2011 Volkswagen Routan

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 the truck it started and ran like normal. Our 3 kids were also in the van which makes the situation extremely hazardous. Previous to this, we paid $1,500 to the VW dealer to replace the TIPM unit because the van wouldn’t start on many occasions. The dealer stated that he knew Chrysler had issued a recall on their vehicles with these same issues but VW hadn’t taken any action. Other info… no dash lights are/were on. Dealer can’t seem to reproduce the issue. TDOT Officer said he’d never seen a vehicle that locked the steering while the car was in motion. This was worse than it loosing all power.

WAS DRIVING VEHICLE IN ILLINOIS AND WAS PUSHING THE GAS BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. FINALLY IT KIND OF JOLTED FORWARD AND STARTING MOVING BUT IN A JERKY KIND OF WAY. BROUGHT IT FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THEY SAID IT WAS A WARRANT ISSUE TAKE IT THE THE DEALER. DID THAT THEY SAID IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANT AND I PAID 1000 BUCKS TO GET IT FIXED SO I THOUGHT. HAPPENED AGAIN AND WENT BACK AND THEY SAID IT WILL NOT DO IT SO IT IS FINE. DROVE TO ARIZONA TO MOVE HERE AND AFTER A WEEK OF BEING HERE HAPPENED AGAIN. HUSBAND DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES, THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIX IT. 2ND TIME SAID IT WAS A KNOWN RECALL THEY COULD NOT GET THE CODE FROM CORPORATE, 3RD TIME SAME EXCUSE. AND NOW TRYING AGAIN AND THEY KEEP SAYING THEY CAN NOT GET THE CODE FROM CORPORATE. IT IS A PCM SOFTWARE RECALL.

STATIONARY-WILL NOT START. THE VAN WILL RANDOMLY NOT START. THE LIGHTS COME ON BUT THE ENGINE DOESN'T START. WE'VE HAD SEVERAL PARTS REPLACED WHEN VW GUESSES WHAT IT COULD BE, AND STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM. I'VE BEEN STRANDED MANY TIMES, HAD THE CAR TOWED, AND THEN VOLKSWAGEN CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM TO FIX BECAUSE THERE IS NO CODE. WE HAD THE ENTIRE TIPM MODULE REPLACED AND STILL HAVE ISSUES WITH RANDOM NONSTARTS. WE TOOK IT TO 2 VOLKSWAGEN DEALERS WHO CANNOT LOCATE A PROBLEM, JUST GUESSING. WE HAD OUR OWN MECHANIC REPLACE SOME CORRODED WIRES, AND STILL NOT FIXED. EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. WE HAVE FOUR CHILDREN AND TO BE STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES, NEEDING A TOW, IS AWFUL. VOLKSWAGEN IS NOT HELPFUL. WE HAVE TAKEN VIDEOS OF THE NONSTARTS JUST TO PROVE THAT THIS HAPPENS. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER ALSO TRIED TO START THE VAN. IT MAY START AGAIN AFTER TRYING FIVE MINUTES LATER, OR IT MAY NEED TO SIT OVERNIGHT. WINTER, SUMMER, HOT AND COLD, IT STILL HAPPENS. I'VE DEVELOPED SEVERE STRESS OVER THIS AND WE OWE TOO MUCH TO JUST TRADE IT IN. I DO NOT DRIVE IT UNLESS I HAVE TO DUE TO BEING SCARED IT MAY NOT START. PLEASE RECALL THIS VIN. IT IS A LEMON!

AFTER THE CAR IS PARKED BACK LIFT GATE OPENS SUDDENLY, ALSO AUTOMATIC SIDE DOORS SUDDENLY OPENS. LOTS OF OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE WON'T START. AT ONE TIME MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND SUDDENLY IT JUST STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND COULD NOT START. NO SIGN OF EMPTY GAS OR ENGINE LIGHTS WARNINGS. AFTER THE BEING TAKEN TO THE SHOP DIAGNOSE IS SENSORS NOT WORKING AND LOTS OF TIME SENSORS WERE REPLACED BUT THE HARD START KEEPS ON DOING IT TO THIS DATE. SOMETIME IT STARTS SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT.

THE VEHICLE WILL RANDOMLY NOT START AND THE BATTERY IS DRAINED. ALL THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE APPEARS VERY SIMILAR TO THE FUEL PUMP RELAY NOT SHUTTING OFF AND COULD BE RELATED TO THE TIPM NOT WORKING PROPERLY. IT STARTS AFTER I GIVE IT A JUMP. I HAD BATTERY, STARTER, AND ALTERNATOR TESTED. THEY ARE ALL IN PERFECT WORKING CONDITION. IT STARTED HAPPENING ON SEPT 4, 2017 AND CONTINUES RANDOMLY.

DRIVER AIR BAG HAS FAILED TWICE RESULTING IN HIGH DOLLAR REPAIRS. BRAKES GO BAD EXTREMELY FAST. ALREADY REPLACED 2 FULL SETS OF BRAKES AND ROTORS IN 2 YEARS; LESS THAN 10,000 MILES ON EACH SET. VEHICLE VIOLENTLY JERKS WHEN IN REVERSE ON A HILL. ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF POPPING IN STEERING. DEALER UNABLE TO PINPOINT PROBLEM WITH JERKING OR POPPING.