Update on the coasting transmission jerk issue, 2019 Kia Soul 1.6L 6 speed auto 40k miles:
Kia dealer finally received remanufactured (re-“New”-ed LOL) 6 speed automatic transmission from Kia last week. Part # 45000-2F265RCA.
Service advisor called to setup appointment to swap it out and get a rental overnight. Dropped it off on Monday, received Soul back after 2 days yesterday. All is good so far. Drives “normal” again when coasting to a stop.
I asked them what was actually wrong with the old one, they answered they don’t know, only that Kia corporate advised to swap it with a “new” one that they will ship out. Service advisor said he hasn’t seen any others come in for this issue and this was his first one.
It still drags the gear like downshifting instead of the torque converter freewheeling and then spin up to engage when applying throttle like an old-school transmission. But at least it is not slamming the gears when it downshift like before and jerking the car around 21-23 miles per hour when coasting to a stop.
I guess this is how a “modern” automatic transmission works all in the effort to get you the best MPG. Not sure if long term wise this type of automatic transmission behavior causes more wear and tear. We shall see over time!
I am very glad Kia has factory 100,000 miles powertrain warranty AND my Kia dealer gives every Kia purchased from them a 20 year / 200,000 miles powertrain warranty ($100 deductible) to the original owner for peace of mind! Well worth it to buy it from this Kia dealer if you plan to keep the Kia for a long long time.
The paperwork also shows they put in 5 qts of ATF4 and flushed the transmission cooler.
Let’s see how long this “new” transmission lasts. I will come back and update if the same issue comes back at 60k miles. (It first happened at 20k miles, they fixed it by reprogramming it, but it came back at 40k)
I hope the OP was able to take hers back to her Kia dealer and get her’s replaced too despite her dealer saying they “can’t reproduce it”.
I’m case you are reading this, if your dealer still insists this harsh downshift is “normal” send me a private message and and I will send you copies of my work order.
Have a good one !