if you dont hit the clucth and do it you are just slaming it into gears or you are torking it to hard
mine was acting up too. took me forever to find it. it was the range sensor.
A gear which causes the transmission output shaft to rotate at a higher speed than the transmission input shaft.
The motor mounts are broken or worn out or you have a broken wavy plate in the transmission.
low gear oil or gears are worn.
Poor driver or bad transmission.
If it's only when you attempt third gear the problem is in your transmission.
A hard shift from first gear to second gear in the Honda Accord could be because of a linkage problem with the transmission. It could also be a problem with the transmission screen needing to be cleaned or low transmission fluid.
There are several causes that an automatic transmission will not want to shift into second gear. The two most common causes are transmission pump issues and trouble with the vacuum modulator.
Quite possibly a worn second gear clutch pack.
A bad transmission gear can cause your 1999 Nissan frontier to shift hard. Low transmission fluid can also cause the transmission to shift hard.
Transmission Control Solenoid
The transmission needs repair. The electronic control system causes the transmission to stay in 2nd gear when it detects a problem, such as slipping in 3rd gear or overdrive. This allows the car to be driven in an emergency.