2011 Volkswagen Routan

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START; HOWEVER, THE LIGHTING WAS OPERATIONAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO LITHIA VOLKSWAGEN OF DES MOINES (5200 MERLE HAY RD, JOHNSTON, IA 50131, (515) 446-3579), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND WHITE SMOKE AND FLAMES EMERGED FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND REMOVED THE THREE CHILD PASSENGERS FROM THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT PRESENT. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHED ITSELF WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR WERE BURNT AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE REPAIRS WERE INSUFFICIENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER (NEFTIN WESTLAKE VOLKSWAGEN, 3550 AUTO MALL DRIVE, THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA 91362) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TOTALLY INTEGRATED PROGRAM MODULE AND TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

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.

FUEL PUMP RUNS WITHOUT CAR TURNED ON. THE MOPAR TIPM MODULE IN THIS CAR IS A CHRYSLER PART THAT CHRYSLER RECALLED ON 2011 ROUTAN BUT VW DOES NOT HONOR THIS RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH CAUSES THE FUEL PUMP TO RUN AND DRAIN THE BATTERY DEAD ALONG WITH OTHER SAFETY ISSUES LIKE CAR STOPPING DEAD. THIS CAR CANNOT RUN WITHOUT THIS PART AND THIS RECALL MUST BE HONORED BY VW. THEY ARE MAKING US PAY FOR A NEW MODULE. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF THESE ROUTANS WITH THIS PROBLEM AND NO ONE IS LISTENING. OUR CAR WAS IN THE DRIVEWAY AND FUEL PUMP WAS RUNNING WITH CAR TURNED OFF ALL NIGHT. ALSO WHEN HUSBAND DRIVING IT, CAR WOULD SUDDENLY SLOW.

ISSUES WITH TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE (TIPM), THE VAN WILL NOT START. REPLACED THE CAR BATTERY AS THE VW DEALER INSTRUCTED ME (INITIALLY THEY SAID I HAD A DEFECTIVE BATTERY - LESS THAN 1 YEAR OLD - I DISAGREED BUT SINCE THE BATTERY HAD 3-YR FREE REPLACEMENT I HAD IT REPLACED) AND WITHIN A WEEK, STARTED HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND IT DRAINED THE BRAND NEW BATTERY. I FOUND OUT THAT THIS TIPM IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY AND EVEN IF YOU PAY FOR THE REPAIR THERE IS NO GUARANTEED IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. THE CHARGE IS $1,500.

OUR VAN HAS JUST OVER 40K MILES ON IT, AND LAST WEEK IT WOULDN'T START. WE JUMPED IT AND WENT OUT TO RUN ERRANDS, BUT WE HAD TO GET ANOTHER JUMP FROM A STRANGER TO GET HOME. WE CHARGED THE BATTERY FULLY OVERNIGHT, AND IT STARTED AGAIN FOR A DAY, ONLY TO HAVE THE BATTERY DRAINED AGAIN. WE BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR OUR GROWING FAMILY (TWINS ON THE WAY!) AND I'M READING THE HORROR STORIES ABOUT THIS YEAR AND MODEL STALLING WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. THIS IS CLEARLY RELATED TO THE TIPM MODULE THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS HAVING TO REPLACE, AND THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR OUR FAMILY SO WE ARE HAVING TO FORK OUT $1,200+ TO GET IT REPAIRED WHEN CHRYSLER HAS A MAJOR RECALL RELATED TO THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE (IT'S A CHYSLER PART). THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR 2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTANS AS WELL...VOLKSWAGEN NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AS THIS IS A KNOWN, WIDESPREAD ISSUE.