2008 Smart passion automatic transmission problem ?

[Guest Kam]

Car runs fine all the time. This problem happened more than 5 times alrady.Turn on car as normal, put in reverse and give a little bit of gas. Car goes nowhere, look at the drive indicater R(reverse) did not shown at all . Turn the car off waited 10 seconds, turn the car on, put in in reverse .. now the R(reverse) is there. Transmission problem ? or the computer sensor problem ?

[Guest urbnplnr]

exactly the same problem here on a 2008 passion. it happens very infrequently. when i change gears into reverse nothing shows up on my display instead of an "r." i usually resolved the problem by shifting back to p, turning off the ignition and restarting.took it to the dealer to diagnose and of course they couldn't replicate it.while i was in there i had the transmission software upgraded and i haven't experienced this problem since (so in the last 5000 kms or so).

[MikeT 744]

I would guess it's the shifter assembly - 2008s have a TSB about the faulty shifting to "R". So is someone else here an MCIP planner?

[ARTZ 0]

On the 450 (diesel model) if the change from reverse to drive mode with applying the brakes you get a "0" in the dash display to signify that no gear was selected. Put you foot on the brakes and try again and it works fine. This is for the 2005-06 models.Could this be the same thing on the new 451 model, but it shows nothing instead of the "0"? Just a thought.

[saronian 0]

Car runs fine all the time. This problem happened more than 5 times alrady.Turn on car as normal, put in reverse and give a little bit of gas. Car goes nowhere, look at the drive indicater R(reverse) did not shown at all .

I had the problem once a couple of weeks ago and tried the following on my 2008 US spec smart:1> Hold down the brake pedal, and2> Turn the key to the on position 1, and3> Move the gear shifter through each of the gears P-R-N-D then +- then D-N-R-P, and4> Turn off, and5> Restart the carThe problem hasn't returned, but will continue to monitor until I can have the dealer look at it.

[ARTZ 0]

Saronian, why did you try those sequences of steps? Did you just think I have a good idea; I could try.... I know some people try to "wake up" their laptops by spilling hot coffee on the keyboards; but that usually doesn't work. (NOT recommended)

[saronian 0]

Saronian, why did you try those sequences of steps? Did you just think I have a good idea; I could try....

We'll it is sort of computer-like in concept. This sequence has been shown to reset and alleviate a somewhat common problem on the US 2008-09 fortwo's. Where 3 horizontal bars appear in place of the selected gear indicator (PNRD) on main instrument panel.I had this happen once when the battery went dead. AAA came and started the car, but transmission was inoperable and I got the 3-bar error. The sequence recommended by smartUSA to others also worked for me. It basically reset whatever system communicates with the transmission gear selection.Thought it might also be a cure for this issue. Worked for me.Scott

[TattyGranny 0]

Yes, this has happened to me in my 2008 Passion more than once. I have had it in for service and apparently the shifter assembly was replaced. So, for about 3 months the trouble was not there. Now I find that every time I go out after the car has been sitting for a period of time, the R and D are not there at all. I turn it off..then restart it and then it is working fine. Last time I had to get the car towed to the Dealer as it would not go into any gear at all. I am not going to wait for this to happen again and will be taking it back again. I will let you all know the results.

[mrcanoe 0]

Good to see others have same problem. Several times I back out of my driveway, which has a slope, and I find myself merely coasting onto the busy road, instead of having transmission engaged (dash shows R). Or after driving home, I stop on the road (not so busy at night), and try to reverse into the driveway, and get nothing displayed on the dash, although the gear selector has "R" lit up... and car goes nowhere while traffic piles up behind me. Embarrassing! Turning the ignition off and on doesn't always cure it, I'll try shifting through all gears. The people behind me will just have to get used to seeing me run through the sequence. Doesn't help that I'm a computer geek, and I have been so glib about comparisons between Windows and modern cars. I'll have to eat my own words! Cheers.451 (2008) Passion in Ottawa, Canada

[VRsyncro 0]

2008 451 Pure - Ottawa, ON (Built in June 2008)I knew that as soon as I read this thread last week that I would be cursed!!This past Sunday I was preparing to parallel park and when I shifted into "R" I got a blank screen. I thought of the the thread and tried to put it into "N" and then back to "R" but nothing. Ended up putting it into "P" and restarting the car altogether. Problem went away and has not replicated itself since (not to say that it won't)...I'm thinking it has something to do with a sensor rather than anything mechanical. When you turn off the car everything resets and seems to work find (similar to an ABS/TPS Issue that I had this winter). Any thoughts?

[SmartDad 0]

Hi,

I had a similar problem with our 2008 passion. Car would not shift in Reverse. Sometime playing with the

shifter fixed it. Sometimes turning the car off then on fixed it. A real pain.

Brought it in to the garage for a B service and explained the shift problem.

The bill shows they changed the shifter and the clutch! Car was in the garage for a few days but the work was done under warranty and the problem has not recurred..

