Major Problems with Volkswagen Routan Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Volkswagen Routan to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Volkswagen Routan

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Volkswagen Routan.

Model Year	Complaints
2012 Routan	25
2011 Routan	71
2010 Routan	92
2009 Routan	147

Worst 3 Volkswagen Routan complaints

2011 Volkswagen Routan POWER TRAIN Victims: 15 Mileage: 3723 miles

2010 Volkswagen Routan ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Victims: 3 Mileage: 8100 miles

Browse Volkswagen Routan complaints by category

Problems with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE and STEERING are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Volkswagen Routan owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM my husband was at a light and pressed the gas to go when he noticed that he entire vehicle had...	184 ~ 70347 miles
ENGINE tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen routan. while driving various speeds the vehicle stalled and the steering wheel seized...	88 ~ 74007 miles
STEERING my husband was at a light and pressed the gas to go when he noticed that he entire vehicle had...	31 ~ 66188 miles
SERVICE BRAKES my husband was at a light and pressed the gas to go when he noticed that he entire vehicle had...	31 ~ 64703 miles
POWER TRAIN tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into reverse it...	27 ~ 65293 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM i file a complaint a fews months ago about have troubles starting my van or battery drainage. took it to...	21 ~ 84522 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER while driving on a city street roads may have had a little ice on them. felt a sharp sensation to...	19 ~ 83265 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL tipm - the tipm in the routan has been noted as malfunctioning on many online forums. my tipm malfunctioned and	16 ~ 85882 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL as i am accelerating from 25-35 mph the vehicle almost feels like it doesn't want to shift into next gear....	10 ~ 88033 miles
DOOR > BODY > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that when driving at various speeds the side sliding...	9 ~ 22644 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC routan seemed to jolt/skid when brake was pressed. this would happen approximately every 3rd day. took it to the dealership...	8 ~ 13681 miles
AIR BAGS i was in a pretty bad car accident 4/5/2019 with 6 kids in the car and none of the airbags...	7 ~ 40699 miles
WHEELS tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that while performing a routine inspection he noticed that...	7 ~ 47833 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN the car failed to slow down or stop when applying pressure to brakes at traffic light. had to turn ignition...	7 ~ 7416 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE i have a few concerns about an accident my wife was in on 12/06/2012. she was struck head on by...	6 ~ 25600 miles
SEATS while driving on a city street roads may have had a little ice on them. felt a sharp sensation to...	5 ~ 37250 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING while driving on a highway at 65 mph my car suddenly shut off and the steering wheel tighten up. i...	5 ~ 23040 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph the vehicle...	4 ~ 67633 miles
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen routan. while driving approximately 20 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact...	3 ~ 63833 miles
SWITCH > IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM this is more of a question than a complaint. recall # 11v-151000 sudden engine shut off was reported march 2011...	3 ~ 63500 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that the dvd player in the rear of the...	3 ~ 50005 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES besides the brakes/rotors now going on their 4th set and the car is less than 2 years old the front...	3 ~ 40500 miles
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that while driving at 25 mph the vehicle stalled...	2 ~ 85650 miles
PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen routan. the contact stated while driving 25 mph the left rear tire sensor...	2 ~ 18150 miles
VALVE > TIRES two tires have blown out on my routan due to corroded valve stems. the first time on 3/16/11 i had...	2 ~ 31000 miles
SUSPENSION tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen routan. the contact was driving 35 mph when the vehicle began abnormally pulling...	2 ~ 55600 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC besides the brakes/rotors now going on their 4th set and the car is less than 2 years old the front...	2
FUEL PUMP > DELIVERY > FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen routan. while driving various speeds the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact called...	1 ~ 80000 miles
SEAT BELTS fuel pump runs without car turned on. the mopar tipm module in this car is a chrysler part that chrysler...	1 ~ 105000 miles
CRUISE CONTROL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving approximately 70 mph with the cruise control activated the vehicle...	1 ~ 78000 miles
MODULE > IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen routan. while driving at unknown speeds the vehicle intermittently stalled. once the vehicle...	1 ~ 80000 miles
POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS > VISIBILITY cpsc: 2010 volkswagen routan these cars seem to have an inherent issue with the driver side window regulators . *bf...	1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE vw routan 2011 (chrysler town & country) will not start intermittently starving for fuel. on 4-5 occasions this van would...	1 ~ 69448 miles
LATCH > DOORS > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving 25 mph the front passenger side door opened without warning....	1 ~ 48000 miles
TIRES while driving at a speed of 50 mph on a rural road the front driver-side tire instantly deflated. fortunately the...	1 ~ 70000 miles
ROTOR > DISC > FOUNDATION COMPONENTS tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that the brake rotors failed every 8 000 miles....	1 ~ 58329 miles
STARTER ASSEMBLY > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that when the ignition key was disengaged the doors...	1 ~ 130000 miles
WIRING > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM sliding door locks making very loud vibrating noise when locked and fit the description of recall 10v252000 by vw for...	1
HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS > HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE > BODY on 1/7/13 we were simply trying to open the rear power lift gate using the remote and overhead button to...	1 ~ 51500 miles
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled multiple times. the vehicle was...	1 ~ 66000 miles
EQUIPMENT routan seemed to jolt/skid when brake was pressed. this would happen approximately every 3rd day. took it to the dealership...	1 ~ 10646 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER i purchased a 2010 vw routan in may 2010. i have had multiple issues with the vehicle since that time...	1 ~ 560 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR shaking brakes reported to dealership. rotor repaired under warranty brakes repaired at our expense. <5000 miles later same problem -...	1 ~ 25000 miles
PARKING BRAKE tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that the emergency brake warning indicator illuminated which indicated...	1 ~ 850 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY heating/ventilation/air conditioning control panel is mounted low in the center dash area and is illuminated in blue making it almost...	1 ~ 88 miles
INTERIOR LIGHTING heating/ventilation/air conditioning control panel is mounted low in the center dash area and is illuminated in blue making it almost...	1 ~ 88 miles

FAQ

What year Volkswagen Routan is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 4 years, Volkswagen Routan models of 2012, 2011, 2010 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Volkswagen Routan?

Volkswagen Routan models of 2009 and 2010 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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