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Here May Be Why Your Chevy Malibu Or Chevy Trailblazer Transmission Lost Forward Gear Or Slips

General Motors has released an updated Service Bulletin for Chevy Malibu and Chevy Trailblazer units that may be dealing with a transmission issue.

According to Service Bulletin number 24-NA-009, 2019 to 2025 Chevy Malibu and 2021 to 2025 Chevy Trailblazer FWD units may have a condition where the continuously variable transmission (CVT) has appeared to have lost forward gear or be slipping. In addition, the Malfunction Indicator light may be illuminated, while certified GM technicians may find Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P2714 (Transmission Control Solenoid Valve Four Stuck Off) set in the Transmission Control Module (TCM).

Photo of gear in Chevy Malibu or Chevy Trailblazer CVT.

All the aforementioned conditions may be intermittent or not reproducible, and could be caused by the clutch regulator valve sticking in the valve body. Damage to the forward clutch piston and / or wear in the Primary Pulley Bearing Bore may in turn cause damage to the case.

For those who find that the CVT in their Malibu or Trailblazer is slipping or having trouble getting into gear, here are a few steps GM techs will take to address this issue:

  • Check the transmission chain and sheaves with a borescope. If these are damaged, a transmission replacement will be warranted.
  • Verify DTC P2714 is set and ensure that the transmission fluid is at the proper level during the proper temperature.
  • Assuming the transmission fluid is correct, confirm that the affected vehicle’s transmission is slipping or lacks engagement in Drive.
  • If no slip is found, clear the DTCs and test drive the affected vehicle again, ensuring the transmission is at operating temperature. If the DTC does not immediately reset, along with no slip condition or loss of drive felt, perform 3 to 4 wide-open-throttle (WOT) accelerations.
  • If the DTC does not reset after the WOT accelerations, replace the valve body and reassess.
  • If DTC P2714 resets, check to see if there is no forward motion, but there is Reverse, a slip under heavy acceleration, the DTC or concern is repeatable, there is a drop in primary and secondary pulley pressure due to a leak, or the primary and secondary pulley pressure drops during an Auto Stop. Pressure should be around 400 kPa during an Auto Stop, while anything below 300 kPa may indicate a piston seal leak.
  • If there is a loss of Drive or slipping and the fluid has a burnt odor or any of the above indicators are present, the transmission should be disassembled and the forward clutch piston inspected for damage along the side.
  • If the forward clutches are worn and the forward clutch piston is damaged, replace the forward clutch piston, the housing and the applicable apply components as needed.
  • If the forward clutch piston is not damaged, check the pump for signs of wear.

It’s worth noting that this Service Bulletin also affects FWD examples of the 2020 to 2025 Buick Encore GX.

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As a typical Florida Man, Trey is a certified GM nutjob who's obsessed with anything and everything Corvette-related.

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Comments

  1. Oh dear sweet lord, GM is using garbage CVT transmissions now!?!?!? What is wrong with Mary? Is she insane? Will this nightmare never end?

    Reply
    1. This is a joint venture between Nissan/GM as GM doesn’t have the small car volume to make a 9T30. To be fair, GM fixed all of Nissans issues and this is the strongest, most efficient CVT out there with an 88% cruising efficiency. It actually features a torque converter for low speed manuvering boosting low speed efficiency (belt CVT’s on UTV’s drop down to almost 20% efficiency in crawling conditions) which
      saves shifting wear and reduces heat in city driving, and in the case of the Nissan pathfinder, off road driving.

      This transmission is on par with the 6T45. It’s a little heavier, a little more fuel frugal with the higher overdrive ratios, a little more sluggish with less overall efficiency, and slower shift response, but most importantly, it is cheaper as Nissan has massive economies of scale between Nissans and small GM’s that this is a cost cutting move. Just like how the NV4500 was a joint dodge/GM transmission venture.

      This transmission is only used in the smallest of GM vehicles. AWD trailblazers use the 6T45, and C class crossovers use the 9T45/9T60 or the new 8T60. GM has no intention of using this in the traverse or suburban. If they had it their way, they would sell a half a million malibus a year and build a new small block based high value V6 mated to the 9 speed, but they now have to use the 1.5 turbo used globally and a joint GM/nissan transmission for cost

      Reply
  2. Isn’t the 2025 Equinox getting this CVT garbage? If so, more trouble ahead.

    Reply
  3. 2019 to 2025? And it’s still not fixed? What have they been doing? Obviously, nothing but fussing over EVs.

    Reply
    1. 2019 Malibu has been pretty reliable. They don’t get many of these. Problem is Lilley just starting to occur in any quantities. Also, in 2019, many bought the Malibu with the 2.0/9 speed automatic.

      Reply
  4. Seems like GM is really having trouble designing and manufacturing reliable vehicles these days.
    Yeah I know other manufacturers too.
    Seems like the industry needs to take a step back and figure out the problem.
    Really makes me not want to buy anything. It’s like ok what problems will I have with this one.

    Reply
  5. Reminds me of the 10 speed trany in my F-150 There all just expensive junk waiting to fail if they haven’t already. That trans is a joint venture between GM and Ford, lots of them out there…

    Reply
  6. Should have bought a Camry.
    Fortunately the junky malibu is being retired. Good riddance.

    Reply

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