Beware Of These 8 Used Cars Known For Their Transmission Problems

When it involves mechanical points, there’s actually no such factor as drawback to have, besides perhaps when the reason for your examine engine gentle is only a unfastened gasoline cap. Anything else is probably going going to signify a headache at greatest and a pricey restore invoice at worst, with the black field engineering of a transmission being among the many most ominous and terrifying. It’s hardly ever a DIY challenge and nearly by no means cheap, with even seasoned mechanics often stumped by the complexity of recent transmissions.

And we do imply trendy complexity. If you return to 1980, three-speed autos and four-speed manuals have been widespread. Fast ahead to right this moment and six-speed manuals are the norm, with automatics averaging greater than eight. So maybe it’s not your mechanic’s fault that they can’t fix your transmission. Anyway, we might like that will help you keep away from studying any extra about this the onerous approach. And whereas there definitely are some (*8*), others are demonstrably not that.

We’re not right here to repeat discussion board horror tales or obscure reliability rankings. Every automotive on this listing earned its place as a result of there’s documented proof of transmission-related issues. We do not simply imply proprietor frustration, however National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filings, recall experiences, and technical service bulletins that ought to have you ever placing your guard up in the event you’re even interested by taking possession of one in all these vehicles.

Ford made the Focus for decades. It began out in Europe, made its method to the United States, and helped Ford preserve a prolonged foothold within the small automotive market earlier than deciding to go all in on vehicles and SUVs whereas not promoting any vehicles in any respect that are not named Mustang. 

The automotive enterprise is difficult, and it is even tougher when your transmission stinks. For the 2012-2016 Focus, that meant a DPS6 Automatic Transmission, generally referred to as Ford’s PowerShift transmission. Affected models have been recognized to “slip, buck, kick, and/or jerk,” behaviors that you could be notice are extensively thought of undesirable. One common offender was the automated transmission management module, which might solely be addressed by software program flashes. 

To add additional frustration, one dealership reflash hardly ever did the trick, although when you exceeded three Ford would pay you $50 a pop to your bother as a part of the ensuing class action settlement.

The Ford Fiesta is a strong little driver able to racking up severe miles, offered the transmission would not betray you. Unfortunately, since 2011–2015 fashions share the identical DPS6 transmission because the Focus we simply coated, that is an actual chance. And except you want watching cable information in a ready room whereas consuming dangerous espresso, you in all probability do not wish to flip these $50 transmission flash apology charges right into a income stream.

Regardless, there is a silver lining with the Fiesta, particularly for lovers. Because the DPS6 complications have been particularly tied to the automated transmission management module, the problems do not have an effect on manuals. 

According to WardsAuto, the Fiesta truly has a powerful three-pedal take fee by trendy requirements — one thing like 25%, which tops the listing amongst all Fords. So if anybody insisted that they row their very own gears of their Fiesta and have been simply startled by seeing your automotive on this listing, it is a great spot to insert your “I told you so.”

First of all, we simply must level out that individuals like Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained assume your CVT hate is way overblown and bordering on irrational. But in the event you got here right here for CVT-related schadenfreude, we’re about to start that portion of right this moment’s programming. This explicit CVT precipitated grief throughout a handful of Nissan fashions of this period, and we will cowl a few its implementations. It was branded because the Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission from a advertising standpoint, however when the service bulletins went out to clarify find out how to deal with the “judder,” it was referred to easily below its inside code, RE0F11A.

The excellent news for house owners is that Nissan did certainly prolong the transmission guarantee with respect to the judder, so house owners have been largely in a position to preserve their Sentras going, although that always meant changing the entire transmission. Now, for any Sentra nerds on the market, it is price mentioning that the Turbo fashions of this period truly did not fall below this explicit CVT subject or the associated guarantee extension. That’s often because the Turbo got here with an choice of a six-speed guide or a very totally different CVT, which occurs to have its personal distinctive CVT issues. 

But hey, Nissan has since doubled down on their CVT use, and if we’re being trustworthy, the 2026 Nissan Sentra looks more appealing than ever, so perhaps one good repeatedly variable flip deserves one other?

For Altimas of the 2013–2016 classic, we’re nonetheless on the identical CVT points because the Sentra, however this time with larger stakes, at the least so far as gross sales quantity is anxious. In that period, when the mid-sized sedan market as an entire was shrinking, Altima gross sales grew yr after yr. That signifies that an entire lot of transmissions have been changed at Nissan’s expense.

