How To Tell If You Have Transmission Trouble

One vital part of your vehicle is the transmission, which is why you want to stay on top of having it repaired if it is showing signs of trouble. Here are 5 signs to look out for.

Delayed Shifting

When you are moving your car out of park to either reverse or drive, you may notice that there is a delay for when the vehicle actually shifts out of park. This is one of the very early warning signs that your transmission is starting to fail, since it is having trouble doing a basic gear shift out of park.

Gear Slipping

As you start accelerating forward after shifting out of park, it's possible that you'll feel that the gears are slipping as you do so. If you do not know what that sensation feels like, pay attention to the car behaving oddly in terms of the RPMs or speed. The RPMs will continue to act up as you're driving, with the RPMs potentially getting very high before the gears finally shift.

Slow Speeds

If you start to merge onto the freeway and you notice that the car isn't getting as fast as you want it to, this means that the vehicle has a problem with sticking gears. It's unable to shift, which caps your speed at going no higher than what the current gear allows. This may be happening at slower speeds, but you won't really notice it until you try to use the freeway and get your car up to 70 MPH quickly.

Odd Noises

While cars can make many odd noises, you want to pay attention to new odd sounds that happen as you are applying gas with the accelerator or easing back on it. When the car is coasting down the road it will likely be fine, but the odd sounds will be particularly noticeable when you alter your pressure on the accelerator pedal.

Shaking

A car with a damaged transmission can also shake when driving down the road. You may assume this is a problem with a wheel alignment or flat tire, so make sure to check your tires first to make sure they are okay. If they are fine, you could have a faulty transmission that is causing the car to vibrate.

Have you noticed several of these signs regarding your vehicle's transmission? If so, you'll want to take your car in for an inspection. A mechanic can look at the transmission and let you know if it is in need of transmission repair.