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Buick LaCrosse Transmission Problems
The transmission in my 05 LaCrosse (CXS/3.6l engine, 25,000 miles)has just started to exhibit hard shifts from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd gears in city traffic. Am getting a pronounced thud-like sound as it upshifts. No problems with downshifts, however. Operators Manual does not provide guidance on how to check automatic transmission fluid level. There is no obvious sign of trannie fluid on the garage floor. Will take the car in to the dealer first thing tomorrow.
Appreciate any advice you may wish to offer.
Appreciate any advice you may wish to offer.
0
Comments
I have a LaCrosse identical to the car you described and experienced precisely the same problem at about 24,500 miles on the odometer.
Took the vehicle to the dealer. They had no records of similar problems on LaCrosse models, but mentioned something similar on 2004 Regal and Century models. They kept the car overnight and reportedly replaced some sort of clutch mechanism on the vehicle.
This took place about 3 weeks ago and just tonight the identical problem has reoccured. I'm taking the car back to the dealer tomorrow.
Ever since the car was new, low gear/low speed city traffic
shifts were always jerky...have never experienced anything like this on numerous cars owned in the past. Mentioned it to the dealer at that time and, of course, was told it was normal. I believe there is some sort of systemic transmission problem with the vehicle which is becoming more serious as miles accumulate.
Have you taken your vehicle to the dealership since posting your message?
I did take it in to the dealer. There was no recurrence either as I drove it to the dealer or during their road test. Service advisor suggested it may have been a balky solenoid in the trannie but claimed the hard shifts don't do any harm to the transmission. At this point, ifthis happens again, I will just park the car, turn it off and then turn it on again in the expectation that the problem will go away just as it did the day I took it into the dealer. I suspect this may be a sporadic software klitch which can be overcome by re-initializing the electronics that control the transmission. I'd be interested to learn if you are able to clear the problem as well by stopping and restarting the engine in your Buick.
Signed,
GM Family Member
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I learned that the new Buicks come through with Dextron VI transmission fluid rather than Dextron III. My car has Dextron III, but Dextron VI is compatible with Dextron III. I wanted to upgrade to synthetic Mobil 1, but it only meets the Dextron III spec and not the Dextron VI spec. I found that Valvoline makes a synthetic which meets the Dextron VI spec.
My Buick dealer recommends their power flush for $119, but that only gets me regular Dextron III as he claims that GM get $30 a quart for Dextron VI. Also the trans filter does not get replaced in a power flush. I am leaning towards the synthetic Valvoline Dextron VI and a filter change, but I would be happy to hear someone else's thoughts.
Walmart Dexron VI is $3.89??? Check it out. Your can has only 20,000 and 3 years. Perfect timing for high level maintenance change. Buy a Purolator transmission filter, buy 7 quarts of Walmart Dexron VI, and have a quality local shop change it for you for a fee. He won't make any money off 40% of the filter and the fluid he charges, so expect to pay almost as much as he provided those parts, but use yours. Take back the GM filter or use it. I'd save it till the next change myself.
Or find a friend or neighbor who has done drains on GM transmissions and has the ability if you aren't into doing it yourself. It requires jack stand for safety and ability to crawl under the car and hold up a transmission pan with part of the weight held by loosened bolts as you let the fluid pour into a large, flat pan.
The process is simply, remove about 20 little bolts, drop the pan slowly holding it above a large catch pan for the fluid that comes out as you tip it. Gently pry the old filter straight down; slide the new filter neck into the old seal tapping it with your hand to push it up tightly. Replace pan using the original GM rubber seal that's meant to be re used for the lifetime unless it's torn somehow.
Myself, I left the original filter in place until my second drain at 60,000 miles on my 03. The filters should be good up to 100,000.
You drain out half the fluid in the process and replace it with the synthetic blend Dexron VI--that's the advantage to the new Dexron. It's recommended for any car that came with Dexron III and later.
