[rajwheelz]

Well, Well, Well...

My Ertiga ZDI ( 2013 ), currently 34k on the ODO has shown the same problem 23rd April

1st Gear refuses to slot at low speeds. I have to disengage and engage the clutch. The service advisor confirmed it is a sync ring problem and the first question he asked was is it under warranty. I do have an extended warranty so saved by the bell.

The interesting part is, I dropped the car in on Saturday morning and requested them to try to give it back by evening, and the advisor says, "Sir, we got the parts ready for another Ertiga with a similar problem but the owner has not turned up yet. So if he doesnt turn up by noon will use that to fix yours. Else, will give on Monday"

So looks like this problem is fairly common and Maruti does not want to do a recall. Beats me

And they advised me to for a clutch plate replacement too ( and this is normal wear and tear ) which I have to pay for.

And trust me guys, the sync ring failed in the most worst situation. Pounding rainy evening in Bangalore, stuck on an incline road, in a massive bumper to bumper traffic and I cant slot 1st gear. I guess I smoked the clutch that evening

What's up Maruti ???

[AutoIndian]

Thank you all for contributing to this thread. Off late it has been observed that more and more cars (Ertigas, DeZires etc) are reporting this issue. This is without any doubt a manufacturing defect and definitely calls for a recall. MSIL is risking the lives of all those who had shown trust in the Maruti/Suzuki brand. One of the the most respectable auto manufacturer in the country should up the game by going for a voluntary recall. If not big bang, then at least all those cars affected from the faulty batch of the synchronizer ring, should be given a replacement during one of their scheduled services.

I bit off topic, but wanted to share my experience over here. I have seen two extreme examples, Tata and Toyota.

Tata:
I owned a Indica V2 for 10.5 years. In the ninth year of ownership, I was experiencing problem like you guys. Shifting from second gear to first (while the engine was running) was next to impossible. Even after the clutch cable adjustments, twice I faced the problem when I had to slot my car in the office parking lot. I could not simply slot in the first gear, putting in the reverse gear had also become a nightmare. Somehow I managed with adjusting the clutch cable & drove the car for 2 days (150kms). In the worst case, I had to switch off the engine, then the first gear would slot in easily. I would perform the same exercise for putting in reverse. When I gave the car to my trusted garage, he diagnosed that the clutch fork could be a problem. When he opened the gear box and took the clutch fork out, it was observed that the fork had two minor cracks and it was bent. Garage owner, Harish said that this was a common problem in the older generation Indicas. The fork is welded on a shaft. Usually the welding joint is the area, which is under tremendous stress/force, where the fork develops a crack or bends. In the new design the fork & shaft is an integral part made out of forged steel. Forgings usually have higher fatigue strength & such problem of cracking/bending won't occur in the new fork design.

Moral of the story:

With things like these I sometimes doubt on Tata's engineering capabilities. A part like clutch fork, which is subjected to so much stress during daily usage, was not a forged part in the first place . They had to make the change after multiple failure reports from the field. However TML never bothered to do a voluntary recall Further details in my Indica thread below.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3282798.

Toyota:
I purchased this pre-worshippped Innova last year. I went in for the 55K scheduled service at DSK Toyora, Bavdhan, Pune. During this service as a part of voluntary recall, the Spiral Cable Fld Kit (for the driver side airbag) of my car was replaced under warranty, absolutely free of charge. This car was in its sixth year. Standard company warranty is for 3 years only. I wonder, which other car manufacturer would replace a faulty part under a recall even after three years of expiry of the standard warranty, thumbs up for Toyota. Further details in my thread below.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3635787

[JayD]

My friends 40k run Ertiga ZDI has the same issue. A.S.S trying to play it down as 'wear and tear'.
Since its a known issue, will ask him to demand warranty.

[Na_sh]

Had the same issue twice with my Ertiga diesel. First time somewhere around 55K mark. Got it rectified from the service center under warrantee. Second time, same problem happened recently around 71K mark.

Had to fight with the A$$ guys to get it done as my car was out or warrantee. They agreed to work on it for the last time. I hope it doesn't happen again.

