Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear
Most reported: 2014 Ford Focus with 388 reports. Across the 326 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 7,439.
- 7,439owner reports
- 326model years affected
- 47,000median miles
- 105involved a crash
- 13involved a fire
This is the narrower sheet inside transmission shudder for shifts that jerk, lurch or bang. Where the wider sheet also takes in slipping and vibration, these reports are about a shift that arrives too hard: the car lunges forward, or a clunk comes through the floor as it drops into gear.
Part of Transmission Problems (Shudder and Hard Shifts), which counts 15,027 reports.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of jerking or hard shifts reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12014 Ford Focus7 crashes38816% of its complaints40k mi
- 22014 Jeep Cherokee4 crashesrecall30613% of its complaints33k mi
- 32018 Ford F-1502 crashesrecall29213% of its complaints55k mi
- 42015 Jeep Cherokee3 crashesrecall23313% of its complaints22k mi
- 521216% of its complaints70k mi
- 62017 Chrysler Pacifica1 crashrecall15210% of its complaints30k mi
- 72019 Ford Edge1 crashrecall14319% of its complaints70k mi
- 82020 Ford Explorerrecall13111% of its complaints50k mi
- 92015 Chrysler 2008 crashesrecall1256% of its complaints27k mi
- 102015 Ford Focus2 crashesrecall12012% of its complaints44k mi
- 112016 Ford Focus1 crashrecall11710% of its complaints67k mi
- 122020 Ford F-150recall10514% of its complaints59k mi
- 132016 Hyundai Tucson1 crashrecall1046% of its complaints11k mi
- 142017 Ford F-150recall906% of its complaints80k mi
- 152017 Ford Focusrecall8910% of its complaints44k mi
- 162020 Ford Expedition1 firerecall8521% of its complaints45k mi
- 172019 Chevrolet Silverado 15003 crashesrecall848% of its complaints41k mi
- 182019 Jeep Cherokeerecall825% of its complaints48k mi
- 19607% of its complaints51k mi
- 202018 Ford Focusrecall607% of its complaints50k mi
- 212015 Acura TLX1 crashrecall5817% of its complaints7k mi
- 22588% of its complaints10k mi
- 232021 Ford F-150recall586% of its complaints62k mi
- 242019 Ford Expedition1 crashrecall5711% of its complaints79k mi
- 252020 Ford Edgerecall5618% of its complaints82k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe jerking or hard shifts. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12020 Ford Expedition1 firerecall8521% of its complaints45k mi
- 22019 Ford Edge1 crashrecall14319% of its complaints70k mi
- 32020 Ford Edgerecall5618% of its complaints82k mi
- 42015 Acura TLX1 crashrecall5817% of its complaints7k mi
- 521216% of its complaints70k mi
- 62014 Ford Focus7 crashes38816% of its complaints40k mi
- 72020 Ford F-150recall10514% of its complaints59k mi
- 82714% of its complaints80k mi
- 92014 Nissan Sentra1 crash4813% of its complaints78k mi
- 102015 Jeep Cherokee3 crashesrecall23313% of its complaints22k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford F-150922
- Ford Focus774
- Ford Edge262
- Ford Escape243
When it happens
4,557 of the 7,439 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 17,000 and 80,000 miles; the median is 47,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of jerking or hard shifts, grouped by the model year of the car. 105 involved a crash and 13 a fire. 57 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 7,439 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
About 7,400 complaints on this site describe it, which makes it the largest of the three transmission sub-sheets. Four in five use the words jerk or lurch, and more than a quarter mention a clunk, bang, slam or jolt. The part that separates this from a comfort complaint is the traffic: more than one in five mentions an accident, a hit or a near miss. The median mileage given is about 43,000, and the 2014 Ford Focus, 2014 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Ford F-150 top the list.
Firestone treats shaking, jolting and kicking during shifts as a sign that something is wrong, and says automatic shifts that become more jarring than you're used to are worth a check-up. Its first suspect for poor shifting is low or contaminated fluid. About one owner in nine here mentions a software update or reflash.
Expect a scan for codes and a fluid check. Tell the mechanic which shift it happens on (first to second, a downshift as you slow, or into drive or reverse from park), whether the engine is cold or warm, and whether it has ever pushed the car into traffic. NHTSA's recalls turn on safety risk, so put that detail in any complaint you file with it.
Check NHTSA's recall lookup and the manufacturer bulletins NHTSA posts. Report it during the powertrain warranty and keep the repair orders; the FTC says a defect reported in the warranty period must be fixed even if the warranty expires before the repair.
Sources
- 8 signs of a bad transmission, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Check for recalls; from complaints to recall, NHTSA
- Resources related to investigations and recalls (manufacturer communications), NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.