[ALLDRAKES]

This Atlas is just full of surprises. While I am still suffering with the 1-2 gear hard shift and the annoying lag/throw your back in the seat when it does find a gear when leaving roundabouts I have new issues. Now have an issue where my tranny shifts from 5-6-7 all in about 5 mph and then it immediately downshift back to 6th. During this time my foot never switches its position. Another strange thing happened this weekend, while I was accelerating onto a highway (and again my foot was in the very same position) the car just started to accelerate noticeably faster from 65-70mph while still remaining in the same gear........in 34 years of driving I have never had a tranny act like that.

At some point there has to be a recall on the Atlas.........I can honestly say this is the worst transmission/ECU combination I have ever driven.

Volkswagen, you have made one big piece of carp with the Atlas and its powertrain !!!!!

 

[eaglefern]

Atlas Transmission

Might just have a bad unit.

Mine has 4000 miles and has always shifted smoothly. I have had a couple of shifts between 1 and 2 that seem like the ECU is hesitant to decide but nothing abrupt or jerky just a slight pause.
The transmission is Japanese and is made by Aisin a tier 1 supplier and have supplied Toyota in the past.

Here's some info.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aisin_transmissions

Good Luck

 

[ALLDRAKES]

Volkswagen has had my car for over 30 days now in just 5 months and have yet to replace a single part.........The last visit was 28 days !!!

 

[Simeon]

That's absolutely abysmal customer service and I hope you have voiced your complaints. There seem to be quite a lot of owners suffering from similar transmission oddities. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some serious recalls on the Atlas in the future.

 

[ALLDRAKES]

I agree. Volkswagens customer service to this point has been horrific. I wish more would be vocal about these tranny issues. Where else have you seen or heard about people having issues ?

 

[Simeon]

Saw a few posts on other forums and now I see that a good number of them were from you aha. But there's also some videos on YouTube showcasing some other tranny problems. This guy has a couple of videos regarding tranny and ac problems in his Atlas. Some suggested that it was a software related issue and not mechanical...find that a little hard to believe.

 

[WestB87]

This Atlas is just full of surprises. While I am still suffering with the 1-2 gear hard shift and the annoying lag/throw your back in the seat when it does find a gear when leaving roundabouts I have new issues. Now have an issue where my tranny shifts from 5-6-7 all in about 5 mph and then it immediately downshift back to 6th. During this time my foot never switches its position. Another strange thing happened this weekend, while I was accelerating onto a highway (and again my foot was in the very same position) the car just started to accelerate noticeably faster from 65-70mph while still remaining in the same gear........in 34 years of driving I have never had a tranny act like that.

At some point there has to be a recall on the Atlas.........I can honestly say this is the worst transmission/ECU combination I have ever driven.

Volkswagen, you have made one big piece of carp with the Atlas and its powertrain !!!!!

What drive mode do you have the vehicle in? What engine does yours have? 4motion?

 

[dsande7]

I have the same issue a hard shift from gear 1 to 2, on my SEL 4 motion... have you a resolution yet? I have only 300 mile on mine... going in on Thursday to get it checked out.

 

[0macman0]

This Atlas is just full of surprises. While I am still suffering with the 1-2 gear hard shift and the annoying lag/throw your back in the seat when it does find a gear when leaving roundabouts I have new issues. Now have an issue where my tranny shifts from 5-6-7 all in about 5 mph and then it immediately downshift back to 6th. During this time my foot never switches its position. Another strange thing happened this weekend, while I was accelerating onto a highway (and again my foot was in the very same position) the car just started to accelerate noticeably faster from 65-70mph while still remaining in the same gear........in 34 years of driving I have never had a tranny act like that.

At some point there has to be a recall on the Atlas.........I can honestly say this is the worst transmission/ECU combination I have ever driven.

Volkswagen, you have made one big piece of carp with the Atlas and its powertrain !!!!!

I think what is important to keep in mind here is that this is a 100% electronically controlled transmission that is used in many Lexus / Toyota products. I have experienced the over zealous upshift from 6-7 and back to 6, and I am confident it is tied to your other issue about the increase in acceleration without moving the pedal.

First on the stationary pedal and increased acceleration. What you are feeling in intake resonance or variable intake tuning. I'm not sure if the atlas has the resonance chambers and flaps in the intake plenum, or if it has a flap somewhere else in the intake tract. The purpose of this is to maximize low end torque without sacrificing high end power. I have driven many modern vehicle and experienced this sensation. Hondas love to do this.

Second, if that intake transition occurs right after the 6-7 upshift, the power increase will cause the transmission to revert back to 6. I have experienced this a few times, the good news is this can be easily rectified through software

My opinion is that it is one of the best gearboxes in the market right now. It was designed to provide a direct shift feel with extremely fast shifts, without the problems associated with Dual Clutch Gearboxes. the 2-1 downshift going around corners or roundabouts can jar a bit, but as the ECU learns or you learn to lean into the throttle slower on turn exit, this problem will resolve.

Hopefully this helps
-W

 

[0macman0]

I have the same issue a hard shift from gear 1 to 2, on my SEL 4 motion... have you a resolution yet? I have only 300 mile on mine... going in on Thursday to get it checked out.

from 1 to 2 (upshift) or 2 to 1 (downshift)?

 

[ALLDRAKES]

What drive mode do you have the vehicle in? What engine does yours have? 4motion?

Does it in all modes.

4 Motion V6

 

[ALLDRAKES]

Erratic shifting is now prevalent in the upper gears as well now. This tranny just continues to get worse.

