- Safety
- 4
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 4
- on record
- MPG
- 23
- combined
Open recalls on record
4 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2015 Volkswagen Tiguan
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 62
- Complaints citing a crash
- 1
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
4 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
4 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 18V329000high
Miscellaneous issue
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 comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Consequence
If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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 Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
- 19V535000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE
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.
Consequence
Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 15V311000high
Incorrect or missing label
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 22, 2015, to March 20, 2015. These vehicles may be equipped with Certification labels that are missing the required tire pressure information and they may state incorrect weight and loading information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification."
Consequence
If the labels have incorrect weight and loading information, the operator may overload the vehicle which could cause vehicle instability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will correct the information on the certification label, free of charge. The recall began on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01A5.
- 16V045000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan vehicles manufactured January 15, 2015, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 Audi Q5 vehicles manufactured January 13, 2015, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with driver and front seat passenger seat-mounted air bag inflators that may rupture in the event of a crash.
Consequence
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of a seat-mounted air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began July 7, 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-822-2834 or Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69M1 (for Audi) and 69L9 (for VW).
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 4 / 5
- Passenger
- 3 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 4 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 18.5%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan 4 out of 5 stars overall, below the 5-star median for the 5 comparable 2015 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 18.5% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
21
City
26
Hwy
23
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $3,300
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 393 g/mi
How this compares
At 23 MPG combined, the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan ranks 4th of 5 small SUVs (2WD) EPA rated for 2015 — 3 MPG short of the 26 MPG median for that group.
That places it among the thirstiest vehicles in its class. If annual mileage is high, the running-cost gap against a class-average rival compounds quickly.
EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $3,300, $950 more than the $2,350 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $16,500, a $4,750 difference against a class-median vehicle.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 393 grams per mile — about 5.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
62 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 62
- Total
- 1
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 4
- Injuries
Most reported components
- AIR BAGS28
- ENGINE8
- OTHER6
- BRAKES6
- ELECTRICAL6
Notable Issues
62 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 4 reports involve injuries. 1 report involves a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan, newest first.
- Recall
Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
- Recall
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of a seat-mounted air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Recall
If the labels have incorrect weight and loading information, the operator may overload the vehicle which could cause vehicle instability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
- Drive type
- Front-Wheel Drive
- Engine
- 2L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Automatic (S6)
- Seats
- 0
Fuel economy
21
City
26
Hwy
23
Comb
- Annual cost
- $3,300
- Fuel
- Premium Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
Deactivated air bags increases the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
- Recall
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of a seat-mounted air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Recall
If the labels have incorrect weight and loading information, the operator may overload the vehicle which could cause vehicle instability, increasing the risk of a crash.


