There are 4 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 4 of 4 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)Premature timing chain failure (at 70,000 miles). Regularly maintenanced. Confirmed by mechanic. Check engine light notified 2 months prior to failure.
THE ENGINE STARTED TO SHAKE AND WOULD ACT LIKE IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER , THEN IT BROKE DOWN ON US ON A ROAD TRIP , GOT IT TOWED AND FIXED BUT THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPEN AGAIN COUPLE MONTHS AFTER OF GETTING IT FIXED , AND NOW IT'S LEAKING OR SMELLING LIKE GASOLINE LEAKING INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR THROUGH THE AIR VENTS AND WHEN YOU LIFT THE HOOD. EACH TIME WE NOTICED THE PROBLEM WE WERE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BUT IMMEDIATELY STOPPED ONCE WE NOTICE THE SMELL OF GAS.
THESE ENGINES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CARBON BUILD-UP, WHICH MAKE THEM RUN EXTREMELY ROUGH, JERK, MISFIRE, AND OVERALL CANNOT GET UP TO SPEED WHEN COLD. THIS IS DANGEROUS, A WASTE SINCE MPG FALLS DRASTICALLY, AND COULD RESULT AN ACCIDENT. OVER NORMAL WEAR AT 70,000 MILES, MY TIGUAN NEEDED A MANUAL CARBON BUILD-UP REMOVAL FROM THE ENGINE CYLINDERS. THIS SERVICE COST OVER $1,200 FROM THE DEALER, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURE/ENGINEERING DEFECT! THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN ONLINE FROM OTHER VW OWNERS AND THE DEALERS, AS THE SERVICE ADVISERS KNOW RIGHT AWAY WHEN YOU DESCRIBE THE SYMPTOMS. PLEASE, HELP!
MISFIRE ON COLD STARTS. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.