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.

Mister Transmission Team

The Mister Transmission team consists of certified transmission specialists with decades of combined experience in diagnosing, repairing, and maintaining automatic and manual transmissions.

With over 60 years of service across Canada, our experts provide trusted, accurate, and up-to-date automotive advice to help drivers make informed decisions about their vehicles.

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Removed my first review and am updating… my vehicle had sustained a bit of damage but they have agreed to repair it! I am happy with that outcome come. Over all…the service has been good. Jason is exceptional to deal with.
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Car was towed in, driven out! Fantastic work orchestrated by Mohamed in the office and the team replacing transmission. Low mileage, 13 year-old car lost reverse...detailed estimate provided, search for used replacement was time consuming but ultimately came in as per quote. Text updates, honest status reports made life easy. Thanks to all.
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I had a great experience at Mister Transmission. I went in worried that my vehicle had a major transmission problem, but after inspecting it, they honestly told me they didn't believe the issue was related to the transmission. They didn't try to sell me unnecessary repairs, didn't charge me anything, and pointed me in the right direction instead. A special thank you to Sunny for being professional, patient, and genuinely honest. It's not every day you find a shop that values integrity over making a quick buck. That level of honesty has earned my trust, and I'll definitely be coming back if I ever need transmission work or any other car related work in the future. Highly recommended!
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an excellent experience at Mister Transmission thanks to Lorenzo and Dan. While they didn't actually perform any repairs on my vehicle, they took the time to thoroughly explain everything, answer all of my questions, and provide honest, knowledgeable advice without any pressure. It's refreshing to find people who genuinely care about helping customers understand their situation rather than just trying to sell a service. Their professionalism, patience, and expertise gave me complete confidence. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Lorenzo and Dan to anyone looking for trustworthy and knowledgeable transmission specialists.
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Rosanna H.
Had a great experience at mister transmission very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Was able to get my car fixed at a minimal cost with excellent service!
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mr Transmission in Owen sound was great every step of the way. They worked very hard to get me back on the road and the car is working well now. Thank you.
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Walt Tessling
Finally got relief of my transmission problem..Took my 2011 buick Lucerne in for a diagnosis for shifting problems after yrs of odd shifting problems and replacing speed sensors and dealer ignorance.. After speaking with an understanding lady Julie, she got me in for examination of what it was doing.. Well they told me the Good news that it wasn't the transmission and that they recommended a troubleshooter at ( Matt) at MVM Labs Automotive Services which eventually found a broken wire to the speed sensor.. Its great to know that Windsor still has honest and knowledgeable people to take care of these automotive repairs.. Thanks again Julie and with the company you represent. Oh and I forgot, they didn't even charge me for diagnosis.Everyone that has transmission issues would be wise to consider this company
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Meleah Silverthorn
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