Selling a junk Volkswagen Routan
Any Routan sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
Step 3 of 3 · Get your offer
Prefer an instant online offer?
Peddle quotes online in every state and arranges the pickup. You give your details to Peddle, not to us.
If you sell through this link, Junk Cars Nation may earn a referral fee. It doesn't change your offer.
What owners report about the Volkswagen Routan
NHTSA has 1,250 owner complaints on file for the Volkswagen Routan, model years 2008 to 2014, the 249th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are electrical system (457, 37%), engine (195, 16%), brakes (102, 8%). 23 complaints involved a crash, 16 a fire, and 23 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 71,000 miles. The 2009 model year has the most complaints (461). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is electrical system, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car that doesn't run: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Volkswagen Routan by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 3 | Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 461 | Electrical system | 7 | 5 | 6 | 70,000 |
| 2010 | 359 | Electrical system | 5 | 7 | 2 | 77,000 |
| 2011 | 302 | Electrical system | 9 | 4 | 0 | 69,448 |
| 2012 | 115 | Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 1 | 79,250 |
| 2013 | 8 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 2 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Volkswagen Routan recalls
NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for electrical system (4), suspension (2), air bags (1). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2009 model year, air bags (campaign 16V083000, Feb 2016): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain model year 2009 Volkswagen Routan vehicles manufactured February 7, 2008, to August 28, 2008. In the affected vehicles, the air bag control units may corrode an…
- 2009 model year, electrical system (campaign 15V194000, Apr 2015): 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. …
- 2009 model year, electrical system (campaign 14V396000, Jul 2014): 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 a…
- 2009 model year, suspension (campaign 14V055000, Feb 2014): Freedom Motors Inc., (Freedom Motors) of Savaria Vehicle Group (formerly The Liberty Motor Company) is recalling one model year 2009 Volkswagen Routan and certain model year 2008-2010 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Tow…
- 2012 model year, suspension (campaign 12V147000, Apr 2012): VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 ROUTAN VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 15, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 21, 2011. SOME VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH RIGHT REAR HUB AND BEARING ASSEMBLIES THAT WERE NOT FULL…
What a Volkswagen Routan is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Routan on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car that doesn't run 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Volkswagen models
- Volkswagen Jetta 13,332
- Volkswagen Passat 10,083
- Volkswagen Beetle 3,615
- Volkswagen Tiguan 3,232
- Volkswagen Atlas 2,515
- Volkswagen GTI 1,892
- Volkswagen Golf 1,808
- Volkswagen CC 1,359
All Volkswagen models · All makes · Cash for junk cars by state
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Volkswagen Routan worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Routan gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Volkswagen Routan that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Volkswagen Routan?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Volkswagen Routan numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.