DCT gets "stuck" in a gear when in Auto mode

[mzobian]

It's November 2025 and I just bought a leftover 2024 I4 model Emira with only 25 miles on it. One thing I've noticed in the first few days of driving it is that when the DCT is in Auto mode, it will occasionally get stuck in 2nd gear and refuse to upshift. I have to pull the + paddle to manually upshift. Then I pull the central shift lever to Auto mode and the problem seems "fixed", for a while anyway.

I've detected no pattern to this problem. It happens on gentle and hard accelerations. It happens several times on a drive, and occasionally doesn't happen at all. The only consistent thing: it seems to always get stuck at 2nd gear. It's a pretty annoying problem, because you you're relaxed in Auto mode and you're leaving an intersection and the engine begins to scream because there's no upshift to 3rd. You end up grabbing frantically at the paddle and you look and sound like a guy who can't drive a car.

I did read about this in a couple car reviews of the I4 Emira. Is any other I4 owner experiencing this? Any fixes? (I was told the car is "completely up to date as of November 2025" when I bought it from Lotus of North New Jersey.)

 

[Emira Fan]

Have about 1,00o miles on mine. Haven't enchanted this issue you describe. Unless your in track mode, track mode really holds the gear into higher RPMs/

 

[lynchy73]

It's November 2025 and I just bought a leftover 2024 I4 model Emira with only 25 miles on it. One thing I've noticed in the first few days of driving it is that when the DCT is in Auto mode, it will occasionally get stuck in 2nd gear and refuse to upshift. I have to pull the + paddle to manually upshift. Then I pull the central shift lever to Auto mode and the problem seems "fixed", for a while anyway.

I've detected no pattern to this problem. It happens on gentle and hard accelerations. It happens several times on a drive, and occasionally doesn't happen at all. The only consistent thing: it seems to always get stuck at 2nd gear. It's a pretty annoying problem, because you you're relaxed in Auto mode and you're leaving an intersection and the engine begins to scream because there's no upshift to 3rd. You end up grabbing frantically at the paddle and you look and sound like a guy who can't drive a car.

I did read about this in a couple car reviews of the I4 Emira. Is any other I4 owner experiencing this? Any fixes? (I was told the car is "completely up to date as of November 2025" when I bought it from Lotus of North New Jersey.)

what mode? Tour, or sport or Track? The car will hold onto gears and let the engine rev high in Sport or higher settings, even driving fairly sedately. Even fairly light throttle applications in sport means it revs high before changing up.

Even in Tour, if you give it any sort of gas, it will hold onto gears, longer than you might want. The AMG engine needs a certain amount of revs (not that much), it doesn’t do lugging at barely over tick over so well.

 

[Jbrock]

Sounds to me you may be in manual mode and not know it. It has happened to me.

 

[lynchy73]

Yes, there are 3 different modes of Auto/Manual operation. Full Auto is just that, it will change up/down according to the driving and selected mode (tour, sport, track). Then you have full manual mode, which is selected by the gear sector (not paddles), where it will hold onto gears, bounce off limiter, but will still change down to 1st gear automatically if you come to a standstill, it won’t let the engine under or over rev changing down gears.

The other mode is semi auto (Lotus might call it something else). If you have the gear selector in Auto, but touch a paddle, the car will switch to Manual, but will time out after a short delay and go back to Auto if you don’t touch a paddle (like 20 secs). It doesn’t bounce off the limiter in this mode, if I’m not mistaken. When in this semi auto mode the Dash will show an M, but the colour is different from full manual (green/white). The handbook will explain it better than me, but this is roughly the jist of how it works.

 

[mzobian]

Thanks gang, but it happens in Tour+Automatic mode, and haven't touched any paddles, which is why I am puzzled and concerned. Several magazine and YouTube reviews of the I4 have noted this problem, so I'm wondering if anyone also experiences this, or if an update in the past year has fixed it.

 

[Beachbum]

I have the issue occasionally. Started after a software update earlier this year. I need to get the car back to the dealer for the windows opening when I close the door, so will get this looked at, at the same time
If I get it fixed, will update

 

[mzobian]

I have the issue occasionally. Started after a software update earlier this year. I need to get the car back to the dealer for the windows opening when I close the door, so will get this looked at, at the same time
If I get it fixed, will update

Thanks. I do not have the window issue, though I have read about it before. Hopefully also just software. Though thankfully we are all still under warranty.

 

[RaynesCars]

Thanks gang, but it happens in Tour+Automatic mode, and haven't touched any paddles, which is why I am puzzled and concerned. Several magazine and YouTube reviews of the I4 have noted this problem, so I'm wondering if anyone also experiences this, or if an update in the past year has fixed it.

