
22
Steering
20
Engine
11
Service brakes
4
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Suspension
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Seat belts
2
Back-over prevention
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Powertrain
1
Speed control
1
Structure
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 9 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

4201422015220167201723201842019120204202120202272023220243202552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My vehicle stalls and completely stops at red lights, stop signs, and low speeds. Currently my vehicle is stalling and stopping at accelerated speeds at 20 mph."
    Engine · filed 2026-09-01
  • "My 2014 Tiguan, VIN [XXX], has been serviced at an authorized VW dealer since I purchased it. From 2014 to December 2025, the vehicle was serviced at a VW dealer and March 2026 to present at a service facility that only…"
    Unknown or other, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-05
  • "The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel became locked and failed to steer in the left or right direction. No warning light illuminated. Additionally, the…"
    Steering · filed 2026-06-08
  • "Check engine light came on, related to the thermostat and faulty water pump. My car’s make and model was part of a settlement for this issue but VW corporate will not cover costs to repair."
    Engine · filed 2026-03-24
  • "The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving and while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle unexpectedly vibrated with the EPC warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while…"
    Fuel system, gasoline · filed 2026-02-12

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Tiguan 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 18 26 21 MPG $3800
Tiguan 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 26 23 MPG $3450
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 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan Next year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan See every Volkswagen Tiguan model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan reliable?

The 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan has 84 complaints with NHTSA after 13 years, or 3 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Tiguan years on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Unknown or other, Frontal, and Fuel system, gasoline.

What are common problems with a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (46 of 84), then Electrical system (22) and Steering (20). Those filings include 2 that report a crash.

Is the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Tiguan has 139 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2015 has 62 complaints, 4 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan been recalled?

The 2014 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 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan?

Owners have filed 84 complaints about the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 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.