2022 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Power Train Problems

Purchased new; problems began early in ownership and have recurred despite multiple dealer visits. At ~75,995 miles in July 2025, the vehicle developed a significant engine oil leak. Multiple inspections have found the engine oil level low due to leaks from cracks, and the dealer also verified excessive crankcase pressure from a faulty PCV system that forced oil past sealing surfaces. Parts replaced included the PCV/separator, upper timing cover, a related pipe, and the oil filler funnel; DTCs were cleared and the vehicle was returned as “operating to specifications.” Despite these repairs, the vehicle has an ongoing pattern of engine problems, including warning lights and loss of power/limp mode while driving. This creates a safety risk due to sudden power reduction and the possibility of engine damage from oil starvation and continued leakage. I have repair records documenting the July 2025 diagnosis and parts replaced, prior visits showing repeat engine/drivability issues, and notes reflecting low oil observed on multiple inspections. Volkswagen denied assistance and directed me to BBB AUTO LINE; I am refiling with BBB and reporting this safety concern to NHTSA. No crash or fire; safety risk is loss of power and oil leakage while in operation.

My Volkswagen Tiguan suddenly and without warning blew a large amount of smoke out of the exhaust along with oil while driving at highway speeds - causing the cars behind me to lose visibility and possibly be covered with oil further reducing their visibility due to the VW manufacturers faulty crankcase breather/pcv valve. After this happened the car dash lit up with warnings and went into "limp mode" where I was not able to exceed 2500 rpm which is very dangerous when on the highway - luckily for my safety at this point I was on a side road. When I checked the engine I found no oil was left in it, it had been sprayed all underneath and up the back, which reduced visibility in the window. I was responsible for towing it to the dealer and was given no loaner despite being under warranty. Leaving myself and children without a vehicle. The dealer confirmed that my VW Tiguan had a faulty crankcase breather which caused over pressurization and pushed up the valve seals and cracked the oil pan. They only replaced those things and not the fouled spark plugs or oil filter from the crankcase breather failure which can cause more engine damage and dirty emissions.

The car vibrates excessively when in drive or reverse and the brake is being held. Vibrations stop if car is put in neutral. Car also hesitates when driving. And is a major safety issue when driving. The vibration is also in my opinion a safety concern because it’s causing excessive wear and tear on other parts of the car. The dealership acknowledged that there’s excessive play or wear in the dogbone mount but refused to replace it because I was told that part should be bad because there’s less then 30k miles in the car. But I am still having the same problem with the vehicle and have had it in the dealership service department where they will keep the vehicle for a few days and then tell me they can’t find anything. The most recent visit to the dealership they never even test drove the vehicle and I even had the service rep Sit in the loaner and then sit in my vehicle to feel the difference between the two which is extremely obvious and he refuses to acknowledge it.

The car stalls and lags out when accelerating and appears to slip gears (daily). The dealership stated this is normal for the car to do, but it’s very scary and nearly caused me to be rear ended. The car turns off at a stop light (unexpected ) and has to be restarted. I am experiencing jerking and sputtering of the vehicle when at a complete stop. First the car indicates the start/stop function is deactivated, then the car produces a message stating the engine speed max is 2500 rpm. Then the EPC light comes on and/or the check engine light. I initially took my car in to the dealership for maintenance (standard) in October. I have since returned 2 more times due to the same issue. Upon starting the car tokay, the car started jerking and this time the check engine light came on and continued to blink. The car started rattling loudly and I turned off the engine for about 10 minutes, called the dealership and they advised me to pay to have it towed if the issue persists. This will be the 4th time in 2 months. Each time the diagnostic stated the issue caused by “sensors” and the warranty allowed this to be fixed at no cost. I am also expecting unexpected blackouts of the infotainment system which prevent me from using the rearview camera for when in reverse.

My vehicle has been consuming oil at a rate of approximately 1 quart every 1,500 miles. The VW dealership I took my vehicle into reported that VW considers this “normal”. After arguing that any vehicle that will burn its entire oil reservoir between oil changes is not normal, they agreed to perform an oil consumption test which is currently underway.

The PVC valve failed on my two-year-old Volkswagen Tiguan at 60,000 miles. As a result, the upper timing gasket was blown, the oil pan went bad, along with several other issues relating to gaskets, seals and sensors, causing an oil leak. This problem was confirmed by my local Volkswagen dealership, and is costing me over $2,000 out-of-pocket. The check engine light was extremely inconsistent - coming on and then going off for days at a time. This is a safety concern. Unfortunately, through research, I have found that many other Tiguan owners are experiencing the same problems, but it does not seem Volkswagen is willing to issue a recall.

