Locks into Drive. Engine revs spike. The SUV doesn’t move an inch. That’s how the 9TXX fails; without warning, without a code, and sometimes without a fix. GM’s 9-speed automatic (9T45, 9T50, 9T60, 9T65) shows up in nearly every front-drive Chevy, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac built after 2017. What looked like a clean-sheet upgrade from … Read more
Buzz shoots through the floorboard. The tach needle twitches. Nothing’s slipping, but something’s wrong. The Acura RDX hides its transmission flaws well, until it doesn’t. Judder at 45 mph. Limp mode with no warning. Harsh shifts that vanish after a key cycle. These problems cut across three generations and two powertrain layouts, from the early … Read more
Score a dirt-cheap 750i. Crack the throttle. Feel the torque hit hard at 1,800 RPM. Then watch the oil light blink, coolant drop, and smoke curl from the pipes. BMW’s first hot-vee V8 ran like a flagship but cooked itself like a smoker box. This guide breaks down why the N63 ran hot from day … Read more
White smoke pours from the tailpipe. Coolant vanishes. The engine locks solid. No warning, no light. These failures don’t come from age. They’re baked into the design of Ford’s EcoBoost lineup. The 1.6L overheats and cracks. The 1.5L and 2.0L chew through head gaskets and erode block decks. Ford called some of it a safety … Read more
Bucks off the line, flares the revs, then dumps a “Transmission Overheating” message on the dash. That’s the PowerShift signature. Ford’s DPS6 dual-clutch gearbox wasn’t recalled in one clean stroke; it was dissected, patched, denied, and dragged through court. This guide breaks down what most dealers still won’t: how Ford’s “transmission recall” splinters into safety … Read more
Lurch off the line, and the Mazda 3 slams second like it skipped a beat. That jolt could mean a cooked TCM, a slipping clutch, or a torque converter grinding itself into metal dust. And across four generations, each with its own transmission quirks, the issue shifts fast. This guide cuts straight to what fails, … Read more
Shudder into traffic, light throttle, and the QX60 bucks like a worn clutch. Not a slip, not a surge; just the classic CVT judder that haunted Infiniti’s luxury three-row SUV for nearly a decade. The QX60 was never a light truck. Curb weight crept past 4,500 lb, torque loads stayed high, and the Jatco belt … Read more
Tick, tick, stall. That’s how the 3.2 Pentastar shows up, rattling hot, oil weeping down the bellhousing, and a misfire nobody fixed with plugs. Jeep dropped this engine into the KL Cherokee to haul 4,500 lb and run smooth with the 9-speed. But behind the power lies a tight valvetrain, plastic weak points, and heat … Read more
Bang a gear, then brace for whiplash. Honda’s 9-speed slams shifts like it’s mad at the throttle. ZF’s compact 9HP transmission was Honda’s shortcut to a higher gear count without redesigning its engine bays. Lighter, narrower, and boasting a 9.8:1 ratio spread, it looked great on paper. Then came the clunks, slips, stalls, and lawsuits. … Read more
Stall in the fast lane. Dash says “Stop Safely Now.” No engine noise, no throttle, just blinking hazards. That’s how the 3.5L PowerBoost can fail; fast, quiet, and with no warning. This guide cuts through the hybrid complexity and breaks down what actually fails. We’ll dig into engine-side faults, 10R80M transmission issues, thermal overloads, Pro … Read more