2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. Additionally, while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart. The check engine, EPC, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

NHTSA ID

11682937

Incident

Jan 25, 2024

Mileage

135,000 mi

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Defective Primary Engine Water Pump, yes. The original primary engine water pump system for a 2012 VW Tiguan 2.0 was replaced under the VW extended warranty in 2020 by an authorized dealer as a the result of the class action suit---please see Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension bulletin issued by NHTSA. The replacement primary engine water pump system installed in 2020 has been found to be defective in March 2025 and the primary engine water pump requires replacement a second time -- without a warranty extension and less than five years from the date of service of the replacement under the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension issued by NHTSA. VW is still using defective primary engine water pump systems throughout the warranty period----does the NHTSA have any evidence that VW made modifications to the primary engine water pump system after the bulletin issued by NHTSA? Was it a requirement that VW modify the primary engine water pump system? I have been informed that no changes were made to the VW primary engine water pump that was used to replace defective primary engine water pump systems as a result of the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A defective primary engine water pump is a safety risk because it creates a potential for engine failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has been confirmed by an authorized VW dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? UNKNOWN Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Indicator warning lights on dash--RED.

NHTSA ID

11648866

Incident

Mar 13, 2025

The engine could not be started after 13 years and 103,000+ miles. I had to get the car towed to my garage at night, after several prior trips same day. There were no check engine lights or any other indicators. The engine had newer spark plugs, ignition coils and pcv valve installed as well as chain checked a year prior to this. Had a mobile mechanic come by and inspect the car. He determined that the engine has lost compression and that the oil was low. The spark plugs were soaked in gas because engine could not properly compress and ignite the fuel. After adding oil the problem did not go away. He performed the compression test and confirmed his suspicion about engine not being able to compress the fuel. The most likely cause was the timing chain issue but he could not inspect the chain to confirm due to difficulty of doing it. The engine valves were not moving as expected as well. He could not read any meaningful codes from the car computer. There were no electrical or starter issues, just that engine has lost compression. The car had regular oil changes, break fluid changes and tire rotations. Just two weeks prior to car breaking down it passed emissions test. As far as I know, these vehicles have had issues with timing chains stretching out and VW has sent out a recall about these issues a while back. I don't believe my vehicle was under this recall. This vehicle has had all recalls addressed. At this point I will have to get rid of the car because the cost to fix this issue will be the same or more than the car is worth.

NHTSA ID

11633465

Incident

Dec 23, 2024

I was accelerating on the highway when my engine started making a rattling sound and the check engine light came on. I took my car into a specialty European auto shop and they determined my timing chain and tensioner needed replacing. The price is going to be over $5k and there are only 113,763 miles. I’ve always taken my car to a VW dealership for scheduled maintenance. As others have mentioned I never received a notice about this problem earlier from VW.

NHTSA ID

11605547

Incident

Jul 22, 2024

Ignition Coil failed while on highway. Car hesitated , shook, and and slowed down. Created dangerous situation where we had to merge across to get off highway.

NHTSA ID

11463527

Incident

May 5, 2022

At 77k miles the engine's timing chain jumped a tooth or two at startup. This seems to have destroyed the engine. Prior to that: no problems. My DTC scanner said the cam timing was off. VW wanted $25k to fix it after having it towed in. It sounded like rocks in a coffee can. It had just come from Chicago to visit and my son was stranded. I had to put him on a train home. I now am putting in a used engine for $9500 & it is going to take several weeks. When I looked on the internet I see this has been described as "a ticking time bomb". (REF Jalopnik.com). There was a class action law suit, but I guess --- since we had not had an issue--- redress was over. Still... 77k miles.

NHTSA ID

11450588

Incident

Dec 31, 2021

I'VE ONLY OWNED THE VW TIGUAN 2012 FOR 6 MONTHS, JANUARY 2020 AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, ALL POWER LOST AND HAS TO BE RESTARTED. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 8 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS, 2 TIMES IN THE PAST WEEK, IT SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND YESTERDAY JULY 20,2020 WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION.

