AW55-50SN, AF33-35, RE5F22A

The Aisin Warner AW55-50SN is a 5-speed electronically controlled automatic transaxle developed for transverse-engine vehicles and used by numerous manufacturers. The same transmission family appears under different manufacturer designations, including AF33-5/AF23-5 in General Motors applications and RE5F22A in Nissan/Infiniti applications. Technical documentation confirms these transmissions share the AW55-50SN architecture, although internal components, valve bodies, torque converters and electronic calibrations vary by manufacturer and application.

Specification: 5-speed automatic • Aisin Warner AW55-50SN family • AF33-5 / RE5F22A manufacturer variants • Transverse installation • Front-wheel-drive and AWD applications • Torque converter with electronically controlled lock-up clutch • Electronically controlled hydraulic valve body • Planetary gearsets • Multiple clutch and brake elements • SLT line-pressure control solenoid • SLS shift-pressure control solenoid • SLU lock-up control solenoid • Multiple final-drive and calibration variants depending on application. GM technical documentation confirms the AF33-5 as an electronically controlled five-speed transaxle available in both FWD and AWD configurations.

Commonly fitted to selected Volvo S40/V40, S60, S70/V70, S80 and XC90; Saab 9-3 and 9-5; Opel/Vauxhall Vectra and Signum; Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent; and Nissan Altima, Maxima, Quest and selected Infiniti applications. Nissan versions are designated RE5F22A, while GM/Opel applications commonly use AF23/AF33-5 designations. Because shafts, drums, torque converters, valve bodies and TCM calibrations differ between applications, the vehicle VIN, complete transmission identification and valve-body/component number should always be confirmed before ordering replacement parts.

Common Faults

Common AW55-50SN-family problems include valve-body wear, hydraulic pressure-control faults, SLT/SLS/SLU solenoid problems, torque-converter lock-up faults and shift-quality problems. Particularly well documented are 2–3 shift flare and harsh 3–2 downshifts, which can occur across Nissan, Volvo, Saab, GM, Saturn, Renault and Opel versions of the transmission. These symptoms may be accompanied by P0780/P0785 or P0745, although hydraulic valve-body problems can also occur without a stored DTC.

Common Fault Codes