NHTSA Complaint #11054850 — 2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN

SINCE BUYING OUR 2009 ROUTAN IN THE FALL OF 2016 WE HAVE SUNK THOUSANDS INTO IT TRYING TO GET IT FIXED BECAUSE OF THE ISSUES WE HAVE HAD SHORTLY AFTER BUYING IT (OURS DID NOT COME WITH A WARRANTY FROM THE VW DEALER). AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK, AND SOMETIMES MORE, IT STALLS WHILE WE ARE DRIVING...USUALLY AT LOW SPEEDS LIKE WHEN WE ARE SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN OR SLOWING DOWN FOR A STOPLIGHT. USUALLY, ALL OF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND CONTROLS WILL BLINK AND DING REPEATEDLY BEFORE STALLING. IT ALSO STALLS WHEN SITTING STILL. IT WILL BLINK ALL OF THE LIGHTS, THE CONTROLS WILL GO CRAZY AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL GO BACK AND FORTH ONE TIME AS IT STALLS. ON DEC 11 IT STALLED ON A MAJOR ROAD IN CHARLOTTE, NC AND I LOST ALL POWER SO I COULD NOT EVEN PUT ON MY FLASHERS. I HAVE AN AUTISTIC CHILD WHO WAS FREAKING OUT BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO GET ALL OF THE KIDS TO BE QUIET SO I COULD CALL MY HUSBAND AS WE WERE SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD. WE WERE IN A MIDDLE LANE AND THE WINDOWS WERE UP SO I HAD TO OPEN MY DOOR QUICKLY AND WAVE FOR PEOPLE TO GO AROUND US. I KEPT WATCHING MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND PRAYING WE WOULDN'T GET HIT AS CARS ZIPPED AROUND US HONKING. THE KEY WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION SINCE THERE WAS NO POWER. MY HUSBAND WAS HEADED TOWARDS US AND I WAVED PEOPLE AROUND US FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES WHILE JINGLING THE KEY AND TRYING EVERYTHING TO GET SOMETHING TO WORK. THE POWER FINALLY CAME BACK AND THE KEY CAME OUT AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND GET HOME BUT MY KIDS ARE AFRAID TO GO ANYWHERE IN THAT VAN AGAIN. WE HAVE REPLACED THE BATTERY, THE CONTROL MODULE (ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE THINGS WE TRIED), THE ERG VALVE, THE ALTERNATOR, AND SOME OTHER PARTS OUR MECHANIC WANTED TO TRY. SUPER EAGLE AUTO CARE HAS BEEN SUPER HELPFUL IN TRYING TO FIX IT BUT TO NO AVAIL. WE HAVE LEARNED SINCE BUYING THIS VEHICLE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR VW ROUTAN.