Overview The first-generation GMC Canyon (2004–2012) is one of those trucks you still see everywhere. Job sites. Farm roads. Beat-up daily drivers with 220,000 miles (354,000 km) on the odometer and a cracked dashboard. The drivetrain layout is simple by modern standards, which is probably why so many are still alive. Two transmissions. That’s it….
Overview The second-generation GMC Terrain showed up in 2018 with a totally different drivetrain philosophy than the old one. Smaller engines. Turbocharged. And a new transmission family that GM rolled out across half its crossover lineup. On paper it looks great. Nine gears. Compact packaging. Good fuel economy numbers. In real shops? The story is…
Overview The first-generation GMC Terrain (2010–2017) sits on GM’s Theta platform. Same bones as the Chevrolet Equinox. Transverse engine. Front-drive base layout. Optional AWD bolted on later in the drivetrain. From a transmission standpoint, the setup is pretty simple. Two gearboxes. Both from GM’s 6T family. Four-cylinder models get the 6T45. V6 models get the…
Overview The third-generation GMC Acadia showed up for the 2024 model year with a totally new platform and a drivetrain that, at least on paper, looks simple. One engine. One transmission family. Front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Sounds clean. Reality? It’s still a modern crossover drivetrain. Meaning a lot of electronics, a lot of tightly…
Overview The second-generation GMC Acadia (2017–2023) is a very different animal compared with the original truck-based version. Smaller platform. Front-wheel-drive architecture. Completely different driveline philosophy. And the transmissions? Totally different story too. Early models ran the Hydra-Matic 6-speed family. Solid gearboxes. Not perfect, but well understood in the trade. Then GM refreshed the vehicle in…
Overview The first-generation GMC Acadia (2007–2016) sits on GM’s Lambda platform. Big crossover. Three rows. Heavy. And underneath all that sheet metal there’s really just one transmission doing all the work — the GM 6T75. One transmission. One design. Same basic hardware across the entire generation. That makes diagnosing problems easier, honestly. When these show…
Overview Big SUV. Big drivetrain. Big expectations. The second-generation Jeep Grand Wagoneer showed up in 2022 on the WS platform. Luxury price tag. Massive curb weight. Real body-on-frame construction again. And underneath all the leather and screens sits one transmission doing the heavy lifting: the ZF-based 8HP75. I’ve worked on a lot of ZF 8HP…
Overview The 1984–1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer is old-school iron. Real truck hardware. Big frame. Big axles. And a drivetrain layout that dates back to the AMC era long before electronics took over everything. Underneath the wood paneling and leather seats sits a drivetrain that is brutally simple by modern standards. One transmission. One transfer case…
Overview The second-generation Jeep Wagoneer (WS platform, 2022–present) is a big, heavy SUV built on a new architecture Stellantis rolled out for the U.S. market. Underneath all the leather, screens, and marketing hype sits a fairly straightforward drivetrain layout: ZF-based eight-speed transmissions and electronically controlled transfer cases. Sounds simple. Usually is. Until it isn’t. I’ve…
Overview The first-generation Jeep Wagoneer ran from 1963 through 1991. Nearly three decades. Same basic truck bones the whole time — ladder frame, solid axles, longitudinal drivetrain. Old-school stuff. From a drivetrain perspective it’s simple. Brutally simple compared to modern SUVs. Engine up front, tranny behind it, transfer case hanging off the back, driveshafts running…
Overview The Jeep Gladiator showed up for the 2020 model year and, underneath the pickup bed, it’s basically a Wrangler JL with a longer frame. Same drivetrain philosophy. Old-school layout. Longitudinal engine, real transfer case, solid axles, proper driveshafts. Simple hardware. Usually a good thing. But simple doesn’t mean bulletproof. I’ve seen enough Gladiators in…
Overview The second-generation Jeep Liberty (KK platform) ran from the 2008 through 2012 model years in the U.S. market. Old-school SUV layout. Body-on-frame feel without actually being body-on-frame. Solid drivetrain ideas. Some questionable parts choices. Most of these trucks left the factory with the 3.7L PowerTech V6 and the Chrysler 42RLE automatic. Rear-wheel drive or…
Overview The first-generation Jeep Liberty (KJ), sold in the U.S. from 2002 through 2007, runs a very traditional Jeep drivetrain layout. Longitudinal engine. Real transfer case. Solid rear axle. Old-school stuff. And honestly, from a mechanic’s perspective, that’s not a bad starting point. But the transmissions? Different story depending on which one you got. This…
Overview The first-generation Jeep Renegade (platform BU) showed up for the 2015 model year. Small SUV. Fiat bones underneath. And a drivetrain that—on paper—looked pretty advanced for a vehicle this size. Most of the U.S. models rely on one transmission. The 948TE nine-speed automatic, FCA’s version of the ZF 9HP48. Transverse layout, tons of software…
Overview The Jeep Patriot from 2007 through 2017 runs a drivetrain layout that looks simple on paper. Front-wheel-drive platform. Optional four-wheel drive. Compact SUV packaging. Easy, right? Not really. Most of these trucks on the road use Chrysler’s CVT2 transmission. Sales code DAV in service documentation. In the transmission industry everyone recognizes it as the…