Chrysler 300C & SRT8 Forums banner

Rough shifting from ZF 8 Speed

87K views 77 replies 26 participants last post by  77777john 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I have a '13 300S AWD V6 and just this week I've started noticing some rough shifting happening mostly with 2nd gear. When I am slowing down for say, a stop sign or something, and it switches from 2nd to 1st for the impending take off, the switch is rough, and the car jerks and almost bounces a little bit, like if you let off the clutch too fast in a manual transmission. Then, after take off, all is smooth going from 1st to 2nd, but then 2nd to 3rd, the rpm's always spike by about 400 or so during the shift. So for example if it shifts at 1900, it'll spike to 23-2400 rpm before it finally engages 3rd, and again, its a rough transition. Almost like dropping the clutch again. I've contacted the dealer I bought it from and they suggest possibly a bad PCM, or maybe a solenoid. I'm not here to argue their suggestions, I am simply asking if anyone else has ever noticed issues like this with their ZF transmissions, and if they were able to rectify the problem. My dealer is 135 miles away so I'd like to go in to my appointment armed with as much knowledge as I can so I dont have to make multiple trips.
Thanks guys.
 
#4 ·
Well thats not fantastic news to hear. A couple years back, my 2010 Taurus was doing pretty much the same thing, and a reflash of the PCM took care of the issue. Hope we can get our issues straightened out. North Dakota doesn't have a lemon law for stuff like this so I am at the mercy of Chrysler here. If they cant fix it, maybe they can replace stuff like computers, solenoids, and whatnot, all the way up to possibly the transmission itself if it doesn't ever get better. Its got 6500 miles only and I've not done any damage to it, so its completely covered under warranty.
 
#5 ·
Mine used to do the same when I bought It and it got me worried at the time. but after a month or so the shifting became much better and smooth. Someone in here explained it that the ZF8 is programming itself to find the best shifting point based on the way you drive.
 
#6 ·
Chrysler said that they had to do something to let it relearn the correct shift points. They want me to continue driving it for a couple weeks to see if that works. I've had it back for about 1 week and although the problem continues, it does not seem to be as frequent.

I also have the dash rattle and the trunk closing issues so I'm not happy with chrysler at the moment.

Keeping my fingers crossed that this works.
 
#7 ·
I dunno. This issue has appeared after driving it through 14 plus inches of snow. I didn't hit any ice blocks or anything, but I was constantly giving it quite a lot of throttle to get through the snow, which was way way off my normal easy driving habits. Maybe I just threw the transmission for a loop. Its too early to say I guess. I have an appointment for it to go in on Friday this week, so it'll probly be in over the weekend. I dunno. I noticed that after I drove it for about 40 minutes the other day, it completely quit doing it for a few miles of in town driving where I was switching through my first few gears repeatedly. Then I parked it for about 3 hours, came back to it, and the problem returned. I dunno what to make of it yet. As for rattles, yeah. I get that. Im trying to train myself to get over them because all cars will probably eventually rattle. It drives me crazy, but I find that it helps me to think of the money Im gonna save by actually paying this car off every time I hear the rattles. I only have 1 minor occasional buzzing that sounds as though its coming from my driver door. No trunk issues. But yeah. I had a 2010 Taurus, and a 2010 Lincoln MKZ that I got rid of because they were rattle boxes with other problems. Lost probly 3 or 4 grand with each trade in. Not doing that anymore. But I just hope they can get my transmission issue figured out, or hope it goes away if they say something along the lines of it learning shift points. It does only have 6500 miles on it so thats not a terribly large amount of time for it to do a learning phase. I'd think something like that could take over 10k miles to fully figure me out. Maybe I'll reschedule the appointment for 2 or 3 weeks down the line and see if it gets any better with some more driving. It did it this morning yet on the way to work, but the downshifting wasn't as rough. The upshifting was more of the same.
 
