I’ve got a bit of a puzzle with my 2017 Accord V6. It’s an automatic with a 6-speed transmission and only 26,000 miles on it, which seems pretty low. But here’s the thing – when the gears shift, especially when slowing down, there’s a noticeable jerk. It’s much more pronounced than in my older 7th generation Accord, which has 205K miles and shifts smooth as butter. This jerking in the newer car is making me wonder if something’s off, or if this is just how modern automatic transmissions behave.
Specifically, the jerks are more intense on downshifts. If I’m cruising around 40 mph and let off the gas, as the car slows, I feel distinct jerks around 30 mph and again at 20 mph, sometimes quite strong. Are downshifts in modern cars supposed to be this noticeable? I took it to a local transmission shop hoping for some answers. They hooked up their OBD2 scanner, looking for any error codes or issues, but the scan came back clean. The mechanic even took it for a drive and felt the jerking, but admitted he wasn’t familiar enough with the newer Accords to say if it was normal. He suggested a Honda dealership might know more.
So, off to the Honda dealership I went. A mechanic there rode with me, and while he drove more aggressively (where the jerks are less apparent), he did feel what I was describing during normal driving. His verdict? “Normal for this car.” Honestly, it’s hard to believe that a newer car would have a transmission that feels rougher than an older model. It just doesn’t sit right with me. They didn’t charge me anything at least.
Still unsure, I sought a second opinion at another transmission shop. This mechanic also acknowledged the jerks. He suspected it might be a software issue, suggesting the transmission control module might need a reflash. And guess where he recommended I go? Back to a Honda dealership! The nearest one is a couple of hours away and wants to charge $180 just to diagnose the issue. Now I’m stuck, wondering if this is indeed “normal” as one dealership claims, or if a software reflash, potentially diagnosable with more advanced OBD2 tools capable of analyzing drive time parameters and transmission behavior, is the real solution. It’s frustrating to be told everything is fine when the driving experience clearly suggests otherwise.
