[Zesty]

Just bought a 2020 Passport Elite. First, I hate the transmission buttons. I really wish I had a solid gear selector to push/pull into position. Especially when parking- it just feels better to push that gear selector all the way forward and lock it into Park. When I use the button, I still nervously let off the brake because I can only trust that it went into park. I still think one day I'll push the button, not see that it failed to go into park, mindlessly let off the brake and roll into the parked car ahead of me.

Also, I don't like feeling it downshift as I coast. So if I am doing 60 and I let off the throttle as I approach a stop sign, I may coast for 1/8 mile and bleed off speed naturally. I don't like how I feel the tranny downshift; it sometimes even feels like it "surges" for a moment after dropping down a gear. Just doesn't feel as smooth as my 2010 CR-V that I traded for it.

Sometimes when stuck in slow traffic, wavering between 5-15 MPH, it just doesn't know what gear to be in as it flip-flops between 2nd and 3rd. Very annoying.

 

[Wrascal]

Almost NEVER do I shift to park - I simply turn it off and it shifts into park automatically.
Incidentally - the old linkage shifters could (sometimes did) get out of Whack and incorrectly indicate the car was in Park.

 

[pshadoa]

Not sure how many miles you have on your PP but the transmission will "learn" your driving habits in the first 500 miles or so and "adapt" to you driving habits. Hopefully the transmission will work better for you. I have almost 10k miles on my PP and I do not have any of the shifting issues you are experiencing. It is probably the smoothest automatic I have ever had other than the 8 speed ZF in my wife's BMW X3.

 

[stevenD]

I LOVE the push button tranny and would never want to back to a lever!

You can always Paddle-shift up and down to try to get it to do what ya want...

 

[CHEFERMAN65]

I LOVE the push button tranny and would never want to back to a lever!

You can always Paddle-shift up and down to try to get it to do what ya want...

That's work and I don't want to have to think about it. Honda engineers and design team are really good at what they do. I have absolutely zero issues with my PP package. I don't really understand how a transmission "learn's or adapts" but, ok. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Beachbum07]

I LOVE the push button tranny and would never want to back to a lever!

You can always Paddle-shift up and down to try to get it to do what ya want...

I didn’t think I’d like it, but got used to it fairly quickly. This may sound silly, but my shoulder is happy that I am no longer pulling on a shifter on the column. Not that it was that difficult, but with a bum shoulder, shifting on the column caused pain.

 

[pshadoa]

I do not really understand how it works either. Below are a couple of blurbs I found. I do know that the ECM and the TCM, using vairous sensors, work together to adapt to the driver's driving habits.

The Adaptive Transmission Control system is found only on automatic and sequential transmissions and is based on a fuzzy-logic processor which can recognize individual styles of driving and adapts transmission shift parameters accordingly. It usually uses a microprocessor to read data from various sensors, and with the help of a complex algorithm it decides when to upshift or downshift.

It is very helpful especially since the fuzzy logic processor allows it to actually memorize the driver's driving habits or "learn" the environment conditions (for example, on slippery surfaces it will change gears more rarely).

The automatic transmission is equipped with a learning tool that allows it to learn how you drive and adapt to those needs. ... New vehicles must learn your driving habits, so you may notice hard or soft shifts. The car's computer learns your driving style and habits and will tailor the shifting performance to fit that.

Perhaps P-A-N-D-A or Beachbum can better explain how it works ???

 

[nieuport17]

I dont love or hate the buttons, but you will get use to it.
Shifts always sound funny on dog clutch, and you will get used to that too

 

[Beachbum07]

I do not really understand how it works either. Below are a couple of blurbs I found. I do know that the ECM and the TCM, using vairous sensors, work together to adapt to the driver's driving habits.

The Adaptive Transmission Control system is found only on automatic and sequential transmissions and is based on a fuzzy-logic processor which can recognize individual styles of driving and adapts transmission shift parameters accordingly. It usually uses a microprocessor to read data from various sensors, and with the help of a complex algorithm it decides when to upshift or downshift.

