Problems with 2009 Volkswagen Routan ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

We purchased this used in february 2019 and have since experienced numerous issues with the radio, backup camera, and dvd player not working. recently the car now just shuts off while driving down a mountain road, power steering freezes and brakes are very limited which was very scary. it happened earlier in the year when pulling out of a parking lot and leaving the driveway and i thought that the issue was behind us and our mechanic couldn't replicate it. when i called the dealership they didn't know anything about it and weren't aware of any recalls. as of today i contacted vw and they said that our van ignition switch was previously repaired as part of the recall and it is now outside of the warranty period. i understand that the warranty can't last forever, but this is now occurring frequently 4 more times in the last few days, normally just after starting the vehicle and driving taking off for the first time. it restarts when put in park, but the starting process cranks more than usual. depending on the situation it is merely an annoyance or extremely dangerous and there is no warning, just turns off and the steering stiffness is the first indication. the van is now parked as it is not safe for my family to drive.

Tipm box needs to be replaced, vw dealership says it is faulty and has glitches that need to be repaired but it exceeds my warranty. i purchased this van 3 weeks ago and the radio will go out or stay on, the wipers will come on by themselves and the tire pressure light will come on.

There are so many complaints for the same thing yet vw refuses to admit it is a problem. my electrical will shut off completely. i will normally loose anything electrical, throttle, sometimes power steering. then the electrical comes back on and all the lights on the dashboard cluster come on. it will continually do this, even when you are on the freeway. they are going to continue to deny this until somebody is killed or severely injured due to this malfunction. i bought my 2009 vw routan used and the service department is dodging replacing the tpim/ignition switch, probably because it is expensive. vw should also take responsibility for this since it is hazardous to drive. please if you are reading this and have a vw routan with this issue, make a report and bring this to light.

Vehicle will intermittently not start even after multiple try's. vehicle shuts off during driving events city and highway. abs lights come on and stay on. interior lights come on automatically during driving. have had the vehicle to a vw dealer 4 times for this issue and they cannot diagnoses, nor remedy the issue. i have spent well over $2,000 for these vw dealer visits. this vehicle was built by chrysler for vw and chrysler issued a recall on the tipm for the chrysler vehicles. vw refuses to issue a recall for the tipm. this is a major safety issue that causes the vehicle to shut off during driving and all power and braking functions are lost. at this time, i have no choice but to pay an additional $1,500 to have vw replace the tipm in the hopes that it resolves this dangerous safety issue and keeps my family safe. nhtsa must investigate this issue with chrysler and realize that it applies to vw routan vehicles built by them as well, and force vw to recall the vehicles and fix the issue at their cost and provide full reimbursement to all routan owners who have this same safety issue. what actions are nhtsa taking on this critical safety issue?

For several months in 2018 our 2009 volkswagen routan would not start, windows would not work correctly, etc. on november 10th, 2018, our 2009 volkswagen routan was stationary and would not start at all. called a tow truck to have it taken to the nearest dealership. tow truck driver messed with the vehicle and was able to start it and we drove it to the dealership. the dealership received our vehicle on 11/10/18. the dealership notified us that there is an open recall on the "win module" and they would contact volkswagen for the replacement parts. the dealership did not receive the part until 11/15/18 and the part was used/programmed for a different vehicle therefore it was unable to be installed in our vehicle. the dealership then provided us with a loaner vehicle and contacted volkswagen for yet another unused part. it is now 11/28/18 and we still do not have our vehicle. the part was received and installed however the vehicle's battery will no longer hold a charge. the dealership wants to put a new battery in the vehicle and we will have to pay $150.00 for the battery and installation. we never received notice of this recall. my husband lost 2 days of pay. we had to rely on 3 different people to get my husband to and from work. i am disabled and had surgery on 10/23/18 and unable to get to physical therapy let alone leave the house for a week because the dealership didn't have any available loaner vehicles until 11/15/18. this has been a danger to my family/children and a great inconvenience. today 11/28/18 i am calling the actual volkswagen customer service to report their negligence and the grief/expense they have caused my family. we purchased this vehicle because of volkswagens reliability standards but we will now never purchase from their company again. as of today 11/28/18 we still do not have our vehicle returned!

Driving down the road and all the lights will start blinking and vehicle will turn completely off. no brakes or power steering when this takes place.unable to drive being pregnant and having 3 young children and do not fill safe since this happened going down hill in a turn.

The car does not start after a stop. it takes hours before it restarts. replaced battery, starter still same issue. many other vw routan owners have the same issue. the car has power but something is messed up in this car.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving between 15-25 mph, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to fox valley volkswagen schaumburg (1000 e golf rd, schaumburg, il 60173, (847) 839-8101) where it was repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 15v194000 (electrical system). the failure recurred at least 15 times within the past two weeks. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 90,900.

