All kinds of trouble with my 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan

I have a vw tiguan with over 135,000 miles and nothing but trouble coolant problems, heater core replaced, small fan module replaced, sunroof leaking all four corners, shocks are loud, door handles falling off, check engine lights, flashing coolant senser and more. Can anyone please tell me if they have any problems with this car? That would be much appreciated. I have only had this car for less than 5 months and all this problems, lemon? Might the worst car ever made.

No, not a lemon. It’s a Volkswagen.

3 Likes

I doubt if anyone has all of these same problems and the possibility of anyone who does replying is slim. You bought a used vehicle that has more things wrong with it then most. You should either just take the loss and trade it for something else or be prepared to spend a lot of money to repair all these problems.

On the next used vehicle purchase pay a shop to look the vehicle over . That will not guarantee that you will not have problems but will put the odds in your favor.

1 Like

I would do the fewest things necessary to get the car salable, and ditch it. Then go online to learn which cars are most reliable, and have a thorough check of any used car you look at.

The only VW I would buy would be the ancient Bug. At least anybody can fix it.

2 Likes

EVERYone has problems with their 2010 Tiguans…

You should research cars before you buy them. Also, an inspection by YOUR mechanic, not the dealer’s, before you sign the purchase contract.

Sorry, but things look ugly ahead.

1 Like

10 year old used car, now you know why it was sold. Also it is a VW, known for a slew of problems and won’t improve with age.

1 Like

+1
VWs are among the less-reliable makes of cars when they are only 2 or 3 years old.
After 10 years, this is likely to become a money pit very soon.

You bought a well used car. Those problems you mention could be the result of prior neglect, abusive driving habits, bad roads, and so on. It is NOT a lemon. That only applies to new cars.

Engine coolant issues? Supposed to be changed every 40k miles. Was it done? Who knows.
Shock or strut problems after 11 years. Not rare at all and a lot depends upon environmental and road conditions.
Even door handle failure can be easily blamed on snow, ice, sticky door seals, or ham fisted yanking of the handle. Again, that is also who knows question.

The Tiguan in your year range was full of troubles. I would sell and try for something better. VW fixes all their issues in a generation and your 2010 was at beginning. Their vehicles end up being quite reliable.

VW makes reliable vehicles but tend to be later in a given generation.

1 Like

My guess is someone traded in this car, with all of the problems known, and you’ve bought it now.

It stinks, but it is what it is now.

Your only options are 1) fix all the issues, or 2) trade in the vehicle for something else.

Bear in mind that any car, even brand new, can have issues. If you get rid of this one for another used car, you could also be buying someone else’s problems.

Good luck.

1 Like

So true, I traded in a 2018 Tiguan bought new and only had 37,000 miles on it. As a formal long time VW owner, get used to frequent check engine lights and expensive repairs. I switched back to Honda.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Farfegnugen :joy:

135,000 miles is when you should expect things will start to go wrong, just because of age. Suspension, brakes, exhaust, cooling system, AC, and other systems can experience problems at this age. I had a 2005 Accord and did maintenance by the book. Still, I replaced hood struts and rear brake calipers by 185,000 miles. I traded it in on a new Accord because I had an air bag warning light that couldn’t be fixed by cleaning out the seat belt buckles. A source I read said that this warning could be the result of an open circuit even though the buckles were used. Even historically reliable brands experience age related issues.

Having worked for 2 multi-line VW dealers I don’t have quite the same amount of distaste for them as others may have. They have their faults but so does everything else. I can’t even count the number of people who have stood at the service counter complaining about their Honda/Nissan/Subaru and wondering why this, that, or the other has failed.

My oldest son bought a new 2015 VW Jetta about 5 years ago. Other than oil changes, a few filters, and a recent set of new tires that car has never needed to go back to the dealer yet for a single fault.

There’s also something a bit skewed in the thinking. If a transmission fails in a VW for instance the general impression might be “typical German junk”. If a transmission fails in a Honda, Nissan, or whatever then the general impression is often “Well, a few failures are to be expected. No big deal” although the person whose car is suffering that failure may not see it that way.

1 Like

Another vote for “do the absolute minimum to make this car salable and get rid of it”. If the vehicle is financed, and you don’t have the ability to pay off the loan or to pay for necessary repairs, then you may have to default on the debt, and be prepared to declare bankruptcy if you are sued by the lender.

VW’s spelling: " Fahrvergnügen " means “driving enjoyment” in English (from fahren, “to drive,” and Vergnügen, “enjoyment”). The term itself is not standard German but a neologism (compound noun) created especially for this advertising campaign.