2011 Volkswagen Routan

OUR VAN HAS HAD ON AND OFF WEIRD ELECTRICAL THINGS HAPPENING FOR A FEW MONTHS - WIPERS COME ON BY THEMSELVES, AIR TURNS OFF BY ITSELF, LIGHTS, ETC. THEN THE VAN STARTED NOT ALWAYS STARTING. SOMETIMES IT WOULD START, THEN SHUT OFF BY ITSELF SHORTLY AFTER STARTING. IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE IT WAS NOT EASILY STARTING 2-3 TIMES A DAY. THE WEIRD ELECTRICAL STUFF WOULD HAPPEN WHEN STATIONARY OR IN MOTION. THE STARTING PROBLEM WAS WHILE STATIONARY. SOMETIMES IT DIED WHEN I PUT IT IN GEAR TO MOVE. SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING, I FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS GIVING ITSELF MORE GAS EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT HAD BEEN TAKEN OFF OF THE PEDAL. TOOK IT TO VW WHEN IT SIMPLY WOULD NOT EASILY OR RELIABLY START ANYMORE. THEY SAID THE TIPM MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WE JUST GOT IT REPLACED. COST US $924.77!

MY 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN HAS FAILED TO START ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE ENGINE CRANKS WITH FULL POWER, BUT WILL USUALLY NOT TURN OVER. WHEN IT DOES TURN OVER, IT DOES NOT MAINTAIN IDLE AND SHUTS OFF WITHIN A FEW SECONDS. ELECTRICAL TESTING BY THE MECHANIC IDENTIFIED A FAILURE IN THE FUEL PUMP RELAY PART OF THE TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE (TIPM), WHICH NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ESSENTIALLY IDENTICAL PARTS (TIPM/TIPM7) HAVE BEEN RECALLED ON TOWN AND COUNTRY MODELS BY THE MANUFACTURER, CHRYSLER AUTOMOTIVE.

ON SEPTEMBER 15TH 2015, I BROUGHT MY 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN TO PIONEER AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES IN OAK HARBOR WASHINGTON BECAUSE THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AFTER SEVERAL INSTANCES. AFTER MANY HOURS OF TROUBLE SHOOTING, I RECEIVED WORD THAT IT WAS THE TOTAL INTEGRATED POWER MODULE (TIPM). THEY COULD ORDER ONE AND INSTALL IT, BUT WOULD HAVE TO BE TOWED TO BURLINGTON WASHINGTON TO THE CLOSEST VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP TO BE PROGRAMMED. THIS PART WILL COST ME $822 WITH ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR INSTALLATION AND PROGRAMMING. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, I FOUND THERE TO BE RECALLS FOR THIS PART IN CHRYSLER VEHICLES RANGING IN MY YEAR. I OWN A VOLKSWAGEN, BUT IT HAS A CHRYSLER MOTOR IN IT. THIS INDICATES THAT MY VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING DEFECT, BUT BECAUSE ITS A VOLKSWAGEN WITH A CHRYSLER MOTOR, THIS WAS THEIR WAY TO AVOID AN EVEN LARGER NUMBER OF RECALLED VEHICLES. THE COST IS DISTURBING, BUT THE THOUGHT OF WHAT FATAL END TO THIS COULD BRING HAS NO PRICE. ALL I SEEK IS FOR CHRYSLER TO OWN UP TO THE FLAW AND REPLACE THIS DEFECT AND TO EXPAND ITS POSSIBLE RECALL NUMBERS TO MAKE SURE ALL VEHICLES THAT THEY PLACED THEIR PRODUCT IN ARE EVALUATED. A TIMELY RESPONSE IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. *TR

