2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Powertrain & Transmission Problems

After replacing cylinder head, rack and pinion and steering assist I went to dealer just after warranty passed they told me that the oil separator and auxiliary/ secondary water pump. Car continues to have issues. Mainly with engine. Car could break down when driving with no oil getting to engine

My Volkswagen Tiguan suddenly and without warning blew a large amount of smoke out of the exhaust along with oil while driving at highway speeds - causing the cars behind me to lose visibility and possibly be covered with oil further reducing their visibility due to the VW manufacturers faulty crankcase breather/pcv valve. After this happened the car dash lit up with warnings and went into "limp mode" where I was not able to exceed 2500 rpm which is very dangerous when on the highway - luckily for my safety at this point I was on a side road. When I checked the engine I found no oil was left in it, it had been sprayed all underneath and up the back, which reduced visibility in the window. I was responsible for towing it to the dealer and was given no loaner despite being under warranty. Leaving myself and children without a vehicle. The dealer confirmed that my VW Tiguan had a faulty crankcase breather which caused over pressurization and pushed up the valve seals and cracked the oil pan. They only replaced those things and not the fouled spark plugs or oil filter from the crankcase breather failure which can cause more engine damage and dirty emissions.

The car vibrates excessively when in drive or reverse and the brake is being held. Vibrations stop if car is put in neutral. Car also hesitates when driving. And is a major safety issue when driving. The vibration is also in my opinion a safety concern because it’s causing excessive wear and tear on other parts of the car. The dealership acknowledged that there’s excessive play or wear in the dogbone mount but refused to replace it because I was told that part should be bad because there’s less then 30k miles in the car. But I am still having the same problem with the vehicle and have had it in the dealership service department where they will keep the vehicle for a few days and then tell me they can’t find anything. The most recent visit to the dealership they never even test drove the vehicle and I even had the service rep Sit in the loaner and then sit in my vehicle to feel the difference between the two which is extremely obvious and he refuses to acknowledge it.

My vehicle has been consuming oil at a rate of approximately 1 quart every 1,500 miles. The VW dealership I took my vehicle into reported that VW considers this “normal”. After arguing that any vehicle that will burn its entire oil reservoir between oil changes is not normal, they agreed to perform an oil consumption test which is currently underway.

The car stalls and lags out when accelerating and appears to slip gears (daily). The dealership stated this is normal for the car to do, but it’s very scary and nearly caused me to be rear ended. The car turns off at a stop light (unexpected ) and has to be restarted. I am experiencing jerking and sputtering of the vehicle when at a complete stop. First the car indicates the start/stop function is deactivated, then the car produces a message stating the engine speed max is 2500 rpm. Then the EPC light comes on and/or the check engine light. I initially took my car in to the dealership for maintenance (standard) in October. I have since returned 2 more times due to the same issue. Upon starting the car tokay, the car started jerking and this time the check engine light came on and continued to blink. The car started rattling loudly and I turned off the engine for about 10 minutes, called the dealership and they advised me to pay to have it towed if the issue persists. This will be the 4th time in 2 months. Each time the diagnostic stated the issue caused by “sensors” and the warranty allowed this to be fixed at no cost. I am also expecting unexpected blackouts of the infotainment system which prevent me from using the rearview camera for when in reverse.

The PVC valve failed on my two-year-old Volkswagen Tiguan at 60,000 miles. As a result, the upper timing gasket was blown, the oil pan went bad, along with several other issues relating to gaskets, seals and sensors, causing an oil leak. This problem was confirmed by my local Volkswagen dealership, and is costing me over $2,000 out-of-pocket. The check engine light was extremely inconsistent - coming on and then going off for days at a time. This is a safety concern. Unfortunately, through research, I have found that many other Tiguan owners are experiencing the same problems, but it does not seem Volkswagen is willing to issue a recall.

