2009 Volkswagen Routan Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 151 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2009 Volkswagen Routan, 51% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 73,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “ignition switch” (12% of reports).
- 151electrical system complaints
- 73,500median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- 27%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Ignition switch: mentioned in 18 of 151 complaints (12%)
- Sliding door: mentioned in 11 of 151 complaints (7%)
- Stalled without: mentioned in 10 of 151 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 120 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 151 complaints, 3 a fire, 2 an injury.
Volkswagen Routan electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Routan | 1 | 50% | 48,000 |
| 2013 Routan | 2 | 29% | 69,750 |
| 2012 Routan | 39 | 62% | 77,000 |
| 2011 Routan | 111 | 63% | 71,000 |
| 2010 Routan | 150 | 63% | 80,000 |
| 2009 Routan | 151 | 51% | 73,500 |
| 2008 Routan | 1 | 33% | 58,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Electrical system:ignition:switch
Problem: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009 Routan vehicles manufactured June 25, 2008, to July 8, 2009, and 2010 Routan vehicles manufactured October 1, 2009, to August 11, 2010. This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Risk: If the ignition key inadvertently moves into the OFF or ACCESSORY position, the engine will turn off, which will then depower various key safety systems including, but not limited to, air bags, power steering, and power braking. Loss of functionality of these systems may increase the risk of crash and/or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch and key FOBs, free of charge. The recall began on June 23, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H1. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 11V151 and 14V396. Vehicles that previously received an ignition switch trim ring as a recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign. Vehicles that have already received a new ignition switch are not covered by this campaign.
Electrical system:ignition
Problem: This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009 Routan vehicles. Road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Risk: If the ignition key inadvertently moves into the OFF or ACCESSORY position, the engine will turn off, which will then depower various key safety systems including but not limited to air bags, power steering, and power braking. Loss of functionality of these systems may increase the risk of crash and/or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will modify the ignition switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1- 800-822-8987. An interim notice was mailed to owners on August 29, 2014. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28G1/U8. Note: This campaign is an expansion of NHTSA Recall No. 11V-151.
Electrical system:wiring
Problem: Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2009 routan vehicles manufactured from june 2008 through july 2009. These vehicles may have been built with an improper routed wire harness that may have a condition where the lower sliding door hinge bracket can make contact and wear through the wire insulation. Contact with a 12v power feed circuit within the harness may cause a high resistive short circuit within the latch mechanism located inside of the sliding door.
Risk: This could result in an overheated latch and a fire within the rear sliding door could occur.
Fix: Volkswagen will inspect the sliding door wire track wire assembly and the sliding door power drive unit wire assembly for damage, repair/replace as necessary, tie strap the two harnesses together and route the harnesses under the sliding door weather strip. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 15, 2010. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V194000 (Electrical System); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not available. The local dealer was contacted to schedule the recall repair, but the part remained unavailable…
Volkswagen dealership does not want to fulfill the recall.
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V194000 (Electrical System) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine failed to turn over. No…

Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Volkswagen Routans have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 151 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2009 Volkswagen Routan (51% of the 294 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Volkswagen Routan electrical system?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 73,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2009 Volkswagen Routan?
The most frequent phrase is “ignition switch”, in 18 of 151 complaints, followed by “sliding door” (11).
Other 2009 Volkswagen Routan problems
- Engine problems (78)
See all 2009 Volkswagen Routan problems or electrical system problems across all Routan years.