Rolling Back On Hills

We dont have any hills in houston but it can depend on the transmission..if tte tranny surges when you step on the gas thers probably something wrong - I would also check the transmission fluid levels..if those are ok its probably just the way it operates...the torque converter is what controls this and it just may be the way its designed on the nitro - but like Ive said - there arent any hills here so I havent had this experience..you can always get dealer to check it out *just in case*

I have noticed this but it hasn't presented any problem so far. Mine is going to the shop this afternoon to get reprogramed for the shifting. Maybe this will be a side effect corrected also.??

DAYLEY/CHALLENGER said:

I have noticed this but it hasn't presented any problem so far. Mine is going to the shop this afternoon to get reprogramed for the shifting. Maybe this will be a side effect corrected also.??

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Its possible since the TSB addresses the torque converter which would cause this..but if you dont notice any surging and our lube is right I dont think it is an issue to worry about..

At idle in gear the torque convertor is actually slipping, if it were locked up the vehicle would stall. Torque convertor application usually occurs partially in 3rd and full lock in 4th. So, the torque convertor has nothing to do with keeping a vehicle from rolling backwards on an incline.

Now, depending on the degree of incline alot of vehicle will roll backwards, this is normal. I've heard of this with Honda Pilots and Ford Escapes.

Not much for hills here but if I have the chance I'll test it my Nitro out.

My work truck is a 04 GMC sanoma van, v6 auto on purpose did some hills today stopping on them & then taking off, everytime I took my foot off the brake it rolled backward till I hit the gas. Makes me think this is pretty common to most vech.

RWood -

I have had the same issue. I almost have to brake/gas pedal drive the vehicle on a hill.

rolls intermittently

Our Nitro SLT will roll forward or back on an incline only intermittently. This tells me it is not normal for it to do so, or it would always do it.
if anyone finds an answer, please post.
We are taking ours in for another issue (leaky sunroof:shakehead: ) and will have it checked out. Will post when we get an answer.

I have a big hill in Baltimore and it rolls back. Honestly I think its normal because my Dodge Caravan did the same thing on the same hill and when I called the dealer 3 years ago for that they said its normal for the weight of the car. Not sure if this is helpful but thought I would add my 2 cents.

Every auto tranny i've owned rolls backwards on a steep incline. This is normal. The only exception was my 1969 Imapla SS which had a high idle so it wanted to jump as soon as you let off the brake.

ya that would prob fix the prob if u were able to turn the idle up a bit

Our Nitro rolls in our driveway. approx a 10 degree slope. But it doesn't do it every time. What would allow it to roll only intermittently?

Mine just started doing this 2 days ago! It never did it before my 3 trips to the dealership for repairs, now it does........

Temperature, Idle Speed, Flywheel balance, slope degree...these are just a few of the things that can determine if it rolls back a little or not.

If it really bothers you Mama, just take her into the shop and make sure.

I live in the hills and mine does it as well as alot of other cars including the commander i had while my nitro was in the shop. It is normal as far as i know. You just have to anticipate it happening if you are on a slope. just be on the gas or brake depending on how your vehicle is responding and wich way its rolling and where you wanna go. You can actually apply the right amount of gas to have the car stay in a fixed position on a hill but applying the brake has the same result with no margine of error. hehe. take care

Mine does the same thing, I thought it was because its an electronic throttle, and it doesn't accelerate until the sensor gets a signal that the gas pedal is pushed down....just a thought, but I'm no mechanic

I have noticed that overall, the Nitro has a very low idle speed. For example, while waiting to leave my neighborhood, I usually like to idle out of the turn lane onto to road (for lack of better words). With the Nitro, if I try to idle, it just sits there. No forward or backwards. It does the same thing in my driveway. I like to idle into the garage but the nitro usually just sits on teh driveway untill I hit the gas.

It's normal, don't panic or try to fix something that's not broke.

What everyone is describing is normal for automatic transmissions that are designed to roll freely while coasting to save fuel and engines that have low idle speeds. Just learn to drive with these facts in mind and enjoy the benefits that this design provides.

This is a non-issue. Every automatic transmission I've ever owned slipped. As others have said, it's by design of the torque converter.

Yes automatics will roll

My Nitro is better than the Honda I had If my Tach is accurate hot idle seems to be 500 rpm it is low