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Transmission Shift Shock

48K views 48 replies 17 participants last post by  gunrunnerjohn 
#1 ·
I have a 2/2016 Prod Sorento S AWD 3.3L. The weather in Phoenix got colder about a month ago and started to notice some odd transmission issue. It's called Shift Shock on KGIS. Start car cold, after a minute, put in drive and drive very slowly with very little gas. When it shifts from first to 2nd, boom, shift shock. It makes a loud clunk felt throughout car as it shifts. This occurs when warm also but not as loud or as intense. It's kind of like if you had a clutch car, shifted to 2nd but gave it gas without letting clutch out but then did let it out suddenly. As if it delays shifting and then suddenly shifts resulting in the shock.

If I accelerate right after this from a stop more quickly it doesn't do it. It's only slow speed. Like 3-6 mph.

Anyone else have this problem. It may also be realated to my vibration. Going to dealer Tuesday.

Fluid low from factory? Reflash?
 
#5 ·
Try it! It's easy to find. Just do a google search for 2016 Sorento Shift Shock. About 2008 and up.

The dealer had the car for three days. Of all the things on KGIS to check for Shift Shock, one of the first things is Adaptive Learning reset of transmission. They did this. Don't know yet if it worked. I will let you all know. They said fluid level was correct.
 
#9 ·
It's quite a bang. But driving at 45+ I get a constant vibration. Here's the latest.
Kia dealer has identified the shift shock, did a trans adaptive relearn. First 50 miles the vibration was gone but then came back. Around 200 miles the shift shock came back. Probably after learning was complete. The dealer confirmed shift shock symptom again. It may be related to vibration given it went away right after adaptive relearn. Kia is deciding with engineers what part to replace or replace whole transmission. This is real world stuff, not a slam against Kia. I wish they'd just get it fixed so I can enjoy my new car. Well, not so new anymore, 20k miles now. I've been to the dealer and sat there all day 37 times for this.
 
#7 ·
Misfire, Shutter, Studder, Engine Shake

car: 2016 kia sorento
drive-train: 2.4L 4cyl FWD
symptom: a shaking feeling when releasing the throttle at cruising speeds. sometimes even when driving and applying a steady amount of throttle(not increasing, not decreasing) a small jerking can be felt, almost like a misfire)
also, when going up a small highway incline & not applying more throttle, the car starts to jerk/buck, almost like a misfire. i cant tell if this is a misfire, or a transmission issue, or software related. i have a feeling its transmission (or transmission software related), because every time i let go of the throttle at like 50mph, the minor jerk occurs.

no Check Engine Lights yet.

anyone else hear of this?
 
#8 ·
car: 2016 kia sorento
drive-train: 2.4L 4cyl FWD
symptom: a shaking feeling when releasing the throttle at cruising speeds. sometimes even when driving and applying a steady amount of throttle(not increasing, not decreasing) a small jerking can be felt, almost like a misfire)
also, when going up a small highway incline & not applying more throttle, the car starts to jerk/buck, almost like a misfire. i cant tell if this is a misfire, or a transmission issue, or software related. i have a feeling its transmission (or transmission software related), because every time i let go of the throttle at like 50mph, the minor jerk occurs.

no Check Engine Lights yet.

anyone else hear of this?
Yes! Mine does the same thing. I am not alone! Here's the latest on mine.

Kia dealer has identified the shift shock, did a trans adaptive relearn. First 50 miles the vibration was gone but then came back. Around 200 miles the shift shock came back. The dealer confirmed shift shock symptom. It may be related to vibration given it went away right after adptive relearn. Kia is decideing with engineers what part ot replace or replace whole transmission. This is real world stuff, not a slam against Kia. I wish they'd just get it fixed so I can enjoy my new car. Well, not so new anymore, 20k miles now. I've been to the dealer and sat there all day 37 times for this.
 
#11 ·
the Ms.Imstricken06 has a 2013 hyundai santa fe, that we got new, and she claims that it too does this. (i dont drive it often. maybe 2-3 times a months and i guess i just never paid a attention. maybe her awd drivetrain absorbs this a little better than my FWD)
 
#14 ·
Transmission shift shock in Sport Mode

Anyone experience transmission shift shock in Sport mode? When I put the car in sport mode sometimes when the car downshifts (or sometimes even upshifting) the transmission makes a loud clunking sound along with a slight jerking motion. Feels like the tranny got hit in the balls. I only experience this in sport mode. Any others have the same problem?

2016 Sorento SX-L
 
#16 ·
Found out today, 2/5/16, that the dealer ordered an entire transmission and is going to replace mine. aargh! New car and major surgery! What a bummer. Hope the mechanic knows what he's doing. I've been one and know more than most. So hard to get quality work and this is one major opportunity for mistakes.
 
#17 ·
Shift Shock



Dealer installed a whole new transmission last week at 21,000 miles on car. It seems to not have the shift shock anymore. But then they lef tthe large hose clamp on intake at throttle body loose and I went back to show them, and asked them to check everything, they found the outer CV boots had holes in them and were flinging grease everywhere. How did that happen? Didn't have it when I went in. Very odd the service manager said. Yes, very odd. Now I have new CV boots too.
 
