randsny

I am reaching out to members asking you about GLE's transmission and do you experience rough down shifting. I just picked up my 2021 GE450 and from the start I have noticed rough down shifts from 4 - 3 and 3- 2. Most of the time it is a little jerk or stutter, however on many occasions the whole car shutters to the point the passengers are asking me if there is a problem. I am trying to work with the Mercedes service department; however, their problem is, there are no GLE350 or GLE450's on their lot that we can compare to. My wife has a 2018 GLC300 and you can't even feel the downshifts. Since both are 9 speed gearboxes, I would suspect my new 450 should feel the same. I am looking for some help from the community on how your GLE's downshift, and use that to press Mecedes to dig deeper into the issue vs. trying to brush me off, with it seem to work normally.

Please help!!!

MBguy013

I have the same 'issue' but haven't tried to address it with the dealer yet. It isn't as severe if you're in eco mode but nonetheless shouldn't feel that way in any mode. The wife always asks why I'm stopping so hard. I told her to blame Mercedes.

HotRodW

Yes, I noticed it on my 450 when I slow to a stop as well. It almost feels like it's downshifting too soon -- when the RPM's are higher than you would downshift on your own. We also have a GLC with the 9-speed, and we experience the occasional gearbox clunk, but nothing like the GLE. My sales rep says it's normal, but I will certainly discuss it with the service advisor when I get a chance.

cupecoy

Same here. I recall reading here that it's due to the mild hybrid setup but nevertheless it's poorly implemented.

MarkerVB

We have the same issue, but haven't addressed it with the dealer yet. Will pursue it on the first service.

BlueYonder

I had the same problem with my 2018 GLE 550e. Multiple attempts at changing the shift points via software did not work. Mercedes finally ordered a new transmission valve body from Germany (took 2 months). The new valve body appears to have fixed the problem.

sunnyvali

I feel the same on my 2020 GLS450. One time was so bad that I thought someone rear ended me.

randsny

Great feedback folks. Did anyone take their GLE into the service department to address this and if so, what did they find?

nextmilenium

I really haven't experienced this with our GLE 450 (April 2021 built). I'll try to "feel" it next time I drive it.

tomb73

Same with our 2021 GLE580, spring build. Will try to pay attention, though, as I have thought upon occasion that the shifting was not smooth.

Antony17

I went to my service advisor and told him about the issue. They reset the computer and it was a lot better. But he said the computer will take some time to learn you way of driving again.

chassis

The 7G is similar. The poor shift is 5–>4 and 3–>4. The common theme there is the K3 clutch which is overworked in the 7G shift logic. XENTRY application pressure adaptations for K3 are farther from nominal than any other clutch on my 7G. In summary, the 7G clunks going into and out of 4th gear. It’s been that way since day 1.

I will read up on the 9G and it will probably be something similar. Likely there is nothing the dealer or customer can do. A fluid change and confirming the engine/trans mounts haven’t failed is about it.

MB makes poor transmissions. They should get out of that part of their business as they have exited other parts of their business over time. ZF and Aisin make far superior transmissions than MB’s clunkboxes.

mikapen

I am not sure why you would compare the 7g to the 9g, but I have had two 7G transmissions in ML's, with none of the problems you mentioned.
Probably a total of 185, 000 miles, with a significant amount of towing a 6,000 lb RV.

My only problem was a third gear accumulator on the 2010 ML that had contamination, probably pre-assembly. It was noticed quickly and replaced under warranty at 300 miles.

ZF transmissions are primitive in comparison but also pretty bomb proof. I prefer the 7g because I think it's a lot better transmission, although I've only had two ZF transmissions.

chassis

7G and 9G have the shared characteristic of being built by a manufacture that doesn't know what they are doing, relative to the state of the art in transmissions. To wit: Mercedes-Benz.

Try the latest ZFs and Aisins, for example in current model BMWs or VAG products. Brilliant.

