Hi folks,

I purchased my used, certified, 2007 G35x 5AT sedan two weeks ago with 20,200 miles on the clock. Since then, I’ve been getting more accustomed to the car and have noticed something things I consider unusual with the transmission.

First off, when the car shifts from first to second, regardless of how aggressively or mildly driven, it has a very drawn out shift, with little crispness involved.

Secondly, when the tachometer hits ~ 3,500-3,600 RPM, there is a “hiccup”, "bump" or slight “slip” in the tach, which can also be felt in the seat of your pants. I played with this last night for over an hour, driving all around town using the manual shift mode, and it is more noticeable in second and third gear, but can be observed in all gears (including fifth, which means I was fracturing a few laws). Having owned a car that had a slipping tranny, this feels just like it’s trying to slip, but once I pass this level in the tach, it’s gone, and all seems normal. So if I’m accelerating hard, it hits this spot in the tach, does the “bump/slip” (literally a fraction of a second), then back to smooth. If I’m trying to hold the tach at the point where the “bump” occurs, it’s more noticeable since the engine speed is not quickly taking me past the point in which this issue occurs, if that makes sense.

In any event, I’m concerned since neither of these things seem characteristic of any auto tranny I’ve ever driven. BTW, I experience both issues regardless of whether I’m using manual mode or let the car shift on its own; I just found my experimentation easier to observe using manual mode since I could more easily control the engine speed.

From what I know, the car was well maintained and I do know it was a one-owner car, purchased, serviced, and traded in all at the same Infiniti dealership in Denver (I'm 400 miles south in Albuquerque). I was considering changing out the ATF to Amsoil myself, but until this issue is past me and resolved, I won’t touch a thing on the car so I don’t jeopardize my warranty.

The specific questions I have for all of you is if you have experienced this, and perhaps if you’d take your cars out in the next few days and, using manual mode, experiment with the 3,200-3,800 range on the tach to see if you notice anything like I’ve described and then post your findings? Also, if you can comment on the first to second gear lazy, soft shift, I’d really appreciate your comments on that, as well. Any other comments you may have are also appreciated.

Unless you all are feeling and seeing what I am with both “issues”, I plan to call my local dealer on Monday for an appointment to have the car checked out.

Thanks, and my apologies for the longwinded post.

Joe

 

Hey bud,

I have two new 2008 G35x's and i can confirm that the 1st to 2nd gear shift is definitely drawn out at times .. I also drive a 2004 Acura TL 5AT and i's a very snappy, quick shift from 1-->2 .. I guess it takes some getting used to. My sis-in-law has a 2006 G35x and her's also does the rather slow 1-->2 shift .. it may be a bit prolonged (the shifting) but it should be smooth.

Regarding the 3500 rpm "hiccup" .. i know slippin' transmissions like i know the back of my hand -- had three failed trannie's with similar symptoms in my 2002 Tl Type S that I eventually lemoned .. and I can tell you that none of the 3 G35's that we have do this... therefore I would suggest you sit with an Infiniti tech when demonstrating the problem to the dealership. Otherwise they'll likely come back with "Can't replicate the problem .. take your car home, it's perfectly fine."

Best of luck

 

Peter, thanks for the reply.

Good to know about 1st to 2nd being normal (too bad it's normal).

You're right, I need to go into the dealership and ensure they observe and acknowledge the problem. Knowing how passive they can be, this has me concerned, but I'll just need to stick to my guns.

Thanks again for the reply.

Joe

 

mines does the it from 1st to 2nd... its not normal.. pisses me off so much... feels like i paid for a piece of crap...

 

Have the ECU updated, I have a 07 G35X and there are updates to solve the shifting issues.

 

Car goes into the dealer tomorrow. I'm bracing myself for "oh, that's normal" or "we couldn't replicate the problem", although I'm taking the tech out with me on a ride to observe the problem.

 

Blklegend is probably right. I have a very harsh shift into 3rd in my 2007 G35X Auto. In DS it's good, in D it's good, but when manually shifting it's a "slam" unless I feather the throttle a little. That Hesitation in the tranny should be better if you aask to see if the ECU upgrades were applied - check the TSBs 028 and/or 045, I beleive. They relate to the Cruise Control, but they do affect the hesitation / shifting/ touchy throttle issues.

 

Hey man sounds a little like what my car is doing. An its been at the dealer for 3 months.. See my thread Serious Heisatation.. I hope its not the same as mine.

