Hi all,
I have a 2012 Outlander with the 2.4 engine and CVT transmission. It has a noise and hesitation occasionally in D when you expect it to shift gears. We took it to a mechanic and they found that the transmission cooler and coolant had been mixing because the transmission cooler had corroded. I can replace that, but the bigger problem is that he said the transmission was pretty much 'done' and needed to be replaced which will be 7k+. I am not sure he even took it for a drive, I think this was his assessment after pulling the transmission drain plug and finding black gunk coming out.

I took it for a drive recently and it actually drives fine for the most part and it shifts perfectly fine when you put it in manual mode.

Just wanted to get a second opinion - do these transmission usually completely fail? Would it be worth just changing the transmission fluid and see if that rectifies the issue?

There is coolant in the transmission fluid and transmission fluid in the coolant (milky brown). Also wanting to see if there's anything else serviceable in the transmission that I could replace before writing off the car completely.

 

This seems to be a common problem. It appears after a certain year, these coolers no longer exist (at least my 2016 doesn’t appear to have one, just the one in front of the condenser). Sadly, I believe the last instance I saw the transmission needed to be replaced.

 

I can get a cooler off ebay so that shouldn't be a problem.
I should also note there is no issue with slippage or hesitation (or noise) when I drive in 'manual' mode. Does that mean it's mechanically okay and could be a solenoid or something?

 

If the trans oil has been contaminated by water, the the trans is trashed. Changing the oil may help in th short term, but the seals inside will start to degrade and it will not last long