1st Generation Mercedes-Benz CL Class Transmission Shift Issues

As part of a company-wide facelift, Mercedes-Benz decided to release a new luxury coupe that was based off of their popular S-Class full size luxury sedan. The planning stages for this new automobile began in 1981, and they didn’t see fruition until 1992, when the CL-Class W140 began rolling off of production lines and into show rooms across the world. Manufactured from 1992 to 2000, some CL-Class cars have frequent transmission shift issues.

Malfunctions in the transmission could be the result of many different problems in the car. One of the first things to identify is where and how often the shifting problems arise. There are owners who say that they only experience a jolt or a kick when moving from 3rd to 4th, but then there are others who experience difficult shifting when moving between any gears. These two symptoms could result from a wide variety of problems that vary in severity.

On the darker end of things, you might be looking at an entirely worn out transmission. If this is the case, it will become difficult to keep the car in a specific gear, and certain functions—like reverse—will stop working completely. On the other hand, it could be that there is a faulty shifting cable (a more likely option when the shifting difficulties occur between two specific gears). Another possible solution lies with recalibrating the modulator valve, although this is less likely than the previous two scenarios.

Regardless of the situation, the safest and most reliable option is to take your W140 to a specialized Mercedes-Benz repair technician who can determine where exactly the problem is originating and fix it for you.

Search for a local, independent Mercedes-Benz repair shop with Mercedes-Benz mechanics that have dealer-level expertise at a fraction of the expense.