Other engine problem on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan
When other engine problem gets reported
Owners of the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan report other engine problem at a median of 40,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 5,000 miles and a quarter after 105,000 miles, from 8 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 95,000 miles. It is the 3rd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 5,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 130,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 126,508 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
50% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,520 miles | 4,818 miles | 38,669 miles | 107,296 miles | 130,028 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $300–$4,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 13 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2019, at a median of 1,500 miles, and latest on the 2011 at 85,000 miles.
By volume the 2018 carries the most reports, with 56; the 2013 has 14. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
My first issue with a check engine light came on 1 month into my 3+ year lease with under 1,000 miles on the car. I was told it was fine to drive, as they couldn't fit me in for service with a loaner for 2 wks!! The light eventually went off in 2 days without an issue. However, it happened again at 5k miles. The check engine light came on and I proceeded to drive around the corner from my home. I stopped at a stop sign, accelerated slightly and the car died. The car had a check engine (yellow light on) and a red light. I had little to no control over the steering either. I pulled over, restarted the car and turned around. I proceeded at a rate of 5 to 10 miles per hour with my hazards lights on for the mile ride back to my house. I stopped at a 4 way stop sign and accelerated slightly and the car died again. I was almost hit by oncoming traffic. I was able to drive less than a mile to my home. The car had to be flat bedded as it would not shift into neutral. The car is at vw and I am awaiting more info...with no loaner. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen tiguan. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power. The contact restarted that vehicle and the vehicle functioned properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that they could not diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,600. *tr
Vehicle cut out, and engine died. Sometimes the epc light is illuminated, other times it is simply a loss of power and then engine cut off. Has happened multiple times. Often during acceleration into traffic. *tr
Also reported on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Steering column or shaft failure
Other electrical problem
Other fuel system problem
Other steering problem
Turbocharger or supercharger failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 14 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other engine problem happen on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan?
Across 8 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 40,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 5,000 miles and a quarter after 105,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other engine problem on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan?
14 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 1.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed