The Volkswagen T-Cross was first revealed in 2018 which means that it is soon going to be replaced with a brand new model. The T-Cross is positioned as a compact crossover which makes it a fairly popular VW model. We live in an era of crossovers and SUVs, and the T-Cross is one of VW’s heavy hitters.
Given the fact that the T-Cross is a relatively new model, it’s hard to pick on it as far as long-term reliability is concerned. We will have to wait a few more years until these start accumulating lots of miles on the odometer. Until then, we can only judge the T-Cross for its current issues.
The most common VW T-Cross issues are related to the curtain airbags, the start/stop system, issues with starting the car up, interior build quality issues, and issues with the steering system clock spring. It’s safe to say that most of these are rather minimal and they don’t affect the overall performance of the T-Cross too much.
All in all, the T-Cross seems to be a fairly reliable car for now, but as stated, we will have to wait a few more years until we can judge it for its long-term dependability.
VW T-Cross – Curtain airbag issues
The VW T-Cross suffers from a peculiar problem in which the side curtain airbags seem to be malfunctioning and thus will not activate if the car gets in an accident. This issue is due to a faulty weld located on the discharge nozzle of the airbag gas generator. Some estimates say that T-Cross models manufactured between May and June of 2016 are all affected by this issue.
Either way, the best thing you can do is contact a VW dealership and ask if the car you are looking at has been affected by this issue. If that is the case, these will have to be replaced as they could potentially cause unwanted injuries in an event of a crash.
VW T-Cross – Car unwilling to start
A few VW T-Cross owners have reported the car not wanting to fire up at the first press of a button. This means that you will have to engage the start engine button a few times until the car actually starts. This issue is likely connected with the car’s electronics and not any mechanical parts.
However, it is still yet unknown what is truly causing this issue as multiple sources state different problems. All in all, if this issue does happen to you, you should take the car to a VW dealership and they will hopefully take it from there.
VW T-Cross – Start/stop issues
The VW T-Cross is also known to suffer stop issues related to the start/stop system in which the car either disengages the system completely or the system does not function properly. Some say that the issue with reluctant startups is interconnected with this issue which means that the nature of the problem is electrical.
Either way, if faced with this issue, most people tend to disengage the start/stop system. This is obviously not a good thing because these systems are mandated to work on all modern-day cars.
VW T-Cross – Interior build quality issues
To be honest, the interior quality of the VW T-Cross is far from bad, but there are a few areas in which the car disappoints, especially considering it is a VW. The T-Cross seems to be having issues with lots of creaks and rattling which is not something you want from a relatively new car.
Issues such as these tend to progressively become worse which means that in the future, many T-Cross models could potentially be rattling and creaking all over the place.
VW T-Cross – Steering system clockspring issue
One of the most common VW problems out there is the clockspring issue which has affected pretty much every modern VW model. VW even issued a few recalls to fix this issue, but even after those recalls, more than 1.2 million cars are still suffering from these issues per the NHTSA.
Whenever the clockspring fails, it basically disengages many of the car’s steering-related systems such as the horn, the airbag, steering wheel controls, and many other features. If you do happen to experience these, take the car to a dealership. If the car is under warranty, you should be able to fix it for free.
FAQ Section
Is the VW T-Cross a good car?
The VW T-Cross is a fairly decent car which means that it balances market demand and value for money pretty well. Sure, some people might not like that the T-Cross is more or less identical to other VW models from the inside, but the inside of modern-day VWs is not bad, except for the potential rattles of course.
The T-Cross comes with efficient and potent engines, a raised ride height, a fairly advanced infotainment screen, and a good-looking exterior. All of this means that the T-Cross has its own place on the market.
How long should a VW T-Cross last?
The VW T-Cross should be able to last at least 200,000 miles, but we will have to wait until these become older to be sure. However, there are no reasons why the T-Cross should do any worse than that because it uses common VW powertrains and parts that seem to hold up in other VW models.
Either way, you will have to maintain the car correctly if you want it to last long enough. As such, it’s a fair bet to say that the T-Cross should be able to last upwards of 200,000 miles if you maintain it well enough.
Is the VW T-Cross a family car?
The VW T-Cross is the smallest VW family SUV/crossover that comes with many family-friendly features. The doors open wide and there are many storage spaces throughout the car. Mounting a baby seat at the back is easy thanks to accessible IsoFix anchor points.
Cargo space is decent, seating space is decent, and safety is top-notch as is the case with every modern-day VW. Therefore, the VW T-Cross is a family car, but it is on the tighter side which means that a larger family is likely going to prefer the Tiguan more.
