2009 Volkswagen Routan: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 460 complaints
460
Total Complaints
66,000mi
Median Mileage
Electrical System
Top Issue
7
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

40,715 25th Percentile
66,000 Median Mileage
93,776 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System
146
Engine
78
Service Brakes
38
Steering
34
Power Train
16
Unknown Or Other
15
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
14
Wheels
12
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)
12
Door
10

Severity Assessment

7
Crashes
5
Fires
23
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WE RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN SE WITH BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOORS. OUR 4 YEAR OLD SON WENT TO OPEN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR BY PULLING ON THE HANDLE, AND AT THE SAME TIME MY HUSBAND WENT TO OPEN THE DOOR BY PUSHING THE "DOOR OPEN" BUTTON ON THE KEY. AS A R..."
"WE RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN SE WITH BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOORS. OUR 4 YEAR OLD SON WENT TO OPEN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR BY PULLING ON THE HANDLE, AND AT THE SAME TIME MY HUSBAND WENT TO OPEN THE DOOR BY PUSHING THE "DOOR OPEN" BUTTON ON THE KEY. AS A R..."
"I AM WRITING YOU DUE TO AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED TO MY CHILD CONCERNING THE VW ROUTON MINIVAN. WE WERE LOOKING AT ONE ON DISPLAY AT HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE THIS PAST SATURDAY, THE 4TH OF JULY., 2009. THE BACK HATCH WAS OPEN AND MY 7 YEAR OLD FOUND BUTTONS THAT POWERED THE LAST ROW OF SEATS. THESE BUT..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 146 complaints
25th: 55,000 mi Median: 74,500 mi 75th: 102,154 mi
Engine 78 complaints
25th: 54,000 mi Median: 70,000 mi 75th: 90,000 mi
Service Brakes 38 complaints
25th: 40,250 mi Median: 65,000 mi 75th: 89,250 mi
Steering 34 complaints
25th: 44,900 mi Median: 76,100 mi 75th: 108,782 mi
Power Train 16 complaints
25th: 57,788 mi Median: 75,000 mi 75th: 96,286 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 34 NC: 32 CA: 28 IL: 28 TX: 27 PA: 21 VA: 20 MI: 19 AZ: 18 MD: 17

Who Files Complaints?

1.3%
Original Owners
98.7%
Second+ Owners

Volkswagen Routan — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
20103595
20113029
20121152

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28