2011 Volkswagen Routan problems
NHTSA has received 302 complaints about the 2011 Volkswagen Routan, and 37% of them involve electrical system. Next are engine (16%) and fuel system (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 302 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 37% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 29 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 69,000 miles 253 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 | 19 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 23 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 38 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 80 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 44 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 35 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 253 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 69,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 71,000 miles (95 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 29 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Volkswagen Routan with enough data (141 complaints in that window).
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.
My children and I were stationary at a light when the van started sputtering. When the light turned green I accelerated. Within 5 minutes the van cut off. I have a full tank of gas. This now happens often and I never know where or when it will cut off. Most days it will not start. I have had a VW mechanic take a look and they advised its the fuel pump relay same that was recalled on the dodge and jeep vehicles. Because this is the same one but in VW body
Van has been having hard time starting when cold battery 3 months old. Vehicle has shut off while driving also. Took to dealer they stated battery is worn out. Got new battery and they ran diagnostic came back fuel pump not shutting off when vehicle is off drawing large load from battery. They stated the tipm is bad which is 1400 dollars. This is a reoccurring problem on these vehicles which are also branded as chrysler town and country they need to do a recall.
We purchased this vehicle used in august 2018. The first long distance trip the transmission quit working on pa I-76. My family could have been killed as the van shifted eradically, stalled while in motion, and stopped shifting all together. We took the vehicle back to where we purchased it. They sent it to the transmission place that originally did the transmission work. They replaced a defective part. Ever since the repair the van shifts hard and at odd times.