2012 Skyactiv 6AT issues

[erik]

Hi all,
I just got back from a Maritime road trip and put about 3000km on my car over the course of a week. Car had about 43k on it prior to departure. No previous major issues and all recommended maintenance has been done on time (or earlier). Babied since I got her new in 2012.

Some issues that arose throughout the trip:

1) Shift shock: Extremely ROUGH downshifts under load, particularly from 5th to 4th gear. Most commonly encountered the issue while climbing hills at highway speeds (~110km/h). The transmission would downshift from 6 to 5 virtually imperceptibly...but when additional power was required for steeper/sustained climbs, the downshift to 4th gear was typically so rough that coffee would splash up and out of cups! I tried using manual mode and easing off the gas while downshifting with limited success. Sometimes shifts (in D) were totally smooth, others were very very hard. It felt like the transmission was slipping (momentary rev surge) and then slamming into gear. I have only experienced this once before on a drive to Toronto after sustained highway speeds. I've always found the transmission reluctant to downshift (maybe because it "learned" my sedate driving style)...but this shift shock is new and unpleasant.

2) Putting the car in gear: When the engine is warm, there is now a pretty rough thud when shifting from R-->D or P-->D. No delay, just a bang. However, reverse usually engages smoothly. I drove the car today and the rough engagement persists.

3) Illumination of the TCS light (not the TCS off light): On warm restarts, the TCS light will sometimes come on after starting to drive (within first 50-100m) and stay on for 5-10 seconds. No other warning lights come on and the car seems to drive normally. I took the car into a dealership mid-trip to see if any codes were recorded, and they said there were none. They did however say there was a software update for the stability control system that they performed.

The TCS malfunction light has come on a total of 4 times since I first got the vehicle, each time while the engine was warm and never lasting more than 5-10 seconds. As far as transmission issues, I complained to my dealer repeatedly about "slipping" during 2nd to 3rd gear shift when cold (in winter) - revs climbing with momentary pause in acceleration. Once warm, it shifts smoothly aside from what I described above.

So, the question is... Do I need to be concerned? Are these indications of bad transmission news to come? Could any of this be consistent with some transmission fluid issue? A needed PCM update? I came across a TSB regarding shift shock (#05-004/12) that talks about "initial learning that may not have been completed at vehicle production" but I have no idea what that means. All of these issues are intermittent and I probably won't be able to replicate for the dealer.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Fuman]

you still have warranty right? take it in asap. record it with a dash cam?

[Aitch]

Yeah I think it should be under warrantee. Definitely take it in. The main thing is that the conditions are reproducible after arriving at the dealer. But I would definitely want something done about that, especially the shifting.