2009 Volkswagen Tiguan Steering Problems

Your power steering randomly stops working after cold weather, sometimes even while you're driving, with no warning. This has caused you to nearly collide with other vehicles multiple times. This is a known issue affecting other owners of this vehicle model.

Your power steering suddenly failed without warning when you were approaching your driveway—the red power steering warning light came on and your steering wheel locked up, making it impossible to turn the vehicle. You were fortunately driving slowly, but this could have caused a serious accident at highway speeds. The system didn't give you a yellow warning first; the red light appeared and the steering locked immediately. This will likely require diagnosis and repair of the power steering system, which may involve replacing the power steering pump, control module, or related electrical components.

Your steering wheel warning light comes on and your steering becomes hard to turn, which creates a safety concern while driving. This is happening intermittently and you're looking for information about what might cause this issue and whether there's a recall available.

Your airbag warning light turned on suddenly without any impact or accident. At the same time, your engine idle speed has been fluctuating abnormally between high and low RPMs. These issues appear to be related to an electrical problem in the steering system. Diagnosis would involve scanning the airbag and engine computer codes, and checking steering electrical connections.

THE TIMING CHAIN JUMPED THE SAFETY AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE AND STEERING. THE WIRING UNDER THE FRONT SEATS IS CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.

CAR WAS DRIVEN TO FROM FRIENDS HOUSE TO GRANDMOTHERS HOUSE AND SHUT CAR OFF AND WAS VISITING FAMILY FOR 1 HOUR TO 1 1/2 HOURS. THEN GOT IN CAR AND TRIED TO START VEHICLE AND THE TIMING JUMPED AND MADE A LOAD GRINDING NOISE AND WOULDN'T START. IT BENT THE VALVES IN THE ENGINE RAN INTO THE PISTONS. AN RUINED THE MOTOR. (111778 MILES) HAD TO HAVE A NEW MOTOR PUT IN COST $7801.54.

I HAVE A 09 TIGUAN. THE POWER STEERING FAILURE FIRST HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING FROM SEATTLE TO SPOKANE, WA. IT'S A 300-MILE, 5-HOUR DRIVE. I STOPPED ABOUT HALF WAY AT A REST STOP AND WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR AGAIN, THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING RAPIDLY BACK AND FORTH. THEN THE RED LIGHT OF POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE CAME ON. I RESTARTED THE CAR SEVERAL MORE TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. SO I HAD TO DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT POWER STEERING. FORTUNATELY THE ROAD IS PRETTY MUCH STRAIGHT FROM THAT POINT ON. JUST IMAGINE WHAT IF THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHEN THE CAR'S STILL RUNNING. WHEN I REACHED SPOKANE, IT WAS KINDS LATE. MY PLAN WAS TO GET THE CAR TO A DEALER FIRST THING NEXT DAY, BUT WHEN I STARTED THE CAR THE NEXT DAY, THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED AND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN DURING MY 5-DAY STAY IN SPOKANE. HOWEVER, WHEN I DROVE THE CAR BACK TO SEATTLE, THE SAME PROBLEM APPEARED AGAIN. I FINALLY TOOK THE CAR TO A VW DEALER. THEY TOLD ME THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM STORED IN STEERING RACK AND IN ORDER TO FIX THIS, THE WHOLE STEERING RACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE JOB WAS QUOTED ABOUT $1,900. ALSO THE DEALER THINKS VW NEEDS TO AT LEAST COVER PART OF THE FIX, SO THEY FILED THE PAPERWORK. BUT VW DENIED ANY KIND OF COVERAGE. I ENDED UP PAYING FOR EVERYTHING. AFTER SEARCHING ONLINE, I FOUND DOZENS OF OTHER TIGUAN OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. I'M NO CAR EXPERT, BUT THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE TIGUAN AND CAN EVEN BE A DESIGN FLAW FROM VW. VW NEEDS TO PUT THIS PROBLEM INTO ITS RECALL LIST ASAP! P.S. I FOUND A YOUTUBE VIDEO SHOWING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM OF THE POWER STEERING FAILURE. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=7DZ-1U8TWVC. . . .UPDATED 07-16-15 *BF UPDATED 9/21/2015*JS

ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FAILURE. STEERING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING AND SHARPLY TURNED RIGHT BEFORE RETURNING TO NORMAL AND ALL INDICATIONS OF FAILURE SUBSIDED. I HAVE HAD THREE INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING IN ONE YEARS WORTH OF TIME.

