Steering column or shaft failure on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan
When steering column or shaft failure gets reported
Owners of the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan report steering column or shaft failure at a median of 50,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 45,000 miles and a quarter after 55,000 miles, from 24 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 85,000 miles. It is the 2nd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 35,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 100,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 62,680 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.
4% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37,320 miles | 44,000 miles | 51,000 miles | 55,000 miles | 100,000 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 $600–$2,500 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.
This mode is classified as critical, which means a failure can leave the car unable to stop, steer, or stay out of the way of traffic. It is weighted accordingly in the risk score.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 8 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2017, at a median of 30,000 miles, and latest on the 2012 at 80,000 miles.
By volume the 2014 carries the most reports, with 35; the 2013 has 32. 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.
While making a normal-radius left-hand turn into a parking spot, the steering wheel made a soft popping sound. Immediately, the airbag indicator illuminated, along with a message indicating that the driver airbag was not functional. Further inspection found that the driver airbag, driver steering wheel controls, and horn were non-functional. The vw dealership indicated that steering wheel clock spring had torn, and was therefore replaced. A recall (15v483000) was issued in aug 2015 for vw tiguan 2013s, but this VIN was not included in the recall. When contacting vw's customer service team, they indicated that this VIN was intentionally not included in the recall, however evidence indicates otherwise. This VIN, and likely others with the same trim, should be included in a new recall for the same, as the problem extends beyond the vins in the original recall, 15v483000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen tiguan. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated without warning. The dealer diagnosed that the air bag clock spring failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer did not have the parts available. Due to the safety concern, the contact left the vehicle at the dealer. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v483000 (air bags). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure on april 4, 2017. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall and that they would submit a request for the vehicle; however, they could not guarantee a recall and that the vehicle would be serviced. The failure mileage was approximately 37,200.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 volkswagen tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per an unknown recall. Afterwards, while driving, the contact heard a loud clicking noise in the steering wheel. In addition, the horn failed to sound and the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to leith bmw (5609 capital blvd, raleigh nc 27616 (844) 261-4301) where it was diagnosed that the clock spring was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the recall was previously repaired and that the contact was over the warranty mileage. No assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 46,000.
Also reported on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Other engine problem
Other electrical problem
Other fuel system problem
Other steering problem
Turbocharger or supercharger failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 32 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 steering column or shaft failure happen on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan?
Across 24 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 50,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 45,000 miles and a quarter after 55,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is steering column or shaft failure on the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan?
32 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 2.5 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