2011 Volkswagen Routan

Owner complaints

What owners report most

1. Electrical system111
2. Engine48
3. Fuel/propulsion system39
4. Power train19
5. Unknown or other17
6. Service brakes15
7. Electronic stability control (esc)12
8. Steering11
9. Vehicle speed control8
10. Air bags6

Latest complaints

• Feb 17, 2025TX
  Service brakes · Steering · Vehicle speed control
  The brakes randomly stop working. At random times you go to brake and have to push the pedal all the way to the floor to start stopping. 2nd issue. The car dies and looses all power at intermittent times while driving. The car has to be restarted while driving. Could be driving 70 on a…

  The brakes randomly stop working. At random times you go to brake and have to push the pedal all the way to the floor to start stopping. 2nd issue. The car dies and looses all power at intermittent times while driving. The car has to be restarted while driving. Could be driving 70 on a hwy or 30 on a residential street. Either coast to the side of the road to restart... or quickly put the car in neutral and restart it while driving. Both of these have almost caused wrecks several times. Unknown own causes to both as they happen at random and different times.

• Jan 10, 2025NV
  Electrical system · Engine · Steering
  loss of steering while driving, fluid loss multiple times since late september 2024(all while driving and no lights or warnings came on), 2 snapped serpentine belts, key ignition sticking(would not turn), dashboard not lighting up, rpm no longer rests below 1.5 - 2, car struggles to…

  loss of steering while driving, fluid loss multiple times since late september 2024(all while driving and no lights or warnings came on), 2 snapped serpentine belts, key ignition sticking(would not turn), dashboard not lighting up, rpm no longer rests below 1.5 - 2, car struggles to accelerate(especially uphill), car turns over and struggles to start, even though has newer battery. 1/9/25 driving to an appointment, upon reaching destination, a pop sound. No smell, no warnings came up on dashboard. Upon leaving, saw fluid leak, headed straight to dealership, at which a massive amount of fluid began pouring out of vehicle..in exact same area as original issue from 8/31/24.

• May 7, 2024OH190,000 mi
  Engine
  The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Routan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The…

  The contact owns a 2011 Volkswagen Routan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 190,000.

• Sep 8, 2022NC
  Electrical system · Fuel/propulsion system

  Car has issues starting as if fuel pump isnt coming on... also vehicle shut down in middle of driving down highway would not restart

• Jul 18, 2022SC
  Electrical system

  The vehicle is shutting off while driving.

• Mar 20, 2022VA
  Engine · Service brakes · Steering
  While driving on a highway at 65 Mph, vehicle shut down, lost brakes, steering, and all power, had to coast to a stop, narrowly avoiding a collision. Upon exhaustive review, TIPM was faulty, causing starting issues, intermittent power loss, and fuel pump issues. As this van is manufactured by…

  While driving on a highway at 65 Mph, vehicle shut down, lost brakes, steering, and all power, had to coast to a stop, narrowly avoiding a collision. Upon exhaustive review, TIPM was faulty, causing starting issues, intermittent power loss, and fuel pump issues. As this van is manufactured by Chrysler (for VW) and their (identical) model has the same issue, it was known and recalled, it is appalling that no recall exists for this VW model. These vans are being financed and bought by families, and like us driven daily with children in them. The issue is widespread, very well known, but as in our case, not disclosed by dealerships as no official action has ever been taken, and no official record exists. We have learned all about it through trial and error, and are having to pay for possibly fatal errors committed on the part of the manufacturer - who, to state again, has in fact already recalled the vehicles due to it being such a wide spread and dangerous issue with a primarily family vehicle. Again, for clarity, the VW Routan is no longer in production, but when it was it was manufactured by Chrysler for VW, and is part for part a Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town and Country. Why is this critical recall in existence for only a portion of the vehicles? This has become a major issue as we have to continue reducing this van until we can sell or trade it.

• Dec 5, 2021NV
  Electrical system

  This is 2011 VW ROUTAN. When the mileage reached exactly 100k both sliding doors shuts. When I put it on manual control button overhead it’s not working in both doors. It’s parked when this happens.