STEERING GOT VERY HEAVY AND THEN THE STEERING WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE STEERING IS AT ABOUT HALF POWER. HAVE NOT GONE TO VW YET. SEARCH THE WEB SHOWS ALOT OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THIS ISSUE. *TR

FIRST, THIS EXACT SAME SCENARIO ALSO HAPPENED IN OCTOBER 2010. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AND NOW THIS TIME, WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. BOTH OF US, EACH HAVE 30+ YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE AND NEITHER OF US HAVE EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN A CRASH OR EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF LOSS OF CONTROL IN A VEHICLE, EVER. BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE TURNING A CORNER AT APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 15 MPH IN APPROXIMATELY 1- 3 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. THE CAR SLID WITH TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKES, SMASHING INTO THE CURB, BREAKING THE AXLE, CONTROL ARM, STEERING KNUCKLE, ETC... THERE WAS NO CONTROL WHATSOVER. THIS WAS NOT ICE. THIS HAS NEVER EVER HAPPENED BEFORE WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE WE HAVE EVER DRIVEN. THE CAR DID NOT CORRECT ITSELF EVEN WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS RELEASED. WE BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFICIENCY IN THE ESP MONITORING SYSTEM. THE ESP SYSTEM TOTALLY FAILED WHILE TURNING. THE ESP SENSORS DID NOT DETECT THE SITUATION AND DID NOT REACT AT ALL INDEPENDENT OF THE DRIVER. THE ESP SYSTEM DID NOT USE THE VEHICLE'S BRAKING SYSTEM TO "STEER" THE VEHICLE BACK ON TRACK. THE ESP DID NOT INITIATE ANY BRAKING INTERVENTION AT ALL. IT WAS LIKE ALL SYSTEMS JUST TOTALLY MALFUNCTIONED. HORRIBLE. SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY HURT. I AM THANKFUL ANOTHER VEHICLE OR PERSON WAS IN THE AREA. *TR

SEVERAL RECURRENCES OF POWER STEERING ISSUES IN ADVERSE OR COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS. COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING, POWER STEERING FAILURE WARNING LIGHT. NOW I GET CONSTANT AND LOUD GRINDING NOISE DURING OPERATION OF ALL STEERING FUNCTIONS. *TR

I OWN A VW 2009 TIGUAN (THIS IS A SPLIT YEAR AND MINE IS THE OLDER VERSION PURCHASED IN 2008). ON 5/19/10 I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. II NOTICED IT WAS STEERING DIFFERENTLY A WEEK OR SO PRIOR TO THIS DATE. I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE IMAGINING THIS UNTIL ONE DAY WHEN I LEFT FROM WORK AND WAS ON MY WAY HOME THE CAR LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING ALTOGETHER (COMPLETE LOSS) FOR UNDER 2 SECONDS. I WAS LIKE OH MY GOD WHAT, AND THEN BEFORE I KNEW IT I WAS UNDER CONTROL AGAIN. THEN AGAIN THE NEXT DAY I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE STEERING BECAME VERY HARD TO STEER. ALMOST LIKE OLDER CARS WHO HAVE THE FLUID RUN OUT OF THEM (THIS CAR I WOULD FIND OUT HAS A STEERING HARNESS AND I BELIEVE NO FLUID). THE STEERING WHEEL ICON CAME ON MY DASH BOARD, IT WAS VERY HARD TO STEER. IT ENDED UP AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS CONSIDERED UNSAFE TO DRIVE, THEY LOANED ME A RENTAL AND THEY IMMEDIATELY FIGURED OUT THAT IT WAS THE STEERING HARNESS. THIS PART TOOK A LONG TIME TO COME IN, I RECEIVED THE CAR BACK ON 6/7/10. *TR

VW 2009 TIGUAN STEERING FAILED ON OCTOBER 3RD, LOCKED SOLID, WAS IN A PARKING LOT. VW TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE WIRING HARNESS. GOT THE CAR BACK OCTOBER OCTOBER 5TH. WIFE DROVE IT TO AZ THE NEXT DAY AND THE STEERING FROZE WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING IT. SHE MANAGED TO PULL OVER. *TR

1 OUT OF 5 TIMES I START MY 2009 TIGUAN (WITH 10,000 MILES ON IT), MY POWER STEERING WILL FAIL AND THE LIGHT WILL COME ON. TODAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT A BLOCK FROM MY HOUSE WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY POWER STEERING CUT OUT AND I HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME PULLING OFF THE ROAD TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART IT. ONCE I RESTART THE ENGINE, I HAVE NO PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO BE THE INITIAL START ONLY- IF I START IT TWICE I HAVE NO PROBLEMS. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN THE US AND NOW LIVE IN CANADA, SO MY WARRANTY IS NOT COVERED UNLESS I DRIVE IT TO THE US- SCARY THOUGHT CONSIDERING THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD! *TR