Reliable Auto DB

2016 Volkswagen Tiguan reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan holds 96 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 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 2 recalls on file, including Air bag control module and Latches, locks, and linkages.

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

96

Per year

4

Recalls

2

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (37 of 96), then Electrical system (27) and Steering (12). Those filings include 4 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Tiguan has 62 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2017 has 75 complaints, 5 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

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 Latches, locks, and linkages 2016-06-24 · NHTSA campaign 16V464000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 11, 2016. Vibrations, such as those created by opening and closing a vehicle door, may cause the rear child door locks to disengage, allowing a child to open a rear door while inside the vehicle.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the child lock(s), free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 58C9.

Complaints by component (96 total)

Air bags
37
Electrical system
27
Steering
12
Engine
10
Structure
6
Fuel and propulsion system
4
Powertrain
3
Service brakes
3
Speed control
3
Engine and engine cooling
2
Exterior lighting
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Suspension
2
Visibility
2
Wheels
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Equipment
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seat belts
1
Seats
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 13 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

520163201752018172019620209202128202282023420249202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "* Purchase Date: January 23, 2016 * Current Mileage: Approximately 71,500 miles For the past several months, my vehicle has experienced continuous engine oil loss. The oil level drops approximately one gallon every two…"
    Engine · filed 2026-07-12
  • "UNKNOWN INCIDENT. I had a 2016 VW Tiguan with just over 80k miles (approximately 80,200 mi). On 1/6/2026 about 10 min after driving home from the gym, I heard a small explosion from the garage where my car was parked.…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-02-15
  • "The contact's friend owns a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a…"
    Steering, Engine and engine cooling, Engine · filed 2025-11-03
  • "I’ll be driving for 2-10 minutes and power steering cuts out. Wheel will jerk a little and alarm will sound with the alert light remaining red through remainder of drive. Sometimes it will not work at all while driving,…"
    Steering · filed 2025-10-26
  • "My car has never been in an accident. One day while turning into my driveway, I heard a large clicking sound. Since then, my airbag malfunction light is on and my car horn does not sound/work. All steering wheel…"
    Steering, Air bags · filed 2025-10-20

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 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan Next year 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan See every Volkswagen Tiguan model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan holds 96 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 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 2 recalls on file, including Air bag control module and Latches, locks, and linkages.

What are common problems with a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (37 of 96), then Electrical system (27) and Steering (12). Those filings include 4 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Tiguan has 62 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2017 has 75 complaints, 5 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan been recalled?

The 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan has 2 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 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan?

Owners have filed 96 complaints about the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 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.