# slight "lurching" when gradually slowing to a stop - anyone else?



## kendrer (Dec 12, 2017)

I don't notice it 100% of the time, but I do notice it a lot, that when I am slowing to a stop, like at a stop light, I noticed that in the very last bit of the stop (between slowing from 5mp down to a full stop), I can feel the Atlas "lurching" slightly. The engine does not rev or anything, it just feels as though the engine is "pulling" me forward cyclicly and slowly as I come to a complete stop. Very odd, but also a bit concerning. I leased my 2018 Atlas SE 4 motion, but would love to simply opt to buy at the end of the lease - however this has me a bit concerned that there may be a looming or worsening transmission issue?


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

How long have you had the Atlas and how many miles on it? Does it do so on all
Modes (eco, norm, sport)! This sounds like a downshift lurk which I had happening on the family Mercedes and all they did was a trany reset and it has been fine ever since (too many drivers and different driving styles and habits somehow caused that)


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## kendrer (Dec 12, 2017)

I've had it 1.5 years, I already have 17K miles on it. I leave it on eco driving mode all the time. But perhaps I'll try it in the other modes and see if I notice a difference . . .


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## shadytheatlas (Jul 5, 2018)

I had something like this happen a couple of times. Mostly after extended drives at high speeds. Posted here about it, not really any responses. I mentioned it to the dealer and they reset the TCM and no issue since. That was in October of last year.


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## a44 (Apr 19, 2019)

Yes. happens every single time for me, as it downshifts from 8 to first. I have just 600 miles on mine, hoping it is just break-in blues.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

a44 said:


> Yes. happens every single time for me, as it downshifts from 8 to first. I have just 600 miles on mine, hoping it is just break-in blues.


Wow a direct shift from 8th great to 1st gear. That has never happened to me ever except in emergency breaking and when this is to happen then the last thing I care about is the shift and be great full I came to that point with no accident. 


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Hfqkhal said:


> Wow a direct shift from 8th great to 1st gear. That has never happened to me ever except in emergency breaking and when this is to happen then the last thing I care about is the shift and be great full I came to that point with no accident.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Think he meant 8th to 1st in multiple downshifts.


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

*slight &quot;lurching&quot; when gradually slowing to a stop - anyone else?*



a44 said:


> Yes. happens every single time for me, as it downshifts from 8 to first. I have just 600 miles on mine, hoping it is just break-in blues.


Keep driving. Transmission is still adapting. Check back at 3k miles.

Hard shifts normal?
https://r.tap...tex.com/showthread.php?t=9279873&share_type=t


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

*slight &quot;lurching&quot; when gradually slowing to a stop - anyone else?*



Andre VW said:


> Think he meant 8th to 1st in multiple downshifts.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Honestly for me I think the Atlas has the smoothest downshifts that I have experienced with cars that have 7 or more gears. The shifts that occur up have been consistent and smooth. May be the way I drive is what have caused it to learn and give me proper behavior as the first 1k miles I let it do what it needs to do and took it properly. My usual driving is soft and normal takeoff and while seeing the ahead of time I start to slowdown as I would like to get to the lights (if they are red) at a time when they turn green and the Atlas is still in a rolling motion. This is how I drove every new car I owned and thankfully the transmissions on them served me well. By the way,I remember hearing/reading that many Honda Pilot owners complaining about the shift process in the Pilot and supposedly for the 2019 this has changed to the better. 

Edit to add. 

As to the roll slow down I do at times, but not often, end up pressing the gas pedal a bit more which causes a quick downshift but that never causes a lurch other than what I wanted and intended the Atlas to do. If I do. Roll to a full stop all downshifts are normal like any other car where the shifting is set up for fuel economy. I had driven it in sport mode for a period of time and that worked well but now I have settled on the Norm for everyday driving and eco for highway driving. 

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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Hfqkhal said:


> Honestly for me I think the Atlas has the smoothest downshifts that I have experienced with cars that have 7 or more gears. The shifts that occur up have been consistent and smooth. May be the way I drive is what have caused it to learn and give me proper behavior as the first 1k miles I let it do what it needs to do and took it properly. My usual driving is soft and normal takeoff and while seeing the ahead of time I start to slowdown as I would like to get to the lights (if they are red) at a time when they turn green and the Atlas is still in a rolling motion. This is how I drove every new car I owned and thankfully the transmissions on them served me well. By the way,I remember hearing/reading that many Honda Pilot owners complaining about the shift process in the Pilot and supposedly for the 2019 this has changed to the better.
> 
> Edit to add.
> 
> ...


