What are the symptoms of a damaged truck transmission?
2 Answers
Truck transmission failure symptoms are as follows: 1. Delayed response: By design, a transmission should shift quickly into the correct gear every time. If shifting feels rough or even difficult, it definitely indicates a transmission problem. 2. Automatic transmission fails to upshift: The automatic transmission remains stuck in 1st gear during driving and cannot shift to 2nd gear or higher gears. Alternatively, it may shift to 2nd gear but cannot shift to 3rd gear or overdrive. 3. Burnt smell: If you notice a burnt odor from the transmission fluid, remember this is absolutely not a sign of success. It may indicate an overheated transmission. 4. Engine stalls when shifting: After starting the vehicle, when shifting the gear lever from P or N to other positions (P or R), the engine stalls. Or the engine stalls when braking to stop during driving (without auto start-stop function).
Having driven trucks for so many years, I'm all too familiar with transmission failures. The symptoms are usually very noticeable jerking during gear shifts. For manual transmissions, the gear stick gets stuck and it takes effort to engage a gear; for automatics, there's delayed shifting with intermittent power. When starting or going uphill, the car makes loud abnormal noises, like gears clashing, and in severe cases, you might smell burning or see oil leaks with stains on the ground. Acceleration becomes unstable, with RPMs surging but speed not increasing, which is particularly dangerous when suddenly slowing down on highways. Once in the mountains, my transmission failed, fuel consumption skyrocketed, and the car couldn't move, leaving me no choice but to call a tow truck. I recommend regularly checking transmission fluid—don't let minor issues escalate into major problems that cost a fortune and time to fix.