#9 ·
I had the same problem. It is an issue with the valve body. It is supposed to be a known issue with a few of the eight speeds. Dealer swapped out my valve body and Im good to go. It has been about a month now. I was told if it does it again, they will swap out the whole transmission, they have to follow Chrysler's two step process or something like that. Hope that helps.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Mine does the same thing but only rev's from 1st to 2nd when its cold. But after hits warm I have the hard shifts to 1st.
I have also noticed that after driving on the interstate it quits for awhile.
I have taken it to the dealer and that fixed it for a day then it was back. Its going to the dealer tomorrow.
I will suggest a new valve body. Sometimes I will switch to sport mode with the traction control off and it does not shift hard into first.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Thanks much for the reply X. I will suggest this to them. And actually, since they did the quick learn, my issue has gotten worse. It now shifts rough from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, and then again on the downshift from 2nd to 1st. And Im getting some pretty frequent creaking from the dash. Sounds like both of the areas in the dash around the A Pillars have a creak whenever I go over anything that isn't mirror smooth in the road, especially when its cold. I still love this car, but god Im so sick of that transmission. I wouldn't be too bothered with the creaks if the transmission wouldn't shift like a fuggin garbage truck.
 
#12 ·
My car is back from its 3rd trip to the dealer and this time they replaced the Value Body. Like X said in his post, apparently this is now a known issue with some of the 8 speed transmissions. My service department said this should resolve the issue when shifting between 2nd to 3rd, but they are waiting for a TSB and parts for the 2 -1 downshifting problem.

I've had it back for about 1 week and the 2-3 shifting problem has not returned. Keeping my fingers crossed..

I'm not an auto repair person so what exactly is a Value Body?

I also had them check the dashboard rattle on the left side front speaker. I could actually push down on the dash right above the speaker and see it moving and the sound replicated. This does not happen on the right side speaker area.

The work order says they installed a buffer between the dash and trim. Its much better but i heard a rattle today, though its not nearly as loud as before. I can live with it if its once in a blue moon, but if it returns to how it was i will take it back in. I paid to much for this car to have a rattle that is caused by shitty production and not wear and tear.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Well thats good news on the valve body. Hopefully I can get my dealership to replace mine. I have an appointment on June 10th. I just took the car to Colorado this weekend so about 1400 miles round trip or so. I've now done well over 2k since the quick learn and the problem is still there. But I believe it could be a valve body problem since the problem is almost completely gone when the transmission and everything is properly warm. I dont get any 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd rough shifting when its warm and my 2nd to 1st downshift "bump" as I've found out its called, is nearly non existent as well. Its still there, but its much much less noticeable. I dunno exactly the function of a valve body, but a quick google search of "valve body rough shifting" brings up a fairly decent amount of results so its got something to do with the smoothness of the transmission. Mine seems to work fine when its warm but during the mornings on my trip to work, its terrible.
 
#14 ·
Not entirely sure if you knew/ know about the TSB for the PCM. I had mine checked as i love to push snow white in sport mode all the time! something to look into if you haven't done so already.
 
#20 ·
Digging up a post, but for what its worth....
My 2013S AWD just started the 2nd to 1st rough shift today. Basically only when the car is coming to a complete stop.
Its like the clutch dumps and the car lurches forward.
This has not been a trouble free car and I hate to take it in again for a multiple weeks visits to get something fixed. I was glad to hear of the "valve body". It might give them some guidance.
 
#22 ·
I'm sorry to hear of your problem.

I've had no issues with my '13 "S" but now that I am knowledgeable of the possibility will at least keep an eye out for it and remember the possible valve cover fix should it (hopefully not) crop up in mine. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Extended lifetime warranty (before my 12th month of ownership), COMING....!
 
