general problems of the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas - part 2

The daytime running lights went out at 45,500 miles. Called dealership and I am one week out of warranty. The cost to fix one is $2000 and requires complete new assembly and reprogram cruise control. Absolutely ridiculous for a daytime running light that burned out. Should be able to replace or offer assistance from vw.

1. Component/system failed, available for inspection? failed passenger side led daytime running light (drl) strip in headlight assembly, likely due to led burnout or wiring issue. Entire headlight unit needs replacement ($1k+ quote). Available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety risk? non-working drls reduce vehicle visibility in daylight, increasing collision risk by 10–20% (per NHTSA). Poses danger to driver, passengers, and others, especially in low-light or fog. 3. Confirmed by dealer/service center? confirmed via service center 4. Inspected by others? inspected by service center 5. Warning signs prior to failure? no warning lamps/messages typically appear for Atlas drl failures. Noticed issue around 55k miles; no dashboard alerts.

Received message that daytime side light was out in my 2021 vw Atlas. Went to the dealership and they said that it will cost $3,152. 23 for entire headlight assembly to be replaced because bulb cannot be changed as it is led. I did research on the issue in reddit and there are many many 2021 vw Atlases with the same issue! they have also opened up complaints in NHTSA. It is cost prohibitive to fix a light on this car and a major safety issue.

Daytime led running light (front passenger side) stopped working and has not come back on. I am told the whole lighting assembly has to be replaced at a cost of $800 to $1,000. I have seen many other complaints online from owners of the same vehicle that are experiencing the same issue with one of the front led daytime driving lights.

We were pulled over yesterday for having a headlight out, but it ended up not being a headlight, it was the led runner light on the passenger-side headlight assembly. Our vehicle is only at 68,214 miles. The Volkswagen dealership quoted me about $1,800. 00 to have it replaced, which I thought was exorbitant. In doing research on this issue, most 2021 Atlas have the identical issue, the led runner lights going out at the 50k - 70k mile mark. Currently it is impossible to even find stock of new headlight assemblies because of the number of vehicles that have had this issue. This should be a recall due to a defective headlight assembly, not a cost to the consumer. I've driven several vehicles past the 200k mile mark and I have never had to have a headlight assembly replaced, and especially not after only 68k miles. It would be unusual to have to replace a headlight at that many miles, let alone an led strip, which should essentially last the life of the vehicle. There is a group considering bringing a class-action lawsuit against vw for the faulty electrical systems in the 2021 Atlas, so I hope this gets addressed quickly.

I continue to receive an error message to " check rear tail light " . . . I have had the actual light and wiring assembly replaced. The error message continues. I have taken it to two vw dealerships - neither of which know how to fix the problem, and can only suggest days of a wild goose chase to find the problem. One dealership opined that the wiring was coroded, which was causing the error message. This raises other safety concerns of fire, etc.

The daytime running light has gone gout prematurely.

The led day time running lights have started to go out. They are completely out in the passenger side and one of the two out on the drivers side. Unsafe once all are out. These lights can not be replaced as the whole housing for 2k each side. So 4k to fix a safety issue of daytime running lights.

Daytime running light strip (led) on the passenger side stopped working at about 70,000 miles. The main daytime running light also does not work on that side. Online forums are full of this very same complaint, most failing at about 50-60k miles. The led strip is housed within the entire headlight assembly, so the repair is around $2,000. The part alone is $995 from vw. There is no option to simply replace the led strip. This malfunction does not affect the main headlight at night, only during daytime operation. This problem should require a recall, as it affects visibility by other drivers. I welcome inspection, as this appears to be a very common issue. No other warning messages, etc. Were given.

Dlr lights on passenger side failed at 62k miles. Common problem with vw Atlas lights.

Led lights on headlight are gone out! parking lights malfunctioning! inspected by car shop and interfering with passing state inspection!.

My car (2021 vw Atlas se) has 63 xxx miles, and the left side running light just went out. I took it to the dealer, who informed me this wasn't covered by any warranty and that replacing the running light would cost $1400. This is ridiculous, and so after doing more research, I found that I am among hundreds of other owners of this vehicle type who are having the same issue around the 60k mile mark. This cannot be a coincidence. Other owners suggested that I submit my claim in the hope that you will get vw to do a recall to fix this issue.

My passenger side led daytime running light failed. We just crossed over 50k miles. This is a 1300 part. After reading online it seems this is a major issue with these vehicles and around this mileage. This appears to be something that needs to be investigated and the manufacturer should have to cover under recall. It’s likely not a coincidence there are this many people reporting the same issue on the same vehicle models/years.

The headlight led strip failed at around 50,000 miles. If replaced, it is likely to fail again. Vw dealers have had to replace the entire headlight assembly since the led strip is integrated into it. The cost for this repair is approximately $2,000.

The led parking light stopped working and we can change the entire headlight. About 1500$.

Right daytime running light went out around 60k miles.

Daytime running lights went out at around 72,000 miles.

Vw Atlas front led daytime running lamps stop working within first 4 years of ownership. Daytime running lamps are a standard safety feature of most new vehicles. Vw dealership cost to repair $1,000, replace the entire headlight assembly. Vw needs to extend warranty on this important safety feature for a vehicle designed to transport families.

Drls went out after the vehicle being on lly a few years old.

Running lights (under headlight) went out before 60k multiple vehicle report same problem.

Led strip for day time running light went out in both headlight assemblies within 9 months/14k miles of each other. Had to replace entire headlight assemblies. Passenger side at 49k September 2023 and driver side at 63k June 2024.

Led strip on front left headlight went out at around 60k miles when we purchased the vehicle.

Led daytime running lights went out a few weeks ago at the same time, then yesterday both headlights went out at the same time as well. There have been no damages or wrecks in my vehicle and I am the only owner. There are no warning lights and according to the myvw app, everything is fine. I cannot see well while driving at night anymore and this will cost me $2,000 to replace at only 60,000 miles.

The day running light led strip of both headlights stopped working at around 55,000 miles. The fix for this includes replacing the whole unit which comes to around $2k for both headlight units. It seems unreasonable to have to replace both units at around every 55,000 miles. Many people might not have the funds and this could also lead to people buying third party headlights that might be installed incorrectly since it isn’t just a lightbulb and people might also not find a need to replace it at all which could lead to a safety issue. In conclusion it’s unreasonable to have to pay $2k every 55,000 miles to replace both headlight units. These led strips also can’t just be replaced as they’re incased in the unit and can’t be changed out like you would be able to with a regular lightbulb.

We have an open case with Volkswagen, but the remedy part is on back order, in the meantime we have to use this unsafe car. The dealership where car was purchased from is not providing a loaner/rental despite being told by our Volkswagen care team specialist that he is obligated to. The car emergency brake comes on at every stop(I’m shook at every stop, knots in my stomach every single stop I make, stop sign, trying to park, red lights), driver side front and back windows open spontaneously, non stop beeping(anxiety inducing) when car is parked idle, driver side window doesn’t open manually pressing the button, car does not lock on driver door, like not at all, alarm will go on sometimes when opening, but it is never locked posing a serious threat, anyone can open my door if I am stoped at a light, or idling in car. Car can be stolen at any point, I feel unsafe and very distressed.

Daytime running lights have failed on both headlight assemblies. Both failed at just outside the warranty period. High and low beams work fine and the repair is $2000 for a headlight which is outrageous.

When on level ground, head lights aim towards the ground at about 10-15 yards from vehicle. When this happens you can’t see the upcoming road or side of the road. It appears as if you’re doing too fast and over running the head lights. In the attached picture, there’s light from another source but on a dark road you can imagine how difficult it is to see.