2007 Infiniti M35 transmission cold weather issues

[billm46]

I bought a 2007 M35 last year in March. It had just over 9k miles on it. I live in San Antonio and the weather does not get very cold down here but this year our temps got down into the teens and when I would first start my car in the cold and drive, the transmission would lunge and jerk while shifting thru the gears. Once the car and fluids warmed up it would shift just fine. Has anyone else had this problem? If so is there anything to be done to resolve? Thx. Bill

[WhoDey456]

Usually happens in 1st and 2nd gear I assume....I live in Iowa and the weather is far worse than yours, but mine does this also and like you said once the transmission warms up it's smooth as butter! Nothing really to fix it, just let her warm up some more and stay off the acceleration a bit at first. When gears change in higher rpm's the gears shift a lot harder...

[billm46]

Thx for your feedback. It seems that as the transmission is shifting itself up thru all the gears into high, it clunks and jerks and sounds really bad and cannot be good for the unit. I have never had a vehicle in my 50 years of driving that had this problem. They car did come with the original new car warranty with it so guess I will keep an eye on it to see if it gets worse. I plan to let my service adviser know as well, however that won't do much good except I will note in my files on the car that I did make him aware of it. I really enjoy driving the car. thx again. Bill

[AG-M35]

I bought my 06' in 06. During the 1st winter I noticed that on a cold getaway, the car would pull away normally, but when shifting into 3rd, it would almost slam. Once past 3rd, all was normal. This was at around 12K miles. At 15K, in the warmer months, I drained and refilled the trans pan and do this every other oil change. Now at 40K, no issues with anything on the car.. (touch wood)

[billm46]

Thx for the feedback. That sounds just like what my M35 does in cold weather. I have never owned a car that did this and does make me worry about the transmission. I did buy an extended warranty on the car from Infiniti when I purchased the car hoping I would never have to use it but may be glad to have it on this one. I guess I will talk with my service manager when I take it in next time for an oil change. Thx again for your thoughts. Bill

[DAVEM35X]

There is a TSB for the hard shifting in cold weather:

ITB08-030

Came out 6/13/08 and affects 2006-08 M'S

[billm46]

Hi Dave.Thx for the info. I will get with Dave my service manager @ Austin Infiniti in Austin, TX and talk with him about my concern and also about the TSB that came out regarding the M's.Bill.

[daveM45]

Mine has a hard 1-2 shift for the first few minutes and seems to hold gears a bit long. I spoke with the my service manager about this the first winter I had mine. Apparently its a common complaint on a few models. Per Luther Infiniti of Bloomington, its nothing to worry about. I believe they said it was high pressure when cold. Only be concerned if it slips or doesn't shift out of gear. If the TSB says something different please let me know...

[billm46]

I have an appointment next Monday with Austin Infiniti to have my M35 serviced and to also have them check the transmission. Will keep ya posted.

[WhoDey456]

Bill, did you find anything out from Infiniti?

[billm46]

Here is what the dealership told me and it is also on my service paperwork from them. They verified my concern about the hard shifting in cold weather and paperwork says they "reprogrammed ECM per bulletin".

Not sure if I will know for some time if this really fixed the issue or not.

It is supposed to get down into the lower 30's and upper 20's here later this week so maybe I will be able to find out it they fixed it.

Dave, my service manager did seem to understand my concern and I am hopeful that it is fixed. At least I and they do have it officially on their paperwork that there is an issue in case the problem still exists and causes major problems down the road.

We shall see.

[weshaley]

I guess this is a common issue. I have an 06 M35 sport and it is really rough shifting in cold weather, until it warms up, then is smooth. I have noticed the transmission is very sensitive, maybe from the adaptive transmission system. The thing that bugs me the most is when the engine is relatively still cold, like driving within the first 15 minutes (even when I let the car warm up for 15 minutes), I will get that huge bucking from the shifting when making a right turn, like at a street, going about 5-10 mph...it's like the transmission doesn't downshift right and bucks hard to get in the right gear. It is concerning as I have never experienced this with any other car. I had the ECM reprogrammed about 3 weeks ago when I brought it in for this problem....but it still does the same thing. It must just be an issue with these cars.