An issue occurs intermittently when accelerating from a stop/at low speeds. When pressing the gas pedal, there is approximately a 3-4 second delay before the engine kicks in. Theres is no acceleration during those 3-4 seconds and suddenly, the engine will jolt you forward. This presents a safety issue when pulling out on to a street and this vehicle will not move forward. There have been 2 instances where I have almost gotten hit/involved with road rage due to this issue.

Crankshaft vent valve clogged and failed, causing overpressurization and oil leaks. Caused the oil pan to crack and upper timing cover to leak per the inspection at Volkswagen. I was driving, going 63mph when it said max engine speed 3000RPM and a light that said EPC started flashing along with the engine light. I turned off cruise control and began to go towards the shoulder and it shuddered and a large white plumb of smoke came out of it. It wouldn't speed up at all while I was getting over. I had it towed to my home. My husband noticed oil all over the bottom and back of my car. My dipstick had no oil on it at all. We towed it Tuesday morning to Volkswagen.

After a cold start, with the engine idling about 1100 rpm, the vehicle acceleration is spotty, lagging, hesitant, dangerous. There are no error codes that can be found and this condition is reported as normal. This condition is dangerous. If the engine is allowed to idle for 1-3 minutes until the rpm is reduced to 800-900 rpm, the vehicle accelerates as any other. The danger is that after starting the vehicle and driving, I have been in situations where, while leaving a parking lot or parking space, or my driveway, the vehicle hesitates while oncoming traffic is traveling normally and become irritated that they have to avoid a collision. Searching online, this appears to be a common issue with this family of vehicles. VW has an issue id or instance number 2072024/1 which suggests to check the ECM version and update as appropriate. Sadly, without either a diagnostic code in the computer(s) or a TSP associated with the VIN, I feel that I would waste my and a VW service dept's time.

The acceleration stalls and sometimes stops. Sometimes the Car has to be put in park and restarted. This stalling or lack of acceleration happens at stop signs, stop lights when I am accelerating and it does not want to go. Which when turning into on coming traffic is very scary if I am not able to get up and go. I feel very unsafe operating the vehicle when this occurs. The acceleration stalling happens intermittently and not just when the car is from a cold start. The dealership said they are aware of this issue and are hoping for an update to fix the problem. Meanwhile I have to deal with the uncertainty and feeling unsafe.

August 11,2023 went to dealer for oil change and Halodex fluid service at Napleton VW of Springfield, Missouri. Two hours later on drive from Springfield to Dallas, Texas outside Pryor, Oklahoma the following happened: In right hand lane on cruise at 72mph in 65mph, heard clunk in rear. Lost power and car began to slow down. Pulled over and Halodex fluid was spewing from under car. Car would not go into gear and move. Had vehicle towed to closest VW dealer Don Thornton of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Was determined rear differential failed. VW has not offered reason why a 2022 VW Tiguan SEL r-line premium with 49,000 miles approximately had a powertrain failure. In August of last year (12 months ago) we owned a 2017 VW Atlas SEL that had the same issue after an oil change and Halodex fluid service. A clunk was heard and grinding of gears. VW of Wichita, Kansas bought the car from us and put us in the 2022 Tiguan.

Ongoing issues with hesitation when accelerating from a stop. The car will feel like it has no power when pushing on the accelerator it may then jerk into gear and accelerate quickly or what feels like jerking in-between gears.

My VW hesitates when I step on the gas during first use. This condition will continue until the vehicle warms up. The hesitation will cause the vehicle to speed up very fast. It’s a safety risk when I enter traffic, either on a highway or on a local road. That’s because when I pullout in front of on coming traffic, the vehicle will not get up to speed in a timely matter and then it will speed up very quickly. It will hesitate and jerk back and forth. I’ve learn now that I can not pull out into traffic until I don’t see any oncoming traffic. The dealership is unable to repair because they are awaiting on a software update that VW is working on for the vehicle because I’m not the only one with the problem. No warning lamps or messages. It always happens when the vehicle is first started after sitting for several hours. It first appears a few months after I purchased the vehicle.

When letting off the gas and then step on the gas again the transmission “slips” as if it does but know what gear it should be in. I have mentioned this to the dealership since shortly after I bought the car. I have messaged VW directly about this issue. The dealership told me it cannot be fixed unless there is a “code”. A brand new car should not drive like this. How do I get this fixed before it fails and ceases the engine.

