My wife was operating the vehicle when the check engine light suddenly came on and alerts on the dash stating that the car was overheating. She was unable to pull over as she was in the road, the car then flashed more alerts and limited her speed to under 20 mph only operating in first gear and limiting rpm to 4000. She was thankfully able to pull over as she was on a city road not a highway whilst driving with my [XXX] in the vehicle. The car was towed to a VW dealership where they stated it was a known software issue with the cooling system not operating properly. They referenced TSB XXX which was first posted in 2024. This information was not provided to the customers and only VW technicians through the TSB. If this were to happen at a high rate of speed there could have been a serious issue and my wife and daughter could not be with me today. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2024 Volkswagen Atlas: engine overheating
6 of the 177 complaints about the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas describe engine overheating.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 2
Engine overheating by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine, exhaust system malfunction, and master warning lights were illuminated. The messages "Engine Control Malfunction" and "Transmission Overheated" were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,227.
It's been about one month since engine light has lit up on the dashboard and stays on now. The first incident occurred about a week ago, as I was driving, I was slowing down to go into a roundabout, the vehicle begin to jerk and pull back, a red triangle exclamation mark light started going off warning me to safely park my vehicle as it had overheated. I assumed it was low on coolant so I topped it off to see if that would fix the issue. Then two days later after the first incident it occurred again. I came to a stop at a set of stoplights and when it was time to go, as I was accelerating I felt it starting to jerk again and again, I started getting a bunch of red warning lights to safely park my vehicle as it had overheated again and a message popped up on the dashboard about the speed. I can't quite remember the wording. I can't say for certain that I've figured out what is happening but I think that it may have something to do with the Auto Start/Stop function. Seems like when it comes to a stop, it turns off and when i'm going to start driving again it's triggering something. I've been disabling it now when I drive my vehicle and these incidents haven't occurred anymore.
While driving, the engine light comes on along with a flashing red error message that says error: drive system and then the engine starts overheating and I have to park the car and turn it off. Once I restart the car, the check engine light remains on.
Within a year of owning my vehicle, I began to notice a SEVERE shudder on braking when descending from 7000 foot elevation (Mammoth Lakes, CA) to a 4400 foot elevation (Bishop, CA) on [XXX] of [XXX} upon braking. I have driven this route approximately 25 times in the past 1.5 years. Normally, I would set the adaptive cruise control to 73-75 mph on this downhill grade to control speed, and let the adaptive cruise control do the work of controlling speed, while keeping my own foot off the break. However, if I did need to slow further due to traffic, I would experience a SEVERE shudder upon manual braking- see attached screenshot of a video taken at night. I brought this incident up to VW (See mechanic video) in 1/2025, and they blamed the problem on overheating of the front rotor (see technician video link below). Upon return trips to Mammoth, I now realize that this overheating was caused by the adaptive cruise control itself attempting to control auto speed. Now, in order to make this LESS dangerous, I have to let the car get up to 80 mph and then pulse the breaks- because if I let the adaptive cruise control do the work as designed, it creates an unsafe driving condition BECAUSE OF A FAULTY DESIGN by VW- if heat is an issue, better dissipation is needed, or a temperature sensor is needed. VW's solution was for me to spend $700 to replace brakes and rotors due to a VW design flaw, despite my car being under warranty, and I cannot afford this currently. I think this issue MUST be recalled immediately before I (or someone else) who drives on long hilly grades has a fatal car accident due to a design flaw in the VW Atlas Adaptive Cruise Control. VW Technician report found here: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
error with drive system was caused by engine overheating. maneuver braking function triggered and faulty throttle body issue discovered.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Prevent Sporatic Misfire Faults.
- Checking engine oil level.
- Reprogramming Control Module process
- Engine missfire diagnostic aid
- Identifying and Mixing Volkswagen Engine Coolants
- When replacing Evaporative Emissions System components, it is not always necessary to replace the entire...
- Suggested fuel additive
- Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
Related recalls
Engine
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The engine cover may have been improperly installed after vehicle service, allowing it to come loose and contact hot engine surfaces.
- Risk
- A loose engine cover that contacts hot surfaces in the engine compartment can melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove the engine cover, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 10X5.
Recall number 25V100000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024 Atlas PA2 and Atlas Cross Sport PA vehicles. The engine connecting rod bearings may become damaged, which can result in engine failure.
- Risk
- A damaged engine can result in engine failure and a stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, engine failure may cause an oil leak which can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 13i6.
Recall number 23V593000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas overheating
Is engine overheating a common problem on the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas?
6 of 177 owner complaints about the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas (3%) mention engine overheating. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas?
There are 2 recalls and 73 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas
Grinding brakes 22Backup camera 16Screen failure 10Check engine light 8Adaptive cruise 5Won't shift 5
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