Vehicles’ Transmissions – Common Problems, Types, and Opinions

While engines still remain the most expensive unit in your ICE vehicles, transmissions closely follow them in terms of expenses you are going to have during the life of your car. Automatic transmissions are expensive, very tender, and require a lot of effort to keep them running long and with zero problems.

Also, manual transmissions still exist in sports-oriented cars. They require some attention, too and they actually cost much more money than classic manual transmissions that were primarily made for economy.

In this article, I will briefly tell you about all kinds of transmissions and also gearbox problems that we've reviewed here on Cararac.com. I will also give you links to other articles for your investigation.

Conventional automatic transmissions

This type of transmission has been the most popular among car manufacturers for a lot of years now in the US. But now, it's followed by other types, too.

Such a transmission has a set of gears, a torque converter, a lot of fluid, and also control modules to operate all its functions properly. These transmissions are usually reliable but they have several common issues.

First of all, they make your engine consume a little more fuel than the same engine would burn with a manual transmission. Secondly, conventional automatic transmissions are not as durable as manual ones and are much more expensive in terms of repair or replacement.

The actual lifespan of such gearboxes depends much on the model and its common issues.

Conventional automatic transmission highlights:

• Average lifespan:170,000-240,000 miles
• Reliability Score:High
• Prone to minor issues:No
• Price for repair after failure:$1,000-$1,800
• Price for replacement:$4,000-$5,500
• Common problems:torque converter failure, physical damage of gears, issues with control systems, fluid-related problems.

Continuously variable transmissions

A lot of car manufacturers like Nissan and Honda, prefer CVT units to conventional automatic transmissions. These gearboxes don't actually have gears. They have two conic elements and a belt or chain connecting them. With the change of torque, this belt or chain changes its position on the elements and transfers the torque and power to the wheels.

These transmissions are traditionally less reliable than other types. But their reliability highly depends on the type and model of the unit. Some good Toyota or Honda CVTs can last almost as long as conventional automatic transmissions. While some can only last 100,000 miles.

Repairing these transmissions after they fail is not always possible. Also, they may not last as long as you wish them to last after they are broken. So, in a lot of cases, mechanics will say that they should be replaced which is super expensive.

CVT highlights:

• Average lifespan:110,000-180,000 miles
• Reliability Score:Medium
• Prone to minor issues:Sometimes
• Price for repair after failure:$1,300-$2,500
• Price for replacement:$5,000-$7,200
• Common problems:slipping, cooling problems, weird noises, vibrations, and other signs of upcoming fatal issues.

Dual-clutch transmissions

Dual-clutch units are basically the hybrids of automatic and manual transmissions. They are manual gearboxes with a special part attached to them that shifts the gears for you. The gearboxes themselves are reliable and almost never fail. But the automatic part is usually pretty awful.

The worst parts of the assembly are the clutch pack and transmission control unit (called TCU or TCM). Clutch packs are worn out at about 100,000 miles or sooner and require replacement. But they are extremely expensive. Also, TCMs don't live long because of the amount of work they have to do.

So, these are the least reliable automatic transmissions that also cost a lot to repair. But they have a good side - they are very economical and efficient.

Dual-clutch transmissions highlights:

• Average lifespan:100,000-130,000 miles
• Reliability Score:Low
• Prone to minor issues:Yes
• Price for repair after failure:$1,400-$2,000
• Price for replacement:$4,500-$5,800
• Common problems:clutch pack issues, TCU problems, glitching, sudden fatal issues.

Manual transmissions

While manual transmissions are no longer popular in the US, they are still widely used in other markets. In North America, manual cars are now sports-oriented and premium rather than affordable.

But still, you can find several manual vehicles available on the market. Manual transmissions are the most durable and the most practical ones. But they have one significant problem - these transmissions will make you work hard to control gears manually. Also, they add the third pedal - the clutch pedal - and it makes it much more complicated to drive such a car.

Of course, for an experienced driver, this is an advantage. They can control their vehicles more precisely and use less fuel to drive.

Manual transmissions highlights:

• Average lifespan:220,000-260,000 miles
• Reliability Score:High
• Prone to minor issues:No
• Price for repair after failure:$400-$1,000
• Price for replacement:$2,000-$3,200
• Common problems:clutch problems, shifting system issues, fluid-related problems, grinding sounds whenshifting, noisy work.

Transmission maintenance

While driving style is still an important factor that defines the lifespan of any modern transmission, maintenance is super-important, too.

All kinds of transmissions require regular fluid changes. Even if the manufacturer tells you that there is no reason to change transmission fluid, you shouldn't believe it much. Fluids get dirty and the filter can't clean them after some time. So, whatever the transmission is, it requires fluid changes.

Also, ignoring the issues that start bothering you in the transmission is not the best scenario. You should inspect the possible issues and repair them as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will quickly grow into huge problems.

I've written dozens of articles about transmission maintenance and you may find everything you need to know about this.

Transmission problems

If you drive a car long enough, you will need to cope with transmission problems. Usually, gearboxes don't live as long as engines and other parts of your car. So, you will need to repair or replace the transmission sooner or later.

There are some common problems of a certain type of transmission and it's worth understanding these kinds of problems. If you know something about them, it's much easier for you to recognize a problem quite soon. So, you will be able to pay less for repairs.

In this blog, we've written a lot of articles describing common transmission problems and also ways to fix them. You can prolong the life of your automatic transmission just by reading the articles and understanding the most common issues.