2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Recalls, Complaints & Specs
3 safety recalls list the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan, and owners have filed 153 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
3 safety recalls for the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
-
Unknown or other
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…
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…
-
Air bags: frontal
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag…
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires…
-
Fuel system, gasoline
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Tiguan vehicles manufactured July 2007 to June 2014. When using winterized fuel, in certain conditions bubbles may form in the fuel system which could result in the vehicle stalling.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software to increase the fuel pump pressure, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 19, 2014. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer…
153 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan have filed 153 complaints with NHTSA; 10 describe a crash. Reports cite 6 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 55,591 miles. Complaints peaked in 2018 with 25 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“A couple of weeks now my steering wheel has been locking while I’m driving, sadly I thought it was because I needed to get my car serviced. This morning my steering wheel locked out of nowhere as I wa”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 27, 2026 · Steering
“Steering wheel gets locked up while driving; power steering fails. The red steering light turns on. This is a problem that happens to several Tiguans. There were no prior symptoms prior to failure. Th”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, November 2, 2025 · Steering
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan (Tiguan 4motion). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 21–24 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 18–22 / 26 |
| Fuel | Premium |
| EPA class | Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD |
| Engine | 4 cyl, 2 L |
| Transmission | Automatic (S6); Manual 6-spd |
Compare Volkswagen Tiguan model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Volkswagen Tiguan model year in NHTSA's database.
Checking a specific 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan
How do I know if my 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 3 campaigns currently list the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Volkswagen dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 14V441000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Volkswagen models
- Jetta10,000 complaints
- Passat7,705 complaints
- Beetle2,596 complaints
- Atlas1,999 complaints
- Golf1,439 complaints
- GTI1,405 complaints
- ID.41,007 complaints
- Cc983 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.