2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Steering Problems

26 complaints about Steering

26
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Deaths

High Severity Issue

This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.

This Problem Across All Years

All Steering Complaints (26)

Oct 29, 2024

Steering of the vehicle, gets stiff and looses the ability to drive smoothly, this happened after driving the car a couple of minutes, this put other people at risk because it happens when you start the vehicle and makes the steering hard to steer, also when the steering light goes off the steering wheel feels very loose. it appeared on my dashboard about 2 months ago and took it to the shop and the mechanic told me that he couldnt find anything on it. re calibrate the steering and got the car back but the problem still continues, upon investigating this a very common problem among VW's and to fix it, it cost thousands of dollars

Jul 14, 2023

A few days prior to this incident, I noticed a crunching noise as I would turn the steering wheel every now and then. As I was turning right to pull into my driveway, I heard the clock spring crunch and finally give up. Airbag light on. Airbag error when I start the car. Steering wheel buttons and horn unresponsive.

Jun 20, 2023

The power steering won’t kick in and has left me stranded several times. This happens all the time and is a safety issue for sure.

Aug 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving approximately at 70 MPH, the power steering failed. The contact had to use arm strength to pull the vehicle safely off the road. The contact stated she noticed a red warning light illuminated on the left side of the instrument panel. The contact was able to return the power steering function after waiting for about 20 minutes with the engine off. The contact stated that the power steering failure had also occurred at street speeds of approximately 30 MPH. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed that the failure was due to the vehicle battery and replaced the battery. The contact stated that the failure occurred again. The vehicle was not returned to the dealer and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Mileage: 130,000

May 23, 2022

While driving on the freeway the red power steering warning light along with a loud warning signal came on and I could not steer the car anymore. The whole steering system broke down without prior warning or accident. Talking to Volkswagen the customer service told me while regrettable things like that could happen but I think this is a serious safety hazard that could have cost lives.

May 1, 2022

The clock-spring in our VW Tiguan broke/snapped disabling the electronics on the steering wheel - including the vehicles horn and airbag which are both safety features. There are numerous other people having a similar experience on Twitter. We are being told by VW that the vehicle is still safe to drive which is frankly, insulting. The VW dealership/Indigo Auto Group in San Rafael, CA has verified this as an issue and there is a clock-spring shortage with no ETA on resolution.

Sep 8, 2020

VOLKSWAGEN-TIGUAN, 2013 - CLOCK SPRING IS OUT. BY THE LOOK OF THE THE COMPLAINTS, THIS A COMMON PROBLEM. COST - $650 FOR REPLACEMENT - BUT, REPLACING CAN CAUSE A FURTHER PROBLEM ACCORDING TO LOCAL VK DEALER, WHERE THE WHOLE STEER ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WILL HAVE ISSUES WHICH WILL LEAD TO ANOTHER $1500. DONT HAVE A CHOICE THAN TO FIX. A COST VK SHOULD BE PAYING FOR ON RECALL. OH WAIT MINE WAS NOT IN THE RECALL..PREVIOUSLY ALLOWED. OTHERS CONTINUE TO HAVE ISSUES.

Jul 12, 2020

I PARKED TO GO SHOPPING AND WHEN I GOT BACK AND TURNED ON THE CAR, THE STEERING WARMING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE POWER-STEERING WAS DISENGAGED. I WAS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE IT AS THE WHEEL WAS TOO HEAVY. THE STEERING CORRECTED AFTER WAITING FOR AN HOUR TO START THE CAR. MY WIFE HAD THE SAME ISSUE THE NEXT DAY AFTER DROPPING OFF OUR DAUGHTER AT SCHOOL AND HAD TO WAIT 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. WE TOOK THE CAR THE HONOLULU VW THE NEXT MORNING ON 7/7/2020, AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND AN ERROR ON THE CAR DIAGNOSTIC AND THEREFORE COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, THEY SAID TO BRING IT BACK WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN. THEY RECOMMENDED WE HAVE THE STEERING RACK REPLACED FOR ROUGHLY 3K. WE CALLED VW CUSTOMER CARE ON JULY 9,2020 AND ASKED FOR HELP AND LET THEM KNOW THAT WE WERE CONSIDERING LEGAL ADVISE AS WE HAVE FOUND ROUGHLY 30 OTHER CAR OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM, WITH THIS MAKE, MODE AND YEAR WITH ROUGHLY THE SAME MILEAGE, AND THIS SEEMED TO BE A FACTORY FLAW (A VERY DANGEROUS ONE), THEY SAID WE SHOULD HAVE LEGAL REPRESENTATION REACH OUT TO THEM.