NHTSA ID

11340620

Incident

Jul 20, 2020

Mileage

97,500 mi

GRADUAL COOLANT LEAK WITH DEALERSHIP KNOWLEDGE UPON SALE OF THE CAR (44,000 MILES). REFILL OVERFLOW EVERY 8 TO 10 MONTHS. LEAK UNKNOWN. HAD TO INCREASE REFILLING GRADUALLY OVER TIME, THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO USE FROM WORK IN 2016. INCREASED TO ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS 2017. FILL EVERY WEEK OR TWO FROM 2018 TO 2019....DAILY SINCE LATE 2019 TO NOW. ENGINE DOES NOT OVER HEAT. REFILLING OVER FLOW COOLANT TANK EVERY TIME I NEED TO DRIVE THE CAR. I HAVE TO TURN ON THE CAR, POP THE HOOD, AND SEE HOW MUCH IT GOES BELOW THE MINIMUM LINE. THEN FILL TO MAXIMUM. DAILY REFILL STARTED AROUND OCTOBER 2019. RECEIVED TRANSMISSION FLUSH AND FUEL INDUCTION SERVICE. MECHANIC SAID I NEED A WATER PUMP AND RADIATOR. HE THOUGHT THE RECALL WOULD COVER MY CAR BUT SAID MY VIN WASN'T SHOWING A DEFECT. I'M NOT SURE WHY IT'S NOT. DEALERSHIP KNEW ABOUT THE LEAK UPON THE SALE OF THE CAR. HELP!! I HAD NO IDEA THE LEAK WAS GOING TO GET WORSE. THE DEALERSHIP MADE IT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING MINOR I JUST HAD TO DEAL WITH. *TR

NHTSA ID

11330749

Incident

Oct 1, 2019

Mileage

47,000 mi

THE VEHICLE CHECKS ENGINE AND OIL LIGHT OFTEN APPEAR IN THE PANEL, EVEN AFTER CHANGE THE OIL AND THE CAR SHOW NO LEAKING. THE OIL WAS CHANGED ALWAYS BY VW, WHO NEVER DETECTED ANY PROBLEM, EVEN WHEN THE PAPER THEY GAVE TO US SAYS, 'OUR TECHNICIAN HAS INSPECTED YOUR VEHICLE'. WE LEFT THE CAR IN VW SERVICE WE RECEIVED THE DIAGNOSTIC: "REPLACE TIMING CHAIN AND TURBO." BY THE WAY, THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THEY REPLACE THE TURBO: ORIGINAL ONE, AND 2 REPLACEMENT. AFTER THEY CHANGE THE TURBO, THEY DISCOVERED A NEW PROBLEM WITH CAMSHAFT. OUR CAR HAS THE MPP COVERAGE, THE LAST OWNER HAS TOO. ALL THE REPAIR AND OIL CHANGE NEVER BE MADE BY OUTSIDE OF VW. THIS COST TO OUR COVERAGE AND FOR US A LOT OF MONEY AND WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITHOUT THE CAR. WE WOULD DO LIKE AN ANSWER FROM VW ABOUT THIS SITUATION BECAUSE THE CAR STILL HAS A PROBLEM WITH VIBRATION. *TR

NHTSA ID

11325073

Incident

May 7, 2020

MY CAR ONLY HAS 50K MILES ON IT. THE COOLANT LIGHT COMES ON EVERY MONTH OR SO. WHEN I CHECK THE COOLANT THE LEVER IS SEVERELY LOW. THERE MUST BE A PROBLEM WITH A DEFECTIVE PART ON THE VW TIGUAN WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THE ISSUE HERE? THANKS. *TR

NHTSA ID

11321359

Incident

Apr 16, 2020

Mileage

50,000 mi

THE WATER PUMP HAS BEEN CRACKED, LEAKING THE COOLANT. THE CAR ENGINE WAS OVERHEATED BUT DIDN'T LEAD TO ACCIDENTS IN MY CASE. VW GROUP IS PRODUCING THE WATER PUMP OUT OF PLASTIC, WHICH EVENTUALLY CRACKS FOR MANY OF VW AND AUDI CAR OWNERS, AND COULD LEAD TO THE ROAD ACCIDENT INDIRECTLY.