• Dec 2, 2021NY
  Air bags · Engine

  Thé engine malfunction was observed and confirmed by the Mecanicien and the cause was from the manufacture. I'm willing to submit the car for any inspection. The car is still drivable, but I have to report it. I have been trying to call since longtime in vain. Thank

• Jul 29, 2021TX
  Engine

  The van totally looses all power while driving. It happens multiple times per week. While driving the van dies, it takes about 3-5 seconds then the power comes back, we can then drive again. When it happens, sometimes the power doesn't come back on its own, we then have to put it in neutral and restart it, then can drive as normal.

• Jul 1, 2021TN
  Unknown or other
  My 2011 VW Routan completely lost power on the freeway while driving in heavy traffic. The steering completely locked up (not lost power steering), locked up and all components died while moving. It took two people to break the steering wheel loose so that the van could be pushed out of the road by…

  My 2011 VW Routan completely lost power on the freeway while driving in heavy traffic. The steering completely locked up (not lost power steering), locked up and all components died while moving. It took two people to break the steering wheel loose so that the van could be pushed out of the road by TDOT. We had the van towed and once removed from the truck it started and ran like normal. Our 3 kids were also in the van which makes the situation extremely hazardous. Previous to this, we paid $1,500 to the VW dealer to replace the TIPM unit because the van wouldn’t start on many occasions. The dealer stated that he knew Chrysler had issued a recall on their vehicles with these same issues but VW hadn’t taken any action. Other info… no dash lights are/were on. Dealer can’t seem to reproduce the issue. TDOT Officer said he’d never seen a vehicle that locked the steering while the car was in motion. This was worse than it loosing all power.

• May 20, 2021VA
  Electrical system · Engine · Unknown or other

  When driving for about 25 and then getting to a stop light. As I slow down and start to come to a stop the car shakes very roughly and turns right off. The first time this happened was 3 days after getting car from Carmax. It had not happened again until this week.

• Nov 30, 2020PA
  Unknown or other

  Intermittent starting - from what I understand this vehicle IS basically a chrysler town & country. chyrsler issued a recall on the faulty tmpi fuel pump relay but VW refuses. IS this allowed??? It IS the same vehicle. it IS not fair that I have to pay to fix a part that IS known to be faulty from the start.

• Nov 29, 2020NC
  Electrical system · Engine
  The vehicle was in a parking lot and would not start after repeated tries. It would start as normal and immediately shut off. Had to take it to the dealership who advised the tipm IS faulty. faulty tipms in these vehicle with 55k-70k mileage seems to be a very common problem. There are many…

  The vehicle was in a parking lot and would not start after repeated tries. It would start as normal and immediately shut off. Had to take it to the dealership who advised the tipm IS faulty. faulty tipms in these vehicle with 55k-70k mileage seems to be a very common problem. There are many shops who will rebuilt these tipms as its a very known issue. this IS also a serious problem as it would shut off the vehicle and how start, leaving passengers stranded

• Nov 23, 2020IN75,060 mi
  Engine
  TL* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen routan. The contact stated that the engine cranked up however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that a fuse warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the totally integrated…

  TL* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen routan. The contact stated that the engine cranked up however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that a fuse warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the totally integrated power module (tipm) failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was later taken to dreyer & reinbold VW (1301 south, US-31 ste 3, greenwood, in 46143) and the contact was provided the report of the failure. The contact was informed that the onboard supply control unit in the tipm was defective. The contact was provided an estimate for the repairs. The contact was informed that the vin was not under recall. The manufacture was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 75,060.

• Nov 21, 2020CA55,000 mi
  Electrical system · Power train

  I own a 2011 volkswagen routan minivan and the ignition switch stops working I know there are a few recalls for this on the 2009 and 2010 years I call VW corporation and they said they can't help me just because there's no recalls on my vehicle the part they used in the previous years IS the same that IS damage in my vehicle so I don't think IS fair and I would like to get some help for this thank you

• Nov 10, 2020SC150,000 mi
  Electrical system

  Faulty tipm module. engine will crank just fine, but has big trouble starting. once it runs all IS good. it's a known issue for the part. other oems recalled the item (chrysler town & country / dodge grand caravan)

• Nov 2, 2020TX100,000 mi
  Unknown or other

  The vehicle looses all power while driving. If you hit a bump or touch the key it causes the key connection to stop and loss of all power. Have to put car in neutral while driving and restart it. This has happened while driving on the interstate and driving on rural roads. All areas. This has happened multiple times.

