NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 96 owner complaints for the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan.
2Safety recalls
96Owner complaints
4Complaints citing a crash
2Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags and latches, locks and linkages. Most-reported area: air bags (37 complaints, 39%). Includes the 2018 Tiguan Limited, the previous generation sold alongside the new Tiguan.
2 safety recalls for the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Tiguan and CC vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Risk: Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016 CC vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016, to February 3, 2016, Golf R and Tiguan vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016, and e-Golf vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to January 11, 2016. Vibrations, such as those created by opening and closing a vehicle door, may cause the rear child door locks to disengage, allowing a child to open a rear door while inside the vehicle.
Risk: If an unrestrained child unexpectedly opens a door, they may fall from the vehicle increasing their risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the child lock(s), free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 58C9.
NHTSA listing: TIGUAN. Volkswagen campaign 58C9.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 96 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Tiguan. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Air bags37 · 39%
Most named: frontal, driver clockspring/spiral cassette (6)
Electrical system27 · 28%
Steering12 · 12%
Engine10 · 10%
Body structure6 · 6%
Most named: body (6)
Fuel and propulsion system4 · 4%
Brakes3 · 3%
Unknown or other23 · 24%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Volkswagen Tiguan recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Tiguan drew the most (179) and the 2016 drew 13.
Owner complaints
2016: 96 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model year
Complaints
2016
96
2017
75
2018
289
2019
191
2020
140
2021
141
2022
269
2023
66
2024
68
2025
48
2026
30
Safety recalls
2016: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Volkswagen Tiguan
Model year
Recalls
2016
2
2017
4
2018
14
2019
5
2020
3
2021
5
2022
5
2023
1
2024
2
2025
3
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV AWD
Rollover risk 18.5%
Volkswagen Tiguan SUV FWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Tiguan problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: air bags (37), electrical system (27), steering (12). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Tiguan has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Volkswagen dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: TIGUAN.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.