Ask the Expert: What is causing my intermittent gearbox problem?
Dear Alex,
My SsangYong Korando has an intermittent problem. When starting, I select reverse and gently accelerate. Sometimes the car moves backwards; other times it will only move if I accelerate hard. It also takes some time to move through the gears in drive. This morning it revved to 4,000rpm before moving up a gear, but then sorted itself out. I took the car to the dealer as it is still under warranty, but they cannot replicate the problem and will only fit parts if the computer says there is a fault. What could the problem be?
– DH
Dear DH,
You don’t mention how old your car is (though if it’s within the warranty period, it could be anywhere up to seven years), so my thoughts are contingent upon its age.
My first thought was that it could be in need of a gearbox oil change. When this lubricant gets old it can cause an automatic gearbox to be reluctant to shift, which manifests in symptoms like the ones you mention. Often, they can occur without bringing up a warning light on the dashboard.
As far as I’m aware, the gearboxes on modern Korandos are supposed to be sealed for life, but as with any gearbox of that description a change of gearbox oil every 60-80,000 miles isn’t a bad idea, especially if you intend to keep the car long-term.
If your car is a long way off that mileage, however, the oil probably isn’t the issue, which is good and bad news – good, because a gearbox oil change wouldn’t have been covered by the warranty; bad, because tracing the problem will be tricky.
The most likely culprit is either one of the solenoids – the valves inside the gearbox which control the flow of fluid from one part to the other – or the electronic unit that controls them.
I’d have thought that either one of these problems would have brought up a gearbox warning message on your dashboard, however, so it’s a little peculiar that your car hasn’t done so.
Either way, I think your best option is to ask the dealer to keep your car for a few days, test-driving it periodically (especially on cold mornings, when the oil will be less fluid) to see if they can replicate the issue. Only when they acknowledge it exists will you be able to get them to sort it out.
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