2011 Volkswagen Routan: problems, recalls and reliability
0 recalls and 175 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (42% of complaints); the 2012 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly
0
recalls
175
owner complaints
2
fire reports
69,448
typical failure mileage, mi
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
NHTSA crash testRollover ★★★★★
No recall campaignsWeak spot: electrical system (42%)2 fire reports
Common problems
Computed from 175 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
Electrical System (battery, wiring, electronics)42% · 68 complaints
Engine (engine mechanics)15% · 24 complaints
Fuel/Propulsion System (fuel pump, tank, lines)13% · 22 complaints
Power Train (transmission, axles, driveline)7% · 11 complaints
Service Brakes (brakes)6% · 10 complaints
Air Bags (airbags and crash sensors)4% · 6 complaints
“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.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Feb 2025
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Aug 2024
“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.”Owner report · Engine · May 2024
Show 7 more owner reports
“Car has issues starting as if fuel pump isnt coming on... also vehicle shut down in middle of driving down highway would not restart”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2022
“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.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2021
“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”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2021
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2021
“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.”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2021
“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”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2020
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Nov 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 4 of these complaints and injuries in 21 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
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Is the 2011 Volkswagen Routan reliable?
NHTSA has 175 owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns on record for the 2011 Volkswagen Routan. The most complained-about area is electrical system (42% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2011 Volkswagen Routan problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 69,448 miles or less.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.