5 of the Most Common Transmission Problems

April 25, 2018 | By Mister Transmission

Most Common Transmission Problems

Are you worried that there is something wrong with your transmission? Are you worried that something might happen to your transmission? It’s not always easy to tell when your transmission is acting up. With some parts of your vehicle, a problem can be plain to see, but with the transmission? This is not always so. But don’t worry, we’re here to help. Here are five of the most common transmission problems.

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We begin our list of the top five most common transmission problems with one of the easiest ones to notice. When you shift gears in your vehicle, you expect your vehicle to, you know, shift gears. But sadly, this does not always happen. From the moment you put the key in the ignition and shift from park into drive, your vehicle should immediately go into the correct gear. For automatic transmissions, there is sometimes a delay before you feel the gear engage when trying to shift gears. This is usually a transmission problem.

What’s that smell?

Unless you’re sitting by a crackling campfire or fireplace, the smell of burning is rarely a good thing. And so too is this true for transmissions. If you smell burning coming from your transmission, you have a problem. This is often caused by low quality or quantity of transmission fluid. When transmission fluid breaks down, this causes increased friction the transmission will overheat.

Noise in neutral

Vehicles make noise. That’s what they do. When your vehicle is in neutral, however, it shouldn’t be making too much noise. If your transmission makes a great deal of noise while in neutral, you could have an issue. Luckily, this common problem can often be resolved by topping up or changing your transmission fluid.

Dragging Clutch

A manual transmission is more likely to experience a dragging clutch. If the clutch disk doesn’t disengage the flywheel when the clutch pedal is pressed, your clutch is dragging. The clutch still spins with the engine, though, and this makes it much more difficult (and sometimes impossible) to change gears. A dragging clutch will also often make a grinding noise when you try to change gears.

Obviously, you don’t want to experience any of these five most common transmission problems. But, luckily, a dragging clutch is often one of the more inexpensive transmission problems to get repaired. Frequently, the cause of a dragging clutch is an overabundance of slack in the clutch pedal. When there is too much slack, the linkage between the clutch disk and pedal it can’t pull  the clutch disk away from the flywheel.

Low fluid

As mentioned before, transmission fluid is vital to the health of your transmission. That is why whenever you see a patch of transmission fluid on the pavement where your car just was, you need to get that leak repaired right away. You should routinely check your transmission fluid levels to make sure you have enough fluid there. Furthermore, you must make sure that your fluid is still of good quality. Discoloured or malodorous transmission fluid is damaged transmission fluid. 

Mister Transmission

If you have been experiencing one (or more) of these dreaded five most common transmission problems, or any other transmission problems for that matter, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

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Customer Reviews
I can't say enough about...
Patricia Nauta
I can't say enough about this place. I went with anxiety about a possible malfunctioning car and they took it for a test drive, put it on the hoist, pumped up my tires, did some measurements and filled some fluids and best of all reassured me that I was safe and good to go!!! When was the last time that happened to you?? Barry and Kia were both amazing and when I do have legit problems with the car they will be the ones I trust and return to.
Date: December 13, 2024
Website: Google
Great customer service. Very helpful...
Michael A.
Great customer service. Very helpful and knowledgeable
Date: December 13, 2024
Website: Google
Dan was amazing! He was...
Emily Skinner
Dan was amazing! He was super helpful and went above and beyond by helping me with my warranty company, who were not being helpful until Dan stepped in. If I ever have another issue (which I pray I don’t), I will be coming back!
Date: December 12, 2024
Website: Google
We had an intermittent problem...
Tom Gault
We had an intermittent problem that had taken months for our regular mechanic to even acknowledge, at which point he said we needed to take it to a transmission place. In contrast, I appreciated how carefully Gary from Mr. Transmission listened to my description of the problem, writing down all the details despite being busy. They helped me troubleshoot the problem -- a cooked "viscous coupler" (center differential) though they weren't comfortable tackling it themselves. I ended up taking it to a childhood friend of mine who gave it a shot and it's been working for months now without any trouble. Bottom line, I very much appreciated Gary's cooperation and trust working with me on this real head-scratcher!
Date: December 12, 2024
Website: Google
Great service fast repairs and...
Eric Mentuck
Great service fast repairs and good price on the work. Great staff
Date: December 12, 2024
Website: Google
I took my car for...
Sal Ayed
I took my car for a transmission issue. Noah welcomed me and listened carefully to my problem. He diagnosed the issue and explained not only the problem, but also inspected the car and informed me about what it needs… I went to pick it up and he refused to charge me !!!! I never seen an honest and caring mechanic for a while now…. The shop won me as a customer and I will refer all my friends and family to it… unbelievable service wow…. Good job Noah.
Date: December 12, 2024
Website: Google
Fast and professionally done work....
Lin Kevin
Fast and professionally done work. No complaints and would highly recommend services to anyone with transmission issues. They replaced my oil and filter in 3 hrs with no problems!
Date: December 11, 2024
Website: Google
Recently had my car towed...
Jay J.
Recently had my car towed there as I had them repair my torque converter in 2020. Since the engine would rev but was struggling to move faster than 20kmph, and eventually just stopped moving completely, I thought it may be the torque converter again. Phil was able to diagnose the issue as my passenger axle and gave me a estimate for the repair of $1100, but that parts would need to be ordered. A few days later Phil called back with good news that they were able to reuse the bracket and the bill was now just $650, a lot less than the $1100 and a far cry from the almost $4000 I feared (thinking it was the transmission). There was a slight blip at after hours pickup as the dash codes were not cleared, but Neil was able to take care of it the next business day. Overall very happy with the work (both in 2020 and now in 2024) and I do recommend them. They are genuine and are honestly trying to do best by their customers. The car drives great once again. :)
Date: December 11, 2024
Website: Google
They have done several large...
Peter Hughes
They have done several large transmissions jobs for my company and I have never had an issue. Highly recommend.
Date: December 10, 2024
Website: Google
The quote given was given...
Pierre Houle
The quote given was given confidently. I was encouraged by their knowledge and experience. The quote was accurate and they fit in the repair so I could get my vehicle back the same day. We'll done.
Date: December 10, 2024
Website: Google
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