You can usually tell a transmission is slipping by how the vehicle behaves when you accelerate or when it changes gears. Common signs include: RPM rises but the car does not accelerate normally. The engine may rev noticeably higher while vehicle speed increases slowly. Delayed engagement. After shifting into Drive or Reverse, there may be a pause before the vehicle starts moving. Flare between shifts. RPM suddenly jumps during an automatic gear change before the next gear engages. Unexpected gear changes. The transmission may shift up or down without an obvious reason or struggle to stay in gear. Weak acceleration. The vehicle may feel like it is losing power, especially going uphill or accelerating onto a highway. Jerking or shuddering. You may feel hesitation, vibration, or a sudden grab when the transmission finally engages. Burning smell or overheated transmission fluid. Slipping creates extra heat. Transmission fluid may smell burnt or look unusually dark. Warning lights. The check-engine light or transmission warning light may appear if the computer detects excessive slip. A simple test is to watch the tachometer during moderate acceleration. If RPM quickly increases from, for example, 2,000 to 3,500 RPM without a matching increase in road speed, transmission slipping is possible. Low or degraded transmission fluid can cause similar symptoms, but so can worn clutch packs, a failing torque converter, valve-body problems, solenoid faults, or internal transmission wear. Avoid hard acceleration if it is slipping, because continued driving can rapidly increase internal damage.
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