What to Do If Your Car's Transmission Slips or Won't Shift

Of all the systems in a car, the transmission is one of the least forgiving about being ignored. Symptoms that start small tend to escalate fast, and full failure is not a cheap repair.

1. Watch for RPM that spikes without matching speed

   That mismatch is the classic sign of a gear slipping rather than engaging properly.

2. Notice hesitation or a hard jolt when shifting

   A pause before a gear engages, or a jarring shift when it does, are both early warnings worth taking seriously.

3. Check the fluid if you can reach it

   Low or burnt-smelling fluid is a common cause, and sometimes a fixable one.

4. Cut out towing and hard acceleration

   Extra load speeds up failure once symptoms have already started.

5. Keep trips short from here on

   Head straight for a shop, or arrange a tow, rather than putting more miles on a transmission that's already slipping.

6. Don't wait to see if it resolves itself

   It almost never does, and the failure that follows tends to arrive without warning.