There are 7 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2009 Volkswagen Routanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The brackets that hold the automatic door wires brake continuously. Then the wire gets pinched in the door and it causes a large amount of electrical problems. The abs, esp bad, brake, and traction control lights come on when the wire gets pinched. These doors were made very poorly and should have been looked over before this vehicle was made.
POWER SLIDING DOORS CAN TRAP CHILD OR PETS IN THEIR PATH. *TR
2009 VW ROUTAN, ELECTRIC DOOR FAILURE. DOORS FAIL TO STOP, THERE'S NO SENSOR, CLOSING ON YOUR HAND OR WHATEVER. ALSO RANDOMLY FAIL TO CLOSE, CLOSE HALF WAY, RE-OPEN, OPEN WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS UNSAFE. WE HAVE TWO SMALL DOGS, IF ONE OF THE DOGS ACCIDENTALLY STEPS THRU THE DOOR WHILE IT'S CLOSING, IT WILL CLOSE ON THE DOG. I WOULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT THIS CAR IF I HAD KNOWN. I'M THINKING OF HAVING THE ELECTRIC DOORS DISENGAGED. READ THAT OTHER OWNERS HAD DOOR CATCH FIRE. I WANT TO RETURN THIS CAR. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SLIDING DOOR WOULD NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. THE SENSOR FAILED AND HER CHILDS FINGERS AND PART OF HIS BODY WERE JAMMED IN THE DOOR. THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WERE NO FAILURES IN THE VEHICLE AND WHEN CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER, THEY CONFIRMED THERE WERE NO FAILURES WITHIN THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 11,000.
THE REAR TAILGATE OF MY 2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN OPENED UP AUTOMATICALLY WHILE THE CAR WAS IN GEAR AND IN MOTION WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL, IT SHOULD NOT DO EVEN IF THE POWER TAILGATE BUTTON IS PRESSED. THIS HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS BEING PULLED INTO THE GARAGE WHICH RESULTED IN THE REAR WINDSHIELD SHATTERING UPON CONTACT WITH THE GARAGE DOOR OPENING. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP THE SAME DAY AND NOTHING WAS FOUND IN THE DIAGNOSTICS THAT POINTED TO A FAILURE OF ANY SORT. THERE WERE PREVIOUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES EXPERIENCED WITH THE CAR NOT REPORTED TO THE DEALER, INCLUDING WITH THE TAILGATE, THAT WERE NOT AS SERIOUS AND THAT CORRECTED THEMSELVES AFTER SHUTTING OFF AND RESTARTING THE CAR. *TR
WE HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH OUR VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN SINCE NEARLY DAY ONE. WHILE PARKED ON ANY TYPE OF SURFACE, (HILL, OR FLAT, DOWN HILL, OR UP HILL). ON OCCASION THE DOOR WHILE OPENING OR CLOSING WILL RE-CLOSE OR NOT OPEN. THIS HAS BEEN VERY DANGEROUS WHEN YOU HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD GET IN THE DOOR BEFORE DOOR HAS COME TO COMPLETE REST. THE CHILD GETS IN AS THE DOOR OPENS, AND THE DOOR CLOSES BACK ON HIM AS IT COULDN'T OPEN PROPERLY. WE HAVE HAD IT CHECKED BY VW ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT WAS NOT RESOLVED. THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THESE DOORS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DOOR WOULD IMMEDIATELY REOPEN AFTER BEING CLOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE DOOR CHAIN AND AN UNSPECIFIED ELECTRICAL COMPONENT WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026