NHTSA ID

11292323

Incident

Nov 10, 2018

Mileage

61,400 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF OIL IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BOISE VOLKSWAGEN (8400 W FRANKLIN RD, BOISE, ID 83709) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TURBO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TURBO IN SEPTEMBER OF 2018 AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE RECURRENCE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 190720353. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

NHTSA ID

11270186

Incident

Sep 23, 2019

Mileage

113,000 mi

VEHICLE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN IDLING ROUGHLY WHILE STOPPED AT CITY STREET INTERSECTION. WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE STILL FELT ROUGH AND WOULD OCCASIONALLY STOP RUNNING. AFTER GETTING IT TO A VW SERVICE MECHANIC IT RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING DIAGNOSTIC - "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT: FOUND CAMSHAFT SPOOL VALVE HAS COME APART. FOUND CAM SHAFT BEARING BRACKET OIL SCREEN DAMAGED." AT 81,000 MILES THIS CAR SHOULD NOT EXHIBIT SUCH PROBLEMS. THERE APPEARS TO BE A RECALL ON 2015 VW TIGUAN ENGINES RELATED TO THE SAME PART, CAM SHAFT. I REACHED OUT TO VW FOR ANY INFO ABOUT THIS, AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE.

NHTSA ID

11218449

Incident

May 29, 2019

Mileage

81,000 mi

THE TIMING CHAIN & TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER MALFUNCTIONING PRIOR TO 93,000 MILES, BELOW THE PROJECTED OWNERS MANUAL 120,000 MILES, CAUSED THE TIMING CHAIN TO FAIL AND THE ENGINE TO NOT HAVE THE CORRECT OIL PRESSURE/VOLUME. THIS LED TO OIL LEAKING FROM ALL OF THE COVERS AND LED TO COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE WAS SERVICED REGULARLY BY CERTIFIED MECHANICS FOR OIL CHANGES AND MULTIPLE WATER PUMPS ( 3 WATER PUMPS IN 4 YEARS) THE ENGINE EXPLODED DUE TO HIGH OIL PRESSURE CAUSED BY THE FAULTY TIME CHAIN TENSIONER AND TIMING CHAIN MALFUNCTIONING.

NHTSA ID

11194867

Incident

Mar 25, 2019

Mileage

93,000 mi

WATER PUMP MALFUNCTIONS AND OIL LEAKS LEADING TO WATER PUMP MALFUNCTIONS THAT OVER HEAT THE ENGINE AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT ENGINE DAMAGE. THREE WATER PUMPS IN THREE YEARS AND ULTIMATELY BLOWN ENGINE.

NHTSA ID

11193943

Incident

Nov 18, 2016

Mileage

78,000 mi

I HAVE FAITHFULLY TAKEN MY VOLKSWAGON TIGUAN 2012 TO A VW DEALERSHIP EVERY 10,000 MILES, AS RECOMMENDED, SO I WOULD SAVE THE LIFE OF MY ENGINE, IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A CERTIFIED PREOWNED VEHICLE AND LAST ME 10-15 YEARS. MY CAR WOULDN'T START SATURDAY MORNING 12/16/18 IN MY GARAGE, I HAD JUST DRIVEN IT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND PARKED IN IT MY GARAGE ABOUT 8PM. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE VW DEALERSHIP THAT HAS BEEN SERVICING MY VEHICLE.. THEY CALLED ME ON 12/20/18 AND TOLD ME MY TIMING CHAIN FAILED AND THAT MY ENGINE HAD CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE AND I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE WHICH WOULD BE $9500. (?) REALLY I THEN PROCEEDED TO CALL VOLKSWAGEN MAIN HEADQUARTERS. THE GENTLEMAN TOOK ALL OF MY INFORMATION DOWN, ASKED ME WHAT I THINK SHOULD HAPPEN AND I TOLD HIM I WANTED HELP WITH REPAIRING THE ENGINE. I PAID A LARGE PRICE FOR THIS 'QUALITY VEHICLE', HAD IT SERVICED FAITHFULLY AS INSTRUCTED BY VW AND WAS NEVER INFORMED ABOUT A RECAL ON THIS FAULTY TENSION CHAIN FAILURE AND WAS NEVER INFORMED TO HAVE MY TIMING CHAIN REPLACED AT 60,000 MILES. IT'S ONLY 6 YEARS OLD FOR GOD'S SAKE. HE PUT ME ON HOLD, CAME BACK AND TOLD TELL ME HE WAS SO SORRY THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO BECAUSE OF THE MILEAGE OF 138,000. (HIGHWAY MILES)

