Few quirks with new Sonic

[Rschmidt]

Hey everyone. First, this forum has been very helpful since I recently purchased my Sonic, and for that I thank you all. I have a few quirks with my sonic and the search function has not been very helpful.

My first quirk I was wondering about was a swooshing type noise that I can hear coming from the front suspension when going over bumps. I hear it the most at low speeds and when the windows are down. The noise sounds like the strut compressing, it makes a very audible swoosh of squish sound. I'm wondering if this is a normal sound that everyone has heard?

The second quirk is with my 6 speed Auto Trans. When braking down from higher speeds, the transmission makes harsh downshifts. When braking down to a stop I actually have to modulate my brake pressure to keep the car from lurching during the 3rd to 2nd downshift. Does this seem odd, or do other 6 speed auto owners notice this as well?

Thank you for your input!

Rschmidt

 

[$ub$onic]

The suspension noise your hearing is normal. It's just the strut

 

[sx sonic]

The shock noise is normal. You're just hearing the oil and pressurized nitrogen compress and pass thru the valve body.

As far as the harsh downshifts I'm not sure if that's normal. You aren't the 1st to notice this, I tried searching for a thread but couldn't find anything relevant to the downshift issue.

 

[Crazzyboy]

Not familiar with the auto in this vehicle. Though I do recall from my younger days driving the family Caravan it had a VERY harsh 2-1 downshift when comming to a stop. I eventually learned to ease off the brake a little at just the right moment to come to a smooth stop. We racked up 350k miles on that thing till the trans blew. Replaced it and finally gave it away with over 500k still running.
Story time over, so maybe see if you can(seems like you already have) finagle the brake pressure a bit to avoid the harsh downshifts

 

[Maddmatts]

I think Chevy programmed the auto to induce a little more engine-braking than usual during deceleration. It's final drive ratio and torque convertor stall speed probably also play a role in it.

 

[Rschmidt]

Thanks everyone. I figured the suspension noise was normal, I just wanted to verify that others have heard the same noise.

As for the harsh down shift, it doesn't seem like its ruining anything. This is the first automatic I've owned in a long time. So I guess its harsher then I thought.

If anyone has anymore input on the harsh downshift, please chime in.

Thanks again

 

[ss2000slp]

It's not really comparing apples to apples, but when we bought my wifes first Malibu in 2011, she had the same problem. Nothing horrible, but definitely noticeable. After the first month or so it seemed to clear up on its own. Took it to be a brand new transmission still "learning". I would say give it some time.

 

[steve333]

Could be the learning like ss said, but I wish GM would do away with this tranny learning stuff and just put out a smooth transmission. If Hyundai can do it, GM should be able to do it.
Heck, GM used to be known for their smooth automatics