Diagsheet

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan · symptom sheet

Engine stalls or loses power while driving

  • 34owner reports
  • 7,400median miles
  • 1involved a crash

Newest report Sep 2, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

148 of the 282 complaints on this car are about the engine. 34 of those describe stalling, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2018 Tiguan.

Tick what matches of 34 reports

10
5
20
9
2

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the throttle body (3 reports).

Recalls and investigations

2 recalls on the engine cover the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

18V-824Nov 26, 2018
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."

Risk and remedy
Risk: If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.
18V-159Mar 8, 2018
Engine

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles. The engine support bolts on these vehicles may not have been properly tightened.

Risk and remedy
Risk: If the engine support bolts were not properly tightened, an unexpected engine breakdown or loss of engine power may occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace engine support bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10F7.

NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Tiguan

PE13-036opened Nov 4, 2013
Electrical · model years 2009 to 2011

Partial loss of exterior lights. Closed feb 28, 2014, led to recall 13V-569.

NHTSA summary
Volkswagen Group of America (VW) is conducting a safety recall of approximately 62,155 model year (MY) 2009-2011 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles to address a partial loss of the exterior lighting (see NHTSA recall 13V-569 for more information).These vehicles' exterior lighting system is protected by two separate fuses contained in a fuse box located in the engine compartment.According to VW, high thermal cycling and soft-coated fuse coating material used at the F16 (also referred to as SB16) location causes movement between the fuse blade and socket, resulting in abrasions on the fuse coating material.This increases resistance and results in overheating of the fuse and disruption of electrical current flow to roughly half of the vehicle's exterior lighting circuits. Examples include loss of one of each of the following: low beam headlight, high beam headlight, brake light, and turn signal light involving the front and rear of the vehicle.VW has stated that the subject F16 fuse in the Tiguan model was used in several other Volkswagen models.According to VW, the temperature of the vehicle's engine and the fuse box varies by vehicle model.ODI found that the complaint and warranty rates for the MY 2009-2010 Tiguan are more than four times greater than that of MY 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta sedans.ODI is aware of VW's plan to take a service action of some, but not all, of the other vehicle models.The action will cover MY 2009-2010 Jetta sedan and MY 2009 GTI vehicles.ODI will monitor co

None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 2,000 and 15,000 miles, from the 20 reports that gave a mileage.

1018
819
420
221
422
224
325
126

What owners wrote

“Sporadic lack of acceleration when coming from a stop. When depressing Excelerator car sometimes stalls to accelerate. I feel that when this issue occurs it makes my car unsafe to drive.”

Filed Jun 16, 2022

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 1 of 34 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.