Reliable Auto DB

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan has 75 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 5 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 Unknown or other, Frontal, and Pretensioner.

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

75

Per year

5

Recalls

4

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (30 of 75), then Engine (15) and Electrical system (12). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 4 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Tiguan has 96 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2018 has 283 complaints, 59 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

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 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall Unknown or other 2021-05-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V321000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Remedy Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
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 2018-02-09 · NHTSA campaign 18V102000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be intended for use in vehicles sold in the United States. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel and front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69V2.
Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2016-12-29 · NHTSA campaign 16V955000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Remedy Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Complaints by component (75 total)

Air bags
30
Engine
15
Electrical system
12
Steering
12
Fuel and propulsion system
6
Powertrain
5
Structure
4
Service brakes
3
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seat belts
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 7 more Show less
Crash-flagged

6

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

4

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

2201782018520197202042021212022920233202411202552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Ive had every now and then a steering wheel light come on then come off. Well today 9/1/26 I had lost all steering to my 2017 vw tiguan. The electronic power steering has failed and I believe this is a safety issue that…"
    Steering · filed 2026-09-02
  • "A/C has been a consistent issue since I purchased this from Columbia SC- CarMax's dealership in 2022. I've replaced the compressor and valves, and no resolve. The car sucks up oil and the electrical system is wacky!"
    Electrical system, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-29
  • "No crash or incident occurred. While starting the vehicle normally, the airbag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed fault code P0588 — driver side airbag igniter at…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-06-19
  • "I am filing this complaint to seek a full buyback and debt cancellation for a 2017 VW Tiguan (VIN: [XXX] ) sold to me by Carvana for $40,000. Summary of Deception: Carvana sold this vehicle as "Certified" with a…"
    Steering, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-04-03
  • "On December 3, 2025, Volkswagen of XXX performed an intake manifold recall repair on our 2017 Tiguan (VIN: [XXX] ) while the vehicle was under factory warranty. Approximately six weeks later the low coolant warning…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-03-31

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Tiguan 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 24 22 MPG $3650
Tiguan 4motion 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 23 21 MPG $3800

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 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan Next year 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan See every Volkswagen Tiguan model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan reliable?

The 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan has 75 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 5 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 Unknown or other, Frontal, and Pretensioner.

What are common problems with a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (30 of 75), then Engine (15) and Electrical system (12). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 4 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Tiguan has 96 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2018 has 283 complaints, 59 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan been recalled?

The 2017 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 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan?

Owners have filed 75 complaints about the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan is 21.5 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.