Last second downshifting (auto transmission) when braking only....?

fyi411

Member
Hi everyone, new 2014 GT owner here.

I wasn't sure if this needed to go in the brakes or transmission section, but since I'm seeing this only with braking, I figure I'd ask for feedback here.

Literally every time I brake for a stop, it starts off smoothly with the RPM's remaining just above 1K, then at the last 10 feet or so there's a sudden very noticeable jolt (I think it's downshifting maybe?), with drop in RPM's below 1K.

I didn't really notice this process when I first test drived the car, nor when I had it for about a week or 2 before it ended up in the shop for over a month (long story, not a drive-train or brake issue). When I got the car back, I definitely noticed this last second "jolt" with every stop.

Is this last second "jolt" consistent with every stop "normal"? The only thing that was done while it was in the shop even remotely related to braking or the transmission was I had wheel locks put on and I'm pretty sure that isn't the issue. I also searched the forums for this issue and I think I've seen something similar mentioned once or twice, but nothing detailed came of it.

Like I said before, didn't notice it the first 2-400 miles, but now I kind of automatically brace myself for that "jolt" every time I brake.
Any feed back would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
 
No "jolt' here (ever). This is the nicest automatic transmission I've ever had the pleasure of driving. It does shift down when braking but it's very smooth. This has three advantages over older transmissions that held the highest possible gear during deceleration;

1) Saves fuel (fuel can be cut when the cars momentum is being used to turn over the engine)
2) Reduces brake wear and associated brake dust.
3) Get's transmission in the proper gear for acceleration out of the corner or otherwise. This makes the car more instantly responsive to accelerator inputs.

I have the 2.0L but I can't imagine the extra 1/2 L of the 2.5L engine would make a big difference.
 
Mine does the same. Because it is a new type of hybrid, to me it feels like the gear suddenly disengages and the torque converter takes over. It does feel somewhat like a jolt. Would definitely like to hear if this is normal. Mostly noticeable when coasting up to a red light with foot lightly on the brake.
 
I have a '14 2.5L and I haven't noticed any "jolt". Not one that's enough to have to brace myself for.

What I have noticed on my experiments of coasting (no feet on any pedals) to a stop from 30+mph is that the transmission will automatically downshift to lower gears as it's slowing down, which provides a level of engine braking and also allows the car to be in the proper gear if I were to get on the accelerator again. However, when the reaches approximately 6mph, which would be similar to your "last 10ft or so", I can feel the transmission "letting go" as if it went into neutral, which means it disengaged the clutch and is using the torque converter.

To me, this makes sense because when accelerating, this transmission only uses the torque converter from 0-6mph, then locks and the shifts are handled via the clutch pack after that. This is all done in the name of fuel economy, but also falls in line to the goals of what Mazda wanted from their skyactive transmission, which is a smooth, but direct feeling transmission that drives like a manual, but has the convenience of being able to crawl in traffic like a regular automatic.

You can read up about all the skyactiv tech here.
http://www.mazda.com/mazdaspirit/skyactiv/transmission/skyactiv-drive.html

Depending on how big this "jolt" is, I would be concerned and you could go back to the dealer and ask them if any of their other cars do the same thing. However, if it's just the feeling of it just switching to the torque converter (which is a smooth process, but noticeable when paying close attention), it sounds like normal operation. There is no noise associated with it, nor any clunks or vibrations. It simply feels like the car got put into neutral while slowing down. I only notice it when coasting to almost a stop. When braking normally for a stop, I don't notice the transition because the time it takes for it go from ~6mph to zero is barely anything.
 
Thanks for the feedback!

Based on the replies so far, it sounds like it maybe normal, but I'm still on the fence whether or not what's going on why my CX-5 is "normal". It sounds like what I'm seeing with my vehicle is the torque converter kicking, but I don't think I've ever felt the transition go even remotely "smooth" - almost always like a sudden hard brake at the end.

This is my 1st new car in 15 years, so maybe I'm just not used to this level of control from an auto transmission. At the very least it's pretty irritating enough for me be apprehensive about pushing the brake too hard. Heck maybe I need to change the way I'm braking.

Anyways, I appreciate the info posted so far, and anymore feed back would be great if just to get a broader sense of the issue from more people. I might have the service center take a look at what's going on in a bit, but it's been in the shop way to long already, so I probably going to wait a few weeks just to see if any new info pops up or something changes.
 
I didn't really notice this process when I first test drived the car, nor when I had it for about a week or 2 before it ended up in the shop for over a month (long story, not a drive-train or brake issue). When I got the car back, I definitely noticed this last second "jolt" with every stop.

It's really unusual for a new car to be in the shop for that long (especially a CX-5 which is better than average compared to other new cars).

What was the issue?
 
Not totally the service center's fault, but they had to outsource a part installation to a different company. The company didn't know how to take the bumper off without wrecking some of the electronics, and they just threw the bumper on the ground. Came back with a bunch of scuffs/scratches and broken sensors. They tried to buff out the scratches but it didn't work, so they had to outsource to a body shop for a new bumper. The body shop did a sloppy half-arsed job so I sent it back multiple times to fix it right. Eventually the service center (not the body shop) got it right, but by that time it had been over a month, and someone scratched the FRONT bumper during that time.

Basically no one was doing quality control checks on the work, so they were just trying to see if they could get some sloppy work on a NEW car past me. It ended up costing them more money if anything. But I think someone got pissed off at the multiple redos and purposefully scratched up the LED console above the environmental controls. By that time I just didn't care anymore, and I couldn't prove who did it anyways by the time I discovered it. Besides, seeing how the plastics on the CX-5 seem to scratch if you even look at it funny, I didn't want anyone messing with it anymore since the exterior was finally OK.

I'm more concerned about the braking/jerking issue now if anything.
 
I see. But why did a new car need to have it's bumper removed in the first place?
 
Mine does the same. Because it is a new type of hybrid, to me it feels like the gear suddenly disengages and the torque converter takes over. It does feel somewhat like a jolt. Would definitely like to hear if this is normal. Mostly noticeable when coasting up to a red light with foot lightly on the brake.

Same thing here. It doesn't happen every time like the OP said, but seems to be especially when I'm coasting up to a red light. Had me a little concerned at first, but now I'm used to it.

-stumbles
 
Needed to get the bumper off to install a 2" trailer hitch. I don't think they recognized the sensor mounts because it looked like someone tried to pry a couple off with a screwdriver, then tried to hide it.
 
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