As of january 2017 i have had the repeated issue of the car not starting when turned on. note the recall on the ignition was done by the vw dealer previously. the car not starting at first occurred once and awhile. then became more consistent, i replaced the starter in march 2017 thinking that would resolve the issue. since then the problem keeps occurring. vw dealer has no idea what the issue is and wants me to replace the starter again. i've researched this mechanical problem and found out a lot of people are having the same issue. there's a click when you attempt to start the car and this is after the battery and starter has been replaced. the longest i've waited for the car to start is about 30 minutes. i attempt to start it a few minutes are sitting in the car, sometimes it takes one try sometimes it takes 20 tries then the car will start up. i've reported this to vw care and they advised me to get the starter replaced again, spending more money. this is not a customer care issue, this is on the vw company.

Engine will not start. happens on occasion but happened enough that i had two starters installed as well as a battery. what else could it be? can turn the key and nothing happens. i can possibly sit there and turn the ignition 10+ times and still nothing. thought it could be a bad spot in the new starter?? cleaned battery posts often and now have treated the connections. would like not to receive another call from lovely wife that the van would not start. has to be something with a circuit staying open or something. safety issue due to not knowing if your car is going to start when you arrive to a destination. issue has been going on for 2+ years and van has 100k miles last instance of issue: 23 june 2017

The tipm module went out, causing all instruments to go to zero, all indicators to light up, the warning tone sounded, the wipers started of their own accord, and other craziness related to the computer system. the vehicle was moving at the time; parking, turning off the engine and back on, adjusting speed -- nothing made a difference. since volkswagen routans are just rebadged chrysler town and countries, the tipm issue is just as much of a problem on routans as it was on dodge, chrysler, and jeep vehicles.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle was involved in an electrical fire. the contact stated that smoke entered into the cabin of the vehicle and the rear passenger side door caught fire. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries. a mechanic extinguished the fire. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 160,000.

While driving on street or highway or stopped. usually around 20-40mph car stalls. brakes lock up/steering wheel locks up/no control of car at all. all lights indicate car is on, one bell goes off prior and anti-skid light comes on. by then panic cannot control car! put car in park after stopped and it starts right up.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. when the vehicle was started, the windshield wipers started to operate independently and the instrument panel, turn signals, and air conditioner failed to operate. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the contact stated that the failure was intermittent. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

*sometimes the vehicle will not start for no apparent reason.vw service dept. cannot detect an issue. *engine light comes on intermittently while driving-vw cannot detect anything wrong.* alarms go off but no signal showing on the dashboard.*power windows and seats work intermittently- *found vehicle's sliding door wide open i parking lot, twice. * have also found windows open. our lift gate (trunk) opened while driving on the highway.* vehicle failed to shift,while driving, revved and would not reset until pulling over and turning off the vehicle. though vw could not find faulty readings and didn't believe tipm is the issue because they couldn't read it. being familiar with programming, i know that glitches can cause faulty readings.if there is a glitch before the reading can be processed by the computer, there will be no faulty reading logged. a pc won't save a file, either if the power supply is interrupted before it can do so..tipm malfunctions can also cause all other issues i have experienced. upon getting a second opinion from transmission specialists, they said only the solenoid was faulty. they also confirmed that a faulty tipm box will cause solenoid issues and eventually ruin the new one, too. *recently, all locks stopped working & the vehicle can only be opened & locked manually. at the same time all interior lights were on and had to be turned off at the dashboard- this would have drained the battery had it happened on a work day. vw has had the vehicle for 2 full days and yet doesn't know what's wrong with it. we have had these issues and useless repairs for over 2 years. all issues point to faulty tipm (manufactured by chrysler, who had to settle in a lawsuit about the tipm box/ faulty relay issue for jeep, dodge, and chrysler). we need help with these issues. too many of us have it 2011 and 2012 models as well. please help.

I bought a certified pre-owned 2009 routan. after about a year, the car randomly will not start, it just clicks but will not start. replaced battery. still - car will not start. this has been going on for 3 years. had starter & alternator checked - both good. had the ignition recall done and problem resolved itself for about 3 months - now it started doing this again - randomly will not start. hubby moved a wire under the hood and magically the car started. got home and van will not start! after spending $5,200 on a new transmission - i hate to put any more $$ into this van. has anyone found a fix for this problem - i've seen many have this same issue. talked to a lady at vw repair shop who has been in excess of $3,000 trying to fix this exact same problem. still keeps happening. help!

Re: sliding door wiring harness. defective extrusion coating on cooper wires, which is a non-malleable coating prone to cracking and breaking. causes failure in electrical system, disabling electronics in the door and potential grounding of voltage. the undesired result is an improperly locked door that can be jarred open and is not properly secured will rattle when driving.

