I hate to be the guy to inform you if you bought a car for the investment, you are not very bright. Sorry but if the mods delete this post, so be it. But if you have such hate for the car over the 3 things you mention, man, do I have a HONDA nightmare I can pass on. I OWN a 2011 Chrysler Minivan with 100k, 2 Jeeps, both with over 100k and a 2019 Atlas SEL Pre. We got the VW because we have an outstanding dealership in our area and though the car was on the same level ground as other midsize SUV's, it's safety rating won us over. Now, after 4 long trips, the last one was 2800 miles, we are not sorry at all and the ONLY issue we have had is a pesky tire out of balance that the dealer has reset twice. If you really want a car that holds it's value when it's time to resale, you might want to look at a Jeep Wrangler. Just sayin.

 

who said anything about an investment? But thank for the investing tip that autos are not a good one, had no idea! You are a VW fanboy and that is ok, they are nice looking autos. This atlas along with many others have been disappointing so far. The Service Advisor here stated this morning that more atlases come in for warranty work than any other VW. Most all of them are coolant issues that no one can explain. A sealed system does not lose coolant unless there is an issue. I am actually typing this from the service department which has basically become my home office since owning this thing. Cant wait to dump it and go back to a proven product, Toyota.

 

The coolant issue is so obvious and has been sorted by VW on countless Atlase - it's the f'ing headgasket and I don't understand why they can't figure this out for you. The info is literally all over the internet forums/FB pages and they certainly are well aware of the issue. The dealer is not doing their job for you and going to bat with VW to tell them what the issue is.

 

Sorry to read about your continued issues, by chance have you reached out to VW Corporate


1-800-822-8987
8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST
Monday – Friday

 

The TPMS is an indirect system - no sensors. You need to set the tires to 35 (cold) then set the TPMS in the infotainment unit.

Coolant - yeah, it's an issue and they need to sort it out. Very common.

Struts - yeah, it's an issue and they need to sort it out. Very common.

Good luck and just stick it out -the vehicle is great and certainly not worth taking a hit for a few minor, yet inconvenient things.

 

The coolant going low is common, not that it's a good thing though. Have they performed a pressure test over night? We just took our 2018 in today for low coolant and they told us the water pump was bad. I have a couple of friends who work at a VW dealership and they told me that there's a large amount of Atlases that come in needing to have the head gasket swapped out. I'm expecting ours will continue to suck up coolant after the water pump is replaced.

 

Add one more trip to the dealer for the coolant light. Over night pressure test came back fine. This is an absolute joke!

And....... they will have my atlas all week because the push button start button needed replaced. I hate this car!

 

Sway bar links replaced - drives like a different vehicle. Love it - the way I expected it to be - great to read posts about VW software update for the ACC/remote start issue - super handy in snowy weather when (heaven forbid) you might forget to switch off your ACC prior to shut down - very happy with vehicle and sorry to hear about other's troubles.

 

I’m pleased to say that VW is buying back my 2021 this Friday. I’ve never been happier and will not buy another VW. If anyone is looking for like new floor mats for a 3 row SE w/tech or the cargo mat or the tray inserts then please let me know. Located north of Seattle near the. Vancouver border. Can bring into Canada as well.

 

Couldn't agree more with you - well done. You just did yourself a favor.

 

I have not reached out to them yet. I will wait to see what the verdict is tomorrow after my appt. The tps sensor alert randomly went off and apparently all my tires are fine now..... I am sick of using the warranty already so that may be my next call if I have another issue.

 

update from my service appt:

suspension issue rectified with the replacement of both front sway bar links
coolant issue is still a mystery and no leaks were found. pressure was good, but coolant smell was present. Coolant smell and disappearing from a sealed system means the coolant is leaking somewhere.
tpms is still a mystery. they confirmed that all tires were a tad low pressure but no tpms warning light was on. deflated them and still no light. inflated them and no light..

I am starting a process for a buyback. this is ridiculous

 

So yeah as far as the TPMS goes, it wont give you a light until you start driving the car.
From what I understand, the "sensor" is based on wheel speed, so you need to be driving for it to realize a tire is low.
So if you have a low tire, it will tell you after a few min of driving.
And even if you fill it back up, you still need to re-set the light, it wont just go away automatically.