If you didn't have 3 years or more, I'd suggest waiting until 30,000 or 36,000 to do the drain and refill but you seem to want to take good car of the car with preventative maintenance, so do it somewhere in between that suits you.
Don't do the flush. Just regularly keep changing the fluid by draining and refilling.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
For more information on these transmissions go to
http://www.tripleedgeperformance.com/4T65E_Transmission_Info.html
I hear a clicking sound if I am slowing down between 35 to 20 mph. The clicking sound will go away if accelerate when it is clicking.
So I am posting this to see if anyone has had a similar problem with their Lacrosse. Also I am hoping that GM is monitoring these forums, because this is the last GM product I will ever buy. The Lacrosse was suppose to be the new and improved GM model. Well they fell way short of my expectations for this car. I am sorry to you GM workers because this is an indication that you will continue to lose jobs with this type of quality.
Is that the only problem, or are there drivability problems with the transmission? It seems odd that they would go through the trouble of tearing down a tranny just for a clicking. Good Luck and keep us posted.
It only seems to do it in 2nd gear I believe, and when you accelerate is gone instantly. Doesn't seem to impact performance so I just turn up the radio a bit and ignore, although it sounds like down the road the issue will continue to get worse.
I WANT to love this car so much, it is beautiful inside and out, in a month of ownership I am already having serious concerns with the quality. I want to buy American so badly, but this may be my last GM car.
Unfortunately the clicking is minor in comparison to the other problem that developed for me, I will start a thread on that issue in a few mins but needless to say I was going down the freeway at 80 mph and the whole car went dead on me, just black. No power steering, power brakes, nada... whole electrical system seems to have fried. It was towed to the dealer where so far they can't figure it out either which brought me to these boards to see if anyone else had that issue.
Stinks, was loving this car and was telling everyone how American cars were finally on the right track... And now within a month I may be back in a Lexus, we'll see what they find...
After two weeks I got tired of talking to the dealership and contacted the Buick Customer Service. It took a 30 minute call to get past the first level of Customer Service to get to the second level of Customer Service. This Customer Service representative was very nice to let me know that there are approximately 830 of these part kits on back order. So I am assuming that I am not the only person with a transmission problem with their new Lacrosse. I spoke with this Rep for the first time on Feb 16.
On Feb 19 the Rep called me again to let me know that there has been no change in the parts back order issue. However, he had talked with the dealership and they were asking for a new transmission. The Rep told me that he has passed this request onto the appropriate levels in Buick. He said that he would call me back on Feb 23 to let me know if he had received any answer to this request. It is funny that when I requested a new transmission on Feb 16 the statement was, "That is not possible." So it is interesting that the longer they pay for a rental car the better it is looking at spending a little money on a new transmission.
So I had my car for six weeks and at the end of this week it will be in the shop for four weeks. I really like this car and know that anything can happen to a car. But when parts are not available there is a major problem in the GM system. I was given a Cadillac STS with only 3900 miles on it. The rental agency said that it had just come out of the shop with failed power steering. GM continues to display their quality levels are still very low and Toyota is looking better!
I hope things work out the best for you! Lots of luck!!
This worries me because it could be indicative of a problem leading to destruction of tranny. It might be indicative of an internal leak where there is no longer enough fluid flow to certain parts to build adequate pressure. Many of the circuits are in parallel and this could result in premature wear to bearings, gears, etc.
The part delay may not be unusual. Stocking parts is no longer a common practice.
If GM has determined the source of the issue, then they go back to transmission builder and then it moves on to their parts supplier if it is a manufacturing flaw. If it is a design flaw then you get a much larger circle of departments involved to come up with the fix.
Supposedly, every transmission leaving the build sight gets a runup test before being shipped to GM final line, vehicle assembly. I suspect they are not doing cold soak or hot run tests.
Older transmissions with lots of miles often displayed the first signs of failure by being slow to engage until they warmed up. Excess wear, cracked metal or rubber parts would cause internal leakage not allowing enough pressure to build.
If there has been a part change the transmission builder will get the new parts first.
This is not the smooth transition that we are use to in a buick.
