When do you need to change Transmission Fluid?

Fluid is low

A real no-brainer here. Low fluid levels might be a sign of needing new fluid. Your transmission shouldn’t lose fluid easily, but over time it can, especially if a leak occurs. If your transmission fluid is lower than it should be, it’s time to empty out the remains, and give it the ol’ redo.

Fluid leaks

This kind of goes hand in hand with low fluid, except you might be more likely to spot a leak than to get under the hood and check the levels. That’s normal. Now, leaks aren’t fun, under your car or anywhere else. They’re a sign of a problem. For your car, that problem could be a leaking transmission.

Dark colored fluid

Let’s establish a baseline here. Automatic transmission fluid is usually pink or red to begin with, which looks pretty cool. However, if it starts looking dirty, brown, or black, well Houston, we have a transmission fluid problem.

Performance problems

Is your automatic transmission driving like when you tried to drive a stick shift, thinking it couldn’t be that hard? Well, that’s not a good sign. If your transmission is making weird noises, or just having a hard time changing gears, then you may have a transmission fluid issue.