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Car slows down a lot when letting go of gas, is this normal?

52K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  Cobb 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
When I drive and let go of the gas, I can feel the car slow down as if I was pressing the brakes lightly. If I don't have to stop entirely for a while, I'll let it keep going, and then I'll feel it get "unstuck," and I'm coasting with a little slowdown feeling.

I was researching a bit, and some with similar issues say it could be the engine downshifting, making it do an engine brake. But it doesn't feel right because it will eventually feel like the brakes let go. Is this a normal feeling, or should I get the brakes/rotors replaced?
 
#2 ·
When I drive, let go of the gas, I can feel the car slow down as if I was pressing the brakes lightly. If I don't have to stop completely for a while, I'll let it keep going and then I'll feel it get "unstuck" and I'm coasting with little slowdown feeling.

I was researching a bit and some with similar issues say it could be the engine downshifting, making it do an engine brake? But it doesn't feel right because then it will eventually feel like the brakes let go. Is this normal feeling or should I get the brakes/rotors replaced?
Not knowing the year, model, and transmission you are talking about makes it almost impossible to get any kind of useful information. If you have a cv transmission, the behavior you mention seems to be the norm. I have a 2012 versa sedan with a cv transmission, and if I am slowing down for a red light, the transmission seems to slow the car down and then just before it comes to a complete stop, it feels like it gets "unstuck" and free wheels to a stop. My cars transmission was replaced by Nissan under warranty with a brand new one, and it does the exact same thing as my old tranny did. Takes a little getting used to. My other car is a 2009 Versa sedan with an automatic and it displays no such behavior. Hope this helps!!
 
#5 ·
Yeah, its a combination of rolling and aero resistance. If you feel something is off you can check the air pressure in all 4 tires and go a step further by jacking up each corner and see if they rotate freely. If you arent into jacking your car another test is to feel how warm the wheels are after a drive. The warmer the wheel the more resistance is being generated by that part from a warn bearing to sticking or dragging brake pad or shoe.

Have you had a 4 wheel alignment in a while? If you tires wear funny, wear out faster than normal this can be another issue.
 
#6 ·
I just got my brake pads and rotors replaced. It still happens. I've been doing some research and it might either be an issue with my torque converter and/or that's just how it is normally. I've noticed that it makes a revving noise when I accelerate ( like reaching 40mph ), from a stop I will press down the gas and it will revv and I see that it's almost at 3 rpm and I'm still around 25-30mph. Is that normal?
 
#7 ·
I have a 2014 Versa Note with the CVT. I also feel the car slowing down if I take my foot off the gas pedal, even if I'm not touching the brake pedal. As pimperell stated, this strong engine braking is normal for the CVT.

I also feel the CVT getting "unstuck" when the car slows down via coasting (not pressing either the gas pedal nor the brake pedal) to 12 MPH; from 12 MPH, it will freewheel and the rate of slowing down (i.e. amount of engine braking) is much less. The CVT could be "downshifting" from 2nd gear to 1st gear as the 2nd generation CVTs (2012-present Versa sedans, 2014-present Versa Notes) have the subplanetary gearset, which acts as a 2-gear conventional automatic coupled with the belt-and-pulley of a traditional CVT.
 
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