Mileage: 75,000

Jun 26, 2020

I WAS DRIVING MY VOLKSWAGEN 2013 TIGUAN DOWN I-95 WITH MY TODDLER DAUGHTER N THE CAR WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE STEERING WHEEL JERKED VERY HARD ALMOST CRASHING US INTO ANOTHER CAR. WHEN I PULLED OVER TO SAFETY THE STEERING WHEEL LIGHT WAS ON THE DASH LIGHTING UP ALONG WITH A LIGHT THAT SAYS EPC. I DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE SO I CALLED A TOW TO COME PICK US UP. ABOUT A FEW WEEKS LATER I WAS TOLD MY VOLKSWAGEN THAT THEY DID NOT SEE THE PROBLEM AFTER COMING THERE MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVING TO PAY THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE EACH TIME THAT THERE WAS NO ISSUE BECAUSE THE LIGHT WILL GO ON AND OFF. I TOLD IT TO ANOTHER SHOP WHERE I PAID 1,200 TO REPLACE THE WHOLE STEERING WHEEL. AFTER THAT WAS FIXED ANOTHER PROBLEM JUST POPS UP OUT OF THE BLUE WHICH IS THE AIRBAG LIGHT. MY HORN NO LONGER IS WORKING NOR IS MY CRUISE CONTROL WHICH IS DANGEROUS. SO I CAN NO LONGER DRIVE THIS CAR WITH MY CHILDREN INSIDE BECAUSE I DO NOT FEEL SAFE. *TR

Mileage: 100,000

Mar 3, 2020

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING IS UNRESPONSIVE/INOPERABLE WITH CORRESPONDING CHIME AND A RED STEERING WHEEL WARNING IS ILLUMINATED ON DASHBOARD. SECONDS TO MINUTES LATER THE POWER STEERING WILL BECOME RESPONSIVE AND RED STEERING WHEEL INDICATION IS CLEARED OR AT TIMES A YELLOW STEERING WHEEL WILL REMAIN. AFTER REGAINING POWER STEERING THERE IS A SUDDEN 'JERK' AND IT IS EXTREMELY LOOSE AT ALL SPEEDS. THIS IS REMEDIED WITH EITHER RECYCLING POWER MULTIPLE TIMES OR PERIODICALLY WHEN AN UNSPECIFIED AMOUNT OF TIME PASSES . THIS DISCREPANCY HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE IS PARKED AND HAS BEEN CONTINUED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. IT IS SUSPECTED TO STEERING ASSIST CONTROL MODULE OR RACK AND PINION.

Mileage: 75,000

Nov 25, 2019

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE DOWN A MAJOR LOCAL ROADWAY (APPROX 40 MILES PER HOUR), THE STEERING RACK FAILED DISABLING THE VEHICLES ABILITY TO STEER. THIS FAILURE HAPPENED WITH NO WARNING, AND THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE STEERED AGAIN UNTIL IT WAS SHUT OFF. DUE TO THE ELECTRONIC STEERING SYSTEM (VERSUS A STANDARD STEERING PUMP) THE VEHICLE STEERING SYSTEM LOCKED ENTIRELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALER, WHO CONFIRMED A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE STEERING RACK.

Mileage: 45,000

Oct 9, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. WHILE DRIVING, THE CONTACT HEARD A CRUNCHING SOUND COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. IN ADDITION, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND ALL THE CONTROL BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE CONTACT CALLED MOSSY VOLKSWAGEN AT (760) 745-7551 (LOCATED AT 1695 AUTO PARK WAY S, ESCONDIDO, CA 92029) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V483000 (AIR BAGS) REGARDING THE CLOCKSPRING. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO CITY VOLKSWAGEN (LOCATED AT 2205 MORENA BLVD, SAN DIEGO, CA 92110, (833) 207-1264), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED DUE TO THE COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

Mileage: 73,000

Sep 25, 2018

ALL BUTTON OF STEERING WHEEL IS DEAD, AIRBAG INDICATOR IS ON ALL THE TIME, HORN IS DEAD, CENTER FRONT UPPER LEFT SWITCH OF DIM LIGHT IS OUT OF ORDER. IT DID NOT START AT ONCE. ABOVE PHENOMENA OCCURRED ONE BY ONE. IT SEEMS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH CLOCK SPRING WHICH VW HAD RECALL IN 2015.

Mileage: 37,320

Aug 2, 2018

CLOCKSPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN HAS FAILED CAUSING AIR BAG LIGHT TO COME ON AND ON ONE INSTANCE THE BLINKERS DID NOT WORK. A MINOR CRACKING FIRST WAS HEARD IN VEHICLE DURING TURNING. EVENTUALLY A TURN WAS MADE AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND NO CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL WORKED.

