VW Recalls 49,958 Tiguans Because a Software Glitch Can Shut the Engine Off
The body control module in the all-new 2025 Tiguan can reset while driving, killing the ignition and, with it, the lights, warning lamps, or backup camera. Dealers will reflash it for free.
Volkswagen is recalling 49,958 Tiguan SUVs from the 2025 model year in the United States because a software error can reset the body control module while the vehicle is moving. When that happens, the ignition can switch off and the engine stalls, according to the recall notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The same reset can take other systems down with it. Volkswagen says the fault may also disable some controls, blank out warning lights, cut the exterior lighting, or knock out the rearview camera. NHTSA's conclusion is blunt: any of those failures raises the risk of a crash.
The campaign is listed as NHTSA recall 26V587, with Volkswagen's internal code 57KL. The automaker submitted its defect report on September 10, and affected VINs became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 17. Dealers will update the body control module software free of charge. Volkswagen expects to mail owner letters on November 6, 2026, and owners can call its customer service line at 1-800-893-5298 in the meantime.
Four safety standards, four things that stop working
The filing states that the affected Tiguans fail to meet four Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards at once, and the list reads less like paperwork than like a fault report. FMVSS 101 covers controls and displays, which is the dashboard and its warning lights. FMVSS 102 governs shift-lever sequence and the starter interlock, which is where the ignition shutoff lands. FMVSS 108 is the lamps standard, covering the exterior lighting, and FMVSS 111 is rear visibility, which is why a dead backup camera counts as a compliance failure rather than an inconvenience.
Although the fix is a software update, NHTSA's card for this campaign lists the remedy as a dealer visit, not an over-the-air push. The company hasn't said when the corrected software will be available at dealerships, only when the letters go out.
Not the same recall as last week's steering-bolt campaign
This is the second recall in a week to carry the Tiguan name, and the two are easy to confuse. On September 16, a day before this campaign went live, NHTSA posted recall 26V590, which covers 208,724 vehicles for a steering-rack mounting bolt that can corrode and break. That one involves the 2018 Tiguan, the 2018–2019 Atlas, and the 2019–2021 Audi Q3, and dealers will replace the bolt rather than reflash anything.
The models don't overlap. The 2018 Tiguan belongs to the previous generation. The 2025 Tiguan is the all-new, third-generation SUV that Volkswagen priced in March 2025 from $29,495 plus a $1,425 destination charge, with a 2.0-liter turbo four rated at 201 horsepower and a standard 12.9-inch center display. An owner of either vehicle is subject to one campaign, not both.
What the filing doesn't say
The 49,958 figure is the number of vehicles that may be affected, not a count of cars confirmed to carry the faulty software. NHTSA's summary doesn't mention any crashes, injuries, or field reports tied to the defect, and Volkswagen's full Part 573 report, which would normally include the production window and a timeline of how the problem was found, hadn't been posted on NHTSA's site as of Sunday. Volkswagen also hasn't said whether Tiguans sold outside the U.S. share the software.
Owners who want to check sooner than November can enter their VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup. Given that the failure can shut off the engine at speed, that seems worth the two minutes.
