‘Gathered my tools and walked out’: Mechanics were doing a basic tire rotation on a Volkswagen Atlas when gravity swooped in

A normal tire rotation became a total disaster for one Volkswagen Atlas driver when their SUV completely fell off the lift. The damage was so bad that the driver might get a brand new car instead of just fixed tires. This crazy incident was caught on security cameras. Nathan Coleman (@nathan.coleman.9275439) shared it in a Facebook Reel that got over 2 million views. 

According to Motor 1, the Facebook post had a caption that said “Gathered my tools and walked out the shop.” It shows exactly what happens when gravity takes control during a basic car service. The text on the video explains the shocking moment perfectly: “Going there for a tire rotation, coming out with a brand new car.”

That’s a terrible swap for the driver, but it’s a major problem for the shop. The video shows exactly how the mechanics messed up the job while doing the tire rotation on the front of the car. The footage shows the Volkswagen slowly leaning backward on the lift until the car’s weight pulled it down.

This lift arm failure shows why mechanics fear equipment problems

The back end of the SUV, which still had its tires attached, hit the ground first. This crash made the front of the car violently jump off the lift arm. Luckily, the flat lift arm pole kept the front from falling all the way to the floor. Even with that lucky break, the Atlas took serious damage. It’s a huge relief that the mechanics nearby quickly ran away from the lift and avoided getting hurt.

So what caused this? People watching and professional mechanics quickly started commenting to figure out what went wrong. Many pointed to the same big problem: a lift arm failure. One person commented: “Lift arm lock failure. Not techs fault. Look at the right rear arm, it kicks out from under the truck. When the lift is up, the arms are supposed to lock the swing.”

This kind of accident is something experienced mechanics really worry about, and that makes total sense. If the equipment isn’t completely trustworthy, or if the setup is done too fast, the danger is huge. 

If you’re the unlucky driver dealing with this mess, the good news is that customers have protection and can get paid back. When a car shop or mechanic damages your car, they have to pay for the costs, especially if they were careless. Unfortunately, dealerships sometimes create their own problems for customers. This situation clearly shows carelessness. Mechanics must use reasonable care and skill when doing repairs.

If they don’t do their duty properly, they can be held legally responsible for the damage that happens. This is a terrible situation, but you definitely shouldn’t have to pay for the shop’s awful mistake. To make sure you get your money back, you need to write down the damage right away, tell the mechanic about it, and look at your original repair agreement. Atlas owners already face challenges with their vehicles, and some buyers regret their purchase quickly.