HotRodW

Primitive? I'd love to hear the reasoning behind that comment. Having owned several vehicles with the ZF8, I can confidently state that it is without a doubt the best longitudinal transmission in the industry. A smoother, more versatile gearbox simply doesn't exist. The Aisin 8-speed in my Touareg was pretty darn good, too. I've had more 'clunks' in my GLE in three weeks than I had in 75k miles in my Touareg.

chassis

+1 this

mikapen

Service department experience, BMW, VW and Audi. I keep in touch. Talking to MB and Chrysler Service Managers.

Different manufacturers' software can mask the inherent ZF clumsiness, but they are reliable. They just don't have the flexibility that MBs 7G transmissions do. Or reliability of the MB.

I've really stressed my 9G (waited for brake-in til 7,500 miles before hitting the track), so we'll see how it stood up to my abuse when I go in for 10,000 mile check in the next week or so.

HotRodW

The ZF8 was invisible in our Audi for nearly 100k miles (a good thing), and it was really the only thing I didn't hate about my BMW. To my knowledge VW has never used the ZF8 in any products they sold in North America, but just about every brand selling a premium product [other than MB, and Toyota/Lexus who owns Aisin] does. And for a very good reason in my opinion. Car and Driver summed up the transmission's benefits nicely in this article.

GregW / Oregon

I honestly have no complaints about the smoothness of ours after 21k miles. I never notice any roughness, unless of course you let off the gas suddenly while accelerating.

HotRodW

Our GLC's transmission was largely cooperative for the first three years, but then it started exhibiting some concerning behaviors as we neared the end of the warranty period. The dealer never found anything "abnormal". The shifting hasn't gotten any worse, but it also never self-corrected. My wife wants to keep the car for a few more years, so for the first time in my life I invested in an extended warranty. It has accumulated very few miles since COVID relocated my wife's office to our home, but she'll be restarting her commute in the near future. I don't like throwing money away, but I really hope I don't need to rely on that warranty.

GregW / Oregon

I got the ELW for the first time as well, but mainly over concerns for the E-ABC system.

sds1062

I have a 2021 GLE 450 with 3000 miles on it and downshifting from 3 -2-1 is very uncomfortable and jerky.. It all seemed to start after the 48 volt battery failed at 1000 miles and had to be replaced...which is a 5 hour job and requires the front seats to be removed...which lead to failure of the front seat belts which also had to be replaced on a second service appointment. Have been to a dealer twice...first time said it was normal...second time they agreed it was not right...worked on it...but it is still not right. Almost ready to give the car back. Is there anyway to get tis fixed as it is a great car except for this very annoying problem?

cupecoy

There is definitely a solid transmission braking (hard "gulp") when it downshifts from 3-2 and 2-1 as sds1062 also pointed out. It is unpredictable and annoying.
This is very unique to the GLE I have never had in any of the cars I owned before (Chevy / Buick / Ford / Dodge / Hyundai / Mitsubishi / Kia / Nissan) or own / rent today.

Aggie57

I noticed similar on our new GLE350 as soon as we drove it off the lot. No mild hybrid of course, but switching the start/stop off fixes the issue and that’s fine by me. Our old GLK350 never did this so it was surprising.

But re. ZF transmissions, we had a BMW X3 for 6 years in Australia that had a 6-speed ZF. That model X3 - a 2.0d - was not sold in the US and I don’t believe any US X3’s had this transmission. It has a known but little publicized issue with a bronze bush at the end of the input shaft, the bush doesn’t support the shaft but provides alignment for the sensors which measure input speed and hence are inputs to gear selection. The bush wears and the gear selection starts to get jerky and unpredictable. Ultimately you get limp home mode, cleared by a restart but not safe at all.

ZF and BMW replaced the box despite warranty having expired some 2 years before this happened. Point is even good manufacturers have odd issues, what’s more important to me is how they handle it.

pklee

I have a 2020 GLE 450 (12K miles) and for me noticed the rougher downshifting occurs under heavier braking. It feels like the regenerative braking is kicking in harder when you are applying more pressure on the brakes, helping to also decelerate the car and perhaps get more longevity out of the brake pads (fine by me). Under light braking, my downshifting is smooth.