An issue occurs intermittently when accelerating from a stop/at low speeds. When pressing the gas pedal, there is approximately a 3-4 second delay before the engine kicks in. Theres is no acceleration during those 3-4 seconds and suddenly, the engine will jolt you forward. This presents a safety issue when pulling out on to a street and this vehicle will not move forward. There have been 2 instances where I have almost gotten hit/involved with road rage due to this issue.

Crankshaft vent valve clogged and failed, causing overpressurization and oil leaks. Caused the oil pan to crack and upper timing cover to leak per the inspection at Volkswagen. I was driving, going 63mph when it said max engine speed 3000RPM and a light that said EPC started flashing along with the engine light. I turned off cruise control and began to go towards the shoulder and it shuddered and a large white plumb of smoke came out of it. It wouldn't speed up at all while I was getting over. I had it towed to my home. My husband noticed oil all over the bottom and back of my car. My dipstick had no oil on it at all. We towed it Tuesday morning to Volkswagen.

The acceleration stalls and sometimes stops. Sometimes the Car has to be put in park and restarted. This stalling or lack of acceleration happens at stop signs, stop lights when I am accelerating and it does not want to go. Which when turning into on coming traffic is very scary if I am not able to get up and go. I feel very unsafe operating the vehicle when this occurs. The acceleration stalling happens intermittently and not just when the car is from a cold start. The dealership said they are aware of this issue and are hoping for an update to fix the problem. Meanwhile I have to deal with the uncertainty and feeling unsafe.

Ongoing issues with hesitation when accelerating from a stop. The car will feel like it has no power when pushing on the accelerator it may then jerk into gear and accelerate quickly or what feels like jerking in-between gears.

August 11,2023 went to dealer for oil change and Halodex fluid service at Napleton VW of Springfield, Missouri. Two hours later on drive from Springfield to Dallas, Texas outside Pryor, Oklahoma the following happened: In right hand lane on cruise at 72mph in 65mph, heard clunk in rear. Lost power and car began to slow down. Pulled over and Halodex fluid was spewing from under car. Car would not go into gear and move. Had vehicle towed to closest VW dealer Don Thornton of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Was determined rear differential failed. VW has not offered reason why a 2022 VW Tiguan SEL r-line premium with 49,000 miles approximately had a powertrain failure. In August of last year (12 months ago) we owned a 2017 VW Atlas SEL that had the same issue after an oil change and Halodex fluid service. A clunk was heard and grinding of gears. VW of Wichita, Kansas bought the car from us and put us in the 2022 Tiguan.

The first and most pressing issue is the throttle lag. From a dead stop (red light/stop sign) the car will not accelerate when the gas pedal is depressed. It lags for a few seconds before lurching forward. I fell like I'm a candidate to get rear-ended. Today, after driving through a heavy rain storm, the throttle lag caused the car to barely move. Like at all. Fortunately this happened as I was pulling into my driveway. The car simply just BARELY made it home. The second issue is the incessant warning lights and bells that go off because of a lane departure assist error. It will go off 30 times in row, and the not at all. It's really hit or miss. But when it happens its very distracting. The dealership says they're aware of the problem, and to fix it requires replacing the steering wheel. Which is on perpetual back order. I've discussed both issues with the dealer. They're aware of both issues. They said that there's nothing that can be done about the throttle lag issue as that's just how the transmission is tuned. And they're also aware of the electrical gremlin. Just waiting for the steering wheel to come in......

Purchased new; problems began early in ownership and have recurred despite multiple dealer visits. At ~75,995 miles in July 2025, the vehicle developed a significant engine oil leak. Multiple inspections have found the engine oil level low due to leaks from cracks, and the dealer also verified excessive crankcase pressure from a faulty PCV system that forced oil past sealing surfaces. Parts replaced included the PCV/separator, upper timing cover, a related pipe, and the oil filler funnel; DTCs were cleared and the vehicle was returned as “operating to specifications.” Despite these repairs, the vehicle has an ongoing pattern of engine problems, including warning lights and loss of power/limp mode while driving. This creates a safety risk due to sudden power reduction and the possibility of engine damage from oil starvation and continued leakage. I have repair records documenting the July 2025 diagnosis and parts replaced, prior visits showing repeat engine/drivability issues, and notes reflecting low oil observed on multiple inspections. Volkswagen denied assistance and directed me to BBB AUTO LINE; I am refiling with BBB and reporting this safety concern to NHTSA. No crash or fire; safety risk is loss of power and oil leakage while in operation.

