VW Tiguan Dies at Idle: Faulty Fuel Sensor Alert

As someone with moderate experience in car electronics, I had a very similar issue with my 2009 VW Touareg diesel. The symptoms you describe match exactly what I experienced, unusual stalling and persistent check engine light. Initially I thought it was more serious, but it turned out to be just a faulty sensor issue combined with a blown fuse. The level sensor in the fuel tank was sending incorrect readings to the ECU, causing the stalling problems. The repair was straightforward. The workshop found that a simple fuse replacement solved the sensor fault. Total cost was 52€ including diagnostics. Since then, no more stalling or warning lights. Before suggesting this is definitely your issue, could you provide: Full error code from the scan, Does the fuel gauge show accurate readings, Any strange noises from the fuel pump, Have you noticed unusual fuel consumption These details would help confirm if your problem matches what I experienced with the faulty sensor. The fuel system in these VW diesels from that era often shows similar patterns when there are sensor issues.

I had my car serviced last month at 107398km. After getting the initial diagnostic scan, I took it to a workshop that found the fuel tank level sensor was indeed causing the unusual stalling. Similar to what you experienced, it was sending incorrect signals to the ECU. The error code was P0180 and my fuel gauge was jumping erratically. The mechanic replaced both the sensor unit and the related wiring harness since there was some corrosion. Total repair cost came to 320€ including parts and labor. The car now runs perfectly with no more stalling or dashboard warning lights. The fuel system on these VW diesels seems prone to sensor issues, but at least fixing it was straightforward once properly diagnosed. No other components in the fuel system needed attention in my case.

Good to hear you got it sorted and thanks for sharing the details. The P0180 code definitely confirms what I suspected about the fuel sensor fault. Your repair cost was higher than mine since you needed the wiring harness replaced too, that makes sense given the corrosion. These fuel tank sensor issues are quite common in our VW diesels. In my case, I was lucky it was just the fuse and sensor, but corrosion in the wiring harness is a known weak point in the fuel system. Since getting mine fixed, I make sure to keep an eye on the fuel gauge behavior, any erratic movement can be an early warning sign of developing sensor problems. The dashboard warning lights can be really concerning when they first appear, but at least these fuel sensor faults are relatively straightforward to diagnose and fix. Have you noticed any improvement in fuel consumption since the repair? My fuel economy got slightly better after the sensor replacement, probably because the ECU was getting accurate readings again.

Thanks for the full rundown of the repair process and cost. The corrosion on the wiring harness explains the higher repair cost compared to a simple sensor swap. Honestly it was a relief finding out it wasnt something more serious with the fuel system internals. Since the repair, fuel consumption has improved slightly, probably around 0.5L/100km better than before. The fuel gauge now reads consistently and the car runs smoothly at idle. No more check engine light either. One thing I learned from this experience is how critical these fuel tank sensors are to the overall operation. The faulty readings really threw off the whole fuel system management. At least now I know what to watch for if similar symptoms show up in the future, any erratic fuel gauge behavior is definitely worth getting checked out early before it leads to stalling. Really appreciate everyone sharing their similar experiences with VW sensor issues. It helped confirm my suspicions before taking it to the workshop and made me more confident about the diagnosis.