Ive had it happen to me a few times and its very concerning. No fix that ive found. Car will benifit from a proper ecu and transmission tune

 

[hellograeme74]

Thanks. I do not have the window issue, though I have read about it before. Hopefully also just software. Though thankfully we are all still under warranty.

Hi - i've got a 2024 i4 too. I've not had this issue, or not in the way you describe. Does occasionally hold a gear to say 3,000rpm, but nothing like 'screaming' as you describe.

Does anyone know if there is a way to CHECK that it has the relevant software version? Lets face it, just because the dealer has said the software updates were done, doesn't mean they have been. I'd be checking that out first. If you are in Tour / Auto, then that is an issue.

 

[hellograeme74]

I should add, if i'm driving it in a spirited fashion, then i will sometimes find i want it to change up, when it doesn't - in that scenario, i will use the paddle to change up and decrease the RPM - it's like the car thinks you still want to go, even though i am easing off the gas.

 

[Tokion]

My year old First Edition l4 AMG Turbo recently had its first 12 months service including software updates.

Most of the time the DCT gearbox works great providing quick upshifts and downshifts in both A (automated) and M (manual) modes. However, on a couple of occasions the gearbox refused to upshift to a higher gear when I pulled the right paddle. At the time this happened, I quickly pulled back the main gear lever which then engages the A (automated) mode, and this resolved the problem. I am not yet sure if this is just a freak, occasional issue, or if it is a frequent problem that needs scrutiny by Lotus service?

I have so far not experienced that the DCT gearbox gets stuck in a gear while in A (automated) mode.

 

[mzobian]

Hi - i've got a 2024 i4 too. I've not had this issue, or not in the way you describe. Does occasionally hold a gear to say 3,000rpm, but nothing like 'screaming' as you describe.

Does anyone know if there is a way to CHECK that it has the relevant software version? Lets face it, just because the dealer has said the software updates were done, doesn't mean they have been. I'd be checking that out first. If you are in Tour / Auto, then that is an issue.

Regarding software updates, from the owner manual it appears there are two kinds:
1. Automatic updates over home Wifi at home. We are alerted in the car's center screen if such an update is available.
2. Dealer-only updates, which we don't know about, and only happen if you take the car to a dealer.
But the owners manual isn't really clear, and says nothing on how to CHECK which update had be already been done. I searched other threads, specifically "software updates", found this one re updates and the DCT:

August Software Updates (i4)

Went to the dealership for something and had two software updates done (was told they are part of the August update package). The codes are: QBS-131-25010 and QBS-131-25011. Anyone know what these are for? Was hoping one of them is for the DCT (maybe wishful thinking for it to be the same...

www.emiraforum.com

 

[geoffbland]

Regarding software updates, from the owner manual it appears there are two kinds:
1. Automatic updates over home Wifi at home. We are alerted in the car's center screen if such an update is available.
2. Dealer-only updates, which we don't know about, and only happen if you take the car to a dealer.
But the owners manual isn't really clear...

"Automatic updates over home Wifi at home" - this is currently not possible/not available.
You can only get updates at the dealers with them using the correct "special software" to update with. It may be that this software is also locked down on to a "special laptop" as well as I've heard that they can only update one car at once (not sure about this though).
As far as I know it is not possible for owners to check what updates have been made using the car instrumentation - only dealers can do this, again using their "special software".

 

[Nelumbo nucifera]

"Automatic updates over home Wifi at home" - this is currently not possible/not available.
You can only get updates at the dealers with them using the correct "special software" to update with. It may be that this software is also locked down on to a "special laptop" as well as I've heard that they can only update one car at once (not sure about this though).
As far as I know it is not possible for owners to check what updates have been made using the car instrumentation - only dealers can do this, again using their "special software".

My 2024 2.0 I, when first purchased (September 2024) did have the common shift hold problem in cars sold around that time. It went back in for a bunch of updates which included the DCT shift fix. Immediately the problem was resolved, though occasionally it will hold third gear.
While I do religiously warm the engine up before moving off, I do notice if the engine (and probably transmission) temperature has not reached full operating temperature (88 degrees for Australian delivered cars) it tends to hang on to third longer than usual in Auto mode.
I’ve played its game and just stayed in that gear at reasonable revs (2500 to 3000) just to see what happens. It will, after about 15/20 seconds change up. When I check the temperature gauge, it will, mostly, on those occasions read below 80/85 degrees. It would be reasonable to conclude that the transmission is even cooler at that particular time.
Does the transmission need to be up to working temperature to negate the shift/hold problem? that, I’m not sure. But as mentioned once my engine-transmission has reached full operating temperature the (occasional) problem many experience does not appear. .