10 Signs Your Transmission Is Slipping

Your cars transmission is essential to the life of your vehicle. If the transmission isn’t doing well, your car isn’t doing well. The transmission is also one of the most expensive things to fix in a car, too. So it’s important to keep a close eye on it and any issues it may be having.

If you’re thinking that your transmission is having issues, but not quite sure, we’ve listed 8 signs that may mean your transmission is having some issues, or worse – going out.

1. Slow to switch gears. If you find your car struggling or refusing, it’s probably a transmission issue. This may be happening when you get into first gear form a stop, or at any point up and down the assorted gears. The issue may be low or wrong transmission fluid.
2. Burning smell. Don’t hesitate when you smell a burning smell coming from your car. This may mean your transmission is overheating – without transmission fluid, your transmission will burn itself up. Keep in mind that dirty fluid is just as bad, consider the last time you changed your transmission fluid.
3. Noises in neutral. If you thought your car was safe in neutral, think again. If you are hearing noises when you’re sitting in neutral, consider adding or replaces transmission fluid. However, if it’s acting very noisy, there could be a bigger issue at hand.
4. Slipping gears. When a transmissions gears slip, the car can spontaneously pop out of the gear it’s in while driving. Not only is this scary, but it’s extremely dangerous. Do not continue to drive it and get it to a mechanic pronto.
5. Dragging clutch. A dragging clutch is one that fails to disengages the clutch disk fro the flywheel when the driver pushes in the clutch pedal. When you attempt to shift gears, you can’t because the still-engaged clutch is still spinning along with the engine.
6. Leaking fluid. This may be one of the easiest transmission issues to identify. Your automatic transmission fluid should not be a dark color or have a burnt smell. It should be bright red, clear and a sweet smell when things are working correctly. If you notice your fluid is leaking, get it to a mechanic so they can check fluid levels.
7. Check engine light. Whenever there is a lit up “check engine” light on your dashboard, that can indicate a variety of car issues. If that light comes on, make sure you mechanic knows and can check for any issues that may be present.
8. Grinding or shaking. When grinding or shaking occurs with an automatic transmission when switching gears, that’s a sure way to know your transmission has a problem.
9. Whining, clunking and humming. A good way to know if your transmission is having issues is if you hear sounds that just don’t sound right. Every car has car noises but your gut will let you know if the noise is weird.
10. Unresponsive. If your transmission isn’t going into its gears, you can be sure there’s an issue. If your car hesitates to switch into “park” or “drive” – it’s likely there is a transmission issue.

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