2011 Volkswagen Tiguan: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan. The newest campaign is 15V483000. NHTSA received the report on 4 Aug 2015. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags / Frontal. NHTSA has 161 complaints on file for this model year. 4 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 15V483000, in the NHTSA record

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 replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 629,369 units in total.

15V483000Received 4 Aug 2015. 415,825 units.
Air Bags / Frontal
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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 powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag will prevent the air bag from deploying in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.
Report filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 69L2. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Jan 2016.
14V441000Received 21 Jul 2014. 151,389 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24AV/2W.
Report filed by Volkswagen of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 24AV/2W. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 19 Aug 2014.
13V569000Received 22 Nov 2013. 62,155 units.
Electrical System / Wiring / Fuses and Circuit Breakers
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tiguan vehicles manufactured July 2007 through June 2011. Due to a problem with the fuse for the exterior lights, the holder for the fuse that controls the vehicle's exterior lights circuit may melt.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the holder melts, there may be a partial loss of exterior lighting. Reduced vehicle illumination diminishes the vehicle's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuse, free of charge. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's recall number is 97Z9/2V.
Report filed by Volkswagen of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 97Z9/2V. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 3 Jan 2014.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

161 complaints, 241 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2011 Volkswagen Tiguan
All 2011 vehicles

2011 Volkswagen Tiguan: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2011 Tiguan	All 2011 vehicles	Tiguan, all years	Mentions
Engine	261.4	125.8	193	63
Electrical System	199.2	129	150.7	48
Exterior Lighting	161.8	31.7	34.5	39
Air Bags	124.5	111.2	89.3	30
Steering	58.1	104.2	53.1	14
Unknown or Other	49.8	63.9	106.2	12
Power Train	33.2	88.6	58.4	8
Fuel/Propulsion System	33.2	45.9	48.9	8
Vehicle Speed Control	16.6	39	26.4	4
Service Brakes	16.6	48.1	34.2	4

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 17.

Complaints that report a crash: 4
Complaints that report a fire: 2
Injuries in the complaints: 1
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 9 Sep 2026

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2013, with 35 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA18003	Engineering analysis	Air Bag Clockspring Failure	Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Clockspring/Spiral Cassette	18 Apr 2018	Open
RQ17009	Recall query	Air Bag Clockspring Failure	Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Clockspring/Spiral Cassette	13 Nov 2017	4 May 2018
PE15010	Preliminary evaluation	Air Bag Clockspring Failure	Air Bags / Frontal	24 Mar 2015	28 Sep 2015	15V483000
PE13036	Preliminary evaluation	Partial Loss of Exterior Lights	Electrical System	4 Nov 2013	28 Feb 2014	13V569000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2011 Volkswagen TiguanThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/tiguan/2011/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan?: 629,369 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Volkswagen Tiguan have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 39 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Tiguan, model years 2009 to 2026. 3 of them name the 2011 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan name most often?: Engine: 63 of 241 component mentions, or 261.4 per 1,000. For all 2011 vehicles the figure is 125.8 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan open?: 1 investigation has no closing date in the NHTSA file, of 4 that name this model year.