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Signs of a Bad Transmission Control Module (TCM)

Cars are an amazing invention and also a very convenient asset to everyone. They make life easy and save us from wasting a lot of time on travel. Though sometimes it is possible that your beloved car can start giving you problems. These problems are sometimes related to small malfunctions like a flat tire and sometimes they are major problems like engine malfunction. Problems like these can cause a lot of problems and delays in your everyday life. It is thus better to see these problems coming in advance so that you can try to get things repaired and save money. 

Thus you should always look out for symptoms that point to upcoming problems of a bad transmission. These signs are not that hard to pick up but not everyone is able to see them. So let us list some signs of a bad transmission control module so that you can keep an eye out for them.

Check Engine Light

Probably the easiest and the most efficient way of looking out for transmission control module problems is to keep an eye on the check engine light. If the check engine light comes on it mostly means that there is some problem with the transmission system and the engine. You can run a few basic tests to understand where exactly the fault is but you can cross out things like low engine oil or a flat tire. 

While running the tests your car will be connected to a scanner which will show different codes for different problems in the car. If the code P0700 is showing then there would definitely be a problem with the transmission control module.

Unintended Gear Shifts

In automatic transmission cars, most of the transmission is dependent on the control module. If there is a problem with your transmission then your car will shift into gears at the wrong time. Another symptom that your car might show is when the gear shifts into neutral while driving without warning. Such problems are mostly very dangerous as they can cause serious accidents at high speeds.

Higher Gear Shifting Issues

Have you sometimes noticed that you have problems shifting into a higher gear? You try to go from 2nd to 3rd but it feels that there is something acting against you trying to do so. This means that there is a problem with the transmission which needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

With an automatic transmission, a similar problem can arise which shows a slightly different symptom. You might notice sometimes that it is time for the transmission to shift to a higher gear but this does not happen. The RPM keeps increasing and the transmission does not up-shift the gear. When this happens it simply means that there is a problem with the transmission control module.  Letting such problems continue will lead to even greater problems that will burn a hole in your pocket.

Lower Gear Shifting Issues

Similar to problems with shifting to a higher gear, there are problems while shifting to a lower gear which points to problems in the transmission module. 

You’re on a one-lane highway and you see a short window of opportunity to overtake the guy in front. To get the acceleration you obviously have to downshift but you find some resistance that does not let you successfully downshift. This is a sign that there is something wrong with the transmission.

An automatic transmission, like a transmission control module mazda 3, also sometimes faces issues with downshifting. Ideally, when you decrease your speed your transmission control module should automatically downshift the gear. Though there are times when this does not happen and this can point to problems in the transmission control module.

You should get this looked at as it can be a big problem 

Unable to shift out of a gear

A very surprising situation that is not so common is to be stuck in one gear. This sometimes happens when the transmission module faces some serious problems and glitches. It can be a dangerous scenario but mostly it’s just about a little discomfort if the gear is stuck in the 1st or 2nd. One can easily put the car into motion if the gear is stuck on either of the two but if it is stuck on a higher gear you may not be able to drive it to the service station.

Delay in Shifting 

Transmission shifting delay is quite a common problem and is seen in many old cars. Shifting delay is basically when the gear takes more time than usual to shift to an upper or lower gear. This can cause a lot of problems while driving, especially when you are going uphill. Delay in gear shifting will result in you losing speed rather than gaining it.

It also becomes a dangerous situation when you are trying to overtake a car and you accelerate but because of the delay, the car does not pick up the acceleration. This can cause serious accidents so you should always take the delay problem seriously and get it fixed as soon as you can.

Bad fuel economy

This is not the most serious problem out there related to a faulty transmission control and is neither dangerous but it is still a problem. 

Fuel economy plays a  huge role in today’s world because first of all bad fuel economy means spending more money and secondly the world is running out of fuels very quickly so a car that gives lower fuel economy is considered bad for the environment.

So if you realize that your car is consuming more fuel than normal then you should get it checked quickly. It may point to some minor or major problems with your transmission control module.

A person mostly faces many issues with a car irrelevant of regular servicing. There are many types of problems that one can face and a faulty transmission control module is just another one of them. These modules are not very easy to fix and the problems can keep on increasing iof you keep ignoring them. That also means that the price of repairs will keep going up. So it is advisable that you always get such problems fixed as from UpFix if you see the aforementioned symptoms in your car.

Published in Telematics Wire

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