These Are The Worst Transmission Recalls Of The Last 5 Years

These days, it feels like not a week goes by without some kind of enormous recall hitting the American auto industry. Heck, recently we saw huge recalls on cars like the Volkswagen ID4 — even brands like Mercedes and Kia have taken a hit. When they occur, recalls can impact everything from rear-view cameras and dodgy tailgates to more serious issues, like faulty transmissions. And when it comes to transmission recalls, there have been some enormous issues uncovered in America that have impacted hundreds of thousands of cars.

Transmission recalls are particularly important as this component is the piece that ensures all the power from your engine goes to the road and, with lots of moving parts inside, there is a ton that can go wrong with your transmission. When problems do arise, they command everything from quick fixes to full transmission replacements.

Here are some of the biggest transmission recalls to hit the American auto industry over the past five years listed from least to most potentially affected vehicles. We’ll cover what went wrong in each case, and the steps automakers took to ensure the problems wouldn’t arise again. If you are worried that your car might be affected by a recall, there are a few easy ways to check. First up, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has a super handy app that you can use to see if your vehicle is impacted by a recall, or you can head to the regulator’s website and plug your VIN into its recall search tool.

Model years impacted: 2019 – 2020

Number of potential vehicles affected: 84,202

In early 2020, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a recall of certain 2019 and 2020 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks due to an increased risk of fire. An investigation revealed that a buildup of pressure and heat inside the transmission could result in a fluid leak. The leaking transmission fluid could then splash onto hot spots in the engine bay, increasing the risk of fire in impacted models. 

Increased risk of fire isn’t something anybody wants in their cars, so Dodge’s parent company, Stellantis, quickly uncovered a fix and recalled more than 84,000 trucks that could be impacted by the problem. To fix the issue, the automaker worked to replace the transmission valve body separator plate and reprogrammed the powertrain control module.

Model years impacted: 2020 – 2023

Number of potential vehicles affected: 105,071

Just last year, German automaker Mercedes-Benz issued a recall of its GLE and GLS vehicles, reports CarScoops. The issue related to the transmission fitted to the two models, which the NHTSA explained may not “fully downshift in certain conditions, causing the engine to stall.” 

The defect impacted more than 100,000 GLE and GLS cars across the 2020 to 2023 model years, the agency said in recall documents. However, to rectify the problem, Mercedes had a pretty simple fix and just updated the transmission control software in impacted cars. This was done free of charge to all owners.

Model years impacted: 2018 – 2020

Number of potential vehicles affected: 194,105

This one was a real doozy, and hit 12 different models across four different brands owned by General Motors. The recall impacted almost 200,000 cars from Buick, GMC, Cadillac, and Chevrolet that were all at risk of leaking transmission fluids, reports SlashGear. 

The recall related to bolts that may be missing from impacted vehicles’ start/stop accumulator end caps, the NHTSA explained in its documents. This meant that transmission fluid could leak, increasing the risk of a crash or fire. The issue was uncovered in the Buick LaCrosse, Enclave and Encore; GMC’s Terrain and Acadia; the Cadillac XT4 and XT6; and the Chevrolet Malibu, Cruze, Equinox, Traverse, and Blazer. To rectify the problem, GM dealers inspected the start-stop transmission accumulator and replaced it if any bolts were missing.

Model years impacted: 2019 – 2020

Number of potential vehicles affected: 198,255

The biggest transmission recall to hit Japanese automaker Subaru came in December 2021, when the company was forced to roll out a fix on almost 200,000 Ascent, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold across the U.S. The recall was issued after Subaru found a weakness in the drive chain on some cars, which could break and result in a loss of power on impacted cars. 

The root cause of the issue was a programming error in the Transmission Control Unit, which could allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain was completely clamped, CNET explained at the time. As a result, the first fix rolled out by Subaru was to reprogram the TCU before dealers inspected the chain guide for any evidence of chain slippage or damage. If issues were found, the brand replaced the transmission in impacted vehicles. 