The first and most pressing issue is the throttle lag. From a dead stop (red light/stop sign) the car will not accelerate when the gas pedal is depressed. It lags for a few seconds before lurching forward. I fell like I'm a candidate to get rear-ended. Today, after driving through a heavy rain storm, the throttle lag caused the car to barely move. Like at all. Fortunately this happened as I was pulling into my driveway. The car simply just BARELY made it home. The second issue is the incessant warning lights and bells that go off because of a lane departure assist error. It will go off 30 times in row, and the not at all. It's really hit or miss. But when it happens its very distracting. The dealership says they're aware of the problem, and to fix it requires replacing the steering wheel. Which is on perpetual back order. I've discussed both issues with the dealer. They're aware of both issues. They said that there's nothing that can be done about the throttle lag issue as that's just how the transmission is tuned. And they're also aware of the electrical gremlin. Just waiting for the steering wheel to come in......

The engine has a hesitation at take off. It happens every morning and throughout the day. At a stop light it will hesitate on take off also when leaving a stop sign. Safety is out at risk as the vehicle will hesitate when trying to turn when on coming traffic is approaching. The issue was reproduced bye VW of Ft Myers Florida here is the conversation Me Did they notice a hesitation in the morning when they drive it. I don't think it's a transmission issue more if a fuel issue. VW the tech did check the car the last two mornings and its not that they dont notice the what your talking about , its that it seems normal for this vehicle. there was no faults in the system showing there is anything malfunctioning and they are not getting anything for bad fuel ..these cars are pretty sensitive about triggering a light when something is wrong. we cant find anything at this time The dealer says it’s a known issue and I just have to live with it The vehicle has been inspected bye dealer. The issue appeared rite after purchase and was brought to the dealer 3 weeks later.

After starting the car, upon first acceleration, the car hesitates badly and has the tendency to lunge forward. It feels like it may stall. When I say cold, I mean when the engine has cooled down. This does not have to do with outside temperature. It happens when it's warm outside as well and the engine has cooled down. This issue has been present since taking ownership in Dec 2022. This poses a serious injury risk to pedestrians as I can not anticipate my acceleration even with light pressure on the gas. In addition, it poses a risk to my car, myself, surrounding vehicles and motorists. Please look into this issue. I've done some research and found other VW Tiguan owners who are experiencing the same hesitation and were told by the dealer as well that they can't fix the problem.

Engine and transmission will bog down while driving, when restating the car 1 hour after a trip. In other words, many times after sitting for about an hour, when merging into traffic, the car will stop accelerating. If I pump the gas a couple of times the engine "catches" and off I go. Very dangerous when merging into traffic. No warning it's going to happen or not.

“The car stumbles when cold, it will not accelerate. It does this for the first mile or two. Then it is OK. This has been happening for several months. The dealer says they hooked it up to their computer and can find no faults. It is very scary when trying to pull out into traffic or make a left turn into another street.” “After a cold start the car stutters and jerks on start up. The engine rattles and It kangaroos on acceleration while the revs fluctuate between 1000 – 1500 rpm but the car drives as if it were in limp mode causing it not to accelerate. This is a huge safety issue when you are trying to pull out onto a main street which causes others to break to avoid an accident. I’ve taken it into three different Volkswagen dealerships a total of 8 times but due to the car not having a dashboard light on or an error code they immediately told me the car was fine and there’s nothing they can do being they can’t replicate the issue.” “Vehicle regularly, stutters or hesitates strongly upon cold start. Throttle response under light to moderate acceleration results in hesitation or bucking. Situation starts to disappear after warm up. Always after sitting for extended periods of time or upon first started the day.” “When I leave somewhere it will stall very noticeably when giving it gas, to the point it won’t accelerate and feels like it’s not getting fuel for a second or two. It typically does it once and then drives normally. This happens almost daily and has done this since the car was bought new a few months ago. I have experienced this when pulling into traffic and the car not accelerating to get me up to a safe speed. It has not been inspected by a dealer at this time but several other owners of 2022 Tiguans are reporting the same issue. No warning lights are on or come on when the vehicle does this”

From a cold start even with warming up the car, I can only drive so many feet before the car begins to hesitate as I proceed. It is as if the transmission cannot respond to the petal. At 25k miles, it is persistently getting worse and will visibly hop as I proceed. Then the transmission will finally remember how to drive and it won’t do it again until it sits for awhile. I make a left turn from my road where the cars are going 55mph. It’s an accident waiting to happen. Furthermore, it is the same problem that Volkswagen has been having for the previous years. The dealership claims this is what they do. Also that it’s normal for my low oil light to come on in between oil changes!

