Whenever I try to accelerate from a stop on a steep incline, the transmission hesitates and grinds while attempting to shift into 2nd gear. Under normal circumstances, I rarely notice the issue, but every time I have to come to a stop on a steep hill I'm painfully reminded of the problem.

So far swapping out the fluid offers only a temporary fix, as the issue will return within weeks of a fluid change. At this point the transmission hasn't actually failed, so it's simply an annoying problem... for now.

I don't think this issue reflects badly on the brand, the car I bought already had noticeable cosmetic body damage, which I suspect might be connected with the transmission problems.

Just make sure to check that the transmission fluid color is still pinkish (This one had fluid that's almost black) if you plan to buy one and that it isn't vibrating noticeably when you test drive it. Otherwise you might have one with a bad transmission.