What breaks most · 2008 to 2014 model years
Volkswagen Routan problems by year
Owners have filed 629 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volkswagen Routan across model years 2008 to 2014. Three years stand out: 2009 for electrical system complaints, 2010 for electrical system complaints and 2011 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2008 and 2012.
- Years to check closely: 2009, 2010, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2012
- Complaints on file
- 6292008 to 2014, all trims
- Worst year
- 2009260 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 157 fires · 45 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 64kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 9Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Child Seat (1) | |
| 260 | 5 | 6 | Electrical system (127) | |
| 188 | 5 | 2 | Electrical system (108) | |
| 135 | 4 | 0 | Electrical system (88) | |
| 39 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) |
What fails on the 2009 Volkswagen Routan
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 49% |
127 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 27% |
70 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 13% |
34 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 12% |
31 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
18 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
17 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
15 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan |
| Wheels | 5% |
12 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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When i'm driving all the lights will turn on on the dash board then turn off and my windshield wipers will turn in the process when all the lights turn on while i'm driving the van will say i'm going 0 miles per hour
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My van shut down while driving again. I was slowing down to make a turn and the engine lost power and i lost power steering and brakes.
-
The ignition turns off while driving on the highway. I had to coast to a stop in traffic to restart the car. It has happened multiple times. All items removed from the fob and the problem still exists.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Volkswagen Routan years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2009, 2010, 2011 carry the most filings on the Volkswagen Routan. The 2009 alone has 260 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Volkswagen Routan problem?
On the 2009 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 127 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Routan problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volkswagen Routan complaints that include mileage is about 64,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.