Agree. The 8 speed Aisin VW is using is very smooth. And your approach for the first 1k is perfect from a proper adaptation standpoint.

Upshifts and downshifts are all learned by the software. And it never stops learning.

OP would benefit from a TCM adapt reset to just force the learning from a clean slate.


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## kendrer (Dec 12, 2017)

Ok thanks all - my husband does drive my car from time to time and is a bit "rougher" on it than I am, so perhaps the back and forth of driving styles is causing it too. Also, please forgive me, but what is TCM and how do I reset it!?


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

*slight &quot;lurching&quot; when gradually slowing to a stop - anyone else?*



kendrer said:


> Ok thanks all - my husband does drive my car from time to time and is a bit "rougher" on it than I am, so perhaps the back and forth of driving styles is causing it too. Also, please forgive me, but what is TCM and how do I reset it!?


TCM is short for Transmission Control Module. The reset needs to be done by the dealer. The best process is to go and tell them of your issue and tell them that you heard that a reset would most likely resolve the the issue. They will for sure do a check and will most likely end up agreeing with you. 


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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

I think I have the EXACT same issue, if it even is an issue. I was just going to post about it until I saw this thread. I only notice this when coming to a stop, from say 25mph-5mph. It's like I can "feel" each downshift until I am stopped. Upshifting seems rather smooth. We had a rental Atlas last weekend and the shifts seemed WAY smoother.


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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

Andre VW said:


> Agree. The 8 speed Aisin VW is using is very smooth. And your approach for the first 1k is perfect from a proper adaptation standpoint.
> 
> Upshifts and downshifts are all learned by the software. And it never stops learning.
> 
> ...


Andre, I have a VAG-COM cable and know how to use it. Can you link me to the TCM reset procedure? I only have 1600 miles on the car but am also experiencing rough/surging downshifts at slow speeds. Thank you.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

derekjl said:


> I think I have the EXACT same issue, if it even is an issue......


It is not an issue, just the trans doing its thing.


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

derekjl said:


> Andre, I have a VAG-COM cable and know how to use it. Can you link me to the TCM reset procedure? I only have 1600 miles on the car but am also experiencing rough/surging downshifts at slow speeds. Thank you.


I have not seen a TCM relearn/reset procedure for VCDS yet for this 8 speed. Was thinking you can get it performed at dealer.

BUT, Now if you are like me and try to avoid dealer unless necessary, maybe you can help blaze the trail on trying to get the TCM relearn steps figured out through ross-tech? That would hugely benefit the VW atlas community a lot. Same procedure would likely be applied to the new jetta and tiguan.

Imagine it probably would be a combination of throttle relearn and TCM reset similar to other VW/audi vehicles.




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## JBkr (Jun 18, 2018)

Sometimes the auto stop is a bit touchy.


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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

Can anyone else confirm if this is in fact an issue or if it is normal? I've wondered this ever since we had a rental Atlas. It had 10k miles on it, assuming it was an '18. The transmission (both upshifts and downshifts) were BUTTER smooth. You could blindfold yourself and not tell if it was shifting. My Atlas is not like this at all. The upshifts seem totally fine, it's the downshifts that you can feel, every single time. I only have 1600 miles on it and am hoping it is just breaking in, but something tells me that is not the case. I have a hunch it could be low on transmission fluid from the factory. Sometimes it also seems like it is confused as to which gear it wants to be in, especially up hills. I swear the transmission shifted no fewer than 12 times tonight as I was making my way up a grade, then the road would level off briefly, and another hill.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

derekjl said:


> Can anyone else confirm if this is in fact an issue or if it is normal? I've wondered this ever since we had a rental Atlas. It had 10k miles on it, assuming it was an '18. The transmission (both upshifts and downshifts) were BUTTER smooth. You could blindfold yourself and not tell if it was shifting. My Atlas is not like this at all. The upshifts seem totally fine, it's the downshifts that you can feel, every single time. I only have 1600 miles on it and am hoping it is just breaking in, but something tells me that is not the case. I have a hunch it could be low on transmission fluid from the factory. Sometimes it also seems like it is confused as to which gear it wants to be in, especially up hills. I swear the transmission shifted no fewer than 12 times tonight as I was making my way up a grade, then the road would level off briefly, and another hill.