As far because the Altima was involved, the problems have been confined to the four-cylinder fashions. You might argue that is particularly unlucky as a result of we’re now speaking about an intensive reliability drawback that impacts in any other case reasonably priced fashions well-suited to prudent each day driving, although additionally infamous targets for questionable subprime financing provides. 

Not that there is anybody whose life actually has lots of room for unplanned transmission failures, however there’s some further insult to harm once you’re speaking a few excessive quantity on a regular basis automotive that individuals are actually simply making an attempt to make use of to get to work. That stated, it’s not like the Altima has a stellar reputation for reliability apart from this, both.

What was as soon as a boxy body-on-frame off-roader with a little bit of character was, in 2013, making its automotive heel-turn into blobby crossover territory with a unibody development, underwhelming styling, and — right here it comes – a problematic CVT. 

To be clear, Pathfinders would go on to expertise a wide range of CVT-related issues past the 2013 model-year subject we’re discussing right here, however this explicit case is the one the place a poorly clamped hose can detach from the transmission oil cooler, triggering a fast warning gentle earlier than the transmission craps out utterly.

So not like the opposite points we have talked about up to now, this is not a matter of making bucking, clunking, vibration, or peaks and valleys in energy supply, however relatively leaving you definitively on the facet of the highway. The excellent news is that the answer was a recall that delivered a easy and dependable repair – clamping the hose correctly. So when you would possibly find yourself having to catch a tow over to the dealership, you will not spend the remainder of your car possession expertise racking up $50 “we’re sorry you had to have your vehicle flashed again” checks like they have been handing out over at Ford.

The XJ Jeep Cherokee is one of the most important vehicles of the last 50 years. It began within the Nineteen Seventies as a Wagoneer-derived SUV, then turned a segment-defining lighter-duty unibody-ish XJ in 1984. From there, it developed by way of the Liberty-era earlier than Jeep revived the Cherokee title within the 2010s. Although the 2014 return of the Cherokee included some extra trail-capable variations, the resurrection of the title was largely greeted because the grocery-getter crossover that it was.

As a part of the debut of this all-new Cherokee, Jeep touted a classy nine-speed automated — a posh design geared toward “all but imperceptible” shifts. Well, the shifts have been, at the least often, perceptible. 

This was notably true once you perceived that your Cherokee had shifted impartial with out warning, leaving drivers with a sudden lack of energy brought on by a poorly-designed wiring harness. This is one other one that may very plausibly go away you stranded, however it was addressed through recall. So in the event you have been a type of excited new Cherokee early adopters, get your wires sorted.

The 2015 Chrysler 200’s inside was impressed by a elaborate Eames lounge chair, in the event you’re into that kind of factor. Unfortunately, the transmission was impressed by the transmission from the Cherokee we simply mentioned, by which in fact we imply that they are each Stellantis merchandise and it is lots of the identical {hardware}. 

Once once more, the difficulty was a wiring harness and, similar to with the Cherokee, the answer is to get it in for the recall correction. It’s an nearly painfully easy design hiccup, with “insufficient crimps,” because the NHTSA put it, within the wiring harness, resulting in sudden shifts to impartial and leading to an entire lack of energy.

And sure, in the event you take a look at that recall discover we simply linked, you will discover that elements sharing throughout the Stellantis household has all of the implications you’d anticipate. Those inadequate crimps did not simply have an effect on that Cherokee and this Chrysler 200, but additionally some 2015 Ram ProMaster City automobiles, in addition to some 2015 Jeep Renegades. Three cheers for automotive synergy!  

In a roundup of automobiles tormented by mechanical failures, it is simple to start out assuming patterns, particularly after they reinforce any preconceived automotive biases you might need. Maybe you are naturally skeptical of CVTs after that dangerous expertise with a rental automotive or have a pure suspicion of parts-sharing cousins from Stellantis. But our final entry exhibits that on the subject of a nasty run of transmission reliability, it may possibly occur to anyone.

The 2002–2004 Honda Odyssey suffered from a difficulty the place a buildup of warmth might result in chipped gear tooth and, ultimately, full failure leading to an unceremonious transmission lockup at pace. The subject additionally affected corresponding Pilot automobiles in 2003 and 2004. The ensuing recall included putting in an oil jet equipment or, in some instances, an entire transmission substitute. 

Honda would possibly truly be getting into our listing right here with essentially the most excessive transmission subject of the bunch, if for no different motive than that it included the potential for a sudden, doubtlessly catastrophic lockup with little or no warning. Our ideas are with you, Odyssey house owners of the early oughts, however we do respect the plot twist for the top of our listing.