To prevent your car’s automatic transmission from going bad, have it serviced every 30,000 miles. This gives us a chance to replace the transmission fluid and filter. It also lets us inspect the automatic transmission to make sure there aren’t any worn parts. If there are, we can replace the part before you have a serious problem. Below, are the signs that you do have a serious problem.
Slipping Into Neutral
Your automatic transmission may slip into neutral by itself if it is malfunctioning. When this happens, you will see a significant rise in the engine’s RPMs. In addition, your vehicle will lose power immediately. In some cases, you may not be able to get the transmission to go back into gear.
Skipping/Hesitation
The transmission may also skip gears in the gear cycle or hesitate to shift the gears. This, too, is a sign that the transmission is going bad and needs immediate service. In fact, if you keep driving your car when the transmission is in this condition, you can damage it beyond repair.
Unresponsiveness
When this happens, the transmission will become completely unresponsive. No matter what you do, you will not be able to get the transmission to move out of the gear that it is in. Consequently, you won’t be able to drive your automobile. You will have to have it towed to our shop.
Leaking Red Fluid
Failing to service the transmission can also cause it to develop a leak. Transmission fluid can leak out of many different parts in the transmission. This includes the transmission pan, the transmission hoses, and the torque converter. The transmission fluid is red.
Hot/Burning Odors
If you do have a transmission fluid leak, the level of fluid in the transmission will be reduced by the leak. Consequently, your automatic transmission may start to overheat. When this happens, you will be able to smell hot or burning odors coming from underneath your automobile.
Noises/Vibration
The transmission can also make noise or make your vehicle vibrate if it needs to be serviced. Specific transmission noises include clunking, humming, and grinding. If your vehicle vibrates when the transmission shifts gears, it may be low on transmission fluid.
Finally, the engine control unit in your automobile may opt to turn on the check engine light if the automatic transmission is going bad. If this happens, bring your vehicle to our shop so we can inspect the automatic transmission.