There are 10 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2011 Volkswagen Routanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. THE CONTACT COULD NOT GUIDE THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HAD TO ACTIVATE THE HAZARD LIGHTS. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE HOME AFTER WAITING FIFTEEN MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP RELAY FAILED. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH AN UNKNOWN VOLKSWAGEN DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE AND THIS MODEL VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY MADE FROM CHRYSLER. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
MY 2011 VW ROUTAN, WILL HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE STARTING UP, TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE TIPM NEEDS TO BE REPLACE, WHICH IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS CAR,
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. WHILE THE CONTACT'S SON WAS ATTEMPTING TO PULL THE VEHICLE INTO THE DRIVEWAY, IT SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE ON THE FUEL PUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE SAME FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
IT IS VERY HARD TO START THE ROUTAN, AND IT HAS STALLED WHILE DRIVING FOR NO REASON DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. CHRYSLER (WHO MADE THE ROUTAN FOR VW) HAS RECALLED THE TIPM ON ALL OF THEIR TOWN AND COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS THE DODGE CARAVANS FOR THIS SAME REASON. I HAVE A FAMILY OF 7 THAT USES THIS VEHICLE FOR OUT PRIMARY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION.
CHECK TIRE LIGHT ON DASH CAME ON AND OFF- HAD IT CHECKED OUT- NOTHING CAME UP. THEN WE STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH THE VEHICAL STARTING- LONG STARTS AND NOT STARTING ON THE FIRST, SECOND, SOMETIMES THIRD TRY. NEXT, THE ENGINE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY TURN OFF WHEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. LASTLY, IT STARTED SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING!!! ALL OF THESE THINGS OCCURRED WITHIN 1.5 MONTHS AND IN ORDER. BROUGHT IT IN TO VW DEALER- REQUIRES NEW TIPM MODULE AT 1000.00 DOLLARS. TOTALLY UNSAFE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ALONG WITH THE CHRYSLER AND DODGE MODELS WHEN THEY RECALLED THE TIPM MODULES. THIS CAR WAS MADE BY CHRYSLER- SO I'VE DISCOVERED. IT IS ESSENTIALLY A CHRYSLER WITH A VW BADGE ON IT- THAT'S WHAT THE MECHANICS I'VE SPOKEN WITH CALL IT. THEY ALSO CALL IT A FRANKENSTEIN VAN! VW AND CHRYSLER SHOULD STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT- ADD IT TO THE RECALL BEFORE FOR SOMEONE GETS KILLED IN THIS THING!!!
TIPM WAS RECALLED FOR CHRYSLER/DODGE AND SHOULD BE FOR VW ROUTAN. FROM WHAT I'VE READ THE CAR CAN STALL IF THIS PART IS BAD
VW ROUTAN 2011 (CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY) WILL NOT START INTERMITTENTLY, STARVING FOR FUEL. ON 4-5 OCCASIONS THIS VAN WOULD NOT START UNTIL MANY ATTEMPTS LATER, POTENTIALLY STRANDING MY FAMILY. WE HAVE PARKED THE VAN UNTIL WE COULD RESEARCH AND HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED. NOW MY MECHANIC HAS DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS THE TIPM FUEL PUMP RELAY. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH FOUND CHRYSLER HAD MANDATORY RECALL ON THIS SAME TIPM FUEL PUMP RELAY. VW ROUTAN DOES NOT SEEM TO BE INCLUDED, DESPITE THIS BEING A "RE-BADGED" TOWN & COUNTRY VAN, MANUFACTURED BY CHRYSLER. *TR
ROUTAN DIDN'T START AFTER KEY TURNED AND STARTED TO TURN-OVER. IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS FOR THE VAN TO START. MECHANIC DETERMINED THE FUEL PUMP WAS DIPPING BELOW THRESHOLDS, SO REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. THE VAN STARTED THE NEXT FEW TIMES, BUT CONTINUED WITH THE SAME STARTUP PROBLEM AGAIN. THEN IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE FUEL PUMP RELAY IN THE TIPM. THIS HAS BEEN RECALLED BY CHRYSLER YET VW USES THE SAME PART AND HASN'T HAD A RECALL YET. THIS IS RIDICULOUS TO PAY THIS MUCH MONEY FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM.
VOLKSWAGEN HAS CHRYSLER MAKE THESE MINI VANS. CHRYSLER RECALLED THE TIPM MODULE/RELAY BOX BUT VOLKSWAGEN HAS NOT. ITS A FAULTY PART THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THE CAR WILL SOME TIMES NOT STAT. SOMETIMES THE FUEL PUMP WILL RUN AND DRAIN THE BATTERY BUT THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL IS THAT IT WILL STALL GOING FROM AN IDLE TO GIVING IT GAS. LIKE PULLING OUT INTO A BUSY STREET. AND THEN TAKE A MINUTE TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN. VERY DANGEROUS. IT SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT TAKE A DEATH TO GET VW TO RECALL THE PART THAT CHRYSLER ALREADY DID THE RECALL ON.
VAN WOULD NOT START LIKE NORMAL. SOMETIMES IT WOULD, OTHER TIMES IT WOULD CRANK, IDLE, THEN SHUT OFF, OR CRANK WITHOUT STARTING AND WOULD HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN THE KEY BACK TO THE OFF POSITION TO STOP THE CRANKING, OR CRANK WITH FOOT ON GAS PEDAL DEPRESSED SO IT WOULD NOT STALL SO IT WOULD START. THAT WORKED FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. NOW IT ONLY CRANKS WITHOUT STARTING. WAS TOLD INJECTORS NEEDED CLEANING. AFTER THAT WAS TOLD FUEL PUMP IS NOT WORKING. (WAS NOT THE PROBLEM, FUEL PUMP WAS NOT GETTING POWER, THIS WAS KNOWN AFTER INSTALLING NEW FUEL PUMP AND IT DID NOT WORK EITHER. I HAD THEM TEST OLD PUMP AND IT DOES STILL WORK SO NOW IT'S AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE BEFORE THE FUEL PUMP. THEN TOLD ECU IS BAD. COMPUTER GAVE NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES, NO DASH WARNING LIGHTS. FOUND OUT THE (ECO)NOMY FEATURE MAY BE THE CULPRIT BUT CAN'T GET INFO FROM DEALER. (NHTSA REFERENCE #10052670 OR TSB REFERENCE #TB-20-13-05). WHEN I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND ASKED THEM ABOUT A TSB, TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN THEY SOUNDED LIKE I WAS SPEAKING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. THEN THEY ADVISED I SPEAK TO THE SHOP FOREMAN BUT HE WAS NOT THERE AT THE TIME AND HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE TO SPEAK ON THE PHONE THE LAST 2 DAYS I CALLED. CALLED VW 800# AND THEY DO NOT SEND THEM OUT BUT YOU CAN BUY IT FROM THERE WEBSITE. STRANGE THAT SUCH AN ISSUE IS NOT COVERED EVEN IF WARRANTY IS OVER. I HOPE IT DOES NOT TAKE A COMPLAINT FILED WHERE THEY HAVE TO CLICK THE RADIO BOX YES FOR WAS THERE AN INJURY OR FATALITY? QUESTION *TR
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