Reliable Auto DB

2015 Volkswagen Tiguan reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 62 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan over 12 years — 4 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 4 recalls on file, including Air bag control module, Unknown or other, and Side and window.

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

62

Per year

4

Recalls

4

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (28 of 62), then Electrical system (23) and Engine (9). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 Tiguan has 84 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2016 has 96 complaints, 4 per year. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

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 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, air bag control module 2019-07-17 · NHTSA campaign 19V535000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.
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, side and window 2016-01-28 · NHTSA campaign 16V045000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 7, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69M1 (for Audi) and 69L9 (for VW).
Recall Labels 2015-05-26 · NHTSA campaign 15V311000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 22, 2015, to March 20, 2015. These vehicles may be equipped with Certification labels that are missing the required tire pressure information and they may state incorrect weight and loading information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will correct the information on the certification label, free of charge. The recall began on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01A5.

Complaints by component (62 total)

Air bags
28
Electrical system
23
Engine
9
Steering
9
Service brakes
6
Structure
4
Powertrain
2
Visibility
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Seat belts
1
Seats
1
Suspension
1
Wheels
1
Show 7 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

320153201652017720181020194202072021132022420234202422025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "We are experiencing a recurring safety issue with our 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan. Upon startup, the power steering warning light consistently illuminates and remains on for 5 to 30 minutes. During this time, the vehicle has…"
    Steering · filed 2025-05-07
  • "Car was recently repaired from a deer related accident. Within a week of getting car back I heard an unwinding like sound from steering wheel area while making a left hand turn into parking lot. My airbag light came on…"
    Air bags · filed 2024-11-26
  • "Premature timing chain failure (at 70,000 miles). Regularly maintenanced. Confirmed by mechanic. Check engine light notified 2 months prior to failure."
    Engine · filed 2024-10-02
  • "Our 2015 Tiguan has consistently had issues with the clock spring. We are now needing a third clock spring only 6 months from the last warranty repair. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection. This issue is serious…"
    Steering, Air bags · filed 2024-05-09

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 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 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan Next year 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan See every Volkswagen Tiguan model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan reliable?

Owners have filed 62 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan over 12 years — 4 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 4 recalls on file, including Air bag control module, Unknown or other, and Side and window.

What are common problems with a 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (28 of 62), then Electrical system (23) and Engine (9). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 Tiguan has 84 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2016 has 96 complaints, 4 per year. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan been recalled?

The 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan has 4 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 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan?

Owners have filed 62 complaints about the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan is 22.5 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.