2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
24–27 mpgcombined; city 21–24, highway 28–31; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$12,030–$13,530U.S. average; Ohio $10,750–$12,090 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Recall campaigns
1over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
69filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2023 Tiguan. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 69 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Tiguan. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine24000
Electrical system12000
Unknown or other12000
Forward collision avoidance9101
Power train8000
Fuel/propulsion system6000
Service brakes4101
Vehicle speed control4000
Back over prevention3000
Visibility/wiper3000
Air bags2101
Engine and engine cooling1000
10 more parts
Equipment1000
Fuel system, gasoline1000
Insert, padding1000
Lane departure1000
Other/i am not sure1000
Seat belts1000
Suspension1000
Tires1000
Visibility1000
Wheels1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2009168
  2. 2010110
  3. 2011162
  4. 2012153
  5. 2013139
  6. 201484
  7. 201562
  8. 201696
  9. 201776
  10. 2018292
  11. 2019193
  12. 2020141
  13. 2021143
  14. 2022272
  15. 202369
  16. 202474
  17. 202552
  18. 202635

Every Tiguan year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2023 Tiguan over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Back over prevention: software

NHTSA campaign 25V082000 · reported Feb 12, 2025 · 29,569 vehicles potentially affected

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tiguan, 2023 Arteon, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3 vehicles. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners April 3, 2024, and Volkswagen owners November 18, 2025.Volkswagen owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91NY and (Audi) 90AV.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 355 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2023 Tiguan, the latest on Sep 17, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: unknown or other (97), electrical system (76), engine and engine cooling (68), equipment (46), engine (43).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2023 Tiguan.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2023 Volkswagen Tiguans for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Tiguan
Front-Wheel Drive		2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Regular Gasoline23 / 30 / 26
Tiguan 4motion
All-Wheel Drive		2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Regular Gasoline22 / 29 / 25
Tiguan R-Line 4motion
All-Wheel Drive		2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Regular Gasoline21 / 28 / 24
Tiguan S
Front-Wheel Drive		2.0 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Regular Gasoline24 / 31 / 27

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data