Q: When I travel the first 20 miles, my temperature light rises between 3/4 and just below red

asked by on October 02, 2016

My temperature rises within the first 20 miles then goes back down to normal

My car has 135000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi, thanks for writing in. This is a cooling system problem which can be caused by a variety of things, but most commonly is related to a faulty or sticking thermostat or potentially a bad cooling fan relay causing the fans to come on at the incorrect temperatures. When this happens the temperature will rise as you have noticed, but then come back down either when the fans finally come on or potentially from the air passing into the car while driving. I recommend having one of our certified automotive technicians from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect, diagnose, and repair the issue.

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