2011 Volkswagen Routan

I HAVE A VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN 2011 BUILT BY CHRYSLER IN A CANADA FACTORY. THIS VEHICLE IS SHUTTING OFF WHEN DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY. THE GEARS AND SREERING LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS ELECTRICAL ISSUES THE LIGHTS TURN ON AND OFF EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS OFF. AFTER PURCHASING A NEW BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR THE CAR IN THE MORNING WILL NOT START. THE BATTERY IS DEAD AND DRAINED. WITH NOTHING ON IT INTERMITTENTLY HAS A DEAD BATTERY AND SHUTS OF AFTER STARTING THE CAR. WHEN I CALL THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER IN STOCKTON CA TO EXPLAIN THE SERVICE GUY HUNG UP ON MY HUSBAND AND I AND STATED IT'S NOT A RECALL. WE EXPLAIN THAT THOUSANDS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND IT'S RECORDED AND ALL OVER YOU TUBE. WE ARE HAVING THE SAME IGNITION SWITCH ISSUES OR POSSIBLE TIPM ISSUES.

TIPM ISSUE THAT CAUSES THE CAR TO STALL WHILE DRIVING, OR THE CAR STARTS THEN DIES. CHRYSLERS VANS HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE AND HAVE BEEN RECALLED, THIS VEHICLE IS BUILT BY CHRYSLER BUT SINCE IT IS MARKETED AS VW IT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED. IT WILL TAKE SOMEBODY TO DIE IN A CAR ACCIDENT CAUSED BY THIS ISSUE BEFORE YOU GUYS DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. THIS IS REALLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE THAT HAVEN'T TAKEN THE TIME TO FILL THIS REPORT.

MY CAR JUST SHUTS OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING OR WON'T STAR AT ALL. THEN WHEN I TURN IT OFF, SOMETHING CONTINUES TO RUN, COMPLETELY DRAINING THE BATTERY. I HAVE TO DISCONNECT MY BATTERY EVERYTIME I PARK THE VEHICLE. IT'S COMPLETELY UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND I'VE DUMPED OVER $4200 ON THIS VAN AND I'VE OWNED IT 14 MOS. WORST PURCHASE I'VE EVER MADE. *TR

ROUTAN DIDN'T START AFTER KEY TURNED AND STARTED TO TURN-OVER. IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS FOR THE VAN TO START. MECHANIC DETERMINED THE FUEL PUMP WAS DIPPING BELOW THRESHOLDS, SO REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. THE VAN STARTED THE NEXT FEW TIMES, BUT CONTINUED WITH THE SAME STARTUP PROBLEM AGAIN. THEN IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE FUEL PUMP RELAY IN THE TIPM. THIS HAS BEEN RECALLED BY CHRYSLER YET VW USES THE SAME PART AND HASN'T HAD A RECALL YET. THIS IS RIDICULOUS TO PAY THIS MUCH MONEY FOR A KNOWN PROBLEM.

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. 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 COUSINS, 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, BUT VW SEEMS TO WANT TO FORGET THAT ITS CUSTOMERS CHOSE THEIR VERSION OVER THE OTHERS. IT'S A SHAME, BECAUSE I LIKE VW. MY FAMILY DROVE ONLY VW'S DURING MY YOUTH, AND THAT PLAYED INTO MY DECISION TO GET THE ROUTAN. IT LOOKS LIKE I WON'T BE PURCHASING A VW PRODUCT IN THE FUTURE. THIS DOESN'T EVEN MENTION THE OTHER BIG ISSUE THAT CERTAIN YEAR ROUTANS/GRAND CARAVAN/T&C'S CAN HAVE, WHICH IS A COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE FRONT CYLINDER HEAD. AGAIN, IN THIS CASE, CHRYSLER ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THAT PARTICULAR PART, BUT VW MADE NO EFFORT TO EXTEND ITS WARRANTY ON THOSE PARTS. I HAVE CALLED MULTIPLE VW SERVICE SHOPS IN THE GREATER DC AREA, AND NONE OF THEM HAVE HEARD OF A WARRANTY EXTENSION ON THE CYLINDER HEADS. IF VW HAS ISSUED AN EXTENSION, THEN THEY HAVEN'T DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF INFORMING DEALER SERVICE SHOPS, OR NOTIFYING THEIR CUSTOMERS. IT'S A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER VW OF AMERICA. FOR THOSE WITH TIPM ISSUES, THERE IS A $40 TEMPORARY WORKAROUND FOR SALE AT WWW.VERTICALVISIONS.COM

