Smart Transmission

Has anyone encountered a problem with the trans. @ low speeds (5 to 15 mph) i.e. it seem's to get confused where it should be, 1st or 2nd. Seem's that when it shifts up to 2nd and decides it needs to be back in 1st and trys to downshift it gets locked up in 2nd. Will shift up but never again into 1st. I flat tow my Smart with my RV and have a battery cut off switch installed and the only way I can get 1st gear back is to turn off the battery and re-boot the computer. I'm just worried that there may eventually be some damage done to the shifting cylinoid linkage. I've asked the dealers and they said w/o the problem being active they couldn't diagnoise the problem and since I reset the computer by turning off the battery it wipes out the trouble codes.

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Comment by Pee Santos on March 23, 2010 at 9:02am: No, She's really Red, they dropped the Orangey Red with the '08. If I had spare $$ I would paint it orange, which is the absolutely bestest color ever. And I think the winning name is HotLips James. I asked friends to help me name her.

Comment by Connie and Tim Fellows on March 22, 2010 at 9:59pm: Don't you mean Orange 09? LOL!

Comment by Pee Santos on March 22, 2010 at 10:33am: I just took my '08 in for tune up and repair and they were downloading new software that comes on the '09. Check with your dealer for a software update. - then I walked out owning a red '09!

Comment by Tommy Wong on March 19, 2010 at 3:24pm: Well, I have an 09 Passion and it only seems to do this when the transmission is cold. From the first start of the day, it might jerk once from 1st to 2nd, but I drive it manually and it does not do it again after that. The only other time I have noticed it doing something wierd was when I take a turn too fast and I do not need to downshift, but do so out of habit, I remember the transmission staying in 3rd gear despite being told to go to 2nd. Other than that, I do not have any problems with it.

Comment by Ryan on March 19, 2010 at 3:04am: That's probably the main issue with a computer controlled manual transmission. seeing as it is a manual transmission, after all, different gears have different rpm's where being in that gear would no longer be fuel efficient/safe on the engine, and where the car would risk stalling due to the motor slowing down too much. Because of this, the Smart's (and probably just about every sequential manual transmission vehicle) computer more than likely has many different scenario's as to when it should shift to what gear. For instance.....

High RPM's + Low speed + throttle use = Car is going up hill = shift at a higher RPM
High RPM's + any speed + no throttle = car is going down hill, maintain gear to keep speed down and reduce brake usage
High RPM's + High speed + Throttle use = normal driving conditions = shift accordingly
Low RPM's + Low Speed + little to no throttle use = stall hazard = downshift
Low RPM's + Decreasing speed + throttle use = Car is going up a hill but struggling in current gear = if RPM's continue to decrease along with the speed, downshift to prevent stalling

That's just a rough idea... but it's a lot of different cause and effect stuff going on in that little computer.

As for the "Not shifting back to 1st"..... i'm at a loss on that one....

Comment by Brett Harrison on March 19, 2010 at 1:49am: Chuck, surprisingly, this has been happening to me. I believe that driving in manual would solve the problem. As other have pointed out, the problem usually occurs at a rolling stop. When I cruise around my neighborhood and I come to a rolling t intersection and then "floor" the gas, my transmission does not know what gear to be in and then goes into first and slams me back in my seat with a jolt. I think it's just one of those quirks of driving a smart car that does not use a "slush box" transmission. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Brett Harrison

Comment by Charles Cokeley on March 18, 2010 at 11:41am: chuck, wherever you are I would recommend getting it to a smart center and drive it with one of the techs. Let me know please, best wishes in your journey

Comment by Becky Lane on March 17, 2010 at 8:31pm: On my way to work I go through a 4-way stop then a pretty steep hill. My 09 Smart has a difficult time getting from 1st gear through 2nd gear. I also find that in stop and go traffic it sometimes almost stalls in 1st gear, kind of scary.

Comment by Connie and Tim Fellows on March 15, 2010 at 7:14pm: Chuck,
It sounds like it would be really easy for the dealership to recreate this problem. I'm concerned that you're hearing a "loud clunking". That shouldn't be happening and sounds like it could be a serious problem. Take a trip back to the dealer and drive the car with the technician in the passenger seat and show him what happens. If you can recreate the condition then the tech has a better chance of diagnosing the problem. Good luck.

Comment by Chuck Comer on March 15, 2010 at 1:51pm: When this occurs I''m driving slow through a camp ground which has a 5 to 10 mph speed limit. The trans. will shift up when it gets to around 13 to 14 but then when the car slows back down then trans. will try to shift back down to 1st however I hear a loud clunking in the rear as the selinoid trys to shift back however it gets locked in 2nd. and will not shift to first. I can still move forward, starting out in second, and the trans. will shift up to5 as needed but when you stop you start back out in 2nd, not 1st. I've tried to manuel shift, turn the car off and back on, drive for a short distance and nothing works except to disconncet the battery and reboot the computer.