NHTSA ID

11179900

Incident

Dec 16, 2018

Mileage

133,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING MY TIGUAN WHEN IT STALLED OUT AT THE END OF THE STREET. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN AND IT STARTED JUST FINE. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR UP THE STREET WHEN IT STARTED JERKING, SPUTTERING, AND LURCHING, LIKE IT DID NOT WANT TO GO FORWARD. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT THIS TIME. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ABOUT 1000 FEET TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. WE STARTED THE CAR AGAIN THIS MORNING, AND IT DID THE SAME THING: LURCHING, JERKING, AND SPUTTERING. IT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ABOUT 500 FEET. AGAIN, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON.

NHTSA ID

11152342

Incident

Nov 17, 2018

Mileage

47,000 mi

MY VEHICLE LOST POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. LATER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MY TIMING CHAIN HAS "BROKEN TIME" AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED

NHTSA ID

11130330

Incident

Sep 14, 2018

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED PER AN UNKNOWN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER BY IMPORT SERVICE CENTER (122 SUNSET LN, CLEVELAND, TN 37312, (423) 478-5766), BUT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,657.

NHTSA ID

11120193

Incident

Aug 14, 2018

Mileage

94,657 mi

TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED (COMMON ISSUE WITH VW TSI ENGINE) AND CAUSED AN INTERFERENCE WHICH RESULTED IN A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ENGINE DURING A REGULAR ENGINE START-UP. THIS ISSUE HAPPENED AT ABOUT 115,000 MILES AND RESULTED IN AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AND WAS WORKING PROPERLY EARLIER IN THE DAY. THE CAR WAS UP TO DATE WITH ALL RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE/ SERVICE TASKS. UPON SEARCHING THE WEB, IT WAS NOTED THIS WAS A COMMON ISSUE TO A POINT THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL SITES THAT OFFER "KITS" TO REPAIR THE ENGINE (JUST SEARCH "TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER ISSUE + VW TSI" ON GOOGLE). ONE EXAMPLE OF SUCH SITE IS THIS ONE: HTTPS://WWW.SHOPDAP.COM/BLOG/2-0T-VW-AND-AUDI-TSI-TIMING-CHAIN-TENSIONER-PROBLEMS.HTML THIS FAILURE RESULTED IN A REPAIR JOB OF OVER USD 5000 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE ON A RELATIVELY NEW CAR THAT SUPPOSEDLY HAS A TIMING CHAIN SYSTEM THAT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE ENGINE. THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE TO VW AS THEY HAVE UPDATED THE TENSSIONER DESIGN. I WISH VW WOULD HAVE ISSUED A TSB/ RECALL TO UPDATE THE TENSIONER TO THE LASTED DESIGN AND PREVENT SUCH FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

11104184

Incident

Dec 24, 2017

Mileage

115,000 mi

TIMING TENSIONER CHAIN BLEW AND SHREDDED OUR ENGINE AT 65,000 MILES. METAL PIECES WERE FOUND IN THE OIL PAN. THIS HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THE CAR FAILED TO START - THANKFULLY NOT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. VW SERVICE TRIED TO INSINUATE THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE CHANGED THE OIL OFTEN ENOUGH, WHICH IS LOW CONSIDERING WE HAVE ALL RECORDS SHOWING WE CHANGED THE OIL EXACTLY WHEN PRESCRIBED BY VW, AS THE SERVICE GUY LATER ADMITTED. THE REAL ISSUE IS THE TENSIONER CHAIN IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FAILURE. THIS IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS (I.E. IF THE ENGINE FAILED WHILE ON A HIGHWAY WITH YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE BACK) BUT EXPENSIVE, AND IT IS INFURIATING THAT VW DID NOT RECOMMEND A SIMPLE REPLACEMENT WHEN THEY BECAME AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11072183

Incident

Feb 6, 2018

Mileage

65,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING AND THE CAR BEGAN TO STALL AND VIBRATE. I HAD TO PULL OVER AND TOOK THE CAR IN AND THE REPORTED THAT THE IGNITION COIL WAS BAD.

