You are driving along, and all of a sudden, the engine’s RPMs spike. You also lose power. You can hear the engine revving too high. What just happened? Your automatic transmission slipped out of gear and into neutral all on its own. This is just one sign that your automatic transmission has gone bad. Here are other signs of automatic transmission trouble in your automobile.
Can’t Shift Gears
When the transmission is in need of repair, it may also become unable to shift through the gear cycle while you are driving. Consequently, this will leave you in first gear or another gear if the transmission shifted up to a certain point in the cycle. A stuck transmission is a damaged transmission.
Unresponsive
Eventually, the automatic transmission may fail to respond to any commands you sent its way. You may move the gear shift into Reverse, but the transmission will not go into Reverse. The same thing can happen if you try to put the transmission into Drive.
Makes Noises
The transmission shouldn’t make a clunking or grinding sound when you put it into gear, either. It should also be silent when it shifts gears. Strange noises in neutral, such as humming, also point to a bad transmission. Bring your vehicle to our shop right away if the transmission is making noise.
Shakes/Vibrates
If the transmission fluid is too old, the transmission will shift the gears roughly. This will make your SUV, car, or truck shake or vibrate at each gear shift. If you ignore the problem, you could damage the transmission, as the fluid, in part, protects the automatic transmission.
Overheats
Old or low transmission fluid can also cause the automatic transmission to overheat. When this happens, you will experience transmission performance problems as well as burning odors wafting from underneath your automobile. Changing the fluid every 30,000 miles prevents this.
Leaks Red Fluid
In fact, the transmission fluid can start to leak out of the transmission if it isn’t serviced at this mileage milestone. Aside from changing the transmission fluid, we will also inspect the transmission to make sure there aren’t any holes in the hoses, pan, or a loose pan gasket.
Illuminated CEL
Finally, a faulty transmission will cause the engine control module to turn on the check engine light. The CEL will remain illuminated until the transmission problems are addressed.
Catching transmission problems early will help prevent additional damage to your transmission. Bring your vehicle to our shop if your transmission is overdue for service or acting strangely.