Funky Transmission

Well, we have the V6 and this is the first time in almost 50 years of driving that I have encountered the peculiarities of the Aisen transmission. What I have found slightly annoying is that when I take my foot off the gas because we are going down a hill or a slight grade, the car actually starts to slow down. I am learning not to take my foot off the gas on slight down grades now but before I learned that I noticed that not only was my car slowing down a bit but the car behind me which presumably did not have this kind of transmission had gone from following at a respectable distance to tailgating.

Seattle Genesis said:

Here's a new one...

I was pulling in the garage just now and my V6 Genesis was probably going form 2nd to 1st and it lunged forward very abruptly. Kinda startled me and had to apply the brake. Ive sensed some hesitation and quirkiness in the transmission yesterday and today. Im hoping its bad gas. I usually use premium but this tank is from el cheapo gas station around the corner.. I hope I dont have serious problems with this car. I like it too much to not like driving it.
Let me know if Im just paranoid

Seattle Genesis
Platinum V6 w/ Tech

Click to expand...

Hi Seattle,

The shifting of this transmission is probably the worst of any car I've ever owned. It constantly searches for gears and then always finds the wrong one!

I can be doing 40-45 MPH with the tach at 1200 and when I lightly press the accelerator if shifts at least two gears. The lurching forward because of a transmission shift, after you have taken your foot off of the accelerator, is a safety hazard. I almost hit an old lady at church because of this.

My car is outstanding outside of this but that is almost like asking Ms. Lincoln how she otherwise enjoyed the play. I would be interested in the experiences of others.

Tom

tombea said:

Hi Seattle,

The shifting of this transmission is probably the worst of any car I've ever owned. It constantly searches for gears and then always finds the wrong one!

I can be doing 40-45 MPH with the tach at 1200 and when I lightly press the accelerator if shifts at least two gears. The lurching forward because of a transmission shift, after you have taken your foot off of the accelerator, is a safety hazard. I almost hit an old lady at church because of this.

My car is outstanding outside of this but that is almost like asking Ms. Lincoln how she otherwise enjoyed the play. I would be interested in the experiences of others.

Tom

Click to expand...

The Aisin transmission on the V6 is quite good, and is used on some Lexus vehicles (Aisin is owned 50% by Toyota). But the transmission has a electronic learning mode, where it adapts to your driving style and alters it shift points. It takes a little while to adjust, but in a relatively short time it will start shifting smoother (unless you are a very wild driver). Being consistent in how you accelerate will help the learning mode adapt to your driving style.

One thing that causes a slight problem is that acceleration is so good on the Genesis (even the V6) that you may be accelerating faster than you think compared to your previous vehicle, and the transmission may be trying to optimize for maximum acceleration rather than smoothness based on your driving style. Also, It could have been influenced by other drivers in your family, or someone who took a test drive in the car before you bought it, for example.

Don't be surprised if you have go through the learning mode over again if you have to replace the battery. If you actually want to start the learning process over again, you may be able to pull a fuse (and replace it) to erase the memory.

Personally, I like the auto-transmissions which have a sport mode button on them so a driver can choose the way the transmission behaves, instead of the electronic learning mode. But my Genesis (which shifted abruptly when it was new) is very smooth now.

tombea said:

The lurching forward because of a transmission shift, after you have taken your foot off of the accelerator, is a safety hazard. I almost hit an old lady at church because of this.

Click to expand...

Tom, it's your driving that almost killed the older lady, not your transmission.
Drive safe.

Dan

My only beef with the V8 tranny is gears 1 and 2. When I accelerate slowly from a stop, the tranny shifts from 1st to 2nd very fast.

ASHDUMP said:

My only beef with the V8 tranny is gears 1 and 2. When I accelerate slowly from a stop, the tranny shifts from 1st to 2nd very fast.

Click to expand...

...and not at all smoothly.

Aquineas said:

...and not at all smoothly.

Click to expand...

It's not butter-smooth, I agree, but it's not up to the point where it's jerky.
I also don't like the fact that it shifts 1st to 2nd too quickly, but have no complaints as far as smoothness.

Dan

I've driven CVT transmissions before and this by far the smoothest. I have much love for this car!!

On my Tahoe I was able to have a guy modify the shift points of the transmission via the chip. Is there any technical reason why the same couldn't be done for the Genesis?

nearwater said:

Tom, it's your driving that almost killed the older lady, not your transmission.
Drive safe.

Dan

Click to expand...

Actually it wasn't, if it hadn't been for my driving she would have been hit.

I hate to get into this thread, and I hate posting this, so as I knock on wood,

my ZF Transmission shifts great, both up and down. (Knocking on wood again).

I am taking my Genesis in for transmission problems. It would appear that several of the problems I have also occurred in Seattle's Genesis.

The transmission holds in gear when it should let go, it shifts awkwardly out of first and second. It will lurch forward after you take your foot off the accelerator and you have to quickly hit the brakes. Doing 40-45MPH up a slight grade at 1200RPM might be great for gas mileage but it isn't so great for the engine.

When I talked to the dealer today I found that the service work is performed across the street at the Toyota dealer????

I'll let the board know if the find anything. I know that some of you have problems and are 'riding it out', but in my opinion that shouldn't be necessary on any vehicle, much less one that cost is $32,000+.