[billm46]

I really do enjoy my M35 and just hope that I do not have any issues with the Transmission. It may not get cold enough now for me to really tell if I still have an issue. I have owned Acura's for the past 15 years and never had any problems with them. Had a 2006 TL and sold it outright and bought the M35. Would have bought another TL except the looks are bad and decided not to buy another one. My wife is still driving her 2001 MDX and has about 155k on it with no problems ever on it.Sure hope I am not sorry about my purchasing an Infiniti. I hated doing it but did go ahead and buy an extended warranty from Infiniti on my car. Hope I don't have to use it.I truly have no confidence that Infiniti fixed my problem with whatever they did to the transmission. Sure hope I can stay South where it is warmer and maybe the problem will be minimal.Guess I should be glad that I don't own a Toyota Brand.

[SteveTheTech]

Hey y'all,

I see this when the weather gets really cold on many of our models but it is nothing to stress too much. The Jatco RE5 can take a beating as many of the M drivers who dog their cars will agree.

When the trans temperature is cold the car boosts line pressure to the pump maximum to overcome and loss of holding power due to the altered viscositiy of the fluid in the trans. This is normal and if any of you have drive a modern VW/Audi you would notice it there too. Many other cars use an accumulator to dampen the shift shock but in this case it only happens when the fluid is cold. Letting the car warm up for 30seconds to a minute before speeding off will usually allow the fluid to warm up a little.

Here is an excerpt from the TSB listed in this thread. I do not think this will specificall address the issue here I have seen the one in question and that actually felt more like a shift timing error than elevated line pressure.

ITB08-030

2006 – 2008 M; A/T 2 - 3 UP-SHIFT WHEN COLDAPPLIED VEHICLE: 2006 – 2008 M (Y50)APPLIED VINs 2006 – 2007 vehicles; All VINs2008 vehicles built before the following VINs:JNKBY01E(*)8M 500502JNKBY01F(*)8M 550772JNKAY01E(*)8M 603532JNKAY01F(*)8M 652637APPLIED DATE Built before December 12, 2007IF YOU CONFIRM:The Automatic Transmission 2 - 3 up-shift is more pronounced when:• The transmission is cold (first few minutes after a cold start)and•The ambient temperature is below 40°F (4.5°C)and•The shift selector is in “D” (Drive),

[menlund19]

Having grown up and still living in MN, I have seen this issue over and over again. My m35 is no different than any other car I have owned. In cold weather, if you give the car 30 sec to warm up and not stomp on the gas at every stop (for the first few mins) you should be OK. If you start the car up and immediately take off you will experience hard shifts...my two cents.

[azeiler]

I'm in S Florida, so I don't experience the cold weather as many of you do. However, I just had my 06 M35’s fluid changed by a local transmission shop (Automatic Transmission Factory in Davie, FL) that used Amsoil synthetic and a bottle of Lubeguard. What a huge difference! The transmission shifts smoother when I drive nice, but kicks harder when I jump on it. I never expected these kinds of noticeable results just from switching fluids. Maybe this fluid is better in the cold than what your using. Just a thought...

[SteveTheTech]

Maybe this fluid is better in the cold than what your using.

Although that seems like it would be the next logical step the reality is until the transmission fluid reaches 180F the TCM alters line pressure to compensate for the altered viscous state of the thicker fluid.

The transmission should not shift harder unless something has been changed other than the fluid. If the pump pressure and pressure regulators are still set to operate within the same specification shift quality should not be altered. I would not be surprised if this thread were updated 6 months to a year from now asking about shifting issues.

[dvan]

is'kicking' harder supposed to be a good thing?

[Raj26]

Hi Billm46,

I came across your post and noticed that my M35 is experiencing the same issue. I understand it's been some time since you dealt with the jerking problem and had your ECM reprogrammed as recommended by the dealer. I was wondering—did reprogramming resolve the issue completely? Any insights or advice you could share would be greatly appreciated!

[VStar650CL]

The bulletin is still out there. It's specific to the 2-3 shift in cold weather. We performed it on one used M here at the dealership and it did resolve the problem.