My 2009 volkswagen routan dies while driving. i've on the vehicle for two years and this has been happening the whole time. that usually happens at lower speeds (under 35mph). it happens when i'm going straight and when i'm turning corners, going over or no bumps at all. when my car dies i lose steering, all power/electrical. i have taken it to volkswagen three times for this issue. the first time it was serviced for a recall fix. the problem continued so i took it back and was informed of a second recall for the same issue. so i had it serviced for the second recall fix. the problem continued so i take it back a third time. volkswagen service department kept my car for over two weeks and then told me they couldn't find anything wrong with it. the problem has continued and seems to be happening more frequently.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning while driving 75 mph. the failure was experienced numerous times. the repair for nhtsa campaign number: 15v194000 (electrical system) was performed. since the repair, the vehicle experienced the stalling failure, and the fob was replaced twice. the dealer was contacted. the dealer advised that the electrical system might need to be rewired. the manufacturer was notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate faiure mileage was 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel jerked and the vehicle shut off. the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 15v194000 (electrical system), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 74,000.

2009 volkswagen routan. consumer writes in regards to ignition switch recall repairs. *smd the consumer stated the dealer had his vehicle for two weeks to perform the ignition recall. however, on june 15, 2015, the problem returned, when the vehicle stalled while driving. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system). the contact stated that the failure related to the recall was experienced on two occasions. the details of the failure were not available. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and was informed that the vehicle was required to be diagnosed by a dealer before the recall remedy could be performed. the failure mileage was 95,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while in park, the vehicle failed to start. while driving at 40 mph, there was a beeping noise coming from the front of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician diagnosed that the range selector needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving at approximately 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 102,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v194000 (electrical system). the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the dealer and manufacturer were notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v194000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that after stopping at traffic light, the vehicle stalled and the instrument panel warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission sensor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system) however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 34,031.

Tl* 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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experience a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving 25 mph, the front passenger side door opened without warning. the vehicle was taken to gurley leep motorwerks (4004 grape rd, mishawaka, in 46545) where it was diagnosed that the lock switch and locking rod failed and needed to be repaired. in addition, the door latch failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but later the power locks on the same door failed to work. the vehicle was taken back to gurley leep motorwerks where it was diagnosed that the cable guide wire failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

On the said date, i was driving my car when i heard a loud noise coming from the ignition area and the car suddenly and unexpectedly stalled, i was able to restart the car right away. a month later, i heard the same noise and the car stalled again, while i was in the middle of a very busy intersection. in august of 2014, i had received a recall from vw informing me of a recall ( nhtsa 14v-396), i took my car to the dealer who has not been able to fix the issue, in november, parts are still not available for the repairs to be performed. i spoke to the regional case manager at vw who won't do anything either. vw is letting me drive an unreliable and unsafe vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would decelerate and stalled. the contact received a received a notification for recall nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system). the dealer stated that the parts were not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact not to drive the vehicle since the parts were not available. the failure mileage was unknown.

My wife took our 2009 vw routan minivan to a vw dealership today to repair inoperable electronic door locks and faulty headlights (separate complain filed), at which time she was informed of an ignition problem recall. the ignition part was placed on order and my wife was told the part had to be shipped from out of state and should arrive within five days. my wife asked, and was informed the vehicle was safe to operate; however, i looked up the recall when i got home from work and discovered the recall specifically states the engine can shut of during operation due to added weight from other keys or key rings on the vw key fob. according to the recall, dealership and maintenance personnel are supposed to inform customers to remove added keys from the fob. my wife had keys on her fob which the dealer mechanic had in his hand during inspections, but the mechanic never informed her of the risk, and allowed her to jeopardize her life by driving the vehicle without the required safety information. *tr

The electronic door (side panel, passenger, and driver) door locks stopped working. at about the same time our front headlights began to intermittently go out during operation of the vehicle, and then stopped working altogether. the vehicle was submitted to the dealership and customer was informed that the headlight ballast was worn out and had to be replaced. parts were ordered and when the vehicle was taken in for said ballast replacement another mechanic stated this was not a ballast issue since the headlights appeared to turn on during ignition, but then stopped working shortly afterwards. we had to wait until the next day for a dealer electrician to look at the vehicle. the electrician determined a corroded control panel was causing a short and likely causing door the headlight, as well as other issues such as incorrect tire pressure and speed indications and possible fire. no water was introduced to the vehicle, so my question is how does a control panel corrode unless there is a faulty voltage issue and electrical design defect? the mechanic indicated the dealer gets a lot of these issues on the routan but there is no recall so they charge $900 for the replacement panel. vw knows of this issue that their own mechanics indicate can start electrical fires! the company should be investigated. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system); however, the part needed for the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified. the contact had not experienced a failure. updated 02/04/15*lj

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received a notice for nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system). after contacting the dealer on multiple occasions, the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle were still not available. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system); however, the parts were not available to repair the vehicle. the dealer was contacted and they were unable to specify when the parts would become available. the manufacturer was not made aware of the delay. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to merge to the side of the road. the vehicle was able to restart and resumed normal operation. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system); however, the parts were not available. the failure occurred numerous times. the manufacturer was unable to state when the part would be available. the approximate failure mileage was 109,000.

