2011 Volkswagen Routan

TIPM MODULE. MY 2011 VW ROUTAN WAS BUILT BY CHRYSLER WITH THE SAME PARTS AS ANY OTHER CHRYSLER CAR AT THAT TIME. CHRYSLER ISSUED A RECALL FOR ALL VEHICLES MADE WITH THIS PARTICULAR PART AS IT IS A LIFE THREATENING ISSUE. MOST IMPORTANTLY THE CAR WILL STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING! IMAGINE GOING DOWN THE FREEWAY DOING 70MPH WITH YOUR KIDS IN THE CAR AND THE CAR SHUTS OFF. FORTUNATELY WE WERE ONLY DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT. BECAUSE THE CAR IS BRANDED AS A VW, CHRYSYLER REFUSES TO REPLACE THE RECALLED PART WHICH I WAS QUOTED AT $1300 FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND VW SAYS IT IS A CHRYSLER PART AND ISSUE. THIS THIN GRAY LINE IS COSTING PEOPLE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND POSSIBLY EVEN LIVES.

RECENTLY THE VAN HAS GIVEN ME TROUBLE UPON STARTUP. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. SOMETIMES, IT WOULD START FINE. OTHER TIMES, IT WOULD TAKE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. OTHER TIMES, THE VEHICLE WOULD START, THEN IMMEDIATELY TURN ITSELF OFF. SOMETIMES, IT WOULD BE LIKE THERE WASN'T ENOUGH CHARGE TO TURN THE STARTER, AND OTHER TIMES, WHEN IT WOULD START THEN DIE, IT FELT LIKE IT WAS RUNNING OUT OF GAS, MY VAN ONLY HAS 42,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT THE TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE IS THE CULPRIT OF THESE ISSUES. SPECIFICALLY, IT IS THE FUEL PUMP RELAY THAT CAN INTERMITTENTLY NOT TURN ON, OR TURN OFF RANDOMLY. IT IS A WELL-KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE VANS AND ITS DODGE GRAND CARAVAN AND CHRYSLER TOWN N COUNTRY, UPON WHICH THE VW ROUTAN IS BASED. FCA HAS STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE, AND ISSUED A RECALL ON MANY OF ITS VEHICLES FOR FAULTY TIPM'S. VW HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM BUT HAS YET TO RECALL OR FIX THE CARS, INSTEAD THE CONSUMER HAS TO SHELL OUT $300 TO $1500 FOR THE REPAIR OF A KNOWN FAULTY EQUIPMENT. WHY WERE THESE PARTS USED KNOWING THE HISTORY? THERE IS ANOTHER WEBSITE WITH THOUSAND OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS: HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2011/VOLKSWAGEN/ROUTAN/FUEL_PROPULSION_SYSTEM/PROBLEM.ASPX

MY CHILDREN AND I WERE STATIONARY AT A LIGHT WHEN THE VAN STARTED SPUTTERING. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I ACCELERATED. WITHIN 5 MINUTES THE VAN CUT OFF. I HAVE A FULL TANK OF GAS. THIS NOW HAPPENS OFTEN AND I NEVER KNOW WHERE OR WHEN IT WILL CUT OFF. MOST DAYS IT WILL NOT START. I HAVE HAD A VW MECHANIC TAKE A LOOK AND THEY ADVISED ITS THE FUEL PUMP RELAY SAME THAT WAS RECALLED ON THE DODGE AND JEEP VEHICLES. BECAUSE THIS IS THE SAME ONE BUT IN VW BODY

VAN OCCASIONALLY DOES NOT START. HAVE TO LET IT SIT AND ATTEMPT OVER AND OVER. SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE, BUT ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS THAT HELP THE VEHICLE START ARE FINE, I BELIEVE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WORRIED IT'S GOING TO LEAVE MY WIFE AND KIDS STRANDED SOMEWHERE. FEELING UPSAFE. HEARD THERE HAS BEEN SOME RECALLS FOR THE CHRYSLER VERSION OF THIS VAN, WHY NOT VW?

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 TO 40MPH ON A BUSY ROAD EN ROUTE TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY, MY ROUTAN SHUT OFF. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, AND THE CAR CAME TO A STOP. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. I TURNED THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION AFTER PUTTING THE CAR IN PARK AND THE CAR CRANKED BACK UP SHORTLY AFTER. I DROVE IT SLOWLY HOME APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES. BOTH OF MY YOUNG CHILDREN (10 MONTHS AND 5YEARS) WERE IN THE VEHICLE. AFTER GETTING HOME I BEGAN TO RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM LEAD TO A RECALL OF WIN MODULES FOR 2009 AND 2010 ROUTANS. MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE CURRENT RECALL DESPITE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I HAVE FOUND THAT NUMEROUS OTHER ROUTAN DRIVERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE IN THEIR 2011 VEHICLES. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED AND I FEAR FOR THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN AND OUR FAMILY SHOULD WE DRIVE THIS CAR.

NO ACCELERATION UP HILLS. CAR CRANKED BUT DIDN'T TURN OVER ENGINE, RANDOMLY. ALMOST STALLED OUT ON THE HIGHWAY DURING STORM BY USING HEADLIGHTS, WIPERS, A/C ALL AT ONCE. I HAD TO TURN OFF HEADLIGHTS, WIPERS AND A/C (THAT KEPT WINDSHIELD FROM FOGGING) IN ORDER TO KEEP FROM STALLING OUT ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THREE KIDS IN THE CAR. WHILE DRIVING IN NEIGHBORHOODS (5 MPH-25 MPH) THE CAR WOULD SPUTTER AND JERK FORWARD. I WAS TOLD THE CARS TROUBLE COULD BE JUST WATER IN THE GAS AND SO WE POURED A SOLUTION THAT WOULD CLEAN THE GAS TANK OF IMPURITIES, IF ONLY IT WAS THAT SIMPLE. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY USING CRUISE CONTROL, THE CRUISE SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING, CRUISE LIGHT STAYED ON BUT THE CAR JUST PHYSICALLY SLOWED DOWN. OUR FAMILY IS SCARED TO GET INTO OUR VEHICLE FOR SAFETY REASONS AND RIGHT NOW IT'S OUR ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. THE TIRE SENSOR ALSO HAS BEEN ON CONSTANTLY AND FIXED 3 TIMES ONLY TO LIGHT UP 20 MINUTES LATER AFTER LEAVING THE VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE SLIDING PASSENGER DOOR WINDOW IS HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND WE ONLY USED IT 5 TIMES FROM 2011-2017. WE PAID TO HAVE THE FUEL PUMP AND THE TIPM SENSOR REPLACED LAST WEEK WHICH COST US APPROX. $1800 AND REPLACED FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS BECAUSE OUR ROTORS HAD GOUGES IN THEM. WE REPLACED A CAR BATTERY IN 2016, WHILE WE WERE ON VACATION, THE CAR WOULD START AND IT LOCKED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND WOULDN'T GIVE IT BACK.