Friday, December 2, 2011

What happens when an automatic transmission on a car fails?

The transmission is going bad in my car. The warning light is lit and it's been shifting a bit funny for a while. I am about to get rid of this car, but I need to drive it for a few days first. If the transmission dies while I'm on the road, is it dangerous? What happens?|||It depends on the exact type of failure.


- The car can transmission can break and its link to the drive shaft is broken so the wheels no longer turn.


- The car can no longer be able to shift gears.


- The car can lock up and no longer be drivable, if done at speed this can be dangerous.





In any case except the thrird one the car will continue to move downhill; but the normal brakes should not be affected.





Have you checked your transmission fluid level; that could be the problem.





I have driven some pretty bad cars and I had two tranmission failures. In the first case it was a manual and the clutch plate no longer engaged so the car just rolled and no energy got to the wheels. In the second case it was an automatic transmision and again power to the wheels stopped and the car rolled to a stop.|||You'll grind to a halt.|||its is dangerous but if lets say your driving on the freeway and it does not work you could use the break and it will stop|||It is not dangerous but it will get to the point where you give it gas and it will not change gears, then it will go to where it will not even move. You should go and buy a rebiult transmission and have it installed, it will be cheaper.|||Well my Taurus transmission just disconnected totally from the engine when it failed and we coasted into a parking lot. But you may be getting the warning signs now of slippage. If you have over 130,000 miles on it and the transmission fluid looks dark brown instead of bright pink, it's days are numbered. It should have had 4 transmission fluid changes by now according to the manufacturer's maintenance schedule.|||Typically, the bands that lock the planetary gears won't lock, and the car acts as if it is in neutral. On a hill, this can be a bad thing -- but if you have at least some working brakes, it is not lethal.|||hey well i wouldnt drive it unless you absolutly need to, it can Drop and there will be serious probs then lol, but it can also not shift so the top speed youll be able to go is like 40 maybe less maybe more.. dont drive unless you need to!!!|||It's not dangerous, you'll just be stuck on the side of the road. The car will not drive|||ive had this happen to me before. if you are driving on the highway, and the transmission goes, you will hear a loud grinding noise. that will be the sound of the gears locking up and stripping. the transmission, depending on year of your vehicle, may be shared with the engine's computer, thus if the transmission fails, it may cause your vehicle to shut down and begin brining to a slow almost dead stop. it will not lock your brakes, but more than likely you will lose power steering. be careful when driving it. dont try to push it, and the best thing to do is not drive it at all. i hated being on the highway when mine broke down...it was a long rainy walk back to town.|||It's not dangerous. It won't wipe you out of control or anything like that. Many different things can happen. You will loose gears or not have reverse or won't be able to get out of a gear. I would top off you ATF Automatic Transmission Fluid. Go to a transmission shop and ask for a service, My husbands shop always has specails going for like $35. So it shouldn't be too much. Just have them see if it something stupid like low fluid, if it is then you can keep driving the car for a little while longer.

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