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2015 Charger shifts hard 2nd to 3rd

Old Apr 10, 2026 | 01:10 PM
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Default 2015 Charger shifts hard 2nd to 3rd

Hello! My Charger shifts strangely between 2nd and 3rd gears. It is an automatic (obviously) with the 5.7. I noticed the strangeness when I bought the car about three years ago. Under light acceleration, most times it is hardly noticeable. Under heavy acceleration, it will most times either shift harder than the other gears or shift later. It has shifted late enough in Sport mode that the car bumped the rev limiter before shifting. If I put it in "Manual" it still shifts late and I have to time the bump before I actually want to shift. When downshifting manually it is the same from 3rd to 2nd, and I can still feel it when the car downshifts normally but very slightly. I bought the car with about 95,000 miles and changed the fluid and filter at around 115,000 miles with no change noted. The shifting has not gotten noticeably better or worse. Also, bear in mind that I know just enough about automatics to be a hazard. Thank you for reading!
 
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Old Apr 10, 2026 | 08:33 PM
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And mods/tuners on the the car??
 
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Old Apr 11, 2026 | 08:15 AM
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Originally Posted by HeyYou
And mods/tuners on the the car??
None that I know of. I bought the car at ten years old so anything is possible I guess.I suspect that the oil pump has been upgraded, but everything else appears stock. I'm still paying the car off and am holding off on upgrades.
 
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Old Apr 11, 2026 | 08:16 PM
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Yeah, I don't know enough about that driveline to even begin to guess where to look.....
 
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Old Apr 13, 2026 | 09:10 AM
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2015 with sport mode so it's not a Pursuit. In that case you should have the ZF 8sp trans. Very good trans until people get involved. To that end:
1. There is a very specific procedure for servicing these transmissions; did you follow that?
2. There is a very specific (and expensive) fluid for these transmissions; did you use the correct fluid or cheap out?
 
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Old Apr 13, 2026 | 12:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Magnoom
2015 with sport mode so it's not a Pursuit. In that case you should have the ZF 8sp trans. Very good trans until people get involved. To that end:
1. There is a very specific procedure for servicing these transmissions; did you follow that?
2. There is a very specific (and expensive) fluid for these transmissions; did you use the correct fluid or cheap out?
Hoo boy. I followed "a" procedure. I called BND Automotive with the car's info, mileage and symptoms. He sent over a kit for the transmission and rear diff (like you said, not cheap). It was supposed to be specifically made for ZF transmissions. As for my steps, there were directions that I followed, I can't remember exactly. I know at the end, I had the car running on jackstands, had cycled through various positions and gears and topped the pan off to the fill plug while running. Had the burn to prove it lol. The car behaved the same before and after the fluid change; shifting manners, temps, etc.
 
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Old Apr 14, 2026 | 09:05 AM
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Ah. You lost me at BND. Snake oil. One of their reps is on a Charger forum and pushes that **** like it's crack.
 
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Old Apr 17, 2026 | 07:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Magnoom
Ah. You lost me at BND. Snake oil. One of their reps is on a Charger forum and pushes that **** like it's crack.
That's where I found the guy. I didn't (and still don't, admittedly) know any better. However, my transmission worked the same before and after the fluid change. So unless his fluid is no better than worn out fluid, I doubt that's the problem. I'm wondering if there's a solenoid or something that could cause this, or maybe a shift kit to re-set the valve body? Again, all other shifts are smooth and feel correct. First to second feels good, third to fourth and above feel to work correctly as well. It's not nearly bad enough to justify a transmission change, just enough that I want to correct it to improve quality of life and extend this transmission's service life.
 
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