When engine is cold, the transmission hesitates/stutters and then slams into gear. After a couple of minutes of driving, the issue stops. Turning the auto start/stop off does not have an impact on the hesitation/stuttering. This is a safety issue. Dealership claims they cannot replicate and no issues on computer diagnostics. Issue has been on going since it was purchased.

My 2022 VW Tiguan 2.0T has delayed acceleration, hesitation, and often bangs into gear at start up. This issue can easily cause an accident when merging into traffic due the lack of reliable acceleration. I have had the vehicle to the dealer and they have found no problem. However, when pressed about internet reports of such problems with the 8 speed transmission they do acknowledge they have heard similar reports. They note there are no repair solutions from VW.

The transmission has frequent but not consistent issues in shifting, mainly after a cold start and within the first few minutes of driving. However, starting the engine and letting it warm up before driving has not completely resolved the issue. The issue is when trying to accelerate onto a main roadway, the power will drop off for a few seconds then engage again, and drop off for a few seconds, before stabilizing and providing consistent power. Since it is random when it happens, you are pulling into traffic and this happens, you are at risk of being hit by oncoming traffic since you cannot accelerate as you planned. It can also cause you to overcompensate and push on the gas harder, and when it engages you are accelerating harder and faster than you planned. I have contacted two Volkswagen dealers and they have told me that it is a learned transmission and resetting it may help (but this problem has been an issue since purchasing the vehicle), another told me to give it more time to warm up but if there are no warning lights on the dash they will not be able to fix anything or cover under warranty. It has not been inspected by the dealer because they say there is nothing to inspect without a warning light.

Vehicle hesitates badly after a cold start, sometime several times before it goes away. I'm afraid I'll get hit pulling into traffic if not able to accelerate. No warning lamp, checked for fault codes, none stored. have tried several types of fuel as well as adding VW fuel treatment to resolve the issue. nothing has worked so far. The issue happens every time I start the car cold.

I have owned the vehicle since October 2022, currently ~4,400 miles. During second week of ownership, backup camera was blank upon startup and placing vehicle into reverse. A system reboot solved the issue, but several reboots have been required in subsequent months. Common that audio doesn't initiate (from any source) as well. Second issue - cold-engine acceleration is borderline dangerous as the vehicle can seem to bog down then lurch with sudden acceleration. After engine warms, this does not occur. Third issue - during straight-line driving, car sometimes changes gears for no apparent reason - sometimes not smoothly. Downshifting can skip gears far too often. Final issue - safety sensors (collision warning) have activated at least twice since owning (6 months) for no reason - looks like 'red space invader' in center of dash and loud chime comes on as well.

Tiguan hesitates/bogs down while accelerating when cold - particularly while turning. Also noticed non-responsive acceleration with a warm engine while turning left across traffic several times. Unnerving behavior -- as it doesn't happen with any predictable frequency.

The vehicle hesitates and then jerks forward when accelerating from a stop. This symptom is more apparent when the vehicle is cold before it has warmed up. The car is available for inspection if requested. It put my safety and the safety of others at risk because the acceleration is unpredictable. This danger is apparent when trying to slowly pull through a crowded parking lot and the car accelerates abruptly or when you’re pulling into traffic and the car hesitates in front of oncoming cars. The dealers service department has said they are unable to reproduce the symptoms or they say it is a normal trait for that car. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. There is no warning lamp or indicators of system failures for this issue. This issue first appeared approximately 500 miles into ownership.

1-Most importantly, while driving my vehicle on 4 separate occasions I am alerted of possible impact or close vehicle and the car hard brakes by itself on 2 of theses malfunctions I was almost rear ended. 2- I was sitting in my vehicle on a phone call in my buildings garage and my windshield just cracked out of nowhere. Nothing hit my vehicle and a crack just started rising from the bottom of the Left drivers side straight across the center of my windshield . 3- on several occasions while driving my radio/gps display just blacked out and I had to reset it in order to get it back on. 4- my front suspension sounds like is is going to fall out of the car when I hit the smallest of bumps, it almost sounds like it was installed and never tightened up. 5- when it rains or snows the sensors on the vehicle start bugging out and alerting me of multiple hazards when in fact there is nothing near me. This issue may be related to the earlier mentioned statement #1 This could be a scary thing for some people.