#23 · (Edited)
My problems are actually getting worse as time goes on. I have an appointment for it to go in on the 20th but as its the third time for this issue, Im not holding my breath. I still get the 2->1 downshift bump, and it now shifts rough from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, and 3rd to 4th. I also have issues with braking now too. Not with the brakes or anything but the transmission doesn't allow it to coast as it goes from 5th to 4th and 4th to 3rd. It dumps the clutch and the engine speeds back up to road speeds and engine brakes leading to erratic feeling braking. Its like Im pushing the brake pedal, then I step on it harder, the let back off for about 3-4 seconds, then step on it harder again. My issues are much worse when the transmission has not had run time to warm up but they're still there when its warm as well. I have yet to have them replace the valve body because when I took it in at the end of May, the transmission guy at the dealer said he didn't want to do a valve body because he wasn't sure if the part number he could order from Chrysler was any different than the part number on my car, indicating a revised (upgraded/updated) part. He reset some computer (not a quick learn) because he found the transmission was sending "negative clutch fluid" to the first 1 or 2 clutch packs. The software is programmed incorrectly then because it has a negative value so its not sending any clutch fluid so the clutch packs cannot perform correctly. I haven't heard anything on if there is a software update available for the issue yet. I heard there was supposed to be one at the end of June so thats why I scheduled my appointment for August. Just to make sure the update had been released. I will probably PM Chrysler Cares to see if they can provide me any info. But yeah this issue is really starting to worry me. My transmission also heats up to about 185-190 range (Fahrenheit) after 60-90 minutes of operation. If anyone having the issues has looked at their transmission temperatures in their EVIC, are mine higher than what yours normally are? I am just desperately searching for a light at the end of my tunnel here because if they cant fix my transmission in one or two more dealership visits, Im hopping out of the 300 for good. I'll probably switch to something with a manual. Much simpler and I dont get some computer deciding when and how smoothly my vehicle should be shifting.
 
#26 ·
Just as an update, I haven't traded in yet. I am now experiencing sub 40 degree temps in the morning for my commute. This has made my problems twice as bad. I called my dealer and threatened to have Chrysler buy back the car because its been so bad. Kind of empty threats as NoDak has no lemon law, but they saw how angry I was and made me an appointment for Monday. I told them I dont want computers reset anymore. I want something, anything, I dont care, replaced. I am so sick of this. Buying this car has been one of the most double edged decisions I've ever made. I love it when its warm and on the highway, but when Im in town in the cold, its the worst vehicle I've ever owned.
 
#28 ·
Kind of empty threats as NoDak has no lemon law...,
Respectfully, I think you are incorrect. As far as I know Lemon Laws apply to every state in the union. I just Googled and saw a good number of independent references to it being applied in your state. I hope this helps you out.

North Dakota Century Code Sections 51-07-16 through 51-07-22 are the state's Lemon Law.
ND Lemon Lawyer | North Dakota Lemon Law Attorney | Lemon Law Firms ND

North Dakota Lemon Law
Purchasing a car, for most, is a financial burden that can also be a somewhat of a gamble. To protect you from being burdened with a manufacturer's mistake, North Dakota's Attorney General maintains a vigilant stance toward enforcing the state's lemon law.
Basically, the North Dakota lemon law allows vehicle manufacturers a reasonable number of attempts to try to fix a major defect before they are required to refund your purchase or replace your defective vehicle.

On this page you'll find information about the general aspects of the North Dakota lemon law and what to do if you end up with a lemon.

If you need legal advice, you should consider contacting an attorney.


North Dakota Lemon Laws - Lemon Law Attorneys at DMV.org: The DMV Made Simple
 
#29 ·
Mike...If I knew you in person I would buy you many beers and other things. I was totally unaware of the fact that NoDak had a lemon law. If I cant make any headway with getting this fixed, I will definitely be going down this route, rather than being upside down 10 grand on a trade in. I love you dude.
Thanks so much.
 
#30 ·
No problem. That's the beauty of a forum - two (and many other) heads are better than one and ultimately we all own these Chryslers so we all want to help one another if we can. Otherwise I say if the law is on your side, use it (of course I'm sure successful prosecution of this would be predicated upon you having reasonably good records)! Anyway, tomorrow it could be one of us, or me...
 
#33 ·
I just purchased my new 2014 300s last week and noticed the downshift bump aswell. Car doesnt even have 200 miles on it yet. My issue appears to be less severe than the OP, however I do notice it every once in a while. I will pay more attention now that I know the transmission takes time to "learn" shift points and will check up on the forum as time goes by. Ive never owned an automatic so I figured that the bump was normal... HA!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top