It would be very normal as the trans shifts to a lower gear at a slow/stop.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Sounds like something isnt right to me.

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## shadytheatlas (Jul 5, 2018)

I wish everything had a manual transmission...


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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

Another thing I am puzzled by is why this lurching is happening only on the downshifts and not the upshifts. The upshifts feel very DSG-like, smooth, seamless, can't even feel them. The downshifts give the car this rowboat like feel.


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## Strykme (Oct 31, 2019)

Has this issue been resolved? I have a 2019 tiguan and started to experience the same issue, but for both, upshift and downshift. More often in upshift.
Thank you.


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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

Strykme said:


> Has this issue been resolved? I have a 2019 tiguan and started to experience the same issue, but for both, upshift and downshift. More often in upshift.
> Thank you.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk


Never got a solution. Dealer basically told me they can’t do much unless there are faults stored or a check engine light. I’ll just deal with it until the lease expires in March.


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## Strykme (Oct 31, 2019)

derekjl said:


> Never got a solution. Dealer basically told me they can’t do much unless there are faults stored or a check engine light. I’ll just deal with it until the lease expires in March.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you for the quick reply, it is getting pretty annoying and as the time goes by, it keeps happening more frequently. Unfortunately? , I purchased the car. Will be going to the dealer in August, will see what they have to say.
Thank you 

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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

Strykme said:


> Thank you for the quick reply, it is getting pretty annoying and as the time goes by, it keeps happening more frequently. Unfortunately? , I purchased the car. Will be going to the dealer in August, will see what they have to say.
> Thank you
> 
> Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk


Sounds like a plan. It is possible the dealer may be able to do something. If enough people complain, VW will take action. What I can tell you is that they won’t replace the transmission just because. That is more than likely a $7-$10k warranty claim. I believe it could be software related and that there is a way to reset the shift parameters of the unit and start from scratch. 


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## VanPassat4m (Dec 10, 2007)

I know this is an old thread but I have just experienced this same thing. I notice if I turn off the start stop system it goes away, but comes back when I turn it back on. Did you ever get a resolution to this issue?


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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

VanPassat4m said:


> I know this is an old thread but I have just experienced this same thing. I notice if I turn off the start stop system it goes away, but comes back when I turn it back on. Did you ever get a resolution to this issue?


Personally with mine, I think it has gotten better over time. I also disabled the start stop system totally via my diagnostic cable. That probably helped a lot too. Worst case scenario is go to the dealer and see if they can replicate it and maybe do a relearn procedure on the transmission.


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## kocyk123 (Mar 23, 2021)

I feel it a little bit when I pay attention to it and that is just normal IMO. My previous 2018 Audi Q5 was so bad that I felt like the transmission was broken. A lot of Q5 folks had it and turn out to be a normal transmission behavior. I had a brand new Passat as a loaner for a day and it was worse than my Atlas but not as bad as my Q5.

If you are concerned, take it to the dealer and go for a test drive with a technician. If they go by themselves, they will most likely not notice it. Make sure it is documented just in case it causes some long term issues.

I am not concerned about mine. 

You have to keep in mind that some technicians drive beater cars that are nowhere near as quiet and comfortable as our Atlas so these things are extremely difficult to be noticed by them.


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## VanPassat4m (Dec 10, 2007)

I did take mine to the dealer but they said they cannot replicate it which is frustrating, and a ride along is not permitted with COVID. The car is going back in a few weeks so I will ask them to take another look at it and see what they say.


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## cardude944 (Nov 2, 2007)

I've noticed my 2022 is doing it. I've got about 500 miles on it so far and Ive felt it a couple times. Very slight and only under very certain circumstances, but it seems to buck a little as it comes to a stop like it doesn't know what gear to be in. I always have stop start off, but I'm going to code it out completely and see if that makes a difference. I doubt that's the cause though. I imagine it's just a quirk of owning an 8 speed.


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