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2010 Volkswagen Routan

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Routan years

Owner complaints for the 2010 Volkswagen Routan are substantially higher than the model-year median of 63.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

198 reports with mileage · 42 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 150 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports3 fire reports8 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

23 reports
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66,000 miles · Oct 25, 2017
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Service Brakes

ESP ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATES WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION AND THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF GEAR WHEN STOPPED AS IF THE BREAK IS NOT DETECTED. HAVE TO SHUT CAR OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC OR DROP OF LINES AND TURN BACK ON SEVERAL TIMES TO CLEAR ERROR AND GET SHIFTER TO SHIFT TO DRIVE GEAR. USED SNAP ON READER TO CHECK CODES AND DOES NOT…

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ESP ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATES WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION AND THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF GEAR WHEN STOPPED AS IF THE BREAK IS NOT DETECTED. HAVE TO SHUT CAR OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC OR DROP OF LINES AND TURN BACK ON SEVERAL TIMES TO CLEAR ERROR AND GET SHIFTER TO SHIFT TO DRIVE GEAR. USED SNAP ON READER TO CHECK CODES AND DOES NOT RECOGNIZE CAR AS VW, INSTEAD IT PULLS UP CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. TRIED TO REPLACE A BREAK LIGHT MODULE, THE PART WAS ACTUALLY FOR A DODGE NEON. (I AM ONLY OWNER, BOUGHT VAN BRAND NEW). SYMPTOM CAME BACK AFTER TWO DAYS. CODE READER CANNOT FIND ANYTHING CAUSING CODE TRIGGER. ALSO KEY DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK IN IGNITION SWITCH, MUST SOMETIMES TRY TO TURN ON 3 TIMES. THIS HAS OCCURRED SINCE PURCHASE. AMAZED AT ALL THESE SAFETY ISSUES AND YET VW DOES NOTHING. $34,000 CAR AND I AM GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE IT ALREADY. ONLY 66,000 MILES ON THE CAR. TRANSMISSION REBUILT BY VW AT 12,000 MILES, ROTORS CHANGED AT 9,000 MILES, MOTOR PARTS REBUILT AT 35,000 MILES. CAR BURNS 6 QUARTS OF OIL EVERY 4,000 MILES. VAN DOORS WILL SHUT ON KIDS EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO STOP WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY. WORST CAR I HAVE EVER BOUGHT, AND VW DOESN'T CARE TO RESOLVE ALL THESE ISSUES CUSTOMERS HAVE.

NHTSA ODI #11039881

100,000 miles · Aug 29, 2016
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes

I AM WRITING TO ADDRESS A SAFETY ISSUE I HAVE WITH MY VEHICLE, A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED THIS CAR LAST YEAR AND SHORTLY AFTER ITS PURCHASE STARTED TO EXPERIENCE ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. THESE ISSUES INCLUDED WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH ILLUMINATING, POWER FAILURES OF THE DASH BOARD GAUGES (SP…

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I AM WRITING TO ADDRESS A SAFETY ISSUE I HAVE WITH MY VEHICLE, A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED THIS CAR LAST YEAR AND SHORTLY AFTER ITS PURCHASE STARTED TO EXPERIENCE ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. THESE ISSUES INCLUDED WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH ILLUMINATING, POWER FAILURES OF THE DASH BOARD GAUGES (SPECIFICALLY THE SPEED GAUGE) AND RADIO, AND MOST ALARMINGLY THE CAR WOULD COMPLETELY STALL AND LOSE POWER. THIS ISSUE OF LOSING POWER TO THE ENTIRE CAR HAS HAPPENED BOTH WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION AND WHILE IT HAS BEEN STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS, AS WELL AS AT HIGH AND LOW SPEEDS. WE TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP HOPING THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE AND FIX IT. AFTER NEARLY 3 WEEKS OF HAVING DIFFERENT PARTS REPLACED, BEING TOLD THE ISSUE WAS SOLVED IT WAS NOT. WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH ONLY THE KEY IN THE IGNITION IT PERFORMS BETTER, ALTHOUGH STILL DIES OCCASIONALLY, BUT WITH ANYTHING ON THE KEYRING IT WILL DIE ALMOST INSTANTLY. IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER REMOVING OUR CAR FROM THIS DEALERSHIP THAT WE LEARNED ABOUT A RECALL ON THE VW ROUTANS THAT SEEMED VERY SIMILAR TO THE ISSUES WE WERE EXPERIENCING. UPON RESEARCH WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS PRODUCED WITHIN THE SAME MONTH OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES BUT APPARENTLY NOT BEFORE THE ENDING DATE OF THAT RECALL. SO OTHER VW DEALERSHIPS WOULD BE HAPPY TO REPLACE THE MALFUNCTIONING PART BUT AT AN OUT OF POCKET COST FOR US, WHICH WE SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE BILL WE ARE STILL WORKING TO PAY FOR OTHER UNNECESSARY WORK. AS A CONSUMER IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING TO HAVE A VEHICLE THAT IS CLEARLY DEMONSTRATING THE SAME ISSUES AS PREVIOUSLY RECALLED VEHICLES BUT DOES NOT FALL UNDER THAT RECALL. WE HAVE REDUCED TO ONLY DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AS NECESSARY AND NO LONGER USE IT TO TRANSPORT OUR TWO YOUNG CHILDREN AS WE FEAR GREATLY FOR THEIR SAFETY.

