Hard shifting auto
 

Anyone else notice their transmission making harder than usual shifts? Seems to be periodic, not constant, and generally when going into our out of third gear. Doesn't seem to matter if it's light, heavy or moderate throttle. The sensation is that, instead of a gradual shift to the next gear, the jump to the next gear is sudden and there's a brief loss of torque between gears. It's just enough that you feel your head jerk forward because you're expecting a smooth acceleration.

The car has less than 10k miles on it and was bought brand new in May. Not sure if the car has an adaptive transmission or not. Coincidentally it behaved normally on the way home from work today. Thoughts?

try a couple drains/fill of the ATF with new DW-1 then report back.

Mine has a part throttle lurch at 2-3 under some conditions, it has had three DW1 fills. I sent a snapshot to Honda during the shift; they analyzed and labeled it "characteristic of the car" and normal. I hate it, that and the 2-1 downshift lurch when stopping. Driving the car harder helps, as does babying it through the 2-3 upshift. Seems worse when cold.

Is a drain and fill of the auto transmission something the casual owner can do? It looks very simply on the manual, but I haven't heard anyone say anything about how difficult the auto is.

rhyneba: Good to know that at least someone else knows what I'm talking about. The car has always had buttery-smooth shifts until this past weekend when I noticed it. The 2-1 lurch doesn't bother me TOO much because my old PT Cruiser had an identical behavior. What ticks me off is the harsh jerk the transmission does if you don't make a complete stop before speeding up again. It completely seems like a computer programming issue than a mechanical issue.

I never have noticed the issue being different after stopping or not but I will check it tomorrow and report back. I will also keep checking for PCM updates. I have a 2010 Odyssey and a 2007 V6 Accord as well as the Fit, the Fit is the only one with these odd characteristics although both other cars shift very firmly compared to other brands I drive regularly. I'll also check to see if the 2-3 upshift issue persists in "S" mode when manually shifted; the 2-1 downshift lurch I feel when coming to a stop in "D" goes away completely on mine when in "S" mode and allowing the trans to downshift automatically.

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It is the same as draining and filling your oil during an oil change-simpler even as there is no filter change. just perhaps with a longer funnel.

I just picked up a used 2010 Fit sport on Saturday and I've already noticed this as well. I agree that it is more than likely a characteristic of the car because my gf's corolla does the same thing and hers is brand new.

Observered same on my 13' Sport A/T with 4k miles on it. I spoke to service rep about this during first service. According to him it's normal.......

ITs normal i push the issue everytime i go lol so i said YOLO it has extn warranty so yeah :) blow it up

Go out on the highway and run the gears and engine rpms up a bit. Let off the throttle during shifts so you dont kill the tranny.


Tranny in my camry is still going strong as hell after 21 years. Zero evidence that its ever been cracked open

Autos need a bit of spirited driving to keep it fresh. Just dont do it every day or even every week

I have a 2012 Sport with A/T and have no issues with the transmission.I really believe the adaptive ECU has something to do with the shifting behavior and overall performance of the car.

I'm talking shift firmness,throttle input the whole enchilada lol
I say this because my car shifts exactly like I need it to for my driving.

I can just about control the shifts with the DBW throttle input and manipulate the transmission in all conditions.I know it may sound crazy but my car has adapted to my spirited driving and at 20K I could not be happier.

I picked up a 2010 Sport A/T last week and have also noticed some hard shifts. Some DW-1 ATF is on order and I plan to do a drain and fill or two this weekend. What's the minimum time/distance between ATF drain and fills? Some people say a 5 or 10 minute drive is all that's needed to adequately mix the ATF. Others say drive it for 100 miles.

Ive always told friends and family (and do it myself) 40-50 miles of city driving and then half hours worth or so of highway driving.

Gives the fluid a good chance to get mixed everywhere, and the highway driving does a good job of suspending the dirt and debris in the fluid and/or filter


EDIT Be sure to warm the car up before changing fluid. It does not have to be hot like operating temps. Say an hour after a long drive.

Sounds like a plan. I'll post my results after the drain and fill. Great car, great forum. Thanks!

i'd say don't be so wasteful unless you have a serious timecrunch or something immediately concerning you.

I'd just schedule to do the 2nd d/f to coincide with the next oil change or maintenance to save time and put the fluid to some use..

Not mine, 65,000 miles 2009 & changed the fluid once due to a bad rear main seal leak. Used Honda ATF-Z1. Auto-x at least once every 3 months.

Is it necessary to remove the splash guard before draining the ATF? The shop manual says to do this, but it doesn't look like it blocks access to the plug at all.

The auto Fits are like that in the cold, however by warming it up when the temperature is low can prevent this. You will still notice it shifting a little hard but it won't be nearly as bad. In warm weather it does fine for the most part. Just wait until the cold icon turns off.

My 2009 Fit's auto trans had developed an occasional 2-3 shift "squawk" which was bothering me. Something about the hydraulic accumulators making noise during a pressure change possibly. This was about a year ago. Ordered a case of 12 qts. and did 3 changes and final refill in one long afternoon, with a 15 min hiway spin in between each one. No metal on the plug or any other bad signs. But it quit complaining and has been happy ever since. Easier than an oil change, cheap insurance every 30K. Didn't have to pull the splash shield, not really in the way.

No.

I'm not sure why the shop manual calls for that. The only reason I could think of is after it gets to a slow drip, these may collect on the splash guard and be a fire hazard if not wiped off. Seems unlikely though. Maybe it's a holdover from a different design splash guard that actually needs removal to access the plug.