 

Hi all,
I thought I’d report back on where things stand for me and my G.

I took the car to the dealer last Friday, and as I feared, I received a response of “it’s within spec. We can feel what you’re feeling, but there are no error codes and the diagnostic tool is not picking anything up”.

Needless to say, I’m very discouraged. I’ve had the car for just under a month, and I feel that the transmission “blips, hesitations, and slips” are slowly getting worse. When I took the car in last week, I also had them check out a problem with being able to fill the fuel tank completely, for which they said a new fuel sending unit was required to fix (need to order parts). After driving home this evening in what was an above average day, temperature wise, the transmission was especially disruptive to an otherwise enjoyable ride home, so I called the dealer (the only one in my state, mind you) when I arrived home. I told the service manager that I felt the issue was slowly getting worse, and perhaps was attributed to the higher ambient temperatures. He offered to look at it in conjunction with fixing the fueling problem, but I get the feeling I’m only going to receive the same runaround when the car goes in next Tuesday.

Question I have for all of you is, what do I do if I’m once again told the behavior of the transmission is within “spec”? I’ve driven two 2007 G35x cars other than mine, as well as the 2007 G35S loaner provided when I took my car in, and all three performed as I would expect an automatic transmission to behave, demonstrating NONE of the anomalies my car exhibits. So, what options do I have if the one and only dealer within 450 miles once again stonewalls me? Can I escalate the issue to Nissan Corporation? Ifso, how do I best do this? The rest of the car performs so well, but this is just so disruptive to its performance, enjoyment and drivability, I’ve started calling the car Sybil, since the transmission acts schizophrenic. If my car’s transmission performed the same as the other examples I’ve driven, I’d be a happy boy!

Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

Joe

 

Just request them to upgrade the ECU software, I am pretty sure that is the issue. Tell them about the TSB related to the cruise control and they will have to upgrade the ECU software.

 

Some things I failed to mention in my update:

Without me asking, when picking up the car last week, the Service Manager said "there was an upate for your engine so we flashed the ECU", which leads me to believe this update has been performed (transmission still has issues).

Car performs almost perfectly when the car is first driven in the mornings, i.e., everything is cold.

As we've had some above average temperatures the last few days, the problems have gotten worse, just as they are worse when the car is hot from lots of city driving. IOW, the hotter the car is, the more pronounced the issues.

I've checked the transmission fluid level (not sure if the dealership did, as well), and it is normal.

Transmission fluid is nice and red, and does not smell burned.

Still worried I'm stuck with a car that they won't fix under warranty, but does not have the driving or performance characteristics of similar G's.

Again, if the dealer won't move forward with addressing the problem, can I sek help from Nissan's corporate offices?

Thanks,

Joe

 

Well considering the fact the you have all the complaints documented with infiniti dealer iw ould not sweat it too much and just drive the car the way i would want to, hard.

Then if anything goes wrong they would have to back you up considering you consistently complained and brought your car in for service and they denied to find the problem

 

Kool,
Those have been my thoughts, too, but if the car never fails, I've got a real downer of a ride I get to live with.

 

The Service Manager said the update addressed "a cold start issue", however, there was no mention of the update being performed on the work order. When I mentioned this he said "I can put it on there if it makes you happy".

I'm guessing it was indeed perfromed since the throttle tip in is not as drastic as it was prior to taking the car in. I also can confirm that the transmission shifting issues changed, moving the issues to other points in the shift pattern and RPM band. So, I can't decide if I think this is an electronic issue or a mechanical issue with the transmission.

Thanks for the bulletin link!

 

I have the exact same symtom, only different.

I never noticed this until I had my FI exhaust on since I hear it much more than I feel it, and I never gave it a thought until I read your thread here.
It's not ALL the time, but on some occasions, I do get a "blip" at 3,500 RPMS.
Again, I hear it more than I feel it.
Sorta like a note missing in a symphony that is the FI exhaust.
Sorta like a tooth missing from the crotch of your favorite jeans that is the FI exhaust.
Sorta like a chipped tooth on the smile of a supermodel that is the FI exhaust.

Anyway, mine seems to happen more when it's cold out than when the car is warm and only seems to occur under light to moderate acceleration.

I never considered this an issue, but you have me thinking a bit now.
I didn't do the ECU update. I love my 07 throttle response and have driven those cars with the new flash.. it ain't for me.
I'll live with it for now but I'm now going to be more conscious of it and I'll see if it gets any more noticable.