Alto K10 AMT problem: Gearbox moving to 'N' unexpectedly

delix · 13th February 2016, 18:21

This is very susprising. Maruti being a good brand needs to wake up and look into the matter. I was planning to buy an amt alto k10. However looking at these issues, i would like to rethink. The manufacturers should stop waiting for customers and rather should be proactive to recall models to resolve common problems/issues.

vsathyap · 17th February 2016, 12:43

Just thought I'd post a quick update on the AMT unit and the fix. It's been over 500km since the fix was done (ODO now reads somewhere around 2950km) and the AMT unit is behaving fine now. Its being driven daily in heavy traffic conditions and its not shown me the AMT Warning Lamp yet.

I even did a short highway trip to check if a long trip would make any difference, but found that the AMT unit worked fine on the highway too. This was my first time taking the AMT on the highway and I was pleasantly surprised by its responses. If you're interested, you can read about it here.

Anyways, one problem that still remains is the judder that's felt on hard acceleration in 2nd gear. In fact, it's gotten worse now and even a light foot causes judder. Its also started to appear in 3rd gear now. The best way to reproduce this issue is to put the car in 2nd gear in the M mode and put your foot down. The car judders quite heavily and the vibration can be felt inside the cabin - with the steering wheel giving the maximum vibrational feedback (am pretty sure that without proper wheel alignment / balancing, this can cause significant torque steer).

The 2nd free service is coming up in a month now and I plan to report this issue and probably get it fixed before it gets out of hand and the ASS & SA blames me for "clutch riding" in a car without a clutch pedal, and charges me for something that's beyond my control.

Again, I'll keep this thread updated on the latest - as and when it happens!

vsathyap · 20th March 2016, 19:07

New Update :
All was fine until yesterday when I parked the car just for a few minutes. When I put it back in N to crank, it wouldn't change the gear. Instead, it showed me the AMT warning lamp and refused to slot into N from D mode.

Tried turning the ignition on and off and removed the key and put it back and tried everything. Nothing worked. The AMT warning lamp wouldn't go away after the ignition "all systems check" mode. Then after about 5minutes, I did the same and the lamp went away. I did the obd diagnostics scan and nothing showed up in the diagnostic error checks. This was a very weird scenario. It definitely looks like some electronic or electrical issue to me. Something somewhere is not connected or has a loose connection. Will bring this up at the next service again.

Note that the car has run 1000+km and its been over a month and a half since the "coupler" issue was fixed back in Feb'16. The ODO stands at ~3450km now.

The vibrations and judder in the 2 and 3 gears continue to be ...and it's probably started happening in the first gear as well now (can be felt only when the car is pretty much loaded with 5 people on board and AC is on).

Any suggestions before I head into my 2nd free service in a couple of weeks?

samish_g · 20th March 2016, 22:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsathyap

New Update :
Tried turning the ignition on and off and removed the key and put it back and tried everything. Nothing worked. The AMT warning lamp wouldn't go away after the ignition "all systems check" mode. Then after about 5 minutes, I did the same and the lamp went away. I did the obd diagnostics scan and nothing showed up in the diagnostic error checks.

Hi vsathyap.
I just wanted to confirm one point. After 5 minutes, before you tried to restart, did you change the shift lever position and bring it back to neutral? If yes, one possibility could be as follows: -

The combimeter indication is based on the input from the shift lever (electrical input). That is if the shift lever is in 'P' or 'R' or 'D' and so on, the indication in the combimeter will be in accordance. Now, ideally, the AMT (Transmission unit) should also be in the same gear position. However, due to improper connections of the shift lever cable to both the shift lever unit and the transmission unit, there is a possibility that the shift lever will be in 'D' but the transmission will be in 'N' or vice versa. In such a situation, improper indications appear. The solution for this is to disassemble the shift lever and the shift lever cable (both ends) and reassemble as per the Standard Operation Procedure.

My suggestion to you would be to ask the SA to perform the above procedure. This is to rule out a mechanical defect in the assembly.
In case the problem still persists, it may be due to faulty transmission unit (which may be the cause of the jerks during gear change).

This is my humble opinion. Experts' comments awaited.

Regards,

Samish

vsathyap · 21st May 2016, 09:44

Update: 5000km and 2nd Service done - judder exists; no AMT Warnings again.

So, finally, I went in for the 2nd free service and complained about the judder. Went in for a short drive with the SA to demonstrate the problem but, unfortunately, the car didn't judder as much as it used to. I attributed this problem to a cooler engine and the judder happens when the engine has run through traffic for 1+ hours.

Long story short - SA dismissed the judder issue as a simple "AMT common issue" and brushed it off. I don't know what to do now. They raised the car over the car jack and checked all 4 wheels for free rotation - everything was fine.

Although the AMT warning lights haven't popped up yet, the judder is something that keeps me worried. Otherwise, the car is OK. The ride is still bouncy and its a good way to toss a salad

nvluv · 7th December 2016, 09:19

Hi, any recent updates. I am interested in buying a AMT hence following your thread to help make a decision

vsathyap · 22nd April 2017, 10:47

A Long overdue update. Fast forward to the 3rd / 10000km / 1 year service and the judder problem has still not gone away. I got the clutch assembly replaced after complaining and giving a poor service feedback (even the 3rd service they said nothing was wrong). The car was super smooth after the replacement. Now, the odo reads 14200 and the judder issue is slightly but surely creeping back on the new clutch assembly as well.