NHTSA ODI #10899389

70,500 miles · Jul 6, 2016
Electrical SystemService BrakesVehicle Speed Control

CAR FLASHES ABS ESP SKID CONTROL MONITOR, SHUTS CAR OFF WHILE DRIVING. GOES BACK OFF, DOES IT AGAIN.LOCKS THE CAR, WON'T START, THEN STARTS A BIT LATER. COOLING SYSTEM , HEATER HOSE ISSUES, BRAKE ISSUES, CRUISE CONTROL SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY. COULD KILL SOMEONE. INTERNET SEARCH ESP VOLKSWAGENDDEFECT.COMVOLKSWAGEN_ROUTAN_PROBLEMS.HT…

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CAR FLASHES ABS ESP SKID CONTROL MONITOR, SHUTS CAR OFF WHILE DRIVING. GOES BACK OFF, DOES IT AGAIN.LOCKS THE CAR, WON'T START, THEN STARTS A BIT LATER. COOLING SYSTEM , HEATER HOSE ISSUES, BRAKE ISSUES, CRUISE CONTROL SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY. COULD KILL SOMEONE. INTERNET SEARCH ESP VOLKSWAGENDDEFECT.COMVOLKSWAGEN_ROUTAN_PROBLEMS.HTM ALL EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE A YEAR AGO. AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. UPDATED 04/05/2017 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10883101

80,000 miles · Jan 19, 2016
EngineService BrakesSteering

MY VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AS OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME YEAR THAT RECEIVED A RECALL. THE CAR JUST SHUTS OFF, LOSES POWER AND ALL STEERING, BRAKING AND SO ON. IT MAKES THE VEHICLE VERY DANGEROUS. THE OTHER VEHICLES IN THIS YEAR ALL HAD BAD IGNITION SWITCHES BUT VW REFUSES TO INCLUDE MY VEHICLE AND OTHERS LIKE…

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MY VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AS OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME YEAR THAT RECEIVED A RECALL. THE CAR JUST SHUTS OFF, LOSES POWER AND ALL STEERING, BRAKING AND SO ON. IT MAKES THE VEHICLE VERY DANGEROUS. THE OTHER VEHICLES IN THIS YEAR ALL HAD BAD IGNITION SWITCHES BUT VW REFUSES TO INCLUDE MY VEHICLE AND OTHERS LIKE IT OF THE SAME MODEL YEAR THAT HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THAT THEY NEED TO EXPAND THIS RECALL TO INCLUDE MORE VEHICLES OF THE 2010 MODEL. THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND IS SCARY WHEN IT JUST CUTS OUT ON YOU WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING 30-40 MPH PLUS.

NHTSA ODI #10821085

70,000 miles · Aug 5, 2015
EngineService BrakesSteering

MY MINI-VAN SHUT OFF/ STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD. EVERY TIME IT STALLED I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY THROUGH CONSTRUCTION ZONE OR IN FRONT OF A LIGHT WHERE I HAD TO PRESSED THE BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR FOR OVER 30 SECONDS. I SEND IT TO VW SERVICE FOR REPAIR BUT NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. I AM TOO SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE I…

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MY MINI-VAN SHUT OFF/ STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD. EVERY TIME IT STALLED I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY THROUGH CONSTRUCTION ZONE OR IN FRONT OF A LIGHT WHERE I HAD TO PRESSED THE BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR FOR OVER 30 SECONDS. I SEND IT TO VW SERVICE FOR REPAIR BUT NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. I AM TOO SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE I NEVER KNOW WHEN ITS THE NEXT TIME IT WILL STALL AGAIN WHILE I AM DRIVING ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI #10746539

2,500,000 miles · Jul 29, 2014
Service Brakes

WHEN I BRAKE THE STREERING WHEEL SHAKES FROM OTHER CONSUMER COMPLAINTS IT IS A BRAKE ISSUE AS IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN I BRAKE. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL! THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY WHEN IT STARTED HAPPENING! *JS

NHTSA ODI #10617163

10,000 miles · Jul 28, 2014
Service Brakes

THE BRAKES STARTED VIBRATING AND SHUDDERING WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PUSHED. TOOK TO DEALER AND WERE TOLD THAT THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AND THE DISK PADS WERE WORN OUT. STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO THEY REPLACED ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS. THIS HAS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY EVERY 8 MONTHS WE HAVE HAD THE CAR. THE FIRST THREE WERE COVERED U…

