2024 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Unknown Or Other Problems

During normal operation on a public road, the 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan suddenly began emitting smoke from the front of the vehicle. This occurred without any warning lights, messages, unusual smells, or symptoms beforehand. Within moments, flames became visible from under the hood. The occupants, including a child and an elderly family member, immediately exited the vehicle. The fire spread rapidly and resulted in a total loss. The fire department arrived and extinguished the flames, and both fire and police reports were created documenting the incident. The vehicle was nearly new, with approximately 7,000 miles on it, no mechanical issues, and no prior maintenance warnings. Nothing unusual occurred during the drive, and the vehicle had been used under normal, paved-road conditions. On November 5, 2025, Volkswagen conducted an inspection at the IAA facility in Puyallup, WA. Volkswagen later denied liability, stating that burned and unburned vegetation was found in the engine compartment and suggesting that external organic material may have caused the fire. This explanation appears unreasonable, as vegetation in the engine bay does not normally ignite spontaneously in a modern vehicle operating under standard conditions. The vehicle is currently with State Farm at the IAA facility in Puyallup, WA, and is available for further inspection by NHTSA if needed. This incident posed a serious safety risk to the occupants and to other motorists, and may reflect a potential safety defect requiring further investigation

On 9/14/2025 my 2024 VW Tiguan failed to unlock while my two-year old daughter was inside. My keys were in my front passenger seat. The unlock/locking mechanism on the doors on the outside of the car did not work and my trunk would not open. My child was trapped in the vehicle for about 20 to 30 minutes in hot conditions until emergency help arrived. After inspection, Volkswagen stated there was “nothing wrong” with the vehicle; however, a locking system that prevents occupants from exiting or others from entering in an emergency presents a clear safety defect and risk of injury or death. My child was distressed and overheated but was evaluated at the hospital and is okay. Emergency help was needed to get the door open. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan (purchased used) has a recurring and unsafe issue related to acceleration and the automatic start/stop feature. When accelerating from a stop or while maintaining slight pressure on the gas pedal, the vehicle lurches forward as if aggressively accelerating, even though my foot pressure has not changed. Additionally, when the start/stop feature re-engages after idling, the vehicle sometimes lunges forward despite my foot being firmly on the brake pedal. This behavior has occurred multiple times, creating near-miss situations that could have resulted in accidents. Service History: The issue was replicated by one Volkswagen technician during an overnight test drive but was not accurately reflected in the official service notes. A different technician (shop foreman) later claimed the concern could not be replicated and dismissed it as a “normal vehicle characteristic,” despite my report. The dealership performed a factory reset but the problem persists. Safety Concern: This is a serious safety risk that poses a danger to myself, my passengers, and others on the road. I am especially concerned because my teenage daughter is about to begin driving this vehicle, and I do not feel it is safe for her. Manufacturer Response: Volkswagen of America has declined my buyback request, stating that the situation “does not merit an offer.” I strongly disagree, as the vehicle’s behavior is not normal or acceptable, and could result in unintended acceleration accidents. Request: I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether this issue is a defect in the 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan and whether other vehicles may be experiencing the same unsafe condition.

The rear camera has been inoperable since June 2025. VW have not issued a fix. This is a safety issue.

APPLE CARPLAY AND ANDROID AUTO DISCONNECTS AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS WHILE DRIVING. IT IS DUE TO WIFI TURNING OFF AUTOMATICALLY. AND VEHICLE IS BEEN TO DEALERSHIP 3 times. BUT NO RESOLUTION. WIFI TURNS OFF ITSELF AND CARPLAY OR NAVIGATION IS INTERRUPTED. EVERY-TIME THIS HAPPENS AND CAR NEEDS TO BE PULL OVER AND HARD RESET THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM TO GET THE WIFI BACK ONLINE. IT STARTED JUST AFTER TWO MONTHS OF PURCHASE.

My Tiguan has a feature called Auto Unlock. All four doors & the back lift gate are automatically unlocked when the car is put into park or the ignition is turned off. Anytime I pull into a parking lot, park on the street or even pull over to look at my phone the car unlocks. When I am concentrating on driving and parking safely I should not have to worry that all the doors are unlocked This option makes me feels unsafe driving my car - anybody can access any door & get in to the car &/or grab something from the car. How can this be considered a safety feature? It makes me feel so unsafe - I should not feel any trepidation when driving my car. In this era of car hijackings & theft - this is a feature that should be optional. I should be able to turn it off. I have researched how to disable this feature & it is not possible. Please let me know if the NHTSA can help me, & countless others who have this option on their cars, to feel safe when driving my car. I look forward to hearing a response. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I am a passenger of a Volkswagen Tiguan and the owner ran into a store to pick something up and the vehicle shuts off, even when the keys are present in 80 degree weather. While it shouldn’t happen, what would happen if there were children present and an absent minded parent didn’t realize that the car would shut down and cook and kill their children?

The rear view camera only works half of the time and gives and error the camera is not available at this time. There was a recall but the VIN on this car was not included The transmissions revs high before shifting at times and at time when not pressing the gas, coasting downhill No check engine or warning lights come on Both issues have been recurring over the last couple of months

When you need the navigation the screen will go black or keep buffering. Radio will not stay connected to my phone. Phone calls are very slow.

Driver side door randomly opens while driving! Then when the car detects the door is open it puts itself in park while driving no matter what speed you are going. Ive had this car for 2 months it has less than 1000 miles. Once home I finally inspected the latch area on the car side and the door and both areas were extremely hot. This is very much a safety issue!

Since purchase, this vehicle has an SOS error that disables the SOS emergency assistance and communication functions. It has been back to the dealer twice and they are unable to repair. The manager has told be that VW is aware but there is no fix at this time. I suspect this disables crash detection and emergency functions as well.

The car has built in NAV. It loses location. I was traveling in traffic in an unknown area. Nav started prompting to turn where there is no road. Looked at the screen, I was nowhere near the location showing. It was randomly moving to different locations. The dealer said it was a known issue and they have no fix. They are waiting for an update but no ETA on it. They have been saying this for years by my research. No warning lamps or errors show up. It poses a safety concern as it can tell you to turn down streets that are incorrect in traffic which is dangerous.