CAR WOULDN'T START, HARD CRANKS OVER SEVERAL DAYS. THE ENGINE WOULD FINALLY START AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS. OVER THE COURSE OF 5 DAYS IT GOT WORSE AND WORSE. TOOK TO MECHANIC - CODE SAID DODGE CARAVAN R09. MY MECHANIC SAID IT IS A COMMON FUEL PUMP RELAY INSIDE THE TIPM, AND THAT CHRYSLER HAS ISSUED A RECALL, BUT VW HASN'T. TOOK IT TO VW DEALER, PERFORMED AND CHARGED ME A COMPLETE DIAGNOSTIC TEST - TO TELL ME THE SAME THING. CALLED VW CORPORATE - SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT IT IS NOT A CHRYSLER AND IT IS A VW REBAGGED CAR, AND THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR A $1300 FIX. FURTHER ISSUES, IS THAT THE PART NOT READILY AVAILABLE, AND MY FAMILY OF 5 IS OUT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR 5 DAYS. OUR 2011 VW HAS ONLY 61,000 AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ISSUE. UPON RESEARCHING IT ON THE INTERNET, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. IT IS A SHAME THAT VW, WON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND OWN UP TO THE FACT THEY HAVE AN SERIOUS ISSUE.

PROBLEM STARTED ABOUT 4 WEEKS AGO WITH CAR NOT STARTING. WOULD TURN OVER BUT NEVER CRANK UP/START. LOCAL VW DEALER SAID ISSUE WAS FUEL PUMP AND REPLACED. SYMPTOMS CONTINUED WITH LONGER THAN NORMAL CRANKING BEFORE STARTING. SOMETIMES VEHICLE ACTS LIKE THE BATTERY IS DEAD AND WILL "CLICK" UNTIL AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS IT WILL FINALLY TURN OVER AND START. CERTAIN TIMES AFTER HAVING VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND PLACING INTO DRIVE IT JUST DIES, HAVE TO PLACE IN PARK AND RESTART. WHILE SLOWING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT, VEHICLE HAS HESITATED AS IF TO DIE, BUT THANKFULLY IT HAS CONTINUED. WHILE SLOWING FOR A STOP, TRANSMISSION MISS SHIFTED INTO 1ST AND MADE A LOUD BANG. SINCE THEN AT SLOW SPEEDS IF YOU LIFTING OFF THE GAS THE TRANSMISSION MAKES LOUD NOISES. ALL OF THESE ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED IN THE LAST 4 WEEKS. IT HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP 2 TWICE AND I AM AWAITING CONTACT VIA THE DEALERSHIP FOR A 3 VISIT IN 4 WEEKS. SINCE ORIGINAL PURCHASE, I HAVE INSTALLED 3 BATTERIES IN THIS VEHICLE. WE HAVE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE IN THIS VEHICLE, AND FIND OURSELVES HOPING NOTHING SERIOUS HAPPENS IF IT DIES WHILE TRAVELING. THIS INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL ISSUE WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEED IS A CONCERNING SAFETY ISSUE.

VOLKSWAGEN HAS CHRYSLER MAKE THESE MINI VANS. CHRYSLER RECALLED THE TIPM MODULE/RELAY BOX BUT VOLKSWAGEN HAS NOT. ITS A FAULTY PART THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THE CAR WILL SOME TIMES NOT STAT. SOMETIMES THE FUEL PUMP WILL RUN AND DRAIN THE BATTERY BUT THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL IS THAT IT WILL STALL GOING FROM AN IDLE TO GIVING IT GAS. LIKE PULLING OUT INTO A BUSY STREET. AND THEN TAKE A MINUTE TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN. VERY DANGEROUS. IT SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT TAKE A DEATH TO GET VW TO RECALL THE PART THAT CHRYSLER ALREADY DID THE RECALL ON.