UPON STARTING MY 2010 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN, THE DASH INDICATOR WILL BEGIN CYCLING THROUGH THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS, (E.G., RIGHT FRONT LOW BEAM, RIGHT FRONT FOG LIGHT) NOTING THAT EACH IS NOT WORKING. THIS ISSUE INITIALLY HAPPENED ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO AND HAS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THEN. EACH TIME, THE LIGHTS THAT HAVE BEEN NOTED AS NOT OPERATIONAL ON THE DASH HAVE, IN FACT, NOT BEEN WORKING. UNTIL RECENTLY, THE PROBLEM WOULD SELF CORRECT, TYPICALLY AFTER RE-STARTING THE CAR. HOWEVER, AS OF YESTERDAY (11/3/2013), THE LIGHTS THAT THE DASH IS NOW INDICATING ARE NONFUNCTIONAL HAVE NOT STARTED WORKING AGAIN. THIS INCLUDES THE RIGHT HEAD LIGHT, THIRD BRAKE LIGHT, LICENSE PLATE LIGHT, AND ALL TURN SIGNALS. WHEN I CALLED MY LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP, A MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO BRING IT IN SO THAT A MECHANIC WHO SPECIALIZES IN ELECTRICAL COULD LOOK AT IT. WHEN I ASKED IF THIS WAS A PROBLEM THEY HAD SEEN WITH OTHER TIGUANS, HE LET ME KNOW THAT SIMILAR ISSUES HAD BEEN REPORTED AND THAT THE CULPRIT WAS OFTEN A MELTED FUSE BOX UNDER THE HOOD. HE ALSO INDICATED THAT MY SEPARATE COMPLAINT REGARDING THE INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE REMOTE FOR UNLOCKING (BUT NOT LOCKING) THE CAR MAY BE A RELATED ELECTRICAL ISSUE. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR IN YET, BUT I WILL NEED TO DO SO GIVEN THE SAFETY ISSUES PRESENTED BY FAILING AND UNRELIABLE EXTERIOR LIGHTS. *TR
2011
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHEN STARTING MY CAR (AFTER IT HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE GARAGE FOR OVER 24 HRS) I IMMEDIATELY GOT A "CHECK LEFT FRONT LOWBEAM" WARNING PLUS A WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH. TURNED OFF THE CAR, TURNED IT BACK ON TO SEE IF IT CLEARED. THEN I GOT THE SAME WARNING PLUS "CHECK LEFT FRONT FOG LIGHT". GOT OUT OF THE CAR, SURE ENOUGH, THEY WERE BOTH OUT. I THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE THEY WERE BOTH OUT AT THE SAME TIME, BUT POSSIBLY JUST A BULB OR FUSE. STARTED TO DRIVE DOWN THE STREET AND MORE WARNINGS FOR DIFFERENT LIGHTS KEPT COMING UP. I TURNED AROUND AND WENT HOME (HAD GONE MAYBE A .25 MILE). MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE DEALER, AND BY THE TIME I DROVE MY CAR IN (5.5 MILES DOOR TO DOOR) ALL OF MY EXTERIOR LIGHTS HAD THROWN A WARNING AND WERE NO LONGER WORKING (HIGH BEAMS, LOW BEAMS, FOG LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, LICENSE PLATE LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHTS, ETC. ETC.). THIS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF ALL OF MY LIGHTS SIMULTANEOUSLY WAS DUE TO A FAULTY FUSE PANEL AND MELTED FUSE, WHICH WAS REPLACED (THANKFULLY) UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY (WOULD HAVE BEEN OVER $600 TO REPAIR SOMETHING THAT FAILED 1100 MILES AFTER MY FACTORY WARRANTY OTHERWISE). DEALER TOLD ME THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE FUSE PANEL WITH A REDESIGNED ONE. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST INSTANCE THEY WERE AWARE OF OF THIS HAPPENING, BUT INDICATED NO RECALL HAD BEEN DECLARED. I AM HOPEFUL THIS FIX ELIMINATES THE ISSUE FROM HAPPENING IN ANOTHER 30-40K MILES, AND THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER FAILURES OR PERFORMANCE DEGREDATION IN OTHER COMPONENTS AS A RESULT. HOPEFULLY THIS PART WILL BE RECALLED BEFORE THIS ELECTRICAL GREMLIN HITS TOO MANY OTHER VEHICLES. I'M LUCKY THIS HAPPENED DURING THE DAY IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT ON A SNOWY MOUNTAIN PASS AT NIGHT. *TR