2.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,530 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Volkswagen Routan engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Volkswagen Routan Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #58

Jun 012014

Routan

  • 59,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Randomly stalls while driving- brought to mechanic, paid almost $1000 to try to get fixed, brought back when everything paid for didn't fix & was told to report ignition switch recall to VW to get fixed. Also lost power to rear dvd within days after purchase & never knew what to do. Brake pads are bad within 3-4,000 miles- windshield washer squirter unrepairable. Biggest issue is the ignition switch though, if that what is causing van to stall - while going steady speed, usually occurs over 25 mph for more than 5 miles- van starts jerking like it's going to stall & when sitting at a stop light or sign, or parked, idling, stalls & takes multiple attempts to restart - this has been happening since I purchased my 2009 Routan in 2014 when it had less than 60K miles. I have brought to mechanics that are friends & to multiple dealerships & shops to diagnose & fix & paid for everything out of pocket to get fixed or replaced & it has never fixed the problem for more than a week. For the brakes, I buy only the mid level or high level grade brakes & have had to switch both front & rear brakes, rotors & calipers out @ least 3-4 times per year since about 1 month after ownership. Every time, 1-2 brake pads were completely bad & gone while the others were about 50-70%. another issue, that has never been able to get fixed is the A/C- after recharging, the A/C will blow cold on the drivers side front only & hot throughout the rest of the car. When heat is on, same problem, only blows heat in front & cool in back. How do I get all recalls for my minivan repaired through Volkswagen" how does the process work? I have 5 small children & this is our only form of transportation. Will I be provided with a loaner that will seat my entire family while my vehicle is being repaired" please advise as I have had this minivan for over 3 years with these issues and spent thousands of dollars

- Round Lake Beach, IL, USA

problem #57

Apr 282017

Routan

  • 65,273 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. While the contact's niece was stopped at a stop light, it experienced a complete loss of power. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic who confirmed that the engine was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but did not offer assistance. The failure mileage was 65,273.

- Yardley, PA, USA

problem #56

Nov 182016

Routan

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. Once the vehicle was warmed up, it lost power. When the engine was not warmed up, the vehicle could only be operated for 10 to 15 minutes. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the lock torque converter between the valve body was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

- Parma, OH, USA

problem #55

May 272016

Routan

  • 96,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. While driving 25 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and restarted. The contact stated that the failure occurred ten times prior to this failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 96,000.

- Torrington, WY, USA

problem #54

May 192016

Routan

  • 72,000 miles
For years I have experienced intermittent failures in starting my car, each time if I wait a while it will start. Additionally, beginning in Feb 2016, my engine will simply shut down while the car is in motion (pretty scary). I have dealt with VW several time to no avail and always at my expense. This latest development may cost me or someone else their life. VW acts like this has not happened to anyone else and if they can't recreate the issue they can't address the issue, really! this is criminal! I have had a starter replaced as well as a switch and no change. All I get from VW is "you can take it to another dealer and get a second opinion we will cover 1 hour of the cost to diagnose the problem" really no greater expertise no information sharing, just another dealer, the third of which will likely tell me, we can't create the problem!

- Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA

problem #53

Nov 302015

Routan

  • 105,376 miles
After my van has been sitting for a while and it been warmed up for 15 minutes. With in the first 2 to 5 miles of driving the traction control light will come on and the van will shut off and the steering wheel and break will fail. Then I have to turn the key to off and restart the van and it sometime repeat itself if I'm stuck in traffic.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #52

Nov 032015

Routan

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Had the win module replaced for the electrical system ignition switch recall. Now the car will make sudden stops and shut down. Car then will not start up unless the battery is unhooked and hooked back up. Dealer wants to charge $350 to do a diagnostic test to determine the cause.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #51

Nov 032015

Routan

  • 71,000 miles
The vehicle while driving had all the warning lights come on, the gauges go up and down and the vehicle cut off. This happened multiple times one afternoon. Had to have it towed to the house. Internet search shows that this is a routine problem for others as well.