THE ENGINE WILL CRANK BUT WILL NOT START ON MOST OCCASIONS. WHEN THE ENGINE DOES START IT WILL SHUT OFF AFTER SEVERAL SECONDS. TO GET THE ENGINE TO START AT ALL THE IGNITION HAS TO BE TURN TO THE ON POSITION FOR TWO TO THREE SECONDS AND THEN TURNED TO THE START POSITION. WHEN THE ENGINE DOES REMAIN ON, IT HAS SHUT OFF IN TRAFFIC ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A CHRYSLER MANUFACTURED/VOLKSWAGEN MARKETED VEHICLE. I HAVE READ THAT CHRYSLER HAS RECALLED SEVERAL OF ITS MINIVANS DUE TO THE SAME PROBLEMS AND THAT THE ISSUE IS WITH THE TIPM PART. DOES THIS RECALL EXTEND TO VOLKSWAGEN AS WELL?

VEHICLE ENGINE WOULD DO THE EXTENDED CRANK, AND NOT TURN OVER, OR WOULD TURN OVER AND DIE INSTANTLY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD FLASH 10 TIMES. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO FIND OUT THAT THE TIPM MODULE HAD FAILED, THE REPAIR WAS $1200, AND TOOK A WEEK. CHRYSLER HAD BUILT THE VEHICLE FOR VOLKSWAGEN FROM THEIR TOWN AND COUNTRY LINE, HOWEVER UNLIKE CHRYSLER, VOLKSWAGEN DOESN'T HONOR THE RECALL ALTHOUGH THE PART IS PHYSICALLY THE SAME MOPAR PART ACROSS THE BOARD. VOLKSWAGEN ALSO STATED THEY OFFER NO ASSISTANCE AFTER THE BASE WARRANTY IS GONE AS WELL. ISN'T THERE SOME FEDERAL MANDATE THAT REQUIRES THESE DEVICES TO BE WARRANTED FURTHER THAN THE NORMAL 36,000 MILES? I GUESS IT WILL TAKE SOMEONE GETTING SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED IN ONE OF THESE VANS FOR VOLKSWAGEN TO OPEN THERE EYES...

THIS CAR WAS ACTUALLY MANUFACTURED BY CHRYSLER AND SOLD BY VW. THE INITIAL PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE RELATED TO A FAULTY FUEL PUMP. THE CAR WOULD TRY TO CRANK BUT NOT START. IT ACTUALLY STALLED AS WELL. WE TOOK IT TO A DEALER WHO CONTINUED GUESSING AT THE PROBLEM AND FINALLY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. LUCKILY I HAD MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN COVERAGE AND ONLY HAD TO PAY $250 OUT OF POCKET. HOWEVER, AFTER THE "FIX" I'VE HAD THE CAR BACK THREE TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO SOLUTION. THIS WEEK, THE FUEL PUMP STARTED RUNNING EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS OFF. I DID A SEARCH AND FOUND OUT ABOUT THE ONGOING TIPM PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE SAME PROBLEM. I'M TAKING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER THIS WEEK TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO. INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATED THAT CHRYSLER SELLS THIS CRAP AND TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY. VW SAYS THEY STOPPED SELLING THESE VANS BECAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS. NOT MY PROBLEM SINCE THEY SOLD THEM TO BEGIN WITH. I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