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THE BRAKES STARTED VIBRATING AND SHUDDERING WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PUSHED. TOOK TO DEALER AND WERE TOLD THAT THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AND THE DISK PADS WERE WORN OUT. STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO THEY REPLACED ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS. THIS HAS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY EVERY 8 MONTHS WE HAVE HAD THE CAR. THE FIRST THREE WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I HAD TO FIGHT WITH THE DEALER FOR THE THIRD REPLACEMENT. THE FOURTH REPLACEMENT OF THE BRAKES THE DEALER REFUSED TO COVER THE COST. WE HAD TO PAY TO GET THE WORK DONE. WE ARE NOW ABOUT 10 MONTHS FROM THOSE BRAKE REPLACEMENTS AND ONCE AGAIN THE CAR IS SHUDDERING VIOLENTLY WHEN WE APPLY THE BRAKES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A CHRONIC ISSUE AND A SAFETY ISSUE. I UNDERSTAND THAT BRAKE PADS WEAR OUT BUT I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS EVERY 8/10 MONTHS UNDER NORMAL DRIVING. THIS CAR IS PRIMARILY USED TO TAKE MY KIDS TO SCHOOL AND ACTIVITIES. UPDATED 5/1/2015 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10616924

55,550 miles · Jul 11, 2014
Service Brakes

THE VEHICLE'S REAR BRAKES ARE PREMATURELY WEARING UNEVEN IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING SAFETY CONCERNS FOR MY FAMILY. WHEN I WENT TO LOOK UP BRAKE REPLACEMENT ONLINE ONE OF THE REVIEWS SAID THAT A CLIP WAS LEFT OFF DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS DURING THE MERGING BETWEEN CHRYSLER AND VOLKSWAGEN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10609931

54,000 miles · Jun 25, 2014
Service Brakes

VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN 2010: THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY UPON BRAKING A REGULAR SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY GOING DOWNHILL. FRONT ROTORS WERE REPLACED AT 22,000, 35,000, AND NOW 54,000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10606028

17,000 miles · Jun 3, 2014
Service Brakes

2010 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTON WITH 17,000 MILES BEGAN SHAKING AND SHUDDERING EVERY TIME I BRAKE, EVEN AT SLOW SPEEDS. THIS CAR IS USED FOR MINIMAL DRIVING. I BROUGHT MY CAR IN AND WAS TOLD I NEED NEW ROTORS AND THAT MY ROTORS WERE WARPED. I AM STILL DRIVING THE CAR AND THE BRAKES STILL SHUDDER AND SHAKE.. I SPOKE TO A MECHANIC THAT DOE…

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2010 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTON WITH 17,000 MILES BEGAN SHAKING AND SHUDDERING EVERY TIME I BRAKE, EVEN AT SLOW SPEEDS. THIS CAR IS USED FOR MINIMAL DRIVING. I BROUGHT MY CAR IN AND WAS TOLD I NEED NEW ROTORS AND THAT MY ROTORS WERE WARPED. I AM STILL DRIVING THE CAR AND THE BRAKES STILL SHUDDER AND SHAKE.. I SPOKE TO A MECHANIC THAT DOESN'T WORK FOR VOLKSWAGEN BUT ON GERMAN CARS AND HE SAID HE OWNED A ROUTON AND IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THEIR ROTORS. I READ SEVERAL COMPLAINTS AND REVIEWS ONLINE WITH THE SAME ISSUE TOO. I DON'T THINK ITS SAFE TO HAVE CAR MANUFACTURERS MAKE BRAKE SYSTEMS SO POORLY AS I MAY BE ABLE TO AFFORD A REPAIR, MANY ELSE WONT AS THE REPAIR IS COSTLY AND NOT WHAT A PERSON WOULD EXPECT FROM A CAR WITH LITTLE MILEAGE. I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION IN CASE OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10595896

Official recalls

2

15V194000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch

Apr 1, 2015

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009 Routan vehicles manufactured June 25, 2008, to July 8, 2009, and 2010 Routan vehicles manufactured October 1, 2009, to August 11, 2010. This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the ignition key inadvertently moves into the OFF or ACCESSORY position, the engine will turn off, which will then depower various key safety systems including, but not limited to, air bags, power steering, and power braking. Loss of functionality of these systems may increase the risk of crash and/or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch and key FOBs, free of charge. The recall began on June 23, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H1. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 11V151 and 14V396. Vehicles that previously received an ignition switch trim ring as a recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign. Vehicles that have already received a new ignition switch are not covered by this campaign.

11V151000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch

Mar 1, 2011

VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 ROUTAN VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 2009 THROUGH JUNE 2010. SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE INADVERTENT IGNITION KEY DISPLACEMENT FROM THE RUN TO ACCESSORY POSITION WHILE DRIVING CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SHUT OFF.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: AN ENGINE SHUTTING OFF SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIN MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JUNE 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.