- White Oak, NC, USA

problem #50

Aug 122015

Routan

  • 66,000 miles
When slowing down to turn into the parking lot at the local library the vehicle stalled and lost power. After coming to a stop the van would start fine and was able to finish the trip. A few days later this same issue occurred while coming to a stop. We returned the car to dealership for work on a faulty radio and mentioned this issue. The dealership had the radio replaced and took it to a VW dealership to have the ignition switch replaced under a safety recall. It worked fine for about a week then started happening again. The van was taken in for an oil change at an independent shop and they checked about the stalling issue. They could not find any codes indicating a problem, but after the oil change the van worked better for a few days. It now stalls multiple times per day, usually going less than 30 mph. On Sept 19, 2015 the van stalled while accelerating on to the entrance ramp of the highway. The speed was about 45mph.

- Coopersville, MI, USA

problem #49

Sep 062015

Routan

  • 51,000 miles
Driving downhill, foot off accelerator. Abrupt loss of engine power followed by loss of power steering and braking. Vehicle under known recall and has been "fixed". this incident has now occurred 3-4X since the recall fix, nearly identical circumstances approx every 1-3 months. VW kept the vehicle for > 2 weeks, unable to identify the problem, vehicle was returned to me without any new attempts at fixing it. I will be returning it to VW and taking it out of service.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #48

Feb 032014

Routan

  • 36,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle loses power, losing power steering, brakes, etc. Warning lights illuminate. Able to restart engine by shifting into neutral and turning key to start. ***happens multiple times approx every 1-3 months, random*** taken in for recall fix for this known problem in 2015. Has happened now 3-4X since the recall fix. Extended testing by VW has not established a reason. Multiple attempted fixes, no change to the loss of power. Last happened 9/6/2015, traveling 40mph downhill in gear, abrupt loss of power, followed by loss of power steering and loss of power brakes. Again, able to restart by shifting into neutral and turning the key to start.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #47

Nov 212014

Routan

  • 68,500 miles
I bought this Routan aprox 8 months ago, nothing but problems, it has shut down in city traffic and highway speeds, I am aware of recall #28H1 from VW that 2 VW dealerships deny even exist.the dealer I bought this from test and diagnosed it as a defective wins module { ignition switch } and contacted a VW dealership in barre Vermont and said they would order a module and scheduled a date to install it, a couple of days before appointment I myself decide to bring in myself and called to verify the date and time, there service department asked me for a recall number of which at the time I did not have because my service manager where I bought it from set this up.after tracking down the correct service rep at walker VW in barre Vermont she informed me they did not order the part and there is no wins modules available yet 06/01/15 even though this recall was dated in March of 2014, still no fix whats up with that " I guess our lives and the lives of our loved ones do not matter it is time for someone or the NHTSA to impose some serious preasure on volkswagon and demand that our vehicles be repaired correctly they should be brought up on charges for deceiveing the public.even my own dealership has not been telling me everything until I corner them or catch them off guard, come to find out after squeezing it out of my own local service manager is that a wins module had already been replaced in my Routan for the prior owner, probably to pasify the customer.I am at this point looking at the legal grounds we all should have against these corperations like volkswagon or even Chrysler since they produced Routans for volkswagon. I would hate to trade this vehicle in just for some other sap to be stuck with a lemon.its just not safe or dependable and we have a long trip in two days 50/50 chance we make it down and back with know problems ??"

- Berlin, NH, USA

problem #46

Jul 102014

Routan

  • 51,496 miles
The first incident with a "clunking" noise of the transmission began on 7/10/2014 at 51,496 miles. When shifting from reverse to drive car makes a "clunking" noise and jerks the car forward. It was noted by dealership after a test drive no faults found. On 3/19/15 at 58,611 miles car returned to dealership. Same clunking and grinding noises. Faults: P0868, P1790 & P0944. Pressure readings to low in tcm control wires. Transmission to be replaced per dealership. Findings: Under drive clutches worn out, sungears and assembly damaged with metal metal fragments. On 4/30/2015 and 59,215 miles, car returned to dealership for same grinding and clunking noises. Dealership performed another "quick learn test." As of 5/19/2015 and 60,001 miles, transmission is still grinding and clunking on occasion during acceleration and/or transmission shift from reverse to drive. The vehicle also randomly "stalls" while at stoplights/stop-signs with no normal frequency. Even with a new transmission, same issues are still surrounding this car. Thanks.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #45

Apr 212015

Routan 6-cyl

  • 75,400 miles
I went to pass a vehicle at 65mph and the accelerator pedal did not release, the van hit 80-mph before I popped it in neutral and then back into drive to correct the issue. Hitting the brakes had no effect on the unintended acceleration. This vehicle is mechanically identical to Chrysler Town & Country and dadge Grand Caravan, see other identical complaints here: forums.edmunds.com/discussion/14835/Dodge/Voyager/Dodge-grand-Caravan-sudden-acceleration?

