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
glad we stopped in to...
Marcel Boisvert
glad we stopped in to get a second opinion you were very helpful
Date: June 13, 2025
Website: Google
Had a problem with my...
Steve Hart
Had a problem with my transmission on my 2014 Ford focus. Took it to mister transmission did I ever pick the right place. From Brian on down a very professional operation. They kept me updated from the start to the finish. There were no surprises at all everything was done as stated and was kept up to date on the price and what needed to be done. Would highly recommend using these guys for any transmission issues.
Date: June 13, 2025
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Came in after shifting in...
Austin Hawkins
Came in after shifting in our transmission seemed off. Gary the manager did an amazing job all the way from diagnosis to hand-off. He was knowledgeable and finished a complex job quickly and with expertise. Our destroyed transmission is now shifting better than ever.
Date: June 13, 2025
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I was awfully disappointed to...
Todd Button
I was awfully disappointed to find out my car needed a new transmission after only 155,000 km from my local mechanic. I was in shock when initially quoted $6500 for a new transmission. I did not waste any time picking up the phone and shopped around only to find out that most, if not all, auto repair shops send the cars out to Mr Transmission when transmission work is required. Cut the middle man out and saved huge !I cannot say enough about the professionalism and superior customer service from Ken and Chris. They kept me up to date every step of the way when they had difficulty sourcing parts from different provinces and states and were very apologetic for things beyond their control. They went above and beyond with a personal loaner car due to the delays until I was able to get my car back. Great father and son team running this shop and I would not hesitate to recommend them to any poor soul who needs a transmission.
Date: June 13, 2025
Website: Google
Family owned, honest, professional and...
Tim Mullen
Family owned, honest, professional and community minded. What else is there to say about Christina and Chris except if you have a transmission problem or think you might, go see them and get it fixed or diagnosed properly. They have helped our familiy out over the years and if anyone asks, I'm sure to send them there. Our experience is that they are very consultive about the solution and work within your budget depending on what your vehicle needs.Thanks again for the great work.
Date: June 13, 2025
Website: Google
I have a 2018 Ford...
Rob Mackay
I have a 2018 Ford Ranger that had a transmission problem. My mechanic made several attempts to fix it and finally told me that he could send it our to a transmission specialitst and it would be approx $2,000. I took it to Gary and he fixed it the next day for much less. It is running beautifully!
Date: June 13, 2025
Website: Google
Very nice friendly people and...
Raj Jammu
Very nice friendly people and I did take my car videw time .. they help you out !! Quickly... best transmission in pickering
Date: June 12, 2025
Website: Google
Sanjay rescued me from the...
James Barber
Sanjay rescued me from the side of the road, and helped get my broken down truck to his shop. He was kind, honest, and we had a great conversation while they diagnosed my vehicle. I would recommend anyone with transmission concerns to contact mr transmission London. You can expect honesty and professional consultation .James
Date: June 12, 2025
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Honest, reliable and informative service...
Lynnea Luck
Honest, reliable and informative service and help 👍 definitely recommend 5/5
Date: June 12, 2025
Website: Google
Brought in my 2015 f150...
Shawn Brooks
Brought in my 2015 f150 transmission problems. I honestly thought it would cost me thousands but to my surprise it did not. Very fair prices and go figure a honest mechanic. Let me know what it would need the cost and gotter done. No issues and it's been 3 weeks runs like new. Highly recommend this company. Did a great job and reasonably priced.
Date: June 10, 2025
Website: Google
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