# 2009 Routan Owners with Brake Problems - Stock brakes just redesigned for 2009



## bs1211 (Sep 23, 2009)

Had my car in for service 2 months ago an they told me that my front rotors were warped again and needed new ones. The issue was that all rotors and brakes for the 2009 were on back order.

Got the call on Wednesday they the parts arrived. Dropped of the car yesterday and picked it up today. 

Found out that the reason for the back order was that they redesigned the brakes, rotors, pads, etc... So I took the van out to another used 2009 Routan on the lot and the brakes look thicker and different design.

Service Manager said that the brakes feel different (better) in the car compared to the stock OEM from 2009.


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## MozartMan (Jul 31, 2010)

Do you have the part number on your invoice for new rotors, pads, etc? Or any other official information?


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## luckeydoug1 (Feb 11, 2001)

I hope it is a new design. The brakes on my 2010 appear to be as problematic as those on the many 2009s I have driven. [And to get on my soap box again...] For me, while the warpage is a pain, it is nothing when compared with the absurdly long stopping distance we experience with the Routan. EVERY VW we have owned, including the 2 ton Touareg have awesome stopping ability. I just hope you are never in a situation where you need to stop the Routan in a panic situation. It is a scary ordeal I can tell you.

We are still exploring an after market solution (as we have been for the past year). My guess is that the Routan will be replaced by a new Touareg in the near future, even though at present the Routan is a better fit for our family of 5 adults.


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## 58kafer (Jun 27, 2007)

Here's what went on the front of ours:

7B0-698-151-D Front pads
7B0-615-301-B Front Rotors

7B0-615-601-A Rear Rotors, they did not replace the rear pads when they did the rear rotors--They know as well as VWOA that I was pissed that they didn't do the pads too.

Fronts Replaced per TSB#2023031 

Those were replaced between 8-9K now at 18K the rumbling is back in the rear rotors but the fronts are not vibrating, yet. Were going back in to the dealer for a few things and my wife is going to road test the van with a tech to show him the brake noises, trying to see if they'll replace the rotors again under warranty. The rotors on most MV's are sub par, I don't care whose flavor it is. And you have to remember that you can't compare the brakes of the Routan to ANY VW as it's not a VW. I actually think the brakes on the Routan are sensative, just they are undersized for the weight and can't take the heat cycling. I had to panic stop before and I would have face planted the steering wheel if I didn't have my seatbelt on. 2012's are supposedly getting larger brakes, Chrysler obviously knows they are undersized, you don't even have to read between the lines there. I'll hedge my bets that as soon as the 2011's hit the 8-9K mark you'll see the rotors warping. If you start to hear a rumbling from the rear of the van while braking(Turn your radio off, press on the brakes and listen then release, then press, release), it's rotor time! Hopefully the new T-Reg has better brakes than in the past, it was a weak point on them before and they were a rotor/pad eater, not cheap to boot either. This is only a minor set back and by no means lessens how much we love our Routan:beer:


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## luckeydoug1 (Feb 11, 2001)

I am really excited to see what improvements in braking are achieved on the new Dodge Caravan R/T. From what I have read, they are supposed to get Viper brakes. If, indeed this happens, and there is a huge improvement in stopping distance, then I will investigate what parts are needed to upgrade the Routan brakes.

I see your point about comparing the braking of the Routan with VWs since it is not a VW. I guess my only point is that I have been spoiled in what I expect braking capabilities to be having owned/driven only VWs since 2000.


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## Steveaut (Sep 16, 2010)

I agree that the brakes are sub-standard in terms of reliability and stopping power. Fortunately, VW replaced all pads and rotors at 19k. The new pads/rotors do seem to have better stopping power. I don't know if I believe the pads and rotors are upgraded. I wish that would be the case, but I was told that when I bought my 2010. I was told that the 2009s were bad, but the 2010 had an upgraded system and was more reliable.

I think you will see the 2011s having the same warpage as soon as they reach between 10k and 20k miles.


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## 71sbeetle (Apr 12, 2002)

I've had my brakes replaced by VW every single 6k miles services :banghead:


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## Row1Rich (Sep 11, 2001)

bs1211 said:


> Had my car in for service 2 months ago an they told me that my front rotors were warped again and needed new ones. The issue was that all rotors and brakes for the 2009 were on back order.
> 
> Got the call on Wednesday they the parts arrived. Dropped of the car yesterday and picked it up today.
> 
> ...


I just got my '09 Routan back yesterday with the brake update (front rotors and pads). I had to wait a couple weeks for them to get an order in. I'm mildly optimistic that they'll be better. However, I already hear the brakes under light braking with 40 miles on them, not a good sign.


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## 71sbeetle (Apr 12, 2002)

Row1Rich said:


> I just got my '09 Routan back yesterday with the brake update (front rotors and pads). I had to wait a couple weeks for them to get an order in. I'm mildly optimistic that they'll be better. However, I already hear the brakes under light braking with 40 miles on them, not a good sign.


I'm on my second set of the "new" brakes, they do squeal a lot more than the "old" brakes especially when hot.


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## juvefan20 (Mar 24, 2001)

All this brakes talk is very concerning. Hopefully there will be a fix soon enough. This is crazy


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## Steveaut (Sep 16, 2010)

Today on the Chrysler minivan forum there was a post that claimed that Chrysler was upgrading all minivan brakes with bigger calipers, rotors and pads for the 2012 models. If that is the case, I wonder if they could be swapped into the pre-2012 models. The Chrysler minivan forum said that the 2011s are the same as prior years.