• Oct 17, 2020NC
  Electrical system
  This vehicle IS basically a chrysler/dodge with VW branding, and one of the keys IS even a dodge key. It has the same issue with the tipm and fuel relay module that was recalled on the 2011 chrysler and dodge vans. See fuel pump relay recall nhtsa 14v-530. I'm asking that it also be recalled for…

  This vehicle IS basically a chrysler/dodge with VW branding, and one of the keys IS even a dodge key. It has the same issue with the tipm and fuel relay module that was recalled on the 2011 chrysler and dodge vans. See fuel pump relay recall nhtsa 14v-530. I'm asking that it also be recalled for the 2011 VW routan since it's very dangerous that my car could stop at any moment. Vehicle will shut off when driving and will not start on many occasions.

• Oct 8, 2020GA110,000 mi
  Engine
  TL* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen routan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle loss power steering and brakes during the failure. The contact stated that the fuel pump relay failed. The contact…

  TL* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen routan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle loss power steering and brakes during the failure. The contact stated that the fuel pump relay failed. The contact stated that the relay continued to run after the vehicle stalled and drained the battery. The failure recurred numerous times. The contact called volkswagen of marietta (1860 cobb pkwy SE, marietta, ga 30060) and informed the dealer of the failure. The contact called three other unknown dealers but was not provided any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

• Aug 10, 2020CO1 mi
  Electrical system
  While driving my 2011 VW routan at 45 mph speed suddenly the speed dropped down to 20 mph on a busy road and eventually stopped. Luckily I was able to pull my vehicle over to a local road. After showing the vehicle to dealer the problem was identified as timp issue and repair would cost $1500.…

  While driving my 2011 VW routan at 45 mph speed suddenly the speed dropped down to 20 mph on a busy road and eventually stopped. Luckily I was able to pull my vehicle over to a local road. After showing the vehicle to dealer the problem was identified as timp issue and repair would cost $1500. Luckily it wasn't a freeway with 65 mph road, I couldn't think of this thing happens on such road with kids inside the car. I have came across chrysler got same sort of issues and they recalled such vehicles. VW routan IS also same built as chrysler town and county and VW didn't offer any recalls for these issues.

• Aug 8, 2020FL71,000 mi
  Electrical system · Electronic stability control (esc) · Fuel/propulsion system
  This vehicle IS basically a chrysler/dodge with VW branding, and one of the keys IS even a dodge key. it has the same issue with the tipm and fuel relay module that was recalled on the 2011 chrysler and dodge vans. see fuel pump relay recall nhtsa 14v-530. I'm asking that it also be recalled…

  This vehicle IS basically a chrysler/dodge with VW branding, and one of the keys IS even a dodge key. it has the same issue with the tipm and fuel relay module that was recalled on the 2011 chrysler and dodge vans. see fuel pump relay recall nhtsa 14v-530. I'm asking that it also be recalled for the 2011 VW routan since it's very dangerous that my car could stop at any moment. I recently purchased my van from a used car dealer in new jersey who neglected to even inform me that this was a known issue even though I informed them that I'D be driving the car cross country. when I was in georgia the car started cranking, but wouldn't start and it has had this same intermittent issue since I arrived in fl. it took a while for us to figure out what was even wrong with it because when the auto shop ran a diagnostic, no codes were returned. however, when they finally got the issue to occur again, they found that tapping on the fuel relay module in the tipm would allow the car to start. they advised to take it to chrysler because it's actually a chrysler van under the hood. when I called chrysler, they turned me away because the vin IS for a VW. when I called VW, they said no recall existed for this van even though it's the same issue. so, I'm asking that a recall also be done on 2011 VW routan's since they are experiencing the exact same dangerous issue called out in the chrysler recall. lastly, I experienced this issue both while the car was stationary and while it was on the highway.

• Jul 19, 2020WV200,000 mi
  Electrical system · Fuel/propulsion system

  Hard start caused by fuel pump not engaging. Engine shutdown at stoplights. Issue with fuel pump relay. Fuel pump relay IS fully integrated and IS costly to replace. Volkswagen does not support the vehicle and chrylstler who made the vehicle does not have the firmware to correct the issue.

