2002 Nissan Maxima Drops out of gear when cold

Tiny
TOMRADER
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 NISSAN MAXIMA
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 165,000 MILES
When I first start my car and put it in drive, it will drop out of gear and the RPMs jump to about 4000 and then slams back into gear. If I do not get off the gas it will really slam the transmission. Once the car warms up after about 3 or 4 minutes it runs fine. The dealership says it needs a new tranmission. I am not convinced. Is there a sensor that could be causing this. It is also causing my check engine light to come on once in a while and the AT light blinks when I start the car up, but then goes off.
Friday, January 22nd, 2010 AT 9:10 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
You could try going to an independent transmission or repair shop and have the PCM scanned to see what code is stored and go from there.165k on a Nissan trans is pretty good though, have seen them fail at much lower mileage than that. Usually sensors dont begin working after they warm up though, they fail or work intermittently, not like you describe, but having it scanned is worth a try
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Monday, January 25th, 2010 AT 8:19 AM

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