Will see how the new clutch holds up till the 4th/20000km/2nd year service that's due in another 5 months.

13th February 2016, 18:21	#16
delix BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Kolkata Posts: 107 Thanked: 91 Times	Re: Alto K10 AMT problem: Gearbox moving to 'N' unexpectedly This is very susprising. Maruti being a good brand needs to wake up and look into the matter. I was planning to buy an amt alto k10. However looking at these issues, i would like to rethink. The manufacturers should stop waiting for customers and rather should be proactive to recall models to resolve common problems/issues.
	() Thanks

17th February 2016, 12:43	#17
vsathyap BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: BengaLuru Posts: 422 Thanked: 1,647 Times	Re: Alto K10 AMT problem: Gearbox moving to 'N' unexpectedly Just thought I'd post a quick update on the AMT unit and the fix. It's been over 500km since the fix was done (ODO now reads somewhere around 2950km) and the AMT unit is behaving fine now. Its being driven daily in heavy traffic conditions and its not shown me the AMT Warning Lamp yet. I even did a short highway trip to check if a long trip would make any difference, but found that the AMT unit worked fine on the highway too. This was my first time taking the AMT on the highway and I was pleasantly surprised by its responses. If you're interested, you can read about it here. Anyways, one problem that still remains is the judder that's felt on hard acceleration in 2nd gear. In fact, it's gotten worse now and even a light foot causes judder. Its also started to appear in 3rd gear now. The best way to reproduce this issue is to put the car in 2nd gear in the M mode and put your foot down. The car judders quite heavily and the vibration can be felt inside the cabin - with the steering wheel giving the maximum vibrational feedback (am pretty sure that without proper wheel alignment / balancing, this can cause significant torque steer). The 2nd free service is coming up in a month now and I plan to report this issue and probably get it fixed before it gets out of hand and the ASS & SA blames me for "clutch riding" in a car without a clutch pedal, and charges me for something that's beyond my control. Again, I'll keep this thread updated on the latest - as and when it happens!
	(2) Thanks

20th March 2016, 19:07	#18
vsathyap BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: BengaLuru Posts: 422 Thanked: 1,647 Times	New Update : All was fine until yesterday when I parked the car just for a few minutes. When I put it back in N to crank, it wouldn't change the gear. Instead, it showed me the AMT warning lamp and refused to slot into N from D mode. Tried turning the ignition on and off and removed the key and put it back and tried everything. Nothing worked. The AMT warning lamp wouldn't go away after the ignition "all systems check" mode. Then after about 5minutes, I did the same and the lamp went away. I did the obd diagnostics scan and nothing showed up in the diagnostic error checks. This was a very weird scenario. It definitely looks like some electronic or electrical issue to me. Something somewhere is not connected or has a loose connection. Will bring this up at the next service again. Note that the car has run 1000+km and its been over a month and a half since the "coupler" issue was fixed back in Feb'16. The ODO stands at ~3450km now. The vibrations and judder in the 2 and 3 gears continue to be ...and it's probably started happening in the first gear as well now (can be felt only when the car is pretty much loaded with 5 people on board and AC is on). Any suggestions before I head into my 2nd free service in a couple of weeks?
	(1) Thanks

21st May 2016, 09:44	#20
vsathyap BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: BengaLuru Posts: 422 Thanked: 1,647 Times	Re: Alto K10 AMT problem: Gearbox moving to 'N' unexpectedly Update: 5000km and 2nd Service done - judder exists; no AMT Warnings again. So, finally, I went in for the 2nd free service and complained about the judder. Went in for a short drive with the SA to demonstrate the problem but, unfortunately, the car didn't judder as much as it used to. I attributed this problem to a cooler engine and the judder happens when the engine has run through traffic for 1+ hours. Long story short - SA dismissed the judder issue as a simple "AMT common issue" and brushed it off. I don't know what to do now. They raised the car over the car jack and checked all 4 wheels for free rotation - everything was fine. Although the AMT warning lights haven't popped up yet, the judder is something that keeps me worried. Otherwise, the car is OK. The ride is still bouncy and its a good way to toss a salad
	() Thanks

7th December 2016, 09:19	#21
nvluv BHPian Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mumbai Posts: 63 Thanked: 13 Times	Re: Alto K10 AMT problem: Gearbox moving to 'N' unexpectedly Hi, any recent updates. I am interested in buying a AMT hence following your thread to help make a decision
	() Thanks

22nd April 2017, 10:47	#22
vsathyap BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: BengaLuru Posts: 422 Thanked: 1,647 Times	Re: Alto K10 AMT problem: Gearbox moving to 'N' unexpectedly A Long overdue update. Fast forward to the 3rd / 10000km / 1 year service and the judder problem has still not gone away. I got the clutch assembly replaced after complaining and giving a poor service feedback (even the 3rd service they said nothing was wrong). The car was super smooth after the replacement. Now, the odo reads 14200 and the judder issue is slightly but surely creeping back on the new clutch assembly as well. Will see how the new clutch holds up till the 4th/20000km/2nd year service that's due in another 5 months.
	(1) Thanks