2011 Volkswagen Routan problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (47) · Fuel/Propulsion System (31) · Engine (23)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Routan model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
147 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (453)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Air Bags 2026-03-02 · DC_VW_CF_Airbag · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has issued an urgent warning regarding counterfeit replacement airbag inflators that are being installed in used vehicles.
Engine 2025-02-12 · V1917012022548_14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
identifying and mixing engine coolant
Unknown Or Other 2024-12-02 · MULT action closures VW · Other
multiple emissions service action closures
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-07 · CampTip_RNA_VW · Other
vehicle concerns before recall repair available
Power Train 2024-09-17 · V3718022033975_13 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
fluid requirements
Structure:body 2024-09-12 · TT 00-24-01 · Other
wind & water leak checking
Showing the 6 most recent of 453 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-02-17 · Vehicle Speed Control“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 t…”
2025-01-10 · 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 sta…”
2024-05-07 · Engine · 190,000 mi“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…”
2022-09-08 · Fuel/Propulsion 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…”
2022-07-18 · Electrical System“the vehicle is shutting off while driving.…”
2022-03-20 · 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 sa…”
2021-12-05 · Electrical System“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.…”
2021-12-02 · Engine“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…”
2021-07-29 · Engine“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. …”
2021-07-01 · Unknown Or Other“my 2011 vw routan completely lost power on the freeway while driving in heavy traffic. the steering completely locked up (not lost power steering), locked up and all components died while moving. it took two people to break the steering wheel loose so that the van could be pushed out of the road by tdot. we had the van towed and once removed from t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.