Transmission Issues

[shred5]

I feel bad hearing about all these issues. So far, I'm happy with the transmission except for a few things which I've mostly gotten used to:

1. Auto shifts in and out of gear 3 can be a bit less than smooth.

2. Manually shifting between the gears while in S mode is rather sluggish compared to any other transmission I've had. It seems to spend a lot of time doing things like rev-matching the engine and such to try to reduce wear, which is great in that sense, but the shifts take forever. You don't notice it in auto mode because you're not manually initiating the shift. I'm learning to anticipate my shifts more and initiating them a few seconds early to compensate, but it's still somewhat annoying.

I got to admit I am a little skeptical about buying a Ranger right now.
I was really starting to put the Ranger on the top of my list but all this has me pausing for a bit.
This truck was going to be long term and I have not had good long long term with Chevy.
They are ok if you trade a vehicle in every 3 to 5 years. I do love my Colorado and have had very little issues with it.
The reason i am getting rid of it is my needs of changed and I need more passenger space and less bed space.
Well since this was a long term buy the Taco was at the top of the list but the back seat is just a little to small so that left the Ranger.
It was the most comfortable front and back seat. My Colorado is pretty comfy too..

But I got to say my Focus had allot of transmission problems and so much Ford extended the Warranty on them. I took a hit trading it because by that time people knew about the issue. I do not want to go through that again.

I really like the midsized market and I like all 3 trucks just in different ways. None give me everything I want.

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[dmeyer302]

I got to admit I am a little skeptical about buying a Ranger right now.
I was really starting to put the Ranger on the top of my list but all this has me pausing for a bit.
This truck was going to be long term and I have not had good long long term with Chevy.
They are ok if you trade a vehicle in every 3 to 5 years. I do love my Colorado and have had very little issues with it.
The reason i am getting rid of it is my needs of changed and I need more passenger space and less bed space.
Well since this was a long term buy the Taco was at the top of the list but the back seat is just a little to small so that left the Ranger.
It was the most comfortable front and back seat. My Colorado is pretty comfy too..

But I got to say my Focus had allot of transmission problems and so much Ford extended the Warranty on them. I took a hit trading it because by that time people knew about the issue. I do not want to go through that again.

I really like the midsized market and I like all 3 trucks just in different ways. None give me everything I want.

Your Focus had that PowerShift dual-clutch lemon. Totally different design. Don't let that influence what you're doing here.

As is true with any forum, you hear a lot of negativity, but the percentage of people with actual problems is very, very small. Take a break from that and read some good reports here, here, or here.

Most of us here are happy and problem-free save for maybe the missing tailgate damper scandal. Lol

 

[RedlandRanger]

I got to admit I am a little skeptical about buying a Ranger right now.
I was really starting to put the Ranger on the top of my list but all this has me pausing for a bit.
This truck was going to be long term and I have not had good long long term with Chevy.
They are ok if you trade a vehicle in every 3 to 5 years. I do love my Colorado and have had very little issues with it.
The reason i am getting rid of it is my needs of changed and I need more passenger space and less bed space.
Well since this was a long term buy the Taco was at the top of the list but the back seat is just a little to small so that left the Ranger.
It was the most comfortable front and back seat. My Colorado is pretty comfy too..

But I got to say my Focus had allot of transmission problems and so much Ford extended the Warranty on them. I took a hit trading it because by that time people knew about the issue. I do not want to go through that again.

I really like the midsized market and I like all 3 trucks just in different ways. None give me everything I want.

Of all the things you COULD be skeptical of, the transmission on the Ranger should be WAY down the list, IMO. It is the same 10 speed transmission that has been used in the F-150 for a few years now and has held up well there. I was a bit skeptical of 10 speeds before I got it, but it is an OUTSTANDING transmission, I think. Buttery smooth shifts and it isn't shifting all the time, trying to hunt for gears.

 

[shred5]

Your Focus had that PowerShift dual-clutch lemon. Totally different design. Don't let that influence what you're doing here.

As is true with any forum, you hear a lot of negativity, but the percentage of people with actual problems is very, very small. Take a break from that and read some good reports here, here, or here.

Most of us here are happy and problem-free save for maybe the missing tailgate damper scandal. Lol

Of all the things you COULD be skeptical of, the transmission on the Ranger should be WAY down the list, IMO. It is the same 10 speed transmission that has been used in the F-150 for a few years now and has held up well there. I was a bit skeptical of 10 speeds before I got it, but it is an OUTSTANDING transmission, I think. Buttery smooth shifts and it isn't shifting all the time, trying to hunt for gears.