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #44

Apr 102010

Routan

  • 16,080 miles
Oil consumption since 12000 miles. VW dealer never want to address the problem. Keep tell me this normal. Now I have to add quarter oil every1400 mil. I hope the recall will fix this problem. I had to replace brakes at 12000 miles due the while brakes. I've done oil consumption test 3 times already.

- Burbank, IL, USA

problem #43

Feb 232015

Routan

  • 100,000 miles
Over the past 2 months, our 2009 VW Routan has repeatedly shut down while driving. The engine will stop, causing the power braking and power steering to go out. Once we pull over and turn the vehicle off, we can restart it. However, recently it's started to again stall within only a couple of miles of the first stall. We replaced the erg valve already. In doing some research, it appears that this dangerous problem may be due to an ignition switch problem. Our vehicle is one that is part of the recall that VW issued over 7 months ago! I called VW customer care yesterday and was told that the recall part still isn't available but it should be "ready soon." The person I talked with had no idea when "soon" would be. He said the parts are coming from a different manufacturer. He told me to bring our VW to a VW dealership to have them complete a diagnosis on it. I explained that this vehicle has been nothing but problems for us and that I was unwilling to pay the dealership any additional money for a diagnosis fee when it is clearly part of the recall problem. The customer care representative started a case on our vehicle (whatever that means). In the meantime, I am scared to drive the vehicle as I have 2 young children that I will not put at risk of this thing shutting down while we are going 65 mph on the highway. It is clear to me that VW has exceeded an appropriate amount of time to fix the recall issue on all of these Routans. When will VW be held accountable to fix the recall issue - it's been over 7 months!

- Eagan, MN, USA

problem #42

Mar 102015

Routan 6-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
We have owned the vehicle for about 2 months with no issues, when we purchased the vehicle it came with a clean carfax listing no recalls. On 3/10/15 my wife was driving on a 2 lane country road going about 35mph when the vehicle suddenly lost power and she lost control of the vehicle. The engine appeared to have cut out, she had no power steering and no power brakes and was unable to stop or steer the vehicle. The dash displayed the anti-slip light, but no others. The vehicle slowed down to a stop, thankfully there was no oncoming traffic as she was no longer in her proper lane, and no cars behind her. She was able to put it in park and restart it as if nothing had happened and it was fine after that for the rest of her commute. We contacted VW about the issue and they requested that we bring the car to a VW dealer for inspection. We did that, and VW claimed that our vehicle was not impacted by recall # rna1, but instead they insisted the issue was caused by a faulty egr valve, and gave me an engine trouble code of C121C that they claimed corresponded with the failing egr valve. VW charged me over $100 for the diagnosis, and a day later after complaining to VW customer care they agreed to refund the charges. I brought the vehicle back to the independent dealership that I originally purchased the car at the same day that VW diagnosed this, and they were not in agreement with the egr diagnosis, and also could not corroborate the trouble code C121C as being related to an egr issue, rather it comes up as a torque request signal denied trouble code instead. The independent dealer also found that I had stored codes for ABS malfunctions, sunroof errors and mic/ccn instrument cluster. The independent dealer cleared these codes before leaving that day. On 3/25/15 my wife was driving at about 35mph when the cars engine shut off again in a similar fashion. No codes

- South Berwick, ME, USA

problem #41

Feb 062015

Routan

  • 34,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the engine stalled as all of the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the totally integrated power module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 34,000.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #40

Jan 012015

Routan

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able restart. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Oxford, MI, USA

problem #39

Oct 022014

Routan 6-cyl

  • 87,500 miles
While driving typically at speeds less than 45 mph the vehicle engine will shut down and electrical power at the dash is lost. Vehicle will restart after it shuts down. Problem is not consistent. Dealer can not verify the complaint, therefore can not repair. NHTSA recall 14V396 appears to be the correction for the issue. Dealer will not perform the recall until they duplicate the issue. Has been at the dealer for 6 days with no duplication of the complaint.

- Alamo, TN, USA

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