NHTSA Complaint #11676078 — 2022 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN

I am experiencing a serious safety issue with my 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan involving delayed acceleration. The problem occurs intermittently but frequently: when pressing the gas pedal from a complete stop or low-speed situation (such as turning or merging), there is often a 5–10 second delay before the vehicle responds and begins accelerating. During this lag, the engine does not rev, and the vehicle does not move, leaving me and my passengers vulnerable in intersections, while turning into traffic, or merging onto highways. This issue has occurred multiple times since purchase, and has created multiple near-miss situations, including once where I attempted to cross a two-lane road and the vehicle did not move for several seconds after pressing the accelerator. Other drivers had to brake abruptly to avoid collision. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Volkswagen dealer twice. They were unable to replicate the issue and returned the car without repair. The third visit is currently being scheduled. No warning lights or diagnostic codes were present, and the dealer stated they could not reproduce the problem. Volkswagen has not issued a fix to my knowledge. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. There were no warning lamps or messages at the time of the failures. The issue began within the first few months of ownership and has persisted intermittently for the past several months. I paid $30,000 cash for this vehicle in 2023 and it is still under warranty. This issue presents an ongoing safety hazard and significantly reduces my confidence in the vehicle’s ability to respond in traffic. Based on forums and consumer reports, I have reason to believe this is a known issue affecting multiple VW Tiguan vehicles of the same model year. I am available to provide additional documentation, including a written log of the issue and video evidence upon request. I respectfully urge NHTSA to investigate this matter.