 

Front struts should be covered under TSB 40-18-01. I've had four issues in first 3 months. Fuel leak detection pump replaced, front passenger speaker replaced, cruise sensor reset, front suspension replaced under the TSB mentioned. Glad I leased it but it's a great road car, especially on the freeway in the rain. Just a **** comfortable rig.

 

Front struts should be covered under TSB 40-18-01. I've had four issues in first 3 months. Fuel leak detection pump replaced, front passenger speaker replaced, cruise sensor reset, front suspension replaced under the TSB mentioned. Glad I leased it but it's a great road car, especially on the freeway in the rain. Just a **** comfortable rig.

I wish we would have leased also but with the miles we do it makes it a non option. I have an official case open with VW now so we will see where it goes. I will gladly accept a buyback even if I lose some money. It most likely wouldn't be as much as the neg equity id have if I traded out of it. The sales manager mentioned replacing it with another one to which I replied that I would just sell it the first day! LOL( this was a friendly convo, not hasty). I doubt they will side in my favor as they will stand behind the fact that they cant find an issue but acknowledge something is not right.

 

I hear you, we just got ours back yesterday after having the water pump replaced under warranty at 12,000 miles. Drove it home with no issues. This morning the auto start doesn’t work, go outside and turn the car on to find low coolant light is on again. Pop the hood and find the reservoir is low again. Dealership says it’s normal since the system was bled, which would be fine if the light was on when we picked it up or at any time through the 20 mile ride back home. I’d figure the VW techs would have the proper amount of fluid required to fill the system up. Starting to get worried that I have another Routan on my hands, which is terrible considering the Routan was a Dodge and spent every other month at the dealership.

 

I spoke to the VW corp rep again today and she was the one who told me that i cant pick up my atlas until tomorrow now because the part didn't show up today. No call from the dealer at all to let me know. Unreal... Then it was said the coolant is fine but they still have no explanation why there is a coolant smell. they are already trying to cover themselves stating that the light isn't on when I bring it in. I've filled it with bottled water to satisfy the sensor 3x different times. To which I asked if i should take the risk and drive it until it potentially blows up in order to make it to the dealer with the light on? "Of course not".... Only to follow that they will go with the service dept tell them which basically they cant find anything wrong with the coolant... I would love nothing more than for this car to be totaled (w/o injuries) and get to use my GAP insurance.

So far they have replaced the rear climate screen, replaced front suspension, replaced push button start, and I've had it in for coolant light issues 3x to which they can find nothing. All within 12 months of ownership

 

Same!! Only now in service due to drivers wiper arm failing. They’ve replaced 3x. We thought this would be a great vehicle. NOT! Engine too small for the size... endless gas stops... every light on dash lit up.. technical issues. So glad I leased this overpriced piece of junk.. at least I can turn it in (8 months and counting) and can walk away.

 

UPDATE:

VW has declined a buyback.... All of these documented issues and unresolved coolant problems and they pretty said screw you pal, we cant find a problem even though we can also smell coolant. good luck..... Full circle of buyers remorse and being screwed by VW.

 

I don't blame you for being pissed - seems like such an obvious thing to troubleshoot and plenty have had it fixed.

 

As a GTI owner I can chime in one the coolant thing.
It is an issue on the 2.0T as well.
The usual culprit is the thermostat housing that is leaking.

 

As a GTI owner I can chime in one the coolant thing.
It is an issue on the 2.0T as well.
The usual culprit is the thermostat housing that is leaking.

thanks for the heads up, I will ask when it goes in to check that.

And Karts... I just had the SVC manager send me over all of my repair orders and service history... They did not do an overnight pressure test like I sated earlier in our convo. I thought that is what they told me. They only performed the one they do for a few hours. With that being said there have been 4 repairs completed due to quality issues and 2 documented coolant references. The other time it was checked they didn't even bother to document it. This is most likely why VW corp told me to pound sand and deal with it b/c in SC its 3 times for the same issue to be considered a lemon. So, I copy and pasted the lemon law items linking them to my concerns/repair orders, along with the link . I gave them a final written notice to fix the issue and we will see how it goes. At this point since its all documented properly I am going to at least chat with a lemon law lawyer. I really want to enjoy this Atlas but every time I'm in it and smell coolant it pisses me off. I didnt buy this to trade in in after a year and its painful. They are like a boat anchor in value. $44K Sticker price and consistent trade in values coming in at $28k. Absolutely horrible but I assumed that would be the case when we bought it.

