Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 175 safety complaints
about the 2011 Volkswagen Routan with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 21 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 111 complaints, 63% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 69,000 miles,
the median across the 147
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers June 2011 to February 2025 · How this is counted
What is on file
175 complaints on file
175
Complaints
4
Describe a crash
2
Mention fire
21
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 111 · 63%
111 63%
ENGINE 48 · 27%
48 27%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 39 · 22%
39 22%
POWER TRAIN 19 · 11%
19 11%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 · 10%
17 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 15 · 9%
15 9%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 12 · 7%
12 7%
STEERING 11 · 6%
11 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 · 5%
8 5%
AIR BAGS 6 · 3%
6 3%
STRUCTURE 5 · 3%
5 3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 · 1%
2 1%
04692
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 175.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2016 at 36.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2011 to 2025.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2011 Volkswagen ROUTAN, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
VAN FWD
Overall
Not rated
Frontal crash
Not rated
Frontal, driver
Not rated
Frontal, passenger
Not rated
Side crash
Not rated
Side barrier
Not rated
Side pole
Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover
16.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
POWER TRAIN
15 injured · 3,723 miles
THE TRANSMISSION WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO ABRUPTLY LUNGE FORWARD WHEN THE GEAR WAS SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. I AM THE DRIVER OF THE VAN AND MY HEAD,NECK, UPPER SHOULDERS, UPPER/MID/LOWER BACK HURTS. IT STARTED HURTING BECAUSE OF ABRUPT JERKING OF MY HEAD AND NECK CAUSED BY THE VAN WHEN I SHIFTED THE GEAR FROM "R" TO "D". THIS WOULD ALSO HAPPEN TO MY 2 SMALL CHILDREN (NOW 4 AND 6 YEARS OF AGE) WHILE THEY SIT IN THE BACK. THE HEAD OF THE PASSENGERS IN THE VAN WOULD ALSO JERK AND LUNGE FORWARD OR BACKWARDS. I HAVE ALMOST HIT PEDESTRIANS ON 3-4 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THAT DECIDED TO WALK REALLY CLOSE TO THE FRONT OF MY VAN IN THE PARKING LOT WHILE I MOVED THE SHIFTER FROM "R" TO "D" I HAVE …
NHTSA complaint 10918913, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
4 injured · crash · 103,000 miles
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
NHTSA complaint 11042282. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
2 injured · crash · 32,000 miles
UNFORTUNATELY MY 2011 VW ROUTAN WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE IT WAS STRUCK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BY ANOTHER VEHICLE MOVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30MPH. AS A RESULT OF THE COLLISION THE ROUTAN SPUN 270 DEGREES AND ROLLED OVER. NONE OF THE MULTIPLE AIRBAGS IN MY VEHICLE DEPLOYED! *TR
NHTSA complaint 10644733. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
fire · towed · 50,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND WHITE SMOKE AND FLAMES EMERGED FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND REMOVED THE THREE CHILD PASSENGERS FROM THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT PRESENT. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHED ITSELF WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR WERE BURNT AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE REPAIRS WERE INSUFFICIENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (NEFTIN WESTLAKE VOLKSWAGEN, 3550 AUTO …
NHTSA complaint 11114596, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
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.
NHTSA complaint 11643273. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
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.
NHTSA complaint 11635180. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
towed · 190,000 miles
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.
NHTSA complaint 11587480. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car has issues starting as if fuel pump isnt coming on... also vehicle shut down in middle of driving down highway would not restart
NHTSA complaint 11483423. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle is shutting off while driving.
NHTSA complaint 11474428. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
While driving on a highway at 65 Mph, vehicle shut down, lost brakes, steering, and all power, had to coast to a stop, narrowly avoiding a collision. Upon exhaustive review, TIPM was faulty, causing starting issues, intermittent power loss, and fuel pump issues. As this van is manufactured by Chrysler (for VW) and their (identical) model has the same issue, it was known and recalled, it is appalling that no recall exists for this VW model. These vans are being financed and bought by families, and like us driven daily with children in them. The issue is widespread, very well known, but as in our case, not disclosed by dealerships as no official action has ever been taken, and no official …
NHTSA complaint 11457492, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst