VW Tiguan Recalled as Software May Kill Engine, Lights and Camera

Small Part Big Issue

With complicated software and electronic components being a big part of the automotive formula, it’s no small wonder that these things sometimes go wrong. The problem is, if these features malfunction, they can also affect other components and severely impact the car’s overall performance.

That same issue is now affecting select 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan SUVs, where a software issue in a small component is causing major headaches for owners. That’s not great news, especially for a company that’s in the middle of a financial kerfuffle.

Body Control Module

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just released a safety recall report for the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. It affects Tiguans made from Mar 24, 2025 – Aug 30, 2025, with 49,958 affected units. It seems the Tiguan is the only VW model affected because it uses a ‘specific’ Body Control Module (BCM) software.

In the safety recall report, the issue affects the software that controls the BCM; the NHTSA says that the problematic software might cause the BCM to reset. If the BCM resets, it could turn off the ignition, which would stall the engine and also disable some driving controls and features, such as lighting and rear-view cameras. The NHTSA says that the loss of engine power and the above mentioned controls could lead to an accident and increased chances of death.

Erring On The Side Of Caution

The chronological order of events presented in the safety recall report paints an interesting picture. During testing in January 2025, the test car’s ignition switched off, prompting an internal investigation at VW to determine why. Over the next few months, it was determined that there was an issue with the BCM software; however, the issue only showed up in other markets, not in the U.S. Nonetheless, Volkswagen America decided to issue a recall just to be safe because the error could not be ruled out for the U.S. market 2025 Tiguan models. To address the issue, the dealerships will update the BCM software free of charge.

Volkswagen’s recall history is relatively good; the last time the brand issued a recall was in July, when it discovered that 58,000 Atlas and Atlas Sport units had faulty backup cameras that sometimes won’t display video when engaged. The issue doesn’t stem from any specific cause, other than Volkswagen saying it could be due to a “low-voltage” issue or external environmental factors.