2010 Volkswagen Routan problems
NHTSA has received 359 complaints about the 2010 Volkswagen Routan, and 42% of them involve electrical system. Next are engine (14%) and brakes (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 359 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 42% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 288 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 52 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 31 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 35 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 40 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 39 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 40 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 25 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 15 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 9 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 288 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 72,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (119 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 15 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2010 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Volkswagen Routan with enough data (162 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen routan. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced numerous failures. The rear rotors became warped numerous times and the dealer replaced the rotors four times. The transmission would cause the vehicle to lunge abruptly when the gear was shifted from reverse to drive. Additionally, the fog light assembly became overheated and burned several times.
I just entered the expressway. The engine started revving between 5-6 rpms, and the car was going 40. I noticed smoke coming from the back of the car, so I went to the next exit (2 blocks) and got off the expressway. The car was smoking. A passerby told me to get out of the car because of the smoke and liquid pouring out of the car. I then had to call the fire department because vw's roadside assistance wouldn't come until the fire department cleared the car to be towed. Finally, it was towed to the dealership.
Reported issue to VW recall group via telephone 5/13/2019. This is very similar to a recall that took place for VW routan 2009-2010 that were created between the dates of october 2019 to june 2010. Our vehicle was created in august of 2010, and I suspect the same parts were still used. Two issues have occurred with 2010 VW routan sel minivan 4.0l issues started occurring after replacing a lost key fob. Key fob was ordered through local VW dealer (bob king VW) and replaced. First issue: car would not start.