Ультрадрайв: история, конструкция и проблемы автоматической трансмиссии Chrysler.

The Ultradrive is an automatic transmission manufactured by Chrysler beginning in the 1989 model year. Initially produced in a single four speed variant paired with the Mitsubishi (6G72) 3.0 liter engine in vehicles with transverse engines, application was expanded to the Chrysler 3.3 and 3.8 liter V6 engines in 1990 model year Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Dynasty and Chrysler New Yorker. A six speed variant (62TE) was introduced in the 2007 model year and remains in production for several models as of 2019. The Ultradrive and succeeding transmissions are produced at the Kokomo Transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana, which also manufactures other Chrysler automatic transmissions. As of 2020, Dodge Journeys equipped with four cylinder engines are the only applications of the four speed Ultradrive (40TES) remaining in production. The Ram Promaster will be the only vehicle to use an Ultradrive transmission after 2020.

The Ultradrive was a significant technological advancement in transmission operation, one of the first electronically controlled automatics. It pioneered many now common features such as adaptive shifting, wherein the electronic control unit optimizes shifting based on the driving style of the operator. It earned a reputation for being unreliable. While the Ultradrive transmission had numerous issues, reportedly due to being rushed into production, a common problem was not necessarily caused by a design flaw, but by poor labelling: both owner's manuals and transmission fluid dipsticks advocated the use of Dexron transmission fluid in the event the required fluid was not available. The transmissions were designed to use a special fluid (Type 7176, also known as ATF+3, now superseded by ATF+4) and many owners reported failures from the use of Dexron, as well as temporary issues which were resolved when the proper fluid was added. There may also have been mistaken impressions of failure due to the "limp home" feature. When the computer sensed a problem, such as a sensor giving an inappropriate reading, a code would be stored in the car's computer and the transmission would default to second gear only, under transmission computer control, so that owners could still drive to a service location for diagnosis or repairs. This may have caused perceptions of failure and premature replacement. A major drawback to the "second gear only limp mode" was, if second gear was the defective gear, the vehicle would not go forward. The torque converter measured in diameter and was mounted to the flywheel by a flexible drive plate. The transaxle was cooled through an oil to water heat exchanger in the collector tank on the radiator, and/or a standard oil to air heat exchanger. There were no bands or mechanical holding devices; ratios were supplied by five different clutch packs. This allowed the transmission to be lightweight and to use fewer moving parts than the three speed it replaced. The 41TE transmission which directly replaced the TorqueFlite had a similar design and could be considered an evolutionary change, but it included different valve bodies, solenoid packs, sensors, and other components to increase reliability. This line was also given a flash programmable TCM and, in 2006, a variable line pressure hydraulic system was phased in, which boosted performance and longevity.

In some applications, the driver could select a certain gear with an extra position on the stick. Marketed as "Autostick," activation required the driver to press a safety button on the selector stick, whereby and the selector could be moved to the "manual" position—where side to side movements towards the + and icons (or pressing the + and buttons on column mounted selectors) made it possible to manually engage the transmission sequentially through all four forward speeds. The computer could override the gear selector to limit maximum engine RPM or prevent selection of a gear too low for vehicle speed. The option was advantageous in certain driving conditions, e. g., slippery roads or mountain driving.

Many problems with Chrysler automatic transmissions are started when the automatic transmission fluid or "ATF" is replaced or topped up with standard, more common fluids like DEXRON or MERCON type fluids. Chrysler transmissions need to use their own fluid, designated as ATF+4 Synthetic type 9602 fluid from Chrysler, not any other or any other plus an additive. If any quantity of other type of fluid is added to the transmission, a complete drain, flush and replacement with the correct ATF+4 will be needed. The most common problems (shift stuck , limp mode , blocking problems) with the Chrysler Ultradrive transmissions are poor shifting quality and sudden locks into second gear ("limp home" mode) caused by the transmission computer detecting problems with sensor data. Nine design changes were made in an attempt to fix clutch failure, and four were directed to excessive shifting on hills. After pressure from the US Center for Auto Safety, Consumer Reports, and others, Chrysler LLC promised to waive the $100 deductible in the warranty, provide loaners, and buy back any cars with Ultradrives that could not be fixed (US located cars only). Chrysler ran a campaign to contact all American owners of cars with Ultradrives to find and fix problems.