Since new (1/12/2022) the vehicle looses power when shifting between 1st and 2nd and/or 2nd and 3rd. This has been to the dealer several times and they always claim they can not duplicate the issue as it tends to be intermediate. I had to go to the dealer, drive the vehicle with the service manager and show him exactly what it does. I did that 3 weeks after the car was left with the dealer, this latest time, which it is currently still at the dealer for over a month now. Now they are telling me that this is how the transmission works and there is nothing they can do. This is dangerous! You don't know when it is going to happen and it doesn't matter if the car is warm or cold. You don't know, when pulling into traffic, if the vehicle is going to accelerate or not. Volkswagen claiming this is a normal function is a complete lie. They can't explain why it only happens randomly, but will just say it's "normal". It's unsafe and they need to do a nationwide recall and provide everyone who has an unsafe vehicle, a vehicle to drive until they are able to provide us with a vehicle that isn't dangerous to drive.

Acceleration and shifting at low speeds (below 25mph) is unpredictable. The car will hesitate and then lurch forward in an unpredictable way when reversing up a slope and when starting from a stop, particularly on a hill. The unpredictable nature of the issue, and the tendency of the vehicle to lag and then surge creates a significant safety concern. We took the car to the VW dealer we purchased it from for service. They confirmed there is a problem, and said they have received other complaints. They reset some settings, this did not correct the problem. Since then we have experienced a clunking noise sometimes when the car is shifting gears at low speeds.

Our new vehicle has intermittent acceleration hesitation issues since the day it was delivered to us at the end of August 2022. •We purchased the vehicle on 8/26/2022 •Went into Service at the Dealership on 10/5/2022 for “sluggish acceleration” issues (3-5 days) •Went back into Service on 10/31/2022 for “sluggish acceleration” issues (37 days) •Went back into Service for “sluggish acceleration” issues as of 12/20/2022 (21 days & counting) •Out of the 120 days of ownership, our new vehicle has been in Service for sluggish acceleration issues 53% of the time To date, the VW Dealership's Service Center has been unable to reproduce the sluggish acceleration issues; however, it definitely occurs when we drive it - and it is a safety concern.

Especially when the car is first started in the morning, the car will hesitate when pressing the gas pedal. It has happened when pulling into traffic, causing me to over accelarate to make up for the hesitation. Took to dealer and tech confirmed my observations but noted there are no error codes on the transmission.

Vehicle regularly, stutters or hesitates strongly upon cold start. Throttle response under light to moderate acceleration results in hesitation or bucking. Situation starts to disappear after warm up. Always after sitting for extended periods of time or upon first started the day.

When cold, after putting in drive, vehicle will feel like it stalls suddenly then "catches up" and very quickly accelerates. This only happens when the engine is cold and has been sitting for 6-8 hours or more. Concerned about pulling in to traffic especially in the mornings as I live on a busy road.

After a cold start the car stutters and jerks on start up. The engine rattles and It kangaroos on acceleration while the revs fluctuate between 1000 - 1500 rpm but the car drives as if it were in limp mode causing it not to accelerate. This is a huge safety issue when you are trying to pull out onto a main street which causes others to break to avoid an accident. I’ve taken it into three different Volkswagen dealerships a total of 8 times but due to the car not having a dashboard light on or an error code they immediately told me the car was fine and there’s nothing they can do being they can’t replicate the issue. The second issue is when I’m at a stop light or stop sign and upon releasing the brake pedal the car engine doesn’t kick back on and restart. It starts rolling backward and I’ve almost hit people. I get an error message on the dash telling me to manually restart the car. I have to put my foot on the brake put the car into park press the stop-start button to completely turn the car off and then re-press it to turn the engine back on all while sitting at a green light with a row of cars behind me honking. As of recently, the car doesn't have to be at a complete stop to suddenly shut off now it's happening while the car is moving and struggles to start back up.

Radio rarely has volume. Engine acceleration at breaking. Shifting erratic.

Sudden Acceleration Issue. Leaving a parking lot at low acceleration my 2022 VW Tiguan SEL R-line suddenly accelerated. I was able to stomp on the brake pedal to remedy the situation. This happened twice in a 12 hour period. I have not yet taken it to the dealer as this is a rare incident at this time. All seemed like normal operation at the time the issue happened.

My wife was driving our new 2022 VW Tiguan SEL. First incident was yesterday in which there was no audio from the car (radio, phone or otherwise). Second incident today, infotainment screen was blank (black) when put into reverse and no audio. After a little bit of driving the infotainment seemed to reset. During this drive, my wife reached a red light and came to a stop. When the light turned green and my wife attempted to accelerate, the acceleration was no longer working. There were several vehicles behind her that were stopped waiting for her to move. She had to turn the vehicle off and on again before it would work. At this point the infotainment and audio started working again too. I'm reporting this just as I received the information from my wife and will also report to VW. I have not had it inspected by the manufacturer or any other entity yet.