2009 Volkswagen Routan: sudden loss of power

Filed Mar 2, 2020 · Electrical · 160,000 miles · WI

There are two issues that keep occurring that may or may not be related. First, sometimes when I start the vehicle every single light on the dash will be lit up, the wipers will be on, the radio won't work, and none of the gauges will be working. I have to use my GPS just to know what my speed is since the spedometer doesn't work. I also can't turn on my defrost when this happens so I'm stuck sitting in the parking lot waiting. Eventually it will randomly switch back to normal and then everything works. My second issue is that I will lose all power while driving. This happened in a roundabout once which almost caused a crash! I lose ignition, power steering, everything. I have to get to the side of the road, put it in park, and turn the ignition off and back on again. One of these days this is going to cause a crash and then I will be suing volkswagen when my babies get injured because of this. From the looks of the other complaints this is happening to a lot of these vans!

Filed Feb 21, 2018 · Brakes, Steering · 120,000 miles · WA

We were driving the vehicle when all of the sudden it stalled! There is no check light on and when it does this we lost all power breaking and steering. This almost happened to us around an elevated corner luckily we had just past the curve when we lost all power. In reading this is a common problem on the town and country routan grand caravan and all associated models. Something should be done due to the danger and potential risk to human life! We bought this van to keep our children safe not have to worry of it will loose power steering at 30 MPH in a canyon corner!

Filed Dec 14, 2017 · Electrical, Engine · 119,000 miles · NC

Since buying our 2009 routan in the fall of 2016 we have sunk thousands into it trying to get it fixed because of the issues we have had shortly after buying it (ours did not come with a warranty from the vw dealer). At least twice a week, and sometimes more, it stalls while we are driving...usually at low speeds like when we are slowing down to make a turn or slowing down for a stoplight. Usually, all of the dashboard lights and controls will blink and ding repeatedly before stalling. It also stalls when sitting still. It will blink all of the lights, the controls will go crazy and the windshield wipers will go back and forth one time as it stalls. On dec 11 it stalled on a major road in charlotte, nc and I lost all power so I could not even put on my flashers. I have an autistic child who was freaking out because I was trying to get all of the kids to be quiet so I could call my husband as we were sitting in the middle of a busy road. We were in a middle lane and the windows were up so I had to open my door quickly and wave for people to go around us. I kept watching my rear view mirror and praying we wouldn't get hit as cars zipped around us honking. The key was stuck in the ignition since there was no power. My husband was headed towards us and I waved people around us for about 5 minutes while jingling the key and trying everything to get something to work. The power finally came back and the key came out and I was able to restart and get home but my kids are afraid to go anywhere in that van again. We have replaced the battery, the control module (one of the most expensive things we tried), the erg valve, the alternator, and some other parts our mechanic wanted to try. Super eagle auto care has been super helpful in trying to fix it but to no avail. We have learned since buying this vehicle that this is a common problem for vw routan.

Filed May 17, 2017 · Brakes, Electrical · 59,000 miles · IL

Randomly stalls while driving- brought to mechanic, paid almost $1000 to try to get fixed, brought back when everything paid for didn't fix & was told to report ignition switch recall to vw to get fixed. Also lost power to rear dvd within days after purchase & never knew what to do. Brake pads are bad within 3-4,000 miles- windshield washer squirter unrepairable. Biggest issue is the ignition switch though, if that what is causing van to stall - while going steady speed, usually occurs over 25 MPH for more than 5 miles- van starts jerking like it's going to stall & when sitting at a stop light or sign, or parked, idling, stalls & takes multiple attempts to restart - this has been happening since I purchased my 2009 routan in 2014 when it had less than 60k miles. I have brought to mechanics that are friends & to multiple dealerships & shops to diagnose & fix & paid for everything out of pocket to get fixed or replaced & it has never fixed the problem for more than a week. For the brakes, I buy only the mid level or high level grade brakes & have had to switch both front & rear brakes, rotors & calipers out @ least 3-4 times per year since about 1 month after ownership. Every time, 1-2 brake pads were completely bad & gone while the others were about 50-70% . Another issue, that has never been able to get fixed is the A/C- after recharging, the A/C will blow cold on the drivers side front only & hot throughout the rest of the car. When heat is on, same problem, only blows heat in front & cool in back. How do I get all recalls for my minivan repaired through volkswagen? How does the process work? I have 5 small children & this is our only form of transportation. Will I be provided with a loaner that will seat my entire family while my vehicle is being repaired? Please advise as I have had this minivan for over 3 years with these issues and spent thousands of dollars

Filed May 1, 2017 · Engine · 65,273 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. While the contact's niece was stopped at a stop light, it experienced a complete loss of power. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic who confirmed that the engine was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but did not offer assistance. The failure mileage was 65,273.

Filed Dec 6, 2016 · Engine · 105,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 volkswagen routan. Once the vehicle was warmed up, it lost power. When the engine was not warmed up, the vehicle could only be operated for 10 to 15 minutes. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the lock torque converter between the valve body was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Filed Sep 20, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 66,000 miles · MI

When slowing down to turn into the parking lot at the local library the vehicle stalled and lost power. After coming to a stop the van would start fine and was able to finish the trip. A few days later this same issue occurred while coming to a stop. We returned the car to dealership for work on a faulty radio and mentioned this issue. The dealership had the radio replaced and took it to a vw dealership to have the ignition switch replaced under a safety recall. It worked fine for about a week then started happening again. The van was taken in for an oil change at an independent shop and they checked about the stalling issue. They could not find any codes indicating a problem, but after the oil change the van worked better for a few days. It now stalls multiple times per day, usually going less than 30 MPH. On sept 19, 2015 the van stalled while accelerating on to the entrance ramp of the highway. The speed was about 45mph.