[Guest Be Green =)]

Hi there,My Passion 08 is having the same problem. I took it into the dealership 3 times. The first time they replaced the shifter, the second time they fixed something in the transmission and this time they couldn't replicate the fault so they are releasing my car. It's frustrating and dangerous as the last time I was trying to parallel park on a hill and couldn't reverse I nearly rolled into the car in front of me. After trying to put the car through all the different gears it still wouldn't engage. Then my car doors wouldn't lock but the car starts fine. Not sure what to do and bit nervous to drive my car around without having the problem fixed.

[bilgladstone 13]

Hi there,

My Passion 08 is having the same problem. I took it into the dealership 3 times. The first time they replaced the shifter, the second time they fixed something in the transmission and this time they couldn't replicate the fault so they are releasing my car. It's frustrating and dangerous as the last time I was trying to parallel park on a hill and couldn't reverse I nearly rolled into the car in front of me. After trying to put the car through all the different gears it still wouldn't engage. Then my car doors wouldn't lock but the car starts fine.

Not sure what to do and bit nervous to drive my car around without having the problem fixed.

You're right. The car is unsafe in this condition! Tell the dealer to give you a loaner and keep your car until it is repaired. Or take the car to a better quality dealership - other Bby CsC members could maybe recommend one to you... ?

Bil

[Guest Be Green =)]

Thanks Bil! The only problem is they don't know what the actual problem is. They kept my car over the weekend to drive around and try to fault it but it never replicated in the 2 times they drove it. No error codes are coming up when they check the system. Even if I video tape it the next time it happens they still won't know how to fix it. That's the worst part.

I have a feeling there is something to do with the computer as they've replaced all the mechanical parts in the shifter and transmission and the problem remains but they won't replace it unless they can replicate the problem themselves. It happens randomly and sometimes often and other times only once a month.

I was having services at the Boundary location the first 2 times and this time I tried the Broadway location. The only one left to try would be the Richmond dealership. =(

You're right. The car is unsafe in this condition! Tell the dealer to give you a loaner and keep your car until it is repaired. Or take the car to a better quality dealership - other Bby CsC members could maybe recommend one to you... ?

Bil

[MikeT 744]

North Vancouver...Surrey as a last resort

[bilgladstone 13]

CTRL+ALT+DELETE ?

[saronian 0]

There have been a number of reports on the SCoA forums regarding the intermittent failure to select reverse gear.

I took my smart to the dealer at the end of September after it happened twice. They told me that smart USA had been tracking the problem and they were authorizing an "upgraded clutch plate assembly". This replacement part was introduced on the 2009 cars and it solved the problem for my 2008 passion.

Edited December 16, 2009 by saronian

[bilgladstone 13]

There have been a number of reports on the SCoA forums regarding the intermittent failure to select reverse gear.I took my smart to the dealer at the end of September after it happened twice. They told me that smart USA had been tracking the problem and they were authorizing an "upgraded clutch plate assembly". This replacement part was introduced on the 2009 cars and it solved the problem for my 2008 passion.

Fits with what SmartDad said above...

[chris08-42 0]

My 2008 Pure has had similar problems occasionally. Usually happens when shifting from drive to reverse. I just cycle the shifter through park and the reverse has engaged every time so far...

For those of you who have had serious problems like this, please contact either Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls at

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safeveh...ns-index-76.htm

or the US NHSTA at

http://www.safercar.gov/

and file a complaint. they can't help us if we don't tell them our problems.

[shakey 0]

Recently I have had the problem with no Reverse aswell. It has only happened a couple of times but it is very annoying.Can anyone tell me what was done to correct this problem and if the problem came back after a "fix" was done?Thanks in advance everyone.Cheers,Shakey

[Chuck(les) 0]

Recently I have had the problem with no Reverse aswell. It has only happened a couple of times but it is very annoying.Can anyone tell me what was done to correct this problem and if the problem came back after a "fix" was done?Thanks in advance everyone.Cheers,Shakey

I had the exact issue in August 2009 with my 2008 Passion. The dealer replaced the clutch plate assembly, and so far no re-occurrences.Chuck

[shakey 0]

I had the exact issue in August 2009 with my 2008 Passion. The dealer replaced the clutch plate assembly, and so far no re-occurrences.Chuck

Thanks Chuck, guess I'll have to get it in ASAP.Were they able to do the repair in a day, and is the repair covered under warranty?Cheers,Shakey

[Chuck(les) 0]

Thanks Chuck, guess I'll have to get it in ASAP.Were they able to do the repair in a day, and is the repair covered under warranty?Cheers,Shakey

Hi Shakey,I dropped the car off in the morning, the car was washed and ready to go by mid afternoon, all under warranty. Chuck

[Duck 16]

Sounds like there's some bad tooth-on-tooth action going on. Does rocking the car forward/back help get it into gear?-Iain

[shakey 0]

Sounds like there's some bad tooth-on-tooth action going on. Does rocking the car forward/back help get it into gear?-Iain

Haven't tried that yet but I'll give it a try. Thanks Ian.Cheers, Shakey