Independent · Not affiliated with NHTSA or any automaker MethodologyData sourcesData refreshed Oct 6, 2026

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan: Problems, Recalls and MPG

What this means

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan, most recently filed May 2021. Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. In NHTSA crash tests it earned 4 stars overall.

Data summary generated from official records. Methodology Data: NHTSA, DOT, EPA · Refreshed Oct 6, 2026
Compare

Recalls (4)

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗

Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.

Check on NHTSA ↗
Listed for 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 21V321000 Filed May 5, 2021

Modifications to Vehicles Made Them Noncompliant

Unknown or other
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Consequence
Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Remedy
Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
37% repairedof 46 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 21V321000
Listed for 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 18V329000 Filed May 16, 2018

Modifications to Vehicles Made them Noncompliant

Unknown or other
Official NHTSA text
Summary
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.
Remedy
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.
78.1% repairedof 252 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 18V329000
Listed for 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 18V102000 Filed Feb 9, 2018

Incorrect Driver Air Bag Installed/FMVSS 208

Air bags · frontal
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Tiguan Limited vehicles. The front driver air bag installed on these vehicles may not be intended for use in vehicles sold in the United States. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence
In the event of a crash, the incorrect air bags may not protect the driver as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel and front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began May 30, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69V2.
87.6% repairedof 3,768 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 18V102000
Listed for 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 16V955000 Filed Dec 29, 2016

Air Bags or Seat Belt Pretensioners may not Deploy

Air bags · frontal · driver side · inflator module
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.
Consequence
In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Remedy
Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
85.8% repairedof 5,947 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 16V955000

PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.

Owner complaints (75)

75 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The air bags is mentioned most often.

6involved a crash
0involved a fire
4injuries reported
1deaths reported

As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.

Most-reported components

Complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan, by component (top 10). One complaint can list several components, so these add up to more than 75.Source: NHTSA ODI owner complaints · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 · Report a data error

How 2017 compares with other Tiguan years

Best and worst Tiguan years →
2013201420152016201720182019202020212022
This year (2017)Other yearsStill collecting reports

Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Crash tests: 4 stars overall

Overall★★★★☆
Frontal crashDriver 4★ · Passenger 3★★★★☆☆
Side crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side pole★★★★☆
RolloverRollover risk 17.4%★★★★☆
Front seat of a modern car with the seat belt buckled across the passenger seat
Compare fairly. Compare stars only between vehicles of similar size and weight. Ratings apply to the tested configuration.

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan suv fwd, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Fuel economy: up to 22 mpg combined

22
mpg combined
20
city
24
highway
EPA annual fuel cost
$3,750
CO₂ tailpipe
412 g/mi
EPA class
Small Sport Utility Vehicle

What it costs you to run

$2,969per year
$247per month
682gallons a year

Miles ÷ 22 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.

EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.

Specs by configuration

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan configurations with EPA data
Engine · transmissionDriveCity / Hwy / CombEPA $/yrCO₂ g/mi
2 L 4-cyl · 6-speed automaticFront-Wheel Drive20 / 24 / 22$3,750412
2 L 4-cyl · 6-speed automaticAll-Wheel Drive20 / 23 / 21$3,900424

Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.

Used blue SUV on a sunny dealer lot with its hood open and a clipboard on the fender

Looking at a 2017 Tiguan for sale?

Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.

All Tiguan years

Where to next

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan FAQ

How many recalls does the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan have?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns: 21V321000 (unknown or other), 18V329000 (unknown or other), 18V102000 (air bag), 16V955000 (air bag). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.

What are the most common 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan problems?

Owners filed 75 complaints with NHTSA. Air bags (30), Engine (15), Electrical system (12) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.

What mpg does the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan get?

EPA rates the 2 L 4-cyl · 6-speed automatic version at 20 city, 24 highway and 22 combined mpg. Other configurations are listed in the fuel economy section.

What safety rating did the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan get?

NHTSA rated the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan suv fwd 4 stars overall, with 3 stars frontal, 5 stars side and 4 stars rollover (17.4% rollover risk).

How does the 2017 Tiguan compare with other years?

Among the 2013–2021 Volkswagen Tiguan model years at least five years old, the 2015 drew the fewest complaints (62) and the 2018 the most (284). The 2017 drew 75. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.

How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes

Processing

  • Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
  • Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.

Limitations

  • Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
  • Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
  • Recent model years are still collecting reports.

Review

Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.

Changelog

  • 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
Was this report useful?Report a data error
My Garage
Save this car and we'll flag new recall campaigns next time you visit.