tiguan battery keeps draining
Asked by GuruCQJNS Feb 26, 2019 at 10:04 PM about the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Car is only 5 years old but after complaining to the Dealer, they opted to
change the battery. No difference. If the vehicle is not used at least once every
3 days, when I go to start it, the battery is dead. Something is draining the
battery. Volkswagen mechanics say the car is fine but I don't think they can find
the problem. Does anyone else have this issue?
19 Answers
Did they look for a parasitic battery drain or just blow you off? A better battery could reduce the issue but not cure it.
My Tiguan is doing EXACTLY the same thing. VW also say its fine and cant find anything. If you find out what is doing it PLEASE post it here. They put in a new battery but it still goes flat.
I have had this issue over and over again. I bought the pre-certified and they charge or change the battery and blow me off or blame me for leaving something on. Its so fustrating. Its been in the shop 8 times since I bought it. Im a woman so they blow me off over and offer again. Made me cry several times. The car has left me stranded and Ive lost days of work and on my own late at nght stuck somewehere
the indicator left down/up leaves a park light on - make sure you turn the indicator off as it will drain the battery. there should be a warning ding ding ding but if you miss or in a hurry it will keep the light on even if you lock the car and walk away.
This is happening to me as well, and I too am a woman, and I get the same blow off response. I bought mine brand-new, and I am getting really tired of going into the shop for this. I never leave anything on, I ensure that there are no cords plugged into the console when I get out, and my battery that is 3 months old just went out. I am thinking this is not a battery problem, but I can't get the dealer to listen.
I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to a VW Tiguan, the Electronics are advanced to the degree that you MUST drive the vehicle AT LEAST once a week and for a half an hour or more, at 2500 RPM or higher. The only way I could beat this problem when leaving the vehicle for extended periods, was to disconnect the Negative Terminal on the Battery, and then it was fine to start even months later. The newer vehicles with Anti-Theft, Computer, Memory in the Radio, and other Electronics, are just too much of a drain on the battery. Don't let this happen too often or the constant Drain/Recharge on the battery will damage it to the point of needing to replace it and VW Batteries aren't cheap!
Roberto_Italy answered 4 years ago
I have same problem. Tiguan DSG with house anti- theft fitted, 2017. Battery hoe6d down after few days inactivity. Had battery replaced twice once from WV once from the Leaseplan auhorised dealer (it is leased car so cannot take directly to WV). They did diagnosis, did not find anything and replaced battery, but same happens. However I could nit get them to measure the charge current or standby drain current.
We've installed a trickle charger on my 2013 Tiguan. I just plug it in every couple days
Yes Trickle Chargers do help but in our case the Tiguan is an underground Condo Garage where there are no Electrical Outlets for each vehicle. So in our case, if it's left for any significant time frame, the Positive Terminal of the battery MUST be disconnected, otherwise after about 6 weeks, the Battery is dead. It was our only option.
2016 Tiguan on my 4th battery. That’s ridiculous!
You dont need a vw battery get a good battery have a good mechanic look at the car dealership wont help u sell u crap battery charge u labour to install it cab b done in 5 mins
I have the same problem with my son's 2017 Tiguan. When ever he goes to college and is not driving everyday, dead battery. I pulled and had it tested by my auto shop where I purchased and it tested good. Not a battery problem. I thought maybe aftermarket remote starter was the evil villian. My solution I determined is a disconnect switch under the hood that connects the positive terminal to the one side of the switch and the other leg to the battery. When the car is not in use, I'll switch the battery off like throwing a breaker and isolating the battery. I'll let you know how I make out.
This is the answer to everyone's problem with the Tiguan battery going dead. Put the below in Google. Switch costs $15 on Amazon. Read the specs. SiMaXuanCar Battery Switch 12V/24V 300AMP Battery Disconnect Switch Knob Switch Power Switch Main Battery Switch Brass Silver Plated Stud
GuruD4XZKD answered about a year ago
I have just bought a new Tiguan 3 days old - fully charged battery after journey of 2 hrs - 2 days not used, battery dead to the point of keys not working. Roadside mechanic (VW) had no answers other than battery or car not at fault. I think the drain on the battery is coming from internet links downloading I.e. traffic info etc.. whilst car is switched off. I have disabled internet link - time will tell. Anyone with more info please reply
Ray so what you do is lift up the hood and turn this switch every time you are not using the car battery? Also, isn't this an indication that something is draining the power?
GuruD9C19T answered about a year ago
I’m having the same issue with a 2019 Tiguan I drive every day. There doesn’t seem to be a solution in here, which has me a little worried.
Roberto_Italy answered about a year ago
My 2017 Tiguan had same problem, went to dealer 3 times and changed battery twice. Solution was uninstall the anti-theft device which was the culprit.
GuruDTT68L answered 4 months ago
I have a 2020 Tiguan and mine started acking up last week. It needed to be jumped off but ran great after that. Then this morning it started fine but when I got to the post office, 10 mins away, and tried to start it up it wouldn't start up without a jump. Auto Zone says the batter is changing and good. Currently, the radio has stopped working as well as the backup camera. I will be carrying it to the VW dealer next week. I let you know what they say. But if anyone has any suggestions please post it here. Ugh it takes a while to get it into the dealer. No more VW for me.
I am currently (see what I did there) having the same issue. VW Tiguan 2.0 4 motionTDI 2018 all of a sudden drained a battery. Replaced it and in the past 3 weeks have had to jump start it twice. However I have noticed the floor is wet which, as it turns out is due to blocked drain channels on the sunroof allowing water to collect in the footwell where there is a loom of wiring and some electrics. I wonder if this is the cause of the drain . Presently trying to dry it all out and hopefully that will resolve the issue. Fingers crossed !