Tricky getting into 5th and 6th?

[BSD]

So for as long as I've had my Sonic I've always had to "do a little dance" with the shifter to get it into 5th and 6th. I have to move it as far to the left as I can then snap to the right and up or down, respectively. When I first bought it I asked the dealer and was told it's because the gears are close together and it's new. Others have told me it's because it's new and it will loosen with time. Now I'm at about 9000 miles and it's still the same and I can't find anybody else on here with this problem. Planing on taking it in next weekend. Any ideas what would cause this?



This is also the first and only time I've been able to go from 5th to 6th without having to go neutral-left-right-down. I can usually go 6th to 5th. Also, does anybody else get hung up in the reverse notch if they press too hard left going into first? Coming from a Jetta, that took some getting used to...

 

[sx sonic]

Your shifter alignment is likely off.

GM released a bulletin that is supposed to fix the exact symptoms you mention. the bulletin # was posted in the "grinding 2nd gear" thread but it's buried in the middle of that huge thread.

take it back to the dealer and ask them to adjust the shifter alignment and inform them that there is a bulletin for your issues.

 

[BSD]

Your shifter alignment is likely off.

GM released a bulletin that is supposed to fix the exact symptoms you mention. the bulletin # was posted in the "grinding 2nd gear" thread but it's buried in the middle of that huge thread.

take it back to the dealer and ask them to adjust the shifter alignment and inform them that there is a bulletin for your issues.

Glad it's a known issue, thanks for your help. Now, off to find that bulletin number....

 

[sx sonic]

it's somewhere in the middle of that colossal thread. preloader is the one that posted it up. i'll see if I can find it (or eric can link it :wink, wink

EDIT: found the numbers, post 274

Bulletin#PIP5048
DOCUMENT#2893321

 

[BSD]

Thanks dude!

 

[sx sonic]

No problem

 

[dkennedy1989]

I have been having the same issue trying to go into 5th, and I just bought my sonic 2 weeks ago.

 

[ChrisJ]

Wow,

Mine is dead centered in neutral and you need to push all the way to the right for 5th or 6th. Nothing like I see in the video.

Guess my alignment is good, for now.

 

[ThatTmoGuy]

Take it to a dealer, that is not right at all!

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

BSD,

Have you been in for your service appointment yet? Let us know what the dealership determines the issues are.

Vanessa,
GM Customer Service

 

[jchasp59]

So for as long as I've had my Sonic I've always had to "do a little dance" with the shifter to get it into 5th and 6th. I have to move it as far to the left as I can then snap to the right and up or down, respectively. When I first bought it I asked the dealer and was told it's because the gears are close together and it's new. Others have told me it's because it's new and it will loosen with time. Now I'm at about 9000 miles and it's still the same and I can't find anybody else on here with this problem. Planing on taking it in next weekend. Any ideas what would cause this?



This is also the first and only time I've been able to go from 5th to 6th without having to go neutral-left-right-down. I can usually go 6th to 5th. Also, does anybody else get hung up in the reverse notch if they press too hard left going into first? Coming from a Jetta, that took some getting used to...

I have the same problem with my Sonic since I bought it 11 months ago. Took it to the dealer immediately, but they said nothing was wrong. With an appointment, I sat there for 3 hours. The dealer charged 0.1 hours to 'labor' (6 minutes). Returned to the dealer about 6 months later for the same problem. Again, the dealer found nothing wrong and didn't even raise the hood. I found part of a wiring harness interfering with the shifter, but moving it didn't solve the problem (but it did prevent the wiring harness from wearing any further.) Dealer said nothing needed adjustment because there was nothing to adjust on the 6spd manual.
12,500 miles later, the problem persists. Constantly missing 4th to 5th/5th to 6th shifts, and downshifts, too.

 

[rondoman]

You need to go to another dealer asap. This is NOT normal.

 

[SonicBoy24]

I have the same problem with my Sonic since I bought it 11 months ago. Took it to the dealer immediately, but they said nothing was wrong. With an appointment, I sat there for 3 hours. The dealer charged 0.1 hours to 'labor' (6 minutes). Returned to the dealer about 6 months later for the same problem. Again, the dealer found nothing wrong and didn't even raise the hood. I found part of a wiring harness interfering with the shifter, but moving it didn't solve the problem (but it did prevent the wiring harness from wearing any further.) Dealer said nothing needed adjustment because there was nothing to adjust on the 6spd manual.
12,500 miles later, the problem persists. Constantly missing 4th to 5th/5th to 6th shifts, and downshifts, too.

Like has been said, have them re-align your shifter.

 

[BSD]

As others have said it's definitely shifter alignment. I went to the dealer and gave them the bulletin/document #. Picked it up later that day, I was told it was misaligned by like 1/32 of an inch or something. Not only did realigning fix the problem, but 1st to 2nd shifts are noticeably smoother.