I received a safety recall letter in 08/2014 for my car 2009 vw routan. this is the defective ignition switch issue that has been in the news for months. the letter says parts are not available and j will be contacted when they are available. it has been over two months since the letter and they still have not contacted us for the repair. i have four children and my wife. this is the only car we have so we must use it. i have nothing else in my key- nothing of any weight. however i feel that it is unsafe for me to be driving this car around and that vw / chrysler are dragging their feet on these repairs. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle failed to start. the contact had to try several times before the vehicle would restart. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the ignition and keys needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that when the ignition key was disengaged, the doors failed to lock. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. in addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact received a notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system). however, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 130,000. updated 01/28/15*lj

I've had the vw routan since 2010 - purchased it with 6,000 miles on it. it's a sel so it's auto-everything. in the past 12-16 months both the left and right passenger auto doors stopped working due to a wiring issue. (2 separate incidents; $300 each repair). today, my left passenger auto door stopped working again. the vehicle sees normal usage and has not been in an accident. *tr

My electrical system went out on my minivan and i was not notified that it had a recall on it. my van will not start. i have 2 children that i have to get around to school and sport activities, doctors appointments, ect. i have so much trouble with this van since i bought it. with all the recalls, computer failure and the coolant leak into the inside of the van, the interior coming down, and now the electrical system failing now. i have no car to get me kids anyway now. please help me. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that the doors failed to unlock from the outside of the vehicle. the contact had to utilize the manual lock that was located inside the driver side door handle in order to unlock the doors. the failure occurred on numerous occasions. the dealer stated that the key fob and module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000.

The car suddenly shuts down loosing all electrical power. it looses all power steering and braking ability.it has done this several times at various speeds. i have to completely turn off the car and start it all over again. this has been very dangerous. *tr

Your site wouldn't allow pull-down for affected parts earlier, here is part of the e-mail report i first sent dealer 5/6/14: " ..something new is a problem w/my routan but i want to check in prior to making an appt. since we so recently had it in for diagnostic check up. here's what's happening it's very scary: 6 times now over the last 2 weeks it's just conked-out/shut off while i'm driving, leaving me with no steering, brakes or anything! fortunately it's happened in low traffic areas on fairly straight roads so i've been able to coast to the side, but i'm getting scared to drive my van. yesterday- it conked out three times...bringing kids home from school-- again very scary, and once on a turn which was difficult but luckily no one was behind me... these events... all happened at low speed 15-30 mph and happen so quietly i can barely tell it's happened... it's like the key/ignition somehow flicks all by itself into the acc position. then i have to wait til the van stops, turn the key and van all the way off and re-start. then it seems to start up fine. but this happened three times just yesterday p.m.... it's dangerous, and i'm getting more and more scared to drive my van, but i have to with four kids and activities." today 6/30/14 (again) dealer found no problem. cost to replace switch $989.00. i researched delphi, china, austin martin and fully believe a commonality with gm recall exists. the routan is a vw & chrysler complicating my research. i've followed hierarchy- dealer, vw, now nhtsa but hit a road block(no pun). please investigate this asap. update 6/30- gm recalled 8m more as "unintended key ignition rotation"- exactly what's happening with my routan. i tried submitting this complaint earlier- but your website wouldn't allow. so this is not someone jumping on the bandwagon. this is real, please help. *tr

Our 2009 vw routan completely shuts down while driving 3 times now. not only does it shut down, but the steering and brakes lock as well. on the last occurrence, my wife (with our children in the car) came very close to hitting a parked car in the street. we have taken it to 2 vw dealers so far in charlotte, nc and they state: "we cannot duplicate the issue." unfortunately, that is not the right answer when you have something as dangerous as this happening to our family car. we have called vw corporate to help 2nd dealership with a resolution, but nothing has been fixed at this time. we are not sure what do at this point, and seems like both vw and vw dealerships are aware of issue, but no one wants to touch it! please help! *tr

Van on multiple occasions will not start. when you turn the key you just get a click... this has been going on for 5 months (the whole time i have had this van) some days you try to start it, it wont start. then you try again and it may start. yesterday the van had to be trailered to a dealership...because yet again it will not start. not the battery or alternator. we beleive it is a faulty ignition switch.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled several times without warning. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v396000 (electrical system) and stated that the part needed was not available for an extended period of time. the dealer did not provide a specific date for when the part would become available. the manufacturer was contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repair. the approximate failure mileage was 42,000.