 

As if I needed more confirmation of buyers remorse. Our atlas has 36k miles on it and it’s now in the shop for the next week to have the engine torn apart and a head gasket plus other various parts replaced. I am happy and a bit relieved that they seem to have found the issue if indeed this is the cause. Only time will tell but I would like to enjoy the car as intended. However, I am not happy at all that my engine is torn apart with MAJOR repairs happening so soon. I have no idea what to expect in terms of longevity with this thing and that is extremely concerning considering we drive about 25-30k miles a year.

VW has agreed to open the buyback case again and hopefully they will do the right thing and buy this POS back. If not its getting traded in and I forget all about this awful experience. Either way its gone by March 1st!

 

Finally got my atlas back today and look at this list of repairs! Wow! I asked how much this would have been out of warranty and they said easily
Over $10k!!! And 10 miles down the road it’s going back in because now the heat doesn’t work. Probably an air bubble in the line but seriously this is insane.

For everyone saying smelling coolant is a VW thing or it’s normal, etc..... this work order says differently.

 

Man, I totally understand where you are coming from! So sorry

 

What happened with yours?

 

I am hoping they have fixed all these issues with the 2021.5 atlas model that we are going to pick up this month. Those seem to he a bit minor and the dealership should be able to rectify all of those I would assume.

 

Hey that sounds great. Good luck and let us all know how the new vehicle performs

 

So 2 weeks later following 'calibration and alignment' of the ACC system ($369 price paid for by the dealer) and the ACC: Error message comes on again on the I95 the other day driving back from FL. Of course it is frustrating as one buys a vehicle with these kind of features because one appreciates the convenience of a feature like this. When it is simply not available at a time when there is no way to correct it other than to pull over, switch off and back on, and carry on driving, it becomes annoying. I am taking the vehicle into Flow VW Asheville next week as the Sway Bar End links are in from back order and will be put on under warranty. When I am back I shall let them know about this ACC error and see what they have to say about it. And no I wasn't driving in thick mud whereby the VW emblem was covered and I haven't tampered with it in anyway. The weather was mid fifties and I was up to about 65 mph when I switched it on and 'bing' ACC Error with the appropriate orange warning on the dash. Anyone who can share any insight to this - much appreciated.

 

Year and model? Are you using remote start?

 

2019 SE V6 4 Motion and yes

 

Agree!! I have a 2020 Atlas now at the dealer 2 months. False alarms, windows going down and more. Have a Honda Pilot 130k miles. Should’ve just got another one. I hate this car. For those of us who who buy and keep cars for the long haul getting a car like this is a disaster. I wish I could just leave it on the lot.

 

Well, just got told the diagnosis on our 1 month old 2021.5 Atlas is one bad fuel injector. I'm shocked they aren't changing all of them, but if another one goes out, you can bet I'll be asking for all of them to be changed as now I wonder if our vehicle was part of the "bad batch" that has been discussed. We should get it back by this Friday and will see how it goes from there.

 

I would agree. They should swap them all out. New car and who's to say there isn't another bad one just waiting it's turn to malfunction? Surely if it happens again, I'd be asking for them all to be replaced.

 

Well 1 month since the bad fuel injector was fixed. I was told by the dealership that they will only replace them if they are indeed found to be faulty, even though they KNOW that there was a bad batch out there. So now I worry and wait to see if I have other faulty ones or just that one. I am still not planning any long road trips until at least many months from now because I want to be sure this doesn't happen again. I love our Atlas, even though gas mileage isn't so great (bring back Trump gas prices!), but more concerned about long-term reliability still. We shall see.....

 

This goes for litterally every automobile manufacturer. If you owned a company would you pay to replace every fuel injector on a particular model if they were working properly? Out of all the Atlases on the road as I type this, how many have had this issue? Likely a v. v. small amount. It's just how it goes unfortunately, there is always risk in vehicle ownership and is why they provide a warranty. Sitting around worried about somehtihng that may happen isn't really a great way to go and would be the same for any vehicle you buy. You accept the risk and live you driving life!