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## 58kafer (Jun 27, 2007)

Just got the Routan back tonight, previously we had the van in for the 18K check and told them to check a growling/whirring noise while coming to a stop. Not all the time, no particular speed, etc... completely random. Got the "could not dupe". So we had to take it back to have the black strip replaced on the roof, it started to peel up just like our Passat did. My wife took the tech for a ride to "show" him the noise, she got it to do it and he immediatley said we needed rotors. So we got new fronts with a new part# 7B0-615-301-C, I assume the C is the revision. That being said the pads are already on revision D and they used new pads but the same part# I listed before. Fingers crossed, I still swear my rears are warped, I can hear a light thundering when braking coming from the rear. :beer:

New rotor part# 7B0-615-301-C


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## ClownCar (Feb 16, 1999)

I now have over 15,000km on my 2011 Routan Highline. I commute 80km a day in stop and go traffic and my brakes feel the same as the day I got the van. They're fine.

At least for me it appears that my 2011 got a brake upgrade. My Dad has a 2009 Comfortline and when he had his brakes replaced (under warranty) this past spring he got the new part numbers. He has had no brakes issues since.


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## Optical TDI (Dec 18, 2001)

We just got new rotors, pads, and new carriers out back. So far so good. They said they are all new part numbers. Time will tell. We have two years left on the lease...


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## Row1Rich (Sep 11, 2001)

Optical TDI said:


> We just got new rotors, pads, and new carriers out back. So far so good. They said they are all new part numbers. Time will tell. We have two years left on the lease...


Seems the problem hasn't been resolved, I've got less than 500 miles on my "redesigned" rotors and pads and the vibration is back. Slight shimmy in the steering wheel when applying light brake pressure. That's how it started last time, progressing to a noisy grinding later. I'll call my service lady tomorrow to give her the bad news.


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## thaddyusmaximus (Apr 30, 2012)

I was wondering if any one tried this set from ebay?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FRONT-REAR-...an&hash=item3375b7e4d3&vxp=mtr#ht_6469wt_1185

I was thinking of getting these when it's time to replace.


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## janetslimak (May 22, 2012)

*Me too!*

Just now learning that Routan brakes are problematic. Travelled from FL to CO (2000 mi) and needed brake job and rotors. Drove another 1000 miles then repeated the 2000 mile trip home and voila! need another brake job or it seems that way from the shimmy in the wheel and the grinding noise though both are less than after the drive to CO. I learned to use my cruise control and downshifting to avoid any unnecessary braking while on the road but those W VA mountains got me again with very long declines. Preparing a letter to VW but encouraged to read there might be a recall or at least some hope for compensation as the VW dealer when I got to Boulder was closed for the day. I was scared to had the work done immediately by referred mechanic. VW then said 'good job', stayed safe, but now I may be headed down that same road. :banghead: (love this icon) I'm taking a copy of this forum to the manager of my local VW dealer where I purchased the car (with 14,000 miles on it - no wonder it was traded). I bought the VW when Pontiac stopped making the Montana. Guess it's the Venture next if Chevy is still making it. Never had trouble with V's and M's (4 altogether).


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## Zambee500 (Jun 23, 2011)

I was really hoping the brake issue was due to inferior OEM Chinesium parts. Folks were getting 6-12k miles on a set, and then the dealerships replacing with another of the same OEM set. Rinse, repeat. So I was hopeful the OEM parts were the culprit.

So in November I replaced the fronts with aftermarket. Ended up going with the Napa Adaptive One ceramic hybrid pads, and the Napa "Premium" rotors (the "Ultra Premiums" were unavailable at the time, and still are for the Routan, but I notice they are available for the Chrysler & Dodge versions and the "Premium" share the same part numbers as the Routan...so poor part number cross-referencing on Napa's part...digression). This combination is supposed to be very durable and quiet according to my mechanic, and he has never seen any customer problems using them. So he put them on at 51,900. As we were coming up on 58k miles the squeaking began at stops. Then the shimmy when braking lightly at highway speeds, and the squeaking has gotten much worse. Now at 58,500+ and things aren't looking so great with the Napa premium combo.

One of the techs on the Chrysler minivan forums suggested good aftermarket such as Raybestos (specifically mentioned) greatly helps the braking issues on these vehicles. At 56k I replaced the rear rotors & pads with Raybestos Advanced Technology line of pads and rotors. So far so good, but it's early still. The ATs are the top line of Raybestos designed for fleet vehicles, towing/hauling, muscle cars, "tuner" vehicles. Terrific reviews (and prices) at RockAuto.com. Might give them a try on the front if the Napa premium stuff has failed me, which it's increasingly looking like.

A few people here have mentioned brakeperformance.com but I don't recall seeing any reviews here yet to see how they hold up on the Routan. I did call them before I had my rears done and there was a 2 week or so lead-time to get them to the East coast, which at the time I couldn't wait for. They don't make them until ordered, and they ship from California by ground. But definitely interested to see if these will hold up.


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## thaddyusmaximus (Apr 30, 2012)

thaddyusmaximus said:


> I was wondering if any one tried this set from ebay?
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/FRONT-REAR-...an&hash=item3375b7e4d3&vxp=mtr#ht_6469wt_1185
> 
> I was thinking of getting these when it's time to replace.


After doing my own research, it looks like I will be giving them a try. Here are some reviews I've found. http://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/1398790-brakemotive-review-after-install.html


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