2009 Volkswagen Tiguan engine problems

The 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan has 90 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 36% of the year's total, and the first year with meaningful reports in this category.

Engine complaints

36%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Tiguan engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

08V235000EngineMay 28, 2008 · 6,579 units

Defect

VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 4,079 MY 2008 PASSAT AND 2,500 MY 2009 TIGUAN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.0T FSI ULEV II ENGINES. THESE VEHICLES HAVE AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) CONTAINING SOFTWARE THAT MAY NOT PROPERLY CONTROL ENGINE IDLE WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING TURNED ON. IN RARE CASES, THE ECM MAY UNEXPECTEDLY INCREASE ENGINE RPM.

Consequence

AN ENGINE SURGE CAUSED BY AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE IN ENGINE RPM MAY SURPRISE THE VEHICLE OPERATOR AND CAN RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND UPDATE THE ECM SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 30, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-893-5298.

What owners report

“I WENT TO TAKE MY CHILD TO GYMNASTICS IN THE MORNING. WHEN I TURNED ON TO THE STREET THAT THE GYM IS OFF OF, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. LESS THEN 10TH OF A MILE LATER I PARKED. WE WERE EARLY SO I CALLED THE LOCAL VW DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT AND GET IN A LITTLE…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · March 31, 2012 · fire

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan have?

NHTSA has 90 complaints about the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan engine — 36% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan engine?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the engine: 08V235000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.