Mileage: 57,000

May 14, 2018

THE CLOCK SPRING (DIAGNOSED BY PUGI VOLKSWAGEN IN DOWNERS GROVE, IL HAS MALFUNCTIONED IN THIS VEHICLE. SO ALL THE AIRBAGS AND ALL STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS DO NOT WORK IN THIS VEHICLE, SO IF I'M ABOUT TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT, I CANNOT USE MY HORN, NOR WILL MY AIRBAG DEPLOY. THERE IS AN ACTIVE RECALL FOR THIS PART IN OTHER VEHICLES IN THE SAME MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR OF THIS VEHICLE, BUT FOR SOME REASON MY VIN IS NOT FALLING INTO THAT RANGE? THIS IS RIDICULOUS, THE RECALL ON THIS PART IS RECALL # 69L2, NHTSA # 15V483. THERE WAS AN NHTSA INVESTIGATION IN NOVEMBER 2017 STATING THAT THIS MAY NOT HAVE COVERED A WIDE ENOUGH RANGE OF VEHICLES COVERED UNDER THE RECALL (HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/INV/2017/INOA-RQ17009-5206.PDF) & (HTTPS://WWW.FORBES.COM/SITES/JENSEN/2017/11/17/FEDS-INVESTIGATE-VOLKSWAGENS-RELUCTANT-RECALL/#6D0848D53B77). SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!

Mar 27, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL MAKING AN ABNORMAL NOISE, THEN THE HORN FAILED, THE STEERING WHEEL FUNCTION BUTTONS FAILED AND THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXCLUDED FROM ANY RECALLS. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

Mar 14, 2018

CLOCK SPRING ISSUE. MY 2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN CLOCK SPRING HAS FAILED AND MY AIRBAG/STEERING COMPONENTS NO LONGER FUNCTION. VOLKSWAGEN IS CLAIMING MY CAR IS NOT AFFECTED ALTHOUGH MY MODEL MAKE AND YEAR FALLS WITHIN THOSE FAILING. MY CLOCK SPRING PART NUMBER ALSO MATCHES THOSE THAT ARE FAILING. I WAS DRIVING WHEN THE AIRBAG NO LONGER WORKED. THERE WAS NO THREAT OR DANGER. HOWEVER I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING AIRBAG.

Mileage: 52,000

Jan 2, 2018

VEHICLE'S CLOCK SPRING WAS FOUND TO BE DYSFUNCTIONAL AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. MY STEERING WHEEL STARTED MAKING A CLICKING NOISE AND THEN AN AIRBAG ERROR CAME UP. I WAS AFRAID IT WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A WRECK, OR DEPLOY FOR NO REASON DRIVING DOWN THE STREET. DOING SOME RESEARCH IT APPEARS THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE THAT INCLUDES MY YEAR AND MODEL - BUT VOLKSWAGEN IS SAYING IT'S NOT INCLUDED BASED ON MY VIN. I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED SINCE THE CLOCK SPRING IS MALFUNCTIONING IN A 3.5 YEAR OLD CAR.

Mileage: 100,000

Dec 29, 2017

MY AIRBAG LIGHT COME UP AND MY HORN IS NOT WORKING.

Mileage: 13,000

Nov 7, 2017

AIR BAG LIGHT ON DASHBOARD IS LIT UP. AT FIRST STEERING WHEEL FELT HARDER TO TURN LEFT AND RIGHT AND THEN IT SOUNDED LIKE A SPRING WAS MOVING BACK AND FORTH ON PLASTIC. I WAS PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY WHEN THIS OCCURRED TURNING LEFT.

Mileage: 51,000

Jun 27, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED PER AN UNKNOWN RECALL. AFTERWARDS, WHILE DRIVING, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD CLICKING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL. IN ADDITION, THE HORN FAILED TO SOUND AND THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEITH BMW (5609 CAPITAL BLVD, RALEIGH NC 27616 (844) 261-4301) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLOCK SPRING WAS FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE RECALL WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED AND THAT THE CONTACT WAS OVER THE WARRANTY MILEAGE. NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000.