#18 ·
So far at 2600km I haven't experienced any big bangs or bumps from the transmission. I occasionally get a noticeable shift but for the most part it shifts without any issues so far. The 6speed auto in my previous car, a CX 5, used to do rough shifts occasionally as well. Mostly from 1st to 2nd gear.
 
#20 ·
Altaski, maybe that is normal behaviour for this setup. I'm just wondering how big these jerks are. I don't really feel anything concerning with mine, although some shifts are not as smooth as others. The V6 and the Turbo have the same transmission. The 2.4 trans is a different model no. Not sure how much difference there is internally. Do all 3 engines exhibit this behaviour.
As I said above, I had a CX5 with a 6 speed auto and in certain situations it would also give you rough shifts. The fact that you get rough shifts is perhaps not the issue. The issue would be the extent of the roughness and if it is acceptable to you. Given your general level of dissatisfaction with the car it may be time for you to look for another ride, simply to preserve your piece of mind.
 
#23 ·
These cars are built in Georgia. That's a fact most people don't know, especially those who give me trouble about not buying an American built car.
According to the shop manual the 3.3 and 2.0 use the same transmission. The 2.4 has a different model no. If all 3 engines have the same behavior then it's something common to at least 2 transmission models. Programming? I'm guessing it's some sort of timing issue that comes up under certain conditions and causes a delay or glitch somewhere that results in a rough shift. If it's a serious enough issue for customers they will figure it out and deal with it.
 
#25 ·
i also noticed that as i acquire more miles, the transmission smoothed out. gone are the jolts i would get after releasing the throttle while trying to shave off speed on the highway. gone are the jolts when gently reapplying the throttle at highway speeds. its weird. maybe the clearances were a 1,000ths to tight? idk. it certainly smoothed out.

but what IS still here: are the random jolts from the torque converter as you coast to a stop(red light). seems like second gear stays engaged till the last second and then all of a sudden the torque converter unlocks and you get that tiny power surge/release. also what is still here is that stupid "drop into 1st gear, when 2nd would have been fine and smoother" jolt from the transmission dropping into first doing like 5-10mph lol

the latest Gen hyundai santa fe is the same(we own one)
 
#26 ·
so as i previously mentioned, prior transmission quirks disappeared, but a new one appeared. the new one is this slight power surge into first when slowing down for a red light. this i know is common with kia's

another one was today: was on the highway, driving about 65mph. had to go around someone quickly, and it looks like it shifted form 6th into 4th maybe - and BAM! it shifted really hard. it slammed into gear. kinda pissed me off. just wanted to keep people updated. im hoping it was just an anomaly
 
#30 ·
I sure hope that you and others in this thread are addressing this with Kia in writing.


My company 2010 Ford Fusion's transmission would occasionally make bone jarring shifts, and on a number of occasions leave me without drive when attempting to move off at intersections.
I flagged it up twice prior to the end of the 60 K mile warranty, and each time they responded with "no fault found".
At around 70 K miles it got more frequent and violent and I took it to a different dealership and they said it needed a new transmission.
Ford rejected all requests for assistance.

After the Factory Re-manufactured transmission was installed, the mechanic cut the test drive short to return and update the TCM - I prompted the previous dealership to check if there'd been any such updates and they replied negative - I'm damn sure that we would still be using the original trans had they done the TCM update early.
 
#27 ·
I have noticed the jolt when coasting towards a red light (no gas, no brakes). I am not sure which gear as I haven't paid that close attention, but you can definitely feel some small surge in power for some reason.

Another thing is if you're coasting slow, like 10mph and then you reapply gas (like when turning left after yield in an intersection), the engine or transmission (or both) seem to not know what to do (continue in gear, drop a gear, etc) The problem is that the car takes like 1-2 seconds to respond, by this time I have subconsciously applied more and more gas. By the time the car responds, RPM quickly race up to 4,000 like drag race style when i just wanted to slowly accelerate. This has happened to me 2 or 3 times and is extremely annoying. I had ECO mode on then. I am trying normal model now.
 
#29 ·
I haven't had any rough shifts at all lately. Smooth as silk. However I do notice a delay at times. If I'm going along at say 60mph and floor it to pass a car there is a delay of maybe a half a second or more before it responds. This is in normal mode. Haven't tried it in sport mode. I also notice the delay at low speeds after coasting, especially if you need some power to climb a hill.
 
#32 ·
Yes, turbo. I don't often floor it. There is not usually a need to do that. Usually just giving the pedal a good push will get you all the speed you need. The engine noise is very low in these cars, you hear the exhaust but don't get a lot of sound form the engine itself. That is perhaps more the case in the turbo because the higher torque in the low and mid range allows you to keep the revs low.
 
#34 · (Edited by Moderator)
Shift Shock

Now, after transmission replacement, I have shift shock from 2nd to 3rd. It's similar to the double thump described in another post about shift issues. In addition, the replacement has created several leaks at the cv boots inner and outer, axle seal on trans, and radiator. See pictures. Dealer says leaking is within normal parameters. Normal leaking? Didn't have any leaks from the factory!
 

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#36 ·
Those leaks are pretty minimal. It is possible that there is some assembly lub present on the outside of the trans or perhaps some slight seepage when the trans has been sitting on a parts shelf for a while before use. I would not condemn this trans. based on that. I would monitor it and see if it continues to leak.
 
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