The NVH characteristics suddenly changed after the issue was rectified. The car used to slightly vibrate at 1800-2000 rpm range. A slight buzz which could be noticed in 3rd, 4th and 5th gear. That was gone.

[latentpotential]

I have this issue myself now at 49K in my ZDi Ertiga.

Please see my posts at: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...eview-156.html with the pictures as well.

[sandeep3in]

I have faced the same issue on 3 occasions and had it informed to the other members through the forum.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post3333111

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3311672

The other issue related to gearbox is of a component called "circlip".The cost of the circlip is just INR 5, the issue with circlip is one wouldn't be able to engage to 3rd or the 5th gear.

[adi_sun]

Let me add to this, this issue first came up in my sx4 diesel at 40k about 2 years ago. the car was in warranty then so rings and labour were free. The service center pushed me hard to get the master and slave cylinder , clutch bearing and plate changed too. I firmly said no, since the clutch plate was only 1800 bucks i said ok to it.
about 2 years and 60k km later the car is again facing the same issue. guess the life of the rings is only 50-60k at best for even the replacement set could last only 60k km.

its a common thing for a 90bhp ddis engine and the service centers are minting a lot of money specially for the labour.

given the fact that gearbox is a complex piece of machinery i would not like to risk an aftermarket solution but is there any ?

[carfreak7]

My uncle's Ertiga which runs as a taxi had this issue when it was 2 yrs old and had done about 50K kms. The 2nd gear just wouldn't engage and this was a problem for him since he went through the ghats everyday.

Problem was solved by changing clutch plate and synchronizer ring was replaced.

[adi_sun]

Finally got the syncro rings changed in my SX4 diesel at 1L km. Was suggested to change the clutch plate/ flywheel as well since the cost was about 3k more did not bother and added to the list. the car feels like new again but yes a very common issue which is hitting people drive in start stop traffic more than the highway runners

[anky]

My BIL who owns a 2013 Zdi Ertiga has has had the same synchro failure twice ,his car has clocked to 1 lakh kms and he uses it as a private taxi .

[freedom]

I don't own a Maruti and have little idea about this particular problem. But just wanted to get some info,

People who are facing shifting from 3 to 2.
Can you try to shift from 3 to N fully release the clutch.
Blip the throttle
Shift from N to 2
Just want to know if this works.

This is not a permanent solution and Maruti needs to honor its warranty.

[amitpunjani]

Originally Posted by adi_sun

Finally got the syncro rings changed in my SX4 diesel at 1L km. Was suggested to change the clutch plate/ flywheel as well since the cost was about 3k more did not bother and added to the list. the car feels like new again but yes a very common issue which is hitting people drive in start stop traffic more than the highway runners

Pal,

I'm having great difficulty in engaging 3 gear in my Diesel sx4. I have been to MASS but they it's not a problem in sx4. I would appreciate if could PM me your number to have brief conversation with you.

[adi_sun]

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

Pal,

I'm having great difficulty in engaging 3 gear in my Diesel sx4. I have been to MASS but they it's not a problem in sx4. I would appreciate if could PM me your number to have brief conversation with you.

The syncro rings have gone bad if you are unable to shift from third to second or from second to first while the car moves but has no issue when you at a stand still. Sending you my number over PM, lets connect in the evening if required.

[adi_sun]

Originally Posted by freedom

I don't own a Maruti and have little idea about this particular problem. But just wanted to get some info,

People who are facing shifting from 3 to 2.
Can you try to shift from 3 to N fully release the clutch.
Blip the throttle
Shift from N to 2
Just want to know if this works.

This is not a permanent solution and Maruti needs to honor its warranty.

what you say holds true for engine engine and gear box. the trick of syncro is to match the speed of the engine with the gear. You can manually do this as a make shift arrangement. Even I was doing this for the last 1k kms before i gave the car for replacement.

[salilpawar1]

I had this issue in my 2013 Swift ZDi at 30,000 km. Synchro ring was replaced under warranty and the car has been fine for the past 10,000 km. Looks like I am not alone after going through this thread.