Nissan Micra Gearbox & Transmission Problems

This could be a rattle or vibration caused by any number of things, and very possibly to do with general wear and tear. That fact that the vibration goes away when you accelerate or take the strain off the driveline, it’s possibly down to some movement in an engine mount, transmission mount, exhaust or heat shield. But since such harmonics can travel right through the whole car, it could even be a piece of interior trim or fitting that’s rattling and vibrating.

Selecting fourth gear (overdrive in the Micra) at just 60km/h means the engine would be turning very slowly, and this is when the harmonics created would be the most noticeable. Also, the Micra’s engine is a three cylinder which is inherently a bit more vibey than some other layouts. It’s probably just a characteristic of the car rather than an actual problem. The solution is probably to use the overdrive lock-out and hold the car in third gear until you’re travelling fast enough for the vibration not to appear.