Filed Sep 7, 2015 · Engine · 36,000 miles · AK

Vehicle loses power, losing power steering, brakes, etc. Warning lights illuminate. Able to restart engine by shifting into neutral and turning key to start. ***happens multiple times approx every 1-3 months, random*** taken in for recall fix for this known problem in 2015. Has happened now 3-4x since the recall fix. Extended testing by vw has not established a reason. Multiple attempted fixes, no change to the loss of power. Last happened 9/6/2015, traveling 40mph downhill in gear, abrupt loss of power, followed by loss of power steering and loss of power brakes. Again, able to restart by shifting into neutral and turning the key to start.

Filed Sep 7, 2015 · Engine · 51,000 miles · AK

Driving downhill, foot off accelerator. Abrupt loss of engine power followed by loss of power steering and braking. Vehicle under known recall and has been "fixed". This incident has now occurred 3-4x since the recall fix, nearly identical circumstances approx every 1-3 months. Vw kept the vehicle for > 2 weeks, unable to identify the problem, vehicle was returned to me without any new attempts at fixing it. I will be returning it to vw and taking it out of service.

Filed Apr 20, 2015 · Brakes, Electrical · 40,500 miles · OR

My wife was driving our van when she pulled out onto the main road from our driveway when the vehicle lost all power, including power steering and brakes. Fortunately there was no accident but she did have to stop the vehicle and cycle the keyswitch to restart the vehicle. I have contacted the closest dealer to have this known recall fixed on our van only to be told they have to witness this event happening. Though this has happened 3 times since we bought the car used 3 months ago it is a very intermittent issue. The dealer is about an hour and a half from our house which makes it a 3 hour round trip and a day off from work. I don't mind taking a couple of days off to get this problems solved but the service manager told me some of these vans have not been repaired for 4 months because they cannot duplicate the problem. Whatever happened to the customer is always right? Needless to say this is a safety issue and a huge liability. I did contact volkswagen customer care and they told me the dealer should replace the part and it does not have to be witnessed by their personnel. With that information in an e-mail I once again contacted the dealer and they basically told me vw customer care was wrong and they would have to duplicate the problem in their shop. I am very frustrated with this whole process. It is a known problem...shouldn't they fix it before harm or even death comes to my loved ones? The dealer is lithia vw (phone (541) 774-7500) in medford ,oregon and the service personnel I talked with was named [xxx]. I do have the e-mail from vw customer care and that came from a representative named [xxx]. I would appreciate any help in this matter. Thank you! Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Mar 31, 2015 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 73,000 miles · GA

In july 2012 I bought a certified pre-owned 2009 volkswagen routan minivan. I have reported the following major safety problems on several occasions to no resolve: loss of power' the car will completely lose power and the steering wheel locks while driving. For ex on 12/22 from 5:32p ' 10:48p, the car lost power and steering wheel locked 11 times. Sliding doors automatically open ' the doors will not close securely, won't open, or will appear closed and spontaneously reopen. There have been several times we will go out for the evening or come out for work in the morning and both doors are opened. At times, while driving, the door (particularly the driver side rear) will appear closed and secure however it will sound as if it has suddenly jumped off track and the door will crack open. We took the certified pre-owned vehicle to be serviced 8xs within the warranty time and we were told each time because the check engine light was not on to trigger a code that outline the problems there was nothing that could be done. We have suffered a great deal of personal and emotional stress as these are critical and highly dangerous highway safety concerns. I'm worried each time my family gets into the minivan and I continue to fulfill my contractual agreement of $320+ per month without fail however I have yet to receive the same from volkswagen.

Filed Mar 25, 2015 · Brakes, Engine · 71,000 miles · ME

We have owned the vehicle for about 2 months with no issues, when we purchased the vehicle it came with a clean carfax listing no recalls. On 3/10/15 my wife was driving on a 2 lane country road going about 35mph when the vehicle suddenly lost power and she lost control of the vehicle. The engine appeared to have cut out, she had no power steering and no power brakes and was unable to stop or steer the vehicle. The dash displayed the anti-slip light, but no others. The vehicle slowed down to a stop, thankfully there was no oncoming traffic as she was no longer in her proper lane, and no cars behind her. She was able to put it in park and restart it as if nothing had happened and it was fine after that for the rest of her commute. We contacted vw about the issue and they requested that we bring the car to a vw dealer for inspection. We did that, and vw claimed that our vehicle was not impacted by recall # rna1, but instead they insisted the issue was caused by a faulty egr valve, and gave me an engine trouble code of c121c that they claimed corresponded with the failing egr valve. Vw charged me over $100 for the diagnosis, and a day later after complaining to vw customer care they agreed to refund the charges. I brought the vehicle back to the independent dealership that I originally purchased the car at the same day that vw diagnosed this, and they were not in agreement with the egr diagnosis, and also could not corroborate the trouble code c121c as being related to an egr issue, rather it comes up as a torque request signal denied trouble code instead. The independent dealer also found that I had stored codes for ABS malfunctions, sunroof errors and mic/ccn instrument cluster. The independent dealer cleared these codes before leaving that day. On 3/25/15 my wife was driving at about 35mph when the cars engine shut off again in a similar fashion. No codes