 

[Lmcbryde]

I have the same issue a hard shift from gear 1 to 2, on my SEL 4 motion... have you a resolution yet? I have only 300 mile on mine... going in on Thursday to get it checked out.

I have this same issue. I have a 19 Atlas SE w/4motion w/tech package and pano roof, with only 2500 miles . I took mine in at 1900 miles with a transmission complaint. Gears 1-2 shift pretty hard and I get a noise from the torque converter. Apparently the torque converter noise is well known, but no repair has been issued yet. The shifting issue wasn't able to be duplicated, and now I have a new concern. When slowing down and then reacclerating, the car lerches forward before smoothing back out. This is a really nice vehicle except for the transmission behavior.

 

[BrentD]

I realize this is an old thread but wanted to share...I took mine in (V6 4Motion) the other month for the one year oil and filter change. I mentioned the hard shifts in the lower gears and was told that the service tech would look into it. Long story short, they had my Atlas all day since they noticed a leak - $4k later (all covered under warranty) I got my SUV back better than ever after they replaced the bevel box. I am still not sure what that is but the shifting is much better. The service advisor did mention that this engine transmission layout is new for VW.

 

[KarstGeo]

I realize this is an old thread but wanted to share...I took mine in (V6 4Motion) the other month for the one year oil and filter change. I mentioned the hard shifts in the lower gears and was told that the service tech would look into it. Long story short, they had my Atlas all day since they noticed a leak - $4k later (all covered under warranty) I got my SUV back better than ever after they replaced the bevel box. I am still not sure what that is but the shifting is much better. The service advisor did mention that this engine transmission layout is new for VW.

"bevel box" is the VW name for the transfer case.

 

[3rdVWinVirginia]

Would you mi

I realize this is an old thread but wanted to share...I took mine in (V6 4Motion) the other month for the one year oil and filter change. I mentioned the hard shifts in the lower gears and was told that the service tech would look into it. Long story short, they had my Atlas all day since they noticed a leak - $4k later (all covered under warranty) I got my SUV back better than ever after they replaced the bevel box. I am still not sure what that is but the shifting is much better. The service advisor did mention that this engine transmission layout is new for VW.

Would you mind sharing the long story? I have a 2018 VW Atlas experiencing the same shifting issue. The tech said there was a ‘foreign substance’ that spilled in the center console and leaked into the gear shifter assembly. They are quoting me $3500-$4000 to fix it.

 

[Lmcbryde]

I have this same issue. I have a 19 Atlas SE w/4motion w/tech package and pano roof, with only 2500 miles . I took mine in at 1900 miles with a transmission complaint. Gears 1-2 shift pretty hard and I get a noise from the torque converter. Apparently the torque converter noise is well known, but no repair has been issued yet. The shifting issue wasn't able to be duplicated, and now I have a new concern. When slowing down and then reacclerating, the car lerches forward before smoothing back out. This is a really nice vehicle except for the transmission behavior.

Unfortunately no resolution as of yet. I've since developed two new issues with it though. When sitting still and turning the steering wheel left to right, a creaking noise can be heard from the front end and when going over rough pavement at speeds under 10mph, I can hear a loose suspension component. I'm taking it on on Thursday to get it checked out too. I'll update afterwards.

 

[Rey]

I realize this is an old thread but wanted to share...I took mine in (V6 4Motion) the other month for the one year oil and filter change. I mentioned the hard shifts in the lower gears and was told that the service tech would look into it. Long story short, they had my Atlas all day since they noticed a leak - $4k later (all covered under warranty) I got my SUV back better than ever after they replaced the bevel box. I am still not sure what that is but the shifting is much better. The service advisor did mention that this engine transmission layout is new for VW.

Thanks for the info, I have the same issue

 

[jbob84]

Ive had the creaking noise since about 12k miles (Atlas SE w/ Tech and 4MOTION) and I took it in to get looked at by my dealer who proceeded to give me an Atlas SEL loaner with 2k miles on it and the second i drove it off the lot I heard the same creaking under 10mph. Eventually they said they couldnt find anything wrong with the suspension and they chalked it up to a recall that was ongoing with an AC hose. Let us know if the dealer says something different for you!

Unfortunately no resolution as of yet. I've since developed two new issues with it though. When sitting still and turning the steering wheel left to right, a creaking noise can be heard from the front end and when going over rough pavement at speeds under 10mph, I can hear a loose suspension component. I'm taking it on on Thursday to get it checked out too. I'll update afterwards.

 

[Lmcbryde]

Update:
Since I've last posted, my vehicle finally got fixed yesterday 02/26/20. (Replaced steering rack) I took my vehicle back after the part arrived and they installed it. This was completed and I picked it up on a Saturday after work. Immediately after leaving the service center, my lane departure system and radar cruise control lights came on and said there was a fault with the system, so I took it right back. The technician recalibrated the system and sent me on my way. It worked that evening and when I took it out that Sunday morning. On my way home, around noon, the same warning message appeared. This was terrible because I had to drive 10 hours on a long trip in this car with no cruise control. When I arrived in NJ I scheduled an appointment with the local VW dealership where they said they wouldnt have enough time to repair it while I'm on vacation (7 days) drove another 10 hours home, and took it back to my regular dealership. They ended up having to replace the whole system. I think my major issues are not with my vehicle, they're with my dealership. I will no longer be servicing my car here, which is a shame because I work for the same company, and its across the street from my work.