Q: Hesitation backing up

asked by on December 04, 2016

When I put my car into reverse and press the gas pedal, you can hear the engine rev but the car hesitates before it starts to move backwards. Is this a transmission problem?

My car has 139000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Hello. The symptoms you describe can commonly be caused by transmission issues as well as a variety of other issues. If the issue only appears to occur with reverse gear then it may be possible that there is an issue with a shift solenoid, or perhaps with the reverse gear inside of the transmission. Delay in power transmission can also be caused by performance issues due to problems with the fuel or engine management systems. If any components to these systems, such as the fuel pump, ignition coil, or a vital engine sensor, fail or have an issue they can cause all sorts of performance problems which could produce symptoms similar to those you are experiencing. As issues like these can sometimes be difficult to diagnose, I would recommend having a professional technician, such as one from YourMechanic, come to your location to diagnose the possible cause of your performance issues.

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