M37X lagging during acceleration?

[NoTalentLoser]

I was at a stoplight earlier today and knew that I would need to transfer to the right lane, so as soon as the light turned green, I hit the gas pedal (didn't "floor" it) and the car started to move, as you'd expect it to. But as I continued to press the gas pedal down further, the car just didn't seem like it wanted to accelerate quick enough.

Honestly, it reminded me of trying to accelerate in my old Chevy S10, and what was really embarrassing about the situation was that I almost couldn't acceletate fast enough to be able to overtake the Honda van in the right lane. And when I did finally pass the van, I did it with hardly any clearance room at all.

I've heard these cars be referred to as "poor torque" cars, so would this just be considered a normal occurrence? Or does this sound like an issue with the engine? BTW, I was driving in "Standard" mode.

[agoodall]

Not saying I have experienced the exact issue, but I will say that with an electronic gas pedal/throttle you have to drive a little differently. I find that from a dead stop my M37x accelerates off the line faster if I place my foot towards the top of the pedal and push down. If I try accelerating hard by pushing the bottom of the pedal the response is never the same.

Could be me or my car...but I have noticed a difference between pressing the top of the gas pedal vs. the bottom of the pedal.

[NoTalentLoser]

Thanks for the tip; I'll try pushing the gas pedal from the top of the pedal when I'm driving this week. Also, I bought my M37x used and don't think it's ever had any of the transmission software TSBs applied, so I'll definitely look into having that done within the next week...

[coolchuck]

Yeah that lag is pretty profound in "standard" mode. It's not as bad in "sport" though. So its not unique to your car.

[austin713]

what year? if you havent had the transmission update applied on the 2011 model it might fix the issue.

[insanex1]

I would also check the battery, My voltage was low and when it was replaced I felt a difference.

[withomps44]

How would one know that the transmission update has been applied? I'm taking my 2011 to Infiniti this weekend for the 60k service. Would they be able to tell me? I notice a little lag sometimes in standard but nothing significant.

[austin713]

just tell them to look at your firmware for the TCM. if there is a newer version available in the CONSULT system they will just apply it. im trying to figure out what they are going to charge for that. You may be able to get them to throw that in for free if you are paying for the 60k.

[withomps44]

Thank you.

[wideopn11]

just tell them to look at your firmware for the TCM. if there is a newer version available in the CONSULT system they will just apply it. im trying to figure out what they are going to charge for that. You may be able to get them to throw that in for free if you are paying for the 60k.

This was a service bulletin so they should not charge you to update the firmware.

[NoTalentLoser]

Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up getting the latest TCM update applied at the dealership a couple weeks ago (covered under warranty), and the car feels like it has been driving & shifting much more smoothly. It still shifts roughly once every now and then and downshifts a little too hard every once in a while, but for the most part, the car is much more pleasant to drive. There is still some weird shifting that occurs when driving in Eco mode, though, so I'm still not sure if it's mechanically damaging the transmission whenever I drive in that mode.....

[jase1125]

Unfortunately in Infinit's attempt to make a smart transmission, they made it stupid. Apparently it learns your driving habits and adjusts to one of three settings. The problem is I change my driving style for many reasons: in a hurry, rocking song, middle age kicking in and cruising. I am much more efficient and accurate at learning how a car behaves and adjusting my style if the transmission would stay consistent. The update helped, but certainly didn't completely resolve the issue. Frankly, I liked my old 5 speed in my previous M better. I have a love hate relationship with this car.

[icrf]

Unfortunately in Infinit's attempt to make a smart transmission, they made it stupid. Apparently it learns your driving habits and adjusts to one of three settings. The problem is I change my driving style for many reasons: in a hurry, rocking song, middle age kicking in and cruising. I am much more efficient and accurate at learning how a car behaves and adjusting my style if the transmission would stay consistent. The update helped, but certainly didn't completely resolve the issue. Frankly, I liked my old 5 speed in my previous M better. I have a love hate relationship with this car.

I couldn't agree more. I drive like an old man 80% of the time, aiming for efficiency, but that other 20% of the time, when the mood strikes me, downshifts just lag terribly. A learning transmission sounds nice, but who drives exactly the same all the time?

I haven't checked to see if the transmission update has been applied to my car, so maybe it hasn't and that's exacerbating the problem.

[jase1125]

Unfortunately in Infinit's attempt to make a smart transmission, they made it stupid. Apparently it learns your driving habits and adjusts to one of three settings. The problem is I change my driving style for many reasons: in a hurry, rocking song, middle age kicking in and cruising. I am much more efficient and accurate at learning how a car behaves and adjusting my style if the transmission would stay consistent. The update helped, but certainly didn't completely resolve the issue. Frankly, I liked my old 5 speed in my previous M better. I have a love hate relationship with this car.

I couldn't agree more. I drive like an old man 80% of the time, aiming for efficiency, but that other 20% of the time, when the mood strikes me, downshifts just lag terribly. A learning transmission sounds nice, but who drives exactly the same all the time?

I haven't checked to see if the transmission update has been applied to my car, so maybe it hasn't and that's exacerbating the problem.

The update made a noticeable difference for me. I recommend validating it has the latest update ASAP. It occasionally pops up, but much less frequently.

[Mfinesse]

The transmission response on this car is a absolute joke. How can infiniti release something like this ?

Modern transmissions should not feel like a 3 speed american car from the 1970's. This should be a recall, not a tsb. It's pretty bad when u can't tell if the transmission is falling apart or if it's working as it should.

[bearcave]

Today I change from eco to standard and can feel more torque on go than on eco where there is lag till about 3rd gear. Even hitting an hill the powerr feel like my SS. Where On eco feel like I'm carrying 20 tons. I haven't try sport or snow yet.