It is very helpful especially since the fuzzy logic processor allows it to actually memorize the driver's driving habits or "learn" the environment conditions (for example, on slippery surfaces it will change gears more rarely).

The automatic transmission is equipped with a learning tool that allows it to learn how you drive and adapt to those needs. ... New vehicles must learn your driving habits, so you may notice hard or soft shifts. The car's computer learns your driving style and habits and will tailor the shifting performance to fit that.

Perhaps P-A-N-D-A or Beachbum can better explain how it works ???

Thanks for that info. Learn something new every day! 🙂

 

[Hajidub]

It’s kind of weird but I never experience the bad, on any of my auto forums, that others experience. I think, mines a 2020, the tranny is solid and responsive; hell this bohemeth is faster than my 19’ Si.

 

[darksky]

Just bought a 2020 Passport Elite. First, I hate the transmission buttons. I really wish I had a solid gear selector to push/pull into position.

Not quite the same as the old style gear selector, but maybe this would help. 🙂

Just kidding ... I've posted this before in another thread. It's the end piece of a chrome towel rack. I placed in on temporarily for the photo.

 

[Zesty]

LOL...honestly, some kind of a lever with contacts on the P and the D that rockers between the park button (pressing the lever forward) and the drive button (pulling the lever back) would be kinda cool. I might have to 3D print something!

 

[Beachbum07]

Or maybe some Braille characters. 😀

 

[scutchins]

The design of the buttons is poor from a usability perspective. Pull a button BACK to go back, I get that, good job. But now push DOWN to go forward? Why not have a button on the opposite side of the reverse button that you push forward to, you know, go forward?!

Someone mentioned manual shifting. The Passport takes absolutely forever to downshift, you could time it with an hourglass. When it does eventually downshift, it shifts back into D by itself too quickly.

Granted, I didn't buy the Passport as a performance vehicle, but still the transmission is a disappointment.

 

[727 Driver]

I would strongly encourage people to avoid turning off the engine while in drive and bypassing pressing the “park” button.
I’d suggest that you are relying on the ignition button to put it in park. I’d rather have the peace of mind knowing that not only did I put it in park, but the ignition button also repeated what I did.
I’d also suggest that you are starting a very bad habit. Once this practice becomes a habit, you stop consciously thinking about it.
Now when you drive a vehicle that isn’t supposed to go into “park” when you turn it off, you won’t put it in “park”. I’ve seen it happen, and the people couldn’t figure out what happened until it was too late. Save yourself the embarrassment.

 

[HPWJR]

To address the original complaint here (that pushing the park button seems less secure than shifting a lever into park), I am reasonably certaIn that for many years at least the vast majority of automatic transmission shifters are not mechanically connected to transmissions anymore. Im sure there’s exceptions, but virtually all are linked by wire (electrically), as transmissions are now controlled by electric actuators rather than mechanical linkages as in the old manuals and old automatics. So even if you have a lever it is no different than a button in most cases as both simply send a signal to a computer that actually controls everything. So a lever really does not provide any more assurance as perhaps might have been the case in yesteryear. Maybe this isn’t true but I think it is accurate.

 

[727 Driver]

I can’t verify or dispute this. However, not everyone is driving a newer model. Not to mention there has been no shortage of distractions the last 3-4 months. Just trying to eliminate potential risks.

 

[RickD]

My 2019 Passport has avery non intrusive tyranny. I do know it adapts to your style as it emulates the DCT transmission on the new Goldwing motorcycle which i own. The bike clearly adapts its shift pattern to operator driving style. Don't know how but it does.

 

[MATTYMOON]

I'm not crazy about the button system but still trying to get used to it. I've read in other post that when you park and come to a complete stop you should first go to neutral then set your parking brake and after put in into park. I had a bit of harsh shifting and recently brought it in for service and mentioned the transmission to the tech, they performed a tsb20-029 and now it shifts like butter. Hopefully this helps

 

[Beachbum07]

Matty, what year and trim level do you have?