2005 Pontiac Grand Prix: harsh or hard shifting

5 of the 148 complaints about the 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix describe harsh or hard shifting.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 3%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 31 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Harsh or hard shifting by model year

2008
2
2007
7
2006
7
2005
5
2004
10
2002
1
2000
3
1999
4
1998
3
1993
1
1990
1

What owners say

Filed Aug 10, 2013 · Transmission · 78,600 miles · NH

The car was about to enter the mass pike when all forward motion stopped. The transmission was in 'drive' but it acted as though it had slipped into neutral. The car was dead in the middle of the road and there were a number a near miss collisions before the emergency vehicle arrived. The car is now at a gm dealership awaiting a transmission rebuild. We bought this car new and have had a number of transmission issues starting at 12,456 miles. Within the first year of ownership we reported a 'clunking' noise to the dealership - they said they could not recreate the problem. We had additional issues where the car would 1) not move when starting from a traffic light or 2) would act as though it was in neutral when coasting and then 'bang' into gear several seconds after stepping on the gas pedal. These issues were reported to the dealer at 33657, 45381, 51284, 56446, 61543 and 72552 miles. In each case, except for the one at 56446 miles the dealer said they could not replicate the issue - but they charged for the time. At 56446 miles we tried another dealership and they spent over an hour testing the car. Finally, they did experience the problem. They replaced several transmission parts but we experienced a shuddering problem less than a year later. They detected a possible torque converter problem at that point but said it the could be driven and no other parts of the transmission would be affected. There is a common issue with the transmission in gm v8 cars - there are many reports of failures and expensive repairs. It appears to be a design issue. The symptoms started early on, and despite our multiple reports of problems and exact adherence to the maintenance schedule there was almost a serious accident.

Filed Feb 20, 2012 · Transmission · 52,000 miles · VA

I have a 2005 pontiac grand prix gxp with recurring transmission trouble. The transmission has been replaced by gm at 50% cost and the same symptoms are occurring again. Failure is eminent. I have what most are calling the rev and clunk syndrome in my current transmission. My 50,000 mile warranty on the new transmission has just ran out, but I have records where complaints were filed with the dealer with nothing found. After doing some research I see that I am one of hundreds that have had this same problem. Help!

Filed Jul 16, 2011 · Transmission · WI

Transmission slips or shutters from a stop, then slams into gear. Shift from 1st to 2nd is slow. Shifting manually works ok. This is a common problem with the gm 5.4l engine 4t65e-hd combination and has been happening nearly every time I drive the car. Local transmission dealer says he sees this all the time and is a known issue. This has been happening for quite some time, but because it started after the warranty expired the deal would not do anything.

Filed Jun 19, 2011 · Transmission · 00

Transmission showing signs of failure despite using the best synthetic tranny oil and regular tranny oil changes. The car has only 117 000 kms and slams into gear after a slow start. Also shudders sometimes before a gear locks in. Apparently these are common problems that occur just before complete transmission failure.

Filed Mar 19, 2011 · Transmission · 37,000 miles · VA

1. Events leading up to failure = regular day-to-day vehicle use. 2. Failure = transmission, when accelerating from a stop, transmission seems to slip and then slam into gear. Also, occasional hard slam into 2nd hear under part throttle. 3. What was done to correct failure = repair shop inspection with pan removed 1-year ago, nothing found. Problem still exists..