The car has been to the dealer twice. Once for the first oil change and once for the trany. The technition believes that the calabration is out of sync. After the tune up it seems a little better but the problem is not completely resolved.
It will need to be watched.
That said, the car seems to operate well in every other aspect. Acceleration is fine and the ride is smooth and quite.
It is just this nagging hicup in the gear change at 30 mph.
To me it would just make more sense to coast as far as possible and not bring engine braking into play unless perhaps the brake is applied.
Please keep me updated on your situation.
Christina
GM Customer Service
Obviously coasting without engine braking should help MPG at any speed, assuming the engine efficiency is not horrible at idle. Rollout of newer vehicles can be very lengthy without any braking. A tap of the accelerator can move you a long way. This is much the principle that those who competed for most mileage on a vehicle used in contests. Most did use standard transmission, but once they got it rolling at the desired speed, they'd clutch and kill engine, allowing a long rollout. When speed decreased to the desired point, they'd pop clutch and restart to increase speed again. There are some that competed locally and got 100 miles on a gallong.
There is some discussion about replacing older transmission fluids with the newer Dexron VI synthetic. By now dealers should know, but DIY may not be aware.
When the newer first came out it was listed as backwards compatible but Ford & GM apparently had enough issues that they came out with a bulletin saying not to do it. The apparent issue was that clutch plates started coming apart on older transmissions, pre- the year that they started coming off the line.
It is possible the newer transmissions had new clutch plates or that it is the effect of having previously been worked and soaked in the older formulation. If it was the plate construction, presumably newer synthetic compatible plates would be available for rebuild, at least in transmissions that spanned the changeover.
I did get by with a change from whatever was in the 96 Aurora transmission at 125K to AAMCO synthetic, off the shelf. I drained, filled, then disconnected cooler line to allow it to pump new fluid from pan forcing old from torque convertor out the disconnected line. I'm sure I got at least a 90% change. And I saw no bad from 20K miles, except the solenoids seemed to be going bad which was common with older fluid.
Although this was occurring around the same time that most transmission shops would not change fluid if you were around 70K and had never done it before, I do not know if changing to synthetic influenced that decision.
I'd say it needs a proper diagnosis from either.
There are so many parts in a tranny and they need to work together. The hard shifts could be from a programming problem or something as simple as a sensor. But the sensor might be really hard to get at.
You might want opinions from both.
That is not an excessive amount of miles, but fluid and filter should have been changed before this point. I'm not talking flush, just drop pan, change filter, and refill. However, if fluid looks and smells bad it is likely too late.
Some transmission shops have hand-held units they can hook up and monitor while driving and they can be very good at locating issues. They would pinpoint if the computer is delaying the shift or if the command is sent to tranny and for some reason internal to tranny there is a long delay. They can give live info on pressure regulation and temp sensor.
The big question, is it the tranny or the computer or some engine sensor. If the computer has ever been replaced, it needed programming to your vehicle. Or maybe just re-programming.
Good Luck.
I’m sorry to hear about these incidents with your LaCrosse. Are you currently working with a dealership towards resolving your concern?
If you like, Customer Service is available to help you work with your dealership towards a resolution, or to look into warranty/recall information on your specific vehicle. Please email us with your name/username, contact info, last 8 digits of your VIN, and involved dealership.
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I video'd the park brake problem on my iphone and posted it to show the dealer whom has tried to fix it 3 times.. My next move is lemon law because it is a potential danger to drive with my family on the highway.
heres the link..
I see you're already working with a dealership - are you planning on revisiting them again? If we can be of any assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us via email (send your name/user name, last 8 of your VIN, contact information, and the name of your dealership).
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I am interested to hear how things have gone since your last post; would you mind posting an update?
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Of late I have been able to smell it as well. What could cause the odor of gasoline to seep into the car?
Please advise.
I would recommend speaking with your dealer of choice. Please keep me advised on your situation and progress. I look forward to your response. Have a great weekend!
Christina
GM Customer Service