2015 CX-5, 105k miles. Is my transmission done?

[closdubois]

Spent Father's Day weekend driving around some beach towns. When I was coming back home, the freeway ride was normal, nothing wrong. I exited the freeway, came to a stop light, and when I started again, the car bucked and jerked if I went over 10mph. I was able to set it to manual mode and stay on 1st to get to a parking lot. No check engine light ever came on. Reverse and Drive engage like normal, but trying to drive into 2nd causes the problem. I might have also smelled a weird smell.

I've spent the last 2 days trying to get the dealership I bought it at to call me back. I can't remember how long the extended warranty I bought lasts. Do not have high hopes, though. My mechanical breakdown insurance through Geico doesn't go past 100k either. Guess the dream is over. We'll see.

Anyone have this problem or see it before?

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

could be a motor mount, or something internal to the engine too. so does the car work fine in D and only act up in manual mode? or?

 

[closdubois]

no, the car acts up in both D and manual. It's just that if I put it in manual, I can stay in 1st gear to move it around. If I'm in D, it automatically tries to shift up to 2nd if I go past 10mph, and that's when the action happens. I don't remember if I was able to shift to 2nd in manual mode or not.

 

[rsvinylgraphics]

Has the transmission fluid ever been changed? extremely dirty transmission fluid might be the issue or low fluid could cause shifting problems too.

 

[closdubois]

no i hadn't. i foolishly followed the owner's manual maintenance guidelines which don't mention it at all!

 

[AVC]

Check engine light?

 

[closdubois]

Check engine light?

no it wasn't on

 

[closdubois]

I took it to a small shop nearby just to see what the heck's going on. He called this morning and said there's something broken inside the transmission. He said he'll put in a rebuilt one and guarantee it for 1 year for 2500. Or I can find my own cheaper one and he'll put it in for $475 plus cost of oil.

Based on comments from other posts I've read, taking it to the dealer would possibly put me in the $5k+ range for something like this, right? I still haven't been able to get a hold of my damn dealership to see how long my extended warranty was for, but once they tell me I'm no longer covered, then I guess I'll start calling different shops around here to see who has the best price.

 

[AVC]

Was he more specific on "what is broken"? I might get a second opinion; if the trans is as whacked as he thinks, surprised it didn't throw a CEL, or that he didn't use a scan tool and determine more than "it's broke".

If you go rebuilt, then ask the mechanic where is sourcing the rebuilt. Jasper has a great reputation and warranties.

 

[closdubois]

Was he more specific on "what is broken"? I might get a second opinion; if the trans is as whacked as he thinks, surprised it didn't throw a CEL, or that he didn't use a scan tool and determine more than "it's broke".

If you go rebuilt, then ask the mechanic where is sourcing the rebuilt. Jasper has a great reputation and warranties.

Talked to him again. Clarified that he will rebuild it himself. He said there was no code when he scanned. So no check engine light and no other code from the scan tool. He's basing it on what happened when he drove it. Said there's no other way to figure out than by opening it up.

 

[AVC]

hmm... If it were mine, and it hadn't thrown codes, I'd get a 2nd opinion from someone who ruled out some other issue with the engine, PCM/module communication, etc.

 

[AVC]

For one, bucking and jerking is often engine related. An RPM flare and banging into a gear, or no forward movement in a particular gear, no sifting, no reverese, slow to engage from N-D or N-R, grinding or rattling noises when shifting, are typical transmission woes.

 

[closdubois]

For one, bucking and jerking is often engine related. An RPM flare and banging into a gear, or no forward movement in a particular gear, no sifting, no reverese, slow to engage from N-D or N-R, grinding or rattling noises when shifting, are typical transmission woes.

wouldn't engine related issues bring up a check engine light though? i'm going to pick it up and take it to a different place this afternoon for a second look.

 

[AVC]

The CEL is primarily to flag emissions violations, and secondarily whatever systems issues the manufacturer deems troublesome or show stopping. There can be a number of drivability issues that don't get flagged until they've persisted for some time, or fall out of a certain window of tolerence. Obviously the PCM doesn't think anything serious enough to warrant a solid or blinking CEL. A scan tool might reveal something "odd" in the data, or may show pending codes; things the PCM has noticed but hasn't set a CEL for. A decent tech in 2020 would at least attach the scan tool and take a look at the PCM and TCM PIDS while the thing was acting up.

 

[AVC]

And, you should consider that for something like this, a Mazda dealer may be able to sort it out better and faster, as they have much more experience with what "normal" looks like in the scan data and vehicle behavior. Basically ask the for a diagnostic-only, and while they peform that you can breath on their glasses and get an answer on your extended warranty.

 

[zevot]

If the extended warranty doesn't cover it and you have to pay for a transmission, be careful. I got a transmission rebuilt on my old car and they used the cheapest parts. It never was the same again and was expensive. I found out later that it would have been way cheaper to purchase a transmission pulled from a wrecked car. Some mechanics that do not perform transmission repair can swap out a transmission so you can probably save some money. Those transmission places love to rebuild them because they can make lots of money.

I had very fortunate timing on my 2015 CX-5 transmission. It started making loud noises and I got it replaced at 59,500 miles, just under the factory warranty.

 

[ruthrj]

I agree with the above sentiments. Get a second opinion, and if it comes to replacement get a transmission from a salvage vehicle or a rebuilt one from a good source. I wouldn’t have too much faith getting the existing one fixed (pricey) based on: don’t know what’s wrong until I open it up! Cheaper to replace it altogether if it’s truly screwed up.

 

[closdubois]

I took it to a different shop because my dad insisted he knows a guy *super eye roll again. But for this guy, the transmission worked like normal for a few minutes and then went back to the jerking thing. So he said he's thinking it might be an electrical issue with the computer not communicating with the transmission.

I wasted too much time already. I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow. Hope my insurance covers another tow. I did finally talk to the dealership and they said extended warranty ended at 100k miles. So lets $eee what happens.

 

[zevot]

Best of luck to you!

 

[Jmaz]

I'd be leery of that small shop guy that said "something is broke" and then later says he will rebuild it.I'd be surprised if he has any experience rebuilding Skyactive transmissions.I haven't heard of anybody that rebuilds them.The dealers install rebuilds they get from Mazda.Some people get used trannys installed. -------- Anybody on this forum know if any outfits do a quality rebuild on Skyactiv transmissions?