NHTSA ID

11061244

Incident

Jan 7, 2018

Mileage

62,000 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND TRIGGERED CODE REFLECTING MISFIRES. DEALERSHIP CHECKED OUT AND IT IS A CARBON BUILDUP ON INTAKE VALVES. I AM TOLD THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH DIRECT INJECTION SYTEMS ESPECIALLY ON VOLKSWAGENS, BMWS, AUDIS. THE SUGGESTED FIX IS TO HAVE A SHOP OR DEALER REMOVE MANIFOLD AND USE A MEDIA BLAST OF WALNUT SHELLS TO REMOVE THE CARBON. THIS WILL ONLY LAST UNTIL THE BUILDUP COMES BACK. THIS SUV HAS APPROX 62,000 MILES ON IT. THE COST OF GETTING THE VALVES CLEANED RANGES ANYWHERE FROM $400 TO 1200. THIS PROBLEM IS AN INHERENT ISSUE WITH DESIGN AND THERE IS NOTHING A CONSUMEER CAN DO TO PREVENT IT. AS ONE REPAIR SHOP SAID, IT IS INEVITABLE AND ALL DIRECT INJECTION ENGINES WILL SUFFER THIS PROBLEM. I AM APPALLED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE AND WHEN THE DEALER SAYS IT IS A MAINTENANCE TYPE ITEM IT REALLY MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. PROPER MAINTENANCE SHOULD NEVER INCLUDE WALNUT BLASTING OF CARBON DEPOSITS ON VALVES!!! MANUFACTURERS NEED TO STEP UP AND ADMIT THEIR MISTAKES AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DESIGN FLAWS. IF I HAD BEEN TOLD WHEN PURCHASING THE CAR THAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO THE MEDIA BLASTING AT 60K, I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THE PURCHASE.

NHTSA ID

11023540

Incident

Sep 1, 2017

Mileage

62,000 mi

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, INDICATING CODE P0341. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE SHOP AND THEY REPLACED THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OFF. TWO DRIVES LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS BACK ON, AND WHILE DRIVING THE EPC LIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY LIGHT WHEN A NASTY RATTLE BECAME AUDIBLE. THIS TYPICALLY HAPPENED UPON ACCELERATION, NEAR 2K RPM. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT OVER 30 MPH SINCE THIS ISSUE STARTED, ONLY ACCELERATING VERY GINGERLY. I TOOK THE CAR BACK INTO THE MECHANIC, AT WHICH POINT THEY INFORMED ME THE CAM CHAIN TENSIONER AND GUIDES HAD FAILED OR WERE IN THE PROCESS OF FAILING. THEY INFORMED ME THAT REPAIRING THE TIMING CHAIN COMPONENTS WOULD COST $4000, BUT THAT THE ENGINE IS ALSO BURNING OIL. THEY RECOMMENDED A TOTAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR $5400. I PURCHASED THE TIGUAN USED FROM LARSON VW IN TACOMA, WA NOVEMBER 2015 (JUST UNDER 2 YEARS AGO) WITH 59000 MILES ON IT. IT CURRENTLY HAS ~89000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11020732

Incident

Aug 26, 2017

Mileage

89,000 mi

TIMING CHAIN FAILED AND RESULTED IN ENGINE FAILURE AT 80,000 MILES. VOLKSWAGEN REFUSES TO HELP ME. I'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR SINCE I PURCHASED IT. I SEE THERE ARE MANY VW OWNERS WITH THIS VERY SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11015024

Incident

Aug 9, 2017

Mileage

80,000 mi