My wife (and 8 month old son) were driving when the van suddenly shut off. My wife was driving approximately 55 mph. She was able to get the van off the road before the steering wheel locked up. She was able to restart the van. She was able to avoid a rear-end collision with a tractor-trailer that was behind her.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

I have experienced mechanical defects with the power sliding door feature on both sides of the 2009 VW Routan SE. The defect has been repaired a total of four times since its purchase, twice before the NHTSA safety recall on the power sliding doors and twice after the recall. The defective power sliding doors have unlatched and opened while driving the vehicle, even after the power locks activate. In addition, the sensors on the power sliding doors have failed to retract, resulting in hands being trapped. Lastly, I have found the power sliding doors open upon return to the vehicle after closing and locking it. I have expressed my concerns to VW's local service department and have contacted VW's customer care department. I was informed that as long as this defect can be repaired they would not administer a refund or replacement. I am very concerned about the safety of this vehicle and feel it poses a risk to my two small children.

- Holly Springs, NC, USA

2009 Volkswagen Routan. 1) normal vehicle, 22000 miles, put away in attached garage at night. Bedrooms above garage. 2) before going to bed I checked to be sure garage door was closed. I found vehicle in garage running. 3) vehicle has remote start key. Key should only activate pushing first door lock button and then remote start button twice. Checking system I found only pushing remote start button will start the vehicle unlocked. This is a possible deadly incident as carbon monoxide would undoubtedly have killed my whole family as we slept had I not been thorough in checking the garage door. A child could push the bottom or it can be pushed inadvertently in a pocket or if something were set on it. I know this now we are safe but other people are bound to encounter this incident.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

My wife and two daughters were driving in our 2009 Routan today. My wife smelled smoke and noticed smoke emanating from our right side sliding door. My wife pulled off quickly into a gas station where the attendant extinguished the fire. The fire caused the window to explode; the interior of the vehicle was filled with smoke within minutes of exiting the car. Fire crew came to inspect the vehicle. We have had issues with this sliding door not closing properly (electronically) and have asked the dealership to fix this issue with our right sliding door on two different occasions. Upon investigation, I noticed a recall for 2009 Routans issued on Friday. My wife and daughters were very fortunate that they were able to pull off the road quickly, others may not be so fortunate. This recall needs to be taken seriously, and expedited! the vehicle is with the dealer. I will provide an update on how they corrected the issue.

- Tampa, FL, USA

Driving approximately 25mph when the one month old vehicle just suddenly felt like someone slammed on the brakes. The vehicle came to a halt. The motor was still running. I got in the car again to move it out of the way and the same thing occurred. Immediately had it towed to the Volkswagen dealership. There it stayed for 13 days. The following problems were repaired/replace: Faulty transmission sensor, replaced sensor. Also, ABS steering angle sensor erratic performance. Faulty steering angle sensor. Replaced sensor.

- Palo Alto, CA, USA