• Jun 14, 2020AL140,000 mi
  Electrical system

  My 2011 ve toutan minivan will randomly cut off while I'm driving down the road. There are times when it will not start at all. VW routans are known for having ignition and tipm issues but VW will not take responsibility and fix the issues.

• Jan 24, 2020GA100,000 mi
  Engine · Fuel/propulsion system · Power train

  2011 volkswagen routan engine will unexpectedly shut down during normal driving conditions, resulting in no engine power, no power steering and no power brakes. This occurs at any speed and in any driving condition from stationary idling up to highway speeds. This has occurred multiple times with this vehicle.*dt*dt*dt*jb *tp

• Jan 8, 2020AZ65,000 mi
  Unknown or other
  Was driving vehicle in illinois and was pushing the gas but the car would not move. Finally it kind of jolted forward and starting moving but in a jerky kind of way. brought it for a diagnostic test they said it was a warrant issue take it the the dealer. Did that they said it was not under…

  Was driving vehicle in illinois and was pushing the gas but the car would not move. Finally it kind of jolted forward and starting moving but in a jerky kind of way. brought it for a diagnostic test they said it was a warrant issue take it the the dealer. Did that they said it was not under warrant and I paid 1000 bucks to get it fixed so I thought. Happened again and went back and they said it will not do it so it IS fine. drove to arizona to move here and after a week of being here happened again. husband drove it to the dealership 3 times, the first time they said they could not fix it. 2ND time said it was a known recall they could not get the code from corporate, 3RD time same excuse. And now trying again and they keep saying they can not get the code from corporate. It IS a pcm software recall.

Service bulletins

Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.

• 11010011Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available
• 11008861Fluid requirements
• 11008846Wind & Water Leak Checking
• 10253483Engine Exhaust Flap Limited Warranty Extension
• 10253439Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance Program ? Gasoline Engines (Except Routan) - REVISED
• 10253177Satellite Radio Overview
• 10252942Damage to Data Link Connector (DLC) from Aftermarket Devices (Cannot Communicate with Vehicle OBD System)
• 10252941Washer Level Sensor
• 10252940Cluster Warning Lights Coming On, Windshield Wipers Will Not Turn Off, and/or Headlights Will Not Shut Off
• 10252937Vehicles equipped with Immobilizer 4 (Download) ? Adapting Keys after Vehicle Lock Set Replacement
• 10252922Washer Level Sensor
• 10252918Turn Signals Will Not Activate after TIPM Replacement
• 10252916Coding Information for Replacing ?AC? Suffix Radios with ?AF? Suffix Replacement Unit
• 10252908iPod Connection Tip
• 10252902Bluetooth Compatibility
• 10252900GPS Antenna Concerns
• 10252225Vehicles Equipped with Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone ? Pairing of Android Phones
• 10252221All Navigation Radios-All Models
• 10252220All Vehicles with Bluetooth Phone Kit Installed ? Streaming Audio from Phone to Radio
• 10252208AC Compressor Replacement, Refrigerant Circuit Flushing Requirement
• 10250695Carefree Maintenance Coverage for Interim Oil Changes for Certain 2009 ? 2015 MY Volkswagen TDI Clean Diesel Engine Vehicles Registered in the State of Minnesota Only (US Dealers
• 10250686Section 3.30.2 Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance Policy Modifications
• 10249138Airbag / Pyrotechnic Safety Belt Deployment Inquiries, update to contact information due to retirement.
• 10245617Reporting procedure for A/C compressor replacement regardless of the reason for failure. Update to model year applicability and new warranty GFF labor operation number
• 10244075Front Brake Judder And / Or Vibration
• 10244072Rattling Noises from Engine Compartment Area or Exhaust System
• 10244069Third Row Seating
• 10244045Volkswagen Elsa Newsletter
• 10243065VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243058VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243047VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243044VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243039VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243034VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243029VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243027VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243025VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243023VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243015VW Elsa Newsletter
• 10243014VW Elsa Newsletter

Every Volkswagen Routan model year

Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.