Who has the best transmission??
 

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A transmission shop's experience...(click to read all)

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What vehicle has the "best" automatic transmission?

This is a question that I get asked over and over, but, it very hard to answer, because there is quite a bit of personal preference that weighs heavily on what is "best". For those of you shopping for a "new" vehicle, I will attempt to answer this question, based upon my personal experience, in a transmission shop. These opinions are just that; Opinions, and I am sure that there will be many that disagree with me, but, my opinions are formed, primarily, by the frequency of automatic transmission failures I see, from a particular model. While this is not "scientific", I believe that when I see many failing transmissions, of a particular transmission model, while the vehicle has very low mileage, I can assume that the transmission has problems. These opinions are not based on a particular case, but, rather, problems that I consitently see, day to day, that I base these opinions. There will be many exceptions to the rules I have stated here, so just because you may have gotten more, or less mileage, out of your transmission, than I have stated here, does not invalidate the "norm".

First off, it is impossible to answer this question without determining what type of vehicle you are asking about, so I will answer this question, in many parts, that include many of the different type of vehicles that a person may consider. The first section will discuss "cars", such as 2 and 4 door vehicles, and station wagons. The second section will include information about small pickups, minivans and sport utility vehicles. The third section will include information about full-sized pickups and 4 wheel drives.

Section 1: 2 and 4-door Cars and Station Wagons

Summary
It is my opinion, in terms of transmission reliability, the Hondas, Acuras, Lexus', Toyotas, etc. have a much better record, and I would consider these types of cars, if you do not want to have transmission trouble, than any of the U.S.-made vehicles on the market today. I have found that although the Isuzus, Mazdas, Nissans, etc. tend to also have good transmission reliability, that a person is better to stick with more of a "name brand", such as Honda, Toyota, etc., because they command a higher resale value, in the U.S. I, personally, bought a '96 Honda Accord Wagon, for my wife, because I work on cars 40-hours a week, and do not want to work on my own, when I get home.

Section 2: Small Pickups, Minivans, and Sport Utility Vehicles

Summary
It is my opinion that, in terms of automatic transmission reliability, the Toyota minitruck and fourrunner line is the way to go, with the Honda Passport also being a good choice. Again, as in the "car section", I would avoid the more obscure vehicles, like Izusu, Mazda, Nissan, etc. because, although they seem to have a better reliability record than the U.S. made minitrucks, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, they suffer from a low resale value, as compared to the Toyotas, and Hondas.

Section 3: Full-sized trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles

Summary
Again, if I needed a full-sized sport utitlity vehicle, I would choose the LandCruiser/Lexus, over the Chevy Blazer, Tahoe, or Suburban, although they can be reasonably reliable too. I would choose a GM full-sized truck, before a Ford or a Chrysler, and would choose a 3/4 ton GM truck if I were planning on towing, at all. I believe that the engineers may have a good sense of humor when they set "towing capacities" on their 1/2 ton trucks, and would not consider towing any trailer over 1000 lbs. with any 1/2 ton GM truck, because I do not believe that the 4L60E is designed for it; this is not a heat problem, but rather a "hard part" problem when the 4L60E fails, so I do not believe that a cooler will help in this case. If you are set on buying a Ford, or Chrysler full-sized truck, I suggest buying a used one, because with all of the transmission problems they have had, you should be able to find plenty of people willing to give you a "good deal" on a relatively new truck, because of the problems they have already experienced.

This is a pleasant surprise to read...even if it is just one opinion of a mechanic. I have heard much about GM's strong transmissions, especially those in it's trucks/SUVs. I guess Toyota is just as good, or even better! :)

Interesting post, Thai. Of the past dozen vehicles I've owned, only one has been an automatic. So my probable purchase of a new 4Runner will be a change for me. Hope the new 5 sp auto turns out to be reliable!

I've been thoroughly engolfed with all things bmw for the past 5 years and get the "feeling" from what I've read in tech talks etc. that in general, if you want a reliable bmw tranny past 100K, you had better stick with the manual trans. This is particularly notable with the GM/France auto trans that is in the 5 series and I think the X5. Most bmw owners never notice or care 'cause the lease is up way before problems occur. The best example of this is the dreaded auto trans in the former 8 series. Don't know who makes it, but from what I read, it very rarely lasts beyond 90K. This is why the 850 with rare 6 speed is like gold as far as resale value is concerned. Of course, some of the bmw manual trans have had their problems, too.

The SMG you seem to like? Cool concept, but i can only imagine the nightmare this trans will be 5-6 years down the road!

Swaro,

I know...but SMG is such an amazing technology...an automatic tranny with manual option that is truly FASTER than a true manual! I believe it is the fastest auto-manual tranny in the world, rivaling Formula 1 cars!:zoom:

Go JPM! And thanks Schuey for causing the melee that took my man Juan out for two laps!

I've been hearing many people speak about the legendary longevity of some of the older Mercedes auto trans. Have you?

Swaro,

Not specifically Mercedes tranny, but rather, the older Mercedes models were exquisitely built and with unquestionable quality. I truly respect the older Mercedes...that was why they cost so much!

The newer models are POS! Technologies are excellent, however, the build quality is pathetic. That is why Mercedes is able to keep the prices within reasonable range.

Name me a current model Mercedes that has a decent reliability record?? None! :rant:

Definitly older, Thai. I also have heard nothing but problems with newer Mercedes.

Bullet proof
 

Hows about a cast iron hdrya-matic, got 4 speeds and will take any amount of punishment or horse power. A slightly massaged turbo 400 is also an excellent choice. The Toyota 340 series and up are not bad trannies, just not gonna put big power through them, unless it's a Supra, and at a certain point they wont hold. The duramax Allison setup is a heck of combo. If only they could put the Ally behind a Cummings, it would a truckers dream come true. As far as cvt's go, they don't, I would never tell anyone to buy a vehicle that has one (sorry Nissan lovers). They are so expensive to fix, its ridiculous, in some case cost more than car is worth.

help
 

Im a 13 year old so I'm not very good with cars. Can I put a V8 in a 04 and if so what kind of transmission will it need. My Dad wants to put it in when I turn 16.

GM has had major issues with their 8 speed in the Silverado - the newer Ford/GM 10 speed is better but not perfect. Mine has acted weird when it was really cold outside.

Excellent advice on the "best" transmission for the consumer. It all depends on personal preference. I have been thinking about replacing my transmission with a used, rebuilt, or remanufactured transmission and I came upon this article in the depths of google that caught my interest. I'd be interested to hear your opinion on this article as it will help me with my decision. Toyota Tundra - Wholesale Transmissions

Cheers

Scotty Kilmer likes Aisin transmissions used by Toyotas, and doesn't like Honda trannies. Here's his Utube video. You decide. scotty kilmer best transmissions - Bing video

I have a 5 speed AT in my 2005 4runner (AISIN) with 150,000 miles and never a slip or problem. Changed the fluid (5 quarts) at the dealer at 105,000 ($130).

The D/F reads on the internet make it sound like a difficult job! Anyone do it? What do you say?

Note:
The 6-speed Aisin AY6 in the X-Runner is terrible.
Speaking from personal experience.

Honda by a mile

No fluid changes and they are as smooth as silk.. all the never tranny's are to sophisticated for there own good

My 14 Honda J3 engine and 5 speed are bullet proof.. went 411k zero issues shifted better than new cars