Wheel & Lighting issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Unveiled as VW’s new flagship in January 2017, the Volkswagen Arteon reached the U.S. market in 2019. Now, just two years later, there are reports that it will be discontinued after 2023. Poor sales have already led to its being axed in Canada for 2022.
Nevertheless, the 2021 Arteon has undergone an extensive facelift. These include upgraded design elements and the introduction of so-called intelligent comfort systems. It is more aerodynamic in design and sports a more refined interior including a redesigned cockpit with an updated dash panel.
But in spite of improved design features, consumer complaints to the United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) relate to basic issues like tires and exterior lighting.
Additionally, there have been 156 manufacturer communications, more than half of which (85) relate to equipment issues. These range from missing owner manuals to the need for software updates. There are also 37 electrical system issues that Volkswagen has drawn the attention of dealerships to.
There have also been 3 recalls that relate to back-over prevention, brakes, and tires.
There are currently 4 complaints about the 2021 VW Arteon. These are categorized as affecting the exterior lighting, tires, and wheels of the car.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Lane Departure: Warning | |
| Tires:sidewall | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Air Bags | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Exterior Lighting |
There are 3 complaints about tires and wheels. These refer to bubbles and other failures on the sidewall of the tires. One complaint reports a bubble on the tire sidewall when the Arteon had done about 7,600 miles. Another reports bubbles on the sidewalls of all the tires in spite of rotating them according to the schedule.
The third complaint reports 6 sidewall failures in 10 months after driving over “average pothole or road bumps.” The car was fitted with Continental 245 35 20 tires, and “only one of the six failures occurred at a speed above 35 mph.”
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The exterior lighting complaint is from someone who had bought the car only about 6 weeks before.
“I have people flashing me almost all the time, thinking I am driving with high beams on. When I drive with my normal lights on they will light all the traffic signs on and I can see on the highway dividers that (the) reflection of the light is slightly going upwards. When I switch from normal to high beam I can barely see any difference on the road itself. Then, most of my high beams go up in tree branches.”
The owner reports that the VW dealership refuses to lower the intensity of the lights. They argue that LEDs are brighter than regular lights, which the owner says he understands. “But they are ignoring the issues I am telling them (about) what is going on with my lights.”
They say the lights are within the VW specs and that they have compared them to the same model in the showroom, and that they are at the same level. The owner doubts that they measured the beams correctly, but rather did a quick comparison to another same make and model instead.
“The car is obviously under the factory warranty but they are refusing to touch it because, according to them, it is in specs. I know VW had issues with headlight adjustment a couple of years back on some other models, and I think this model is also faulty with adjustment. I hate blinding people at night. I don’t know what to do because I really don’t want to pay out of my pocket for the adjustment when the car is under factory warranty.”
If you have problems with your 2021 VW Arteon that recur, you may have a lemon on your hands. Regardless of what dealers may say, you don’t have to live with these problems. Furthermore, if you do have a lemon, the law says that Volkswagen must pay your legal bills – not you.
Lemberg Law is a specialist consumer law firm and we specialize in lemon law cases. Call our Helpline today and we’ll see what we can do to help you. You may be eligible for a replacement vehicle, a trade-in, a cash settlement, or a buyback.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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