Mileage: 46,000

Jun 20, 2017

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND VIBRATED. AS THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A TURN, THE STEERING LOST POWER AND THE STEERING WHEEL AND AIR BAG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (PALMETTO 57 VOLKSWAGEN IN OPA LOCKA, FLORIDA) WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V483000 (AIR BAGS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 62,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

Mileage: 62,000

Mar 20, 2017

MY STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO MAKE A CLICKING NOISE WHEN I TURNED THE WHEEL IN EITHER DIRECTION. SHORTLY AFTER THAT HAPPENED, I TURNED INTO A PARKING SPOT AND I FELT A SLIGHT TENSION AT THE WHEEL AND THEN A POP AND MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. WE TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WERE NOTIFIED THAT THE AIR BACK CLOCK SPRING HAD FAILED AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. WHEN I SEARCHED THE NHTSA SITE, I FOUND THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR 2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN'S FOR THIS SPECIFIC ITEM BUT THAT MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT ONE OF THE VEHICLES LISTED IN THE RECALL. SO NOW I'M FACING AN $800.00 REPAIR BILL FOR AN ITEM THAT'S ALREADY BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR A RECALL, BUT MY VIN NUMBER DOES NOT MATCH.

Mileage: 70,000

Jan 8, 2016 Crash

WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE IT WILL GET UP TO 40 SPEED AND NOT ABOVE AND STALL OUT TO 0 MPH. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE AND STALL FOR DURATION OF TIME, THEN IT WILL DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED UNDER 10-20MPH. AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, I MADE IT KNOWN TO THE BRANDON VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP, FIDELITY BANK AND VOLKSWAGEN AMERICA. I HAD TWO WARRANTIES AND THE PROBLEM WERE TOLD ME IN 2012 AND 2013, BY BRANDON VOLKSWAGEN THE PROBLEM WERE RESOLVED. IN JULY 2015 THROUGH AUGUST 2015 THE BRANDON VOLKSWAGEN INFORMED THAT A PART DOES NOT EXISTED TO CORRECT MY PROBLEMS FOR SEVERAL RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NON-OPERABLE ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY 301HWY.

Nov 6, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THERE WAS A CLICKING SOUND THAT CAME FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. ALL OF THE CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED TO WORK, INCLUDING THE HORN, AND THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND POWERED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V483000 (AIR BAGS), HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

Mileage: 65,000

Mar 20, 2014

I PURCHASED A 2012 VW TIGUAN AND STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE AT ABOUT 15,000 MILES WHEN THE FUEL PUMP AND MODULATOR WENT BAD.. AFTER THAT I WENT THROUGH 2 OR 3 MORE FUEL PUMPS ON THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED. UNSATISFIED WITH THE CARS PERFORMANCE I VOICED MY OPINION TO THE DEALERSHIP; ASKING TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THEY CONTACTED VW WHO AGREED TO PLACE ME IN A 2013 MODEL AND GAVE ABOUT $4500 TOWARDS MY COSTS OF THE UPDATED MODEL; WHICH I STILL LOST CONSIDERABLE MONEY ON BECAUSE OF A VERY LOW TRADE IN VALUE; BUT I WANTED A SAFE VEHICLE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. NOW I HAD THE 2013 FOR OVER A YEAR AND 21,000 MILES ROLES ON AND MY FUEL PUMP WENT OUT ON THIS CAR. IT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN INTO TRAFFIC AND THE CAR DIED ALMOST CAUSING MY FAMILY AND I TO HAVE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND MODULE ONCE AGAIN. I CONTACTED VW AND EXPLAINED MY WIFE AND I ARE SCARED THIS PROBLEM WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN AND HAVE FOUND MULTIPLE SOURCES INCLUDING THE DEALER STATING THIS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO OCCUR AND I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY WHILE DRIVING. I ALSO HAVE BEEN VERY PATIENT WITH THEM REGARDING THE MULTIPLE INCONVENIENCES THIS HAS BEEN FOR ME WITH MULTIPLE VEHICLES. THEY REFUSED TO HELP ME AND JUST CONTINUE WITH THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY. I ASKED FOR CONSIDERATION TO PLEASE BE TAKEN OUT OF THIS VEHICLE AND THEY OUT RIGHT REFUSED TO HEAR ME. NOW I HAVE A CAR THAT I OWE MONEY ON, CANNOT AFFORD TO TRADE IN, WITH A KNOWN MECHANICAL PROBLEM. MY WIFE IS SCARED TO DRIVE IN THE CAR AND WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO TRAVEL WITH MY KIDS. VW WAS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE AND NOT THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. THE REP WOULD NOT INTERJECT HIS OWN FEELINGS HOWEVER HE DID SAY GIVEN MY VW EXPERIENCE HE DOES NOT BLAME ME FOR WANTING OUT OF THE CAR; BUT VW WOULD NOT HELP. ALL I ASKED FOR WAS A VEHICLE THAT WILL PROVIDE SAFETY FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. *TR

Mileage: 21,000