VAN WOULD NOT START LIKE NORMAL. SOMETIMES IT WOULD, OTHER TIMES IT WOULD CRANK, IDLE, THEN SHUT OFF, OR CRANK WITHOUT STARTING AND WOULD HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN THE KEY BACK TO THE OFF POSITION TO STOP THE CRANKING, OR CRANK WITH FOOT ON GAS PEDAL DEPRESSED SO IT WOULD NOT STALL SO IT WOULD START. THAT WORKED FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS. NOW IT ONLY CRANKS WITHOUT STARTING. WAS TOLD INJECTORS NEEDED CLEANING. AFTER THAT WAS TOLD FUEL PUMP IS NOT WORKING. (WAS NOT THE PROBLEM, FUEL PUMP WAS NOT GETTING POWER, THIS WAS KNOWN AFTER INSTALLING NEW FUEL PUMP AND IT DID NOT WORK EITHER. I HAD THEM TEST OLD PUMP AND IT DOES STILL WORK SO NOW IT'S AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE BEFORE THE FUEL PUMP. THEN TOLD ECU IS BAD. COMPUTER GAVE NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES, NO DASH WARNING LIGHTS. FOUND OUT THE (ECO)NOMY FEATURE MAY BE THE CULPRIT BUT CAN'T GET INFO FROM DEALER. (NHTSA REFERENCE #10052670 OR TSB REFERENCE #TB-20-13-05). WHEN I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND ASKED THEM ABOUT A TSB, TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN THEY SOUNDED LIKE I WAS SPEAKING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. THEN THEY ADVISED I SPEAK TO THE SHOP FOREMAN BUT HE WAS NOT THERE AT THE TIME AND HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE TO SPEAK ON THE PHONE THE LAST 2 DAYS I CALLED. CALLED VW 800# AND THEY DO NOT SEND THEM OUT BUT YOU CAN BUY IT FROM THERE WEBSITE. STRANGE THAT SUCH AN ISSUE IS NOT COVERED EVEN IF WARRANTY IS OVER. I HOPE IT DOES NOT TAKE A COMPLAINT FILED WHERE THEY HAVE TO CLICK THE RADIO BOX YES FOR WAS THERE AN INJURY OR FATALITY? QUESTION *TR

7/2/14 - AFTER BEING IDLE FOR 1HR THE CAR WOULD NOT START. AFTER SEVERAL REPEAT ATTEMPTS IT DID. IT WOULD CRANK AS NORMAL, NO DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS EVER CAME ON. 8/8/14 - AFTER 3HRS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING WE STOPPED TO FILL UP WITH GAS. ECO FUEL NEVER USED THE SAME CRANK ISSUE OCCURRED AS 7/2. 8/9/14 - AFTER 8HRS IDLE TIME THE VAN WOULD NOT START UNTIL REPEATED TRIES. I BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP, THEY COULD NOT GET THE PROBLEM TO REPEAT AND SUSPECTED THE TPIM MODULE. 8/10/14 - AFTER 8HRS IDLE TIME THE VAN WOULD NOT START. WHEN IT FINALLY DID I DROVE 1/4 MILE FROM THE HOUSE AND THE VAN SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND NORMAL BRAKING ALMOST RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. CALLED DEALER BACK UP AND BROUGHT BACK INTO DEALERSHIP 8/12/14 WITH EXPECTATION TO HAVE $900 TPIM MODULE REPLACED. DIRECTING THE DEALERSHIP TO LEAVE THE CAR OUTSIDE OVERNIGHT, PUSH IT IN AND THEN HOOK UP TO COMPUTERS FOR EVALUATION THEY WERE ABLE TO FIND LOW FUEL PRESSURE READING FROM THE FUEL PUMP UP UNTIL THE IT FINALLY CRANKED OVER AFTER SEVERAL TRIES. AFTER THE INITIAL START THE VAN WOULD READ NORMAL FUEL PUMP PRESSURES WHILE RUNNING, TURNING IT OFF AND TURNING IT BACK ON AGAIN. HOWEVER THIS DOES NOT EXPLAIN WHY IT SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. THE CAR WAS RETURNED AND A NEW FUEL PUMP WAS ORDERED FOR 8/19/14 INSTALL. 8/15 - 8/18/14 - THE VAN SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING TWICE NOT TO MENTION EVERYTIME IT SAT IDLE IT WOULD HAVE THE SAME START UP ISSUES. 8/19/14 WHEN THE DEALERSHIP RECEIVED THE FUEL PUMP IT WAS THE WRONG ONE. BUT THE MODEL# AND SERIAL# WERE EXACTLY THE SAME! SO AS IT STANDS THEY CAN'T FIX IT UNTIL THEY IDENTIFY THE FUEL PUMP. *TR