Signs your automatic transmission is failing

The automatic transmission has made lives easier for many people driving cars. It makes the whole experience simpler and allows you to accelerate faster by handling the gear shifting. However, every piece of equipment in your car is prone to malfunction and wear and tear over time. 

Driving with a faulty transmission can cause serious damage to your vehicle. Hence, we have gathered some common signs you should look out for, in order to know if your transmission is failing, or needs repair. 

• Slipping transmission: If you notice that your car is trying to switch gears on its own, it’s an indication that your automatic transmission might be failing. This happens when the run-down mechanical pieces inside cause sudden gear movements. Such as slipping movement in the transmission can be scary and needs immediate attention of an expert mechanic.  
• Rough ride: A lot of people spend the majority of their day in their vehicles moving from one place to another. Your vehicle should feel as safe as your home. But if your car is about to have a transmission failure, you will notice rough or grinding gear shifts and feel the ride is shaky. If you feel the shaky driving is continuing and you might be off-roading, you need to see a mechanic. 
• Delayed shifting: The basic function of an automatic transmission is that it handles the shifting of gears, unlike manual transmission where drivers have to do it on their own. Hence, when the gear shifting is delayed, one of the possible reasons is a transmission failure. 
• Gear shifting: We talked about the delay in gear shifting or trouble changing gears, but sometimes your transmission might straight-away refuse to change gears. If you notice that you are unable to engage your car’s transmission to reverse or forward, it means either the transmission fluid is thickened or gears have worn out. In such cases, you should let one of our technicians diagnose the problem and fix it. 
• Noises: Your vehicle makes a number of noises and each can arise from a different issue. Generally, car noises are easy to notice, and if you hear unusual noises from the hood such as buzzing, humming, whining, the problem lies in your transmission.  
• Fluid leaks: If you notice an active leak under your vehicle, find out if it is the transmission fluid and check the color of the leak. If it’s dark brown or black in color, it means the temperatures are very high and your car needs an inspection.  

If you ever notice that your transmission is failing while you are driving, try to safely pull over your car using the emergency lights and park it. Driving with such a condition is not advisable; hence you might have to call a towing truck.

Apart from the above-listed signs, there is always an easy way to know if something is wrong with your transmission. If the check engine light is flashing on your dashboard, you should visit our outlet and let one of our certified technicians take a look at the problem.