Engine and transmission will bog down while driving, when restating the car 1 hour after a trip. In other words, many times after sitting for about an hour, when merging into traffic, the car will stop accelerating. If I pump the gas a couple of times the engine "catches" and off I go. Very dangerous when merging into traffic. No warning it's going to happen or not.

From a cold start even with warming up the car, I can only drive so many feet before the car begins to hesitate as I proceed. It is as if the transmission cannot respond to the petal. At 25k miles, it is persistently getting worse and will visibly hop as I proceed. Then the transmission will finally remember how to drive and it won’t do it again until it sits for awhile. I make a left turn from my road where the cars are going 55mph. It’s an accident waiting to happen. Furthermore, it is the same problem that Volkswagen has been having for the previous years. The dealership claims this is what they do. Also that it’s normal for my low oil light to come on in between oil changes!

When engine is cold, the transmission hesitates/stutters and then slams into gear. After a couple of minutes of driving, the issue stops. Turning the auto start/stop off does not have an impact on the hesitation/stuttering. This is a safety issue. Dealership claims they cannot replicate and no issues on computer diagnostics. Issue has been on going since it was purchased.

My 2022 VW Tiguan 2.0T has delayed acceleration, hesitation, and often bangs into gear at start up. This issue can easily cause an accident when merging into traffic due the lack of reliable acceleration. I have had the vehicle to the dealer and they have found no problem. However, when pressed about internet reports of such problems with the 8 speed transmission they do acknowledge they have heard similar reports. They note there are no repair solutions from VW.

The transmission has frequent but not consistent issues in shifting, mainly after a cold start and within the first few minutes of driving. However, starting the engine and letting it warm up before driving has not completely resolved the issue. The issue is when trying to accelerate onto a main roadway, the power will drop off for a few seconds then engage again, and drop off for a few seconds, before stabilizing and providing consistent power. Since it is random when it happens, you are pulling into traffic and this happens, you are at risk of being hit by oncoming traffic since you cannot accelerate as you planned. It can also cause you to overcompensate and push on the gas harder, and when it engages you are accelerating harder and faster than you planned. I have contacted two Volkswagen dealers and they have told me that it is a learned transmission and resetting it may help (but this problem has been an issue since purchasing the vehicle), another told me to give it more time to warm up but if there are no warning lights on the dash they will not be able to fix anything or cover under warranty. It has not been inspected by the dealer because they say there is nothing to inspect without a warning light.

Vehicle hesitates badly after a cold start, sometime several times before it goes away. I'm afraid I'll get hit pulling into traffic if not able to accelerate. No warning lamp, checked for fault codes, none stored. have tried several types of fuel as well as adding VW fuel treatment to resolve the issue. nothing has worked so far. The issue happens every time I start the car cold.

I have owned the vehicle since October 2022, currently ~4,400 miles. During second week of ownership, backup camera was blank upon startup and placing vehicle into reverse. A system reboot solved the issue, but several reboots have been required in subsequent months. Common that audio doesn't initiate (from any source) as well. Second issue - cold-engine acceleration is borderline dangerous as the vehicle can seem to bog down then lurch with sudden acceleration. After engine warms, this does not occur. Third issue - during straight-line driving, car sometimes changes gears for no apparent reason - sometimes not smoothly. Downshifting can skip gears far too often. Final issue - safety sensors (collision warning) have activated at least twice since owning (6 months) for no reason - looks like 'red space invader' in center of dash and loud chime comes on as well.