The 12 Most Frustrating Transmissions in Modern Cars

Modern cars promise smooth shifts and high-tech performance until their transmissions start acting up. From jerky dual-clutch systems to CVTs that drone endlessly, some gearboxes have earned a reputation for turning every drive into an irritation. These 12 transmissions may have looked good on paper, but on the road, they’ve left countless drivers grinding their teeth instead of gears.

Ford Focus (with the PowerShift DCT)

Okay, we have to start with the legend. The infamous PowerShift dual-clutch. In a car that was otherwise pretty nice! But this thing… it shuddered, it hesitated, it felt like it was having a constant existential crisis every time you tried to pull away from a stoplight. Ford got sued into oblivion over this thing. And the crazy part? A used one is like, $10,000? Maybe less? But it’s a total lottery. You might get a okay one, or you might get one that shudders like a chihuahua in a snowstorm.

Jeep Compass (the older 9-speed)

Oh my god, the ZF 9-speed. In some cars it’s fine! But in the Compass? It was a nightmare. It was always hunting, always confused. “Should I be in 7th? No, 4th? How about 9th at 25 mph?” It just never knew what to do. It made a perfectly adequate SUV feel genuinely unpleasant to drive. And for what, $30,000 new? You’d just feel ripped off. It was so bad.

Nissan Sentra (with the Jatco CVT)

I mean, any of the Nissans with the Jatco CVT from the last decade could be here. The Sentra is just the poster child. It drones, it feels rubbery, and they have a… reputation for not lasting. You know, the whole “CVT of these gods” meme is there for a reason. It just sucks the life out of the driving experience. And you’re paying like $23,000 for a new one? I’d rather take the bus, honestly.

Acura ILX (the old 8-speed DCT)

This one is a weird kind of frustrating. Because it’s a dual-clutch, so you think “sporty!” but then… it has a torque converter. Like, why? And the result is this jerky, hesitant low-speed behavior that makes parking lot maneuvers a total pain. In a car that’s supposed to be a bit premium! It was just… not good. And for around $30,000? The Honda Civic it was based on was a way smoother experience.

Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon (the 8-speed)

So, GM had this big issue with their 8-speed automatic in these trucks, and the Silverado too. The shudder. Oh, the shudder. It felt like you were driving over rumble strips on a perfectly smooth highway. It was a fluid thing, I think, but it was so common. You buy a tough, $35,000 truck and the transmission feels like it’s falling apart at 20,000 miles. So frustrating.

Honda Civic (1.5T with the CVT)

Wait, but Honda makes good transmissions! Usually! And their CVT is generally one of the better ones. But in the 1.5T Civic… it has these fake shift points programmed in. So instead of just holding the optimal ratio, it “shifts” to feel like a regular automatic, and it just feels so artificial and weird. Why, Honda? Why? You had a perfectly good CVT and you made it worse. On a $26,000 car, it’s a nitpick, but it bugs me.

Hyundai/Kia DCT (in some models)

Their newer dual-clutch boxes, like in the Elantra N-Line or something… they’re so jerky at low speeds. It’s like you’re learning to drive a manual for the first time, every single time you creep forward in traffic. It’s fine when you’re going for it, but in daily driving? Exhausting. And for a car that’s around $25,000, you expect it to be smooth, you know?

Subaru WRX (the current CVT)

Putting a CVT in the WRX is just… a crime against enthusiasm. The whole point of the car is driver engagement! And you get this rubber-band, numb feeling instead of the crisp shifts of the manual. The “SI-Drive” thing with fake shifts is just sad. It starts at like $32,000 and the automatic is a $2,000 option? More like a $2,000 penalty. Just get the manual.

Land Rover Discovery (the ZF 8-speed tuning)

This is a weird one because the ZF 8-speed is usually brilliant. But in some Land Rovers, the tuning is just… lethargic. You stomp on the gas and there’s this long, thoughtful pause before anything happens. In a massive, $60,000 luxury SUV, you need responsive throttle, and sometimes it just feels like it’s fallen asleep. So frustrating when the hardware is clearly capable.

Toyota Corolla Cross (the base CVT)

It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just… so incredibly boring. And it drones. It makes the already-slow Corolla Cross feel even slower. There’s just zero character, zero joy. It’s an appliance transmission for an appliance car. For $24,000, it’ll get you there, but you’ll be asleep when you arrive.

Mini Cooper (the older 6-speed automatic)

Before they switched to the Aisin 8-speed, some Minis had this GM-sourced 6-speed that was just dim-witted. Slow to kick down, clunky shifts… in a car that’s supposed to be “go-kart like,” it felt like a go-kart with a brick tied to it. It completely undermined the fun chassis. So annoying.

Chrysler 300 (the 5-speed antique)

Okay, this one is just… how is it still a thing? In a world of 8, 9, 10-speed transmissions, the 300 soldiers on with a 5-speed automatic. It’s not smooth, it’s not efficient, it’s just old. For a car that can be priced well over $40,000, it feels cheap and outdated. It’s a transmission from a different era, and not in a good way.