Model years impacted: 2020 – 2023

Number of potential vehicles affected: 203,223

In September 2020, the NHTSA issued a recall that hit more than 200,000 Nissan cars across the Frontier, Titan, and Z lines. The models, made between 2020 and 2023 were all found to have an issue with their transmissions that correlated to the parking pawl potentially not engaging when they were shifted into park. The NHTSA explained that this could increase the risk of rollaway on impacted models. 

The problem got so bad that in 2022 Nissan stopped selling automatic Zs due to the rollaway risk but did eventually unearth a fix for the issue. As per NHTSA documents, the Japanese automaker initially advised drivers to apply the parking brake every time they parked their vehicles, just to be sure, but soon began inspecting and repairing impacted vehicles by reprogramming the transmission control module and the engine control module in certain cars.

Model years impacted: 2017 – 2022

Number of potential vehicles affected: 247,445

What is it with big trucks and big recalls? After Ram was forced to issue a fix for its 2500 and 3500 trucks, Ford followed suit with a recall of its Super Duty models. The recall hit 2017-2022 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks that were fitted with gasoline engines and aluminum driveshafts. 

According to the NHTSA, there was a risk that underbody heat and noise insulators could loosen over time and come into contact with the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the driveshaft and lead to a loss in power. While Ford said it wasn’t aware of any incident or injuries as a result of the defect, it quickly notified owners of impacted vehicles that their trucks would need to be brought into a dealer for inspection. There, engineers inspected and repaired the driveshaft and correctly fastened the underbody insulators.

Model years impacted: 2020 – 2023

Number of potential vehicles affected: 248,342

Another enormous recall hit the Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks in November 2022, adds Kelley Blue Book. After recalling 2019 to 2020 over issues with transmission fluid leaks, the recall was expanded to cover 2020 to 2023 model year trucks as well. 

The issue, which was uncovered more than two years after the initial Ram 2500 recall, found that increased pressure and heat inside the transmission could cause a leak through the car’s dipstick. This increased the risk of fire in almost 250,000 trucks, so a fix was essential. Ram’s solution was, once again, to replace the transmission dipstick and the transmission vent assembly, which would reduce the buildup in pressure from happening again. 

Model years impacted: 2022 – 2024

Number of potential vehicles affected: 280,663

A slew of models from Toyota were found to have an issue that could lead to “unexpected vehicle movement,” according to the NHTSA. The issue could occur when certain Toyota Tundra, Sequoia, and Lexus LX600 vehicles were in neutral without the brakes applied. 

The issue impacted more than 280,000 vehicles across the three models, but thankfully Toyota had a pretty simple fix for the problem: a software update. Dealers began rolling out a software patch to impacted models in early 2024, which saw them update the transmission control software to patch the problem. 

Model years impacted: 2020 – 2022

Number of potential vehicles affected: 461,839

A whole heap of General Motors trucks and SUVs were caught up in an enormous recall related to locking rear wheels late 2024. Chevrolet’s Silverado, Tahoe, and Suburban; GMC’s Sierra and Yukon; and the Cadillac Escalade were all hit by the recall, which impacted more than 460,000 vehicles across America. 

The recall hit models equipped with diesel engines, which were found to have a faulty transmission control valve that could fail and cause the rear wheels to lock, the NHTSA explained at the time. Owners were encouraged to take affected vehicles to dealerships, where a new transmission control software could be installed to remedy the issue. The patch helped GM identify models with transmissions that needed more thorough repairs, which were subsequently carried out. 

Model years impacted: 2013 – 2019

Number of potential vehicles affected: 2,925,968

The final transmission recall we’ll cover from the past five years was a real big one. It hit almost three million vehicles across five different models and was, of course, a Ford recall.

The June 2022 recall hit Ford’s Escape, C-Max, Fusion, Edge, and even the Transit Connect when it was announced. In total, 2,925,968 vehicles were impacted by the issue, which related to bushings that attached the shifter cable to the transmission. Those bushings could degrade or detach, which could mean that a car didn’t shift into the gear you were expecting.

To fix the issue, Ford called on owners to take their vehicles to dealerships where the shift bushings were replaced and a protective cap was installed to prevent wear and tear. This was the biggest in a long string of recalls to hit Ford, which struggled with quality issues for years. In 2024, the automaker finally pledged to clean up its act after it was hit with a $165 million fine over its handling of recalls in America.