rollergoalie16

I have had my xB for about 4 months and I have noticed that in the morning going to work and usually in the evening after work if I get in and start the car up and immediately put it in drive and pull away that my automatic transmission will have a noticable lag between 2nd and 3rd gear. I don't seem to be losing any power or momentum, it's just that the RPM's will ramp up to over 4k if I stay on the gas before finally shifting into 3rd. Once I get to the end of my street it will shift normally with no issues at all, it only seems to be at startup.

I have taken it to my dealer a couple of times with my concern and they "can't replicate the customer's complaint" I have told them I don't have the issue once the car has been running for a couple of minutes. They have told me twice that it is a "characteristic" of this vehicle and to let the engine warm up for a minute or two. I have never had this issue with any other car I have ever owned and just wanted to see if other xB owners with auto trans have had any similar "issues" with their transmission? I just want to make sure that I am not damaging my transmission by continuing to drive if this issue is in fact a problem.

rickbreitenfeldt

uMMM...The service department are dorks then.

That is what the transmission does. It will not shift until the fluid temperature is correct. It happens on all Toyota/Lexus and Scions. I have also had it occur on Mazda and Nissan Maxima and Honda Accord. It is normal. Especially if you get up to high speeds right away. In my case 3-5 blocks before I am accelerating out on to the highway. It will shift down just after I merge onto the highway.

So..

No Worries Be Happy

Gramcracker1186

Is the blue coolant light on inside the car when this happens? If so, it is normal for the xb. While the blue light is illuminated, the car is not allowed to shift into overdrive which would cause the so called problem you speak of. It is completely normal for the xb. After the car warms up and the light goes out the car will begining shifting normally. You an also check the book in the glove box. I beleive it does mention this in the book.

Tomas

...besides the "...blue light is illuminated, the car is not allowed to shift into overdrive" thing, the first couple of shifts 2 > 3 may lag quite a bit when the tranny is cold. As soon as it's circulation is normal it will shift normally.

Mine behaves exactly as you describe, and has since new, two years ago. Its generally a good idea to take it a little bit easy when first starting out cold, anyway, so I usually just drive like someone's grandmother for the first couple miles after a cold start.

Your tranny sounds normal. :D

Tom

rollergoalie16

Yeah, it does happen when the "engine cool" light is on. Once I make the turn out of my neighborhood the light goes off and everything is cool. I appreciate your responses as it has really put my mind at ease. Thanks!

MeanGreen

I figured that was the case with mine as well. I've been driving the wifes xA on the days she doesn't need it since I save a lot of money not driving my Durango and it's been cold as h3!! here in Reno in the morning when I leave work (graveyard shift YAY!)...

Taknitez

"Yep" they are set up that way, has something to do with the transmission fluid warming up "and" emissions ......

Here is what you do........


"Do NOT" be in a hurry the first time you get in your car after it has sat for a few hours. If you are....your out of luck or just be a few minutes late.

When you start it up, "WAIT" and let it warm up a bit until the rpms come down to 1000 or damn-well near it. (takes about 1-3 minutes depending on outside temperature). Once it hits the 1000 mark, it will shift into 3rd gear no problem just like normal. And then once the blue light goes off, overdrive will engage as well.

I figured all of this out by trial and error....

"Hey", it is a quirky little car with some unique characteristics.....If you can live with it...you will love this car. If this is going to anger you, you may want to think about trading it in for something else because it cannot be changed or programmed ''out''.