Q: Car jerking and dying.

asked by on January 13, 2016

The car starts, but when you put it into drive or reverse it dies with a jerking motion.

Hi. Your car is equipped with a torque converter clutch that allows the converter to lock to the speed of the flywheel which increases fuel efficiency. This is only to occur at highway speeds when the vehicle is cruising. The issue with your vehicle is that the converter clutch is staying engaged. When this occurs it is almost like popping the clutch on a manual transmission vehicle and the engine stalling. Either the converter itself is failing or there is a problem with the circuit that controls is. You should enlist the help of a transmission shop that can diagnose the vehicle properly.

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