Yea I knew that it was used in the F150 and it really is not the transmission that bothers me it is the hole shudder thing at a certain RPM and the drive shaft issue. It has been a solid transmission.
I did not feel that shudder when I took the Ranger for a test drive but I was mainly looking at acceleration. Once I feel that shudder it would bug me bad.

I have time to wait a bit and see how it all shakes out.

I do understand forums and customer rating and reviews too.

I am also confident Ford will take care of issues. That is always my concern with my GM vehicles is they just deny there ever is a issue.

I have not decided not to buy one, I just may wait a little longer. I have not ruled out the other trucks either. I try to keep a open mind on them all..

 

[DavidR]

One thing I would add to this is that with all these various reports, it really boils down to a few things that you would need to look for in a test drive, assuming you are buying a vehicle from dealer stock. We ordered ours, so I guess we were lucky, thought I suspect that 99% of them are probably OK.

Since these problems seem to be present when the truck is new, a thorough enough test drive should show them up.

Having read these reports, if you want to still consider this truck, I would insist on a long and thorough test drive, Including highway and all other normal driving conditions (they probably won't let you take it off-road, but these problems don't require that to be seen), and be prepared with a list of all the things to look for.

I got to admit I am a little skeptical about buying a Ranger right now.
I was really starting to put the Ranger on the top of my list but all this has me pausing for a bit.
This truck was going to be long term and I have not had good long long term with Chevy.
They are ok if you trade a vehicle in every 3 to 5 years. I do love my Colorado and have had very little issues with it.
The reason i am getting rid of it is my needs of changed and I need more passenger space and less bed space.
Well since this was a long term buy the Taco was at the top of the list but the back seat is just a little to small so that left the Ranger.
It was the most comfortable front and back seat. My Colorado is pretty comfy too..

But I got to say my Focus had allot of transmission problems and so much Ford extended the Warranty on them. I took a hit trading it because by that time people knew about the issue. I do not want to go through that again.

I really like the midsized market and I like all 3 trucks just in different ways. None give me everything I want.

 

[BuckinBronco]

The only time the transmission has given me issues was while going down a pretty steep highway. Me and my passenger thought we got our bumper kissed by the driver behind us. This happened one or two more times after the initial jolt. I checked my mirrors following the 2nd/3rd mishap but the car behind was clear off my bumper. We then agreed the 10 speed transmission must be trying to find the right gear. Mind you I am only at ~2k miles with this truck and it hasn't disappointed yet.

 

[Cav10x]

I am at 2500 miles and find the Ranger to be very smooth. In the morning I take it easy on my 45 mile commute and try to not fight traffic to much. On the way home I drive as hard as local police will allow. In both scenarios the truck has been great so far.

 

[DavidR]

As is true with any forum, you hear a lot of negativity, but the percentage of people with actual problems is very, very small.

That is very true and important to mention. What is a little bothersome, though, is that many of the folks who *do* have a problem seem to be getting it brushed off as normal behavior. Although the problem cases might be few in absolute numbers, Ford should take ownership of them and fix them.

 

[oneminddoc]

Has anyone else experienced rough shifts up and down, rumble strip feeling on decel, shudder on tip in acceleration and slight shudder at low RPM regardless of speed or gear? Probably the worse AT I have experienced.

My dealer tells me it is normal for ten speeds to act this way. But acknowledges it is not great. I have read about class action suits on the F-150 ten speed and some have acknowledged that many customers complain about these ten speed performance characteristics across numerous Ford platforms.

I have 3600 miles and have had the tough idle TSB performed a while back.

Yep, know exactly what your are talking about. Same issue here. Have 2900 miles and feels like truck stumbles down road. Pulled a P0316 code, but can't really find anything helpful on internet as of yet.

 

[MT19RANGER]

Yep, know exactly what your are talking about. Same issue here. Have 2900 miles and feels like truck stumbles down road. Pulled a P0316 code, but can't really find anything helpful on internet as of yet.

Did you call your dealership? Isn't P0316 "misfire on startup"?

 

[Doc]

My transmission was goofy when l first got it. But it straightened out before 1000 miles.

 

[shred5]

One thing I would add to this is that with all these various reports, it really boils down to a few things that you would need to look for in a test drive, assuming you are buying a vehicle from dealer stock. We ordered ours, so I guess we were lucky, thought I suspect that 99% of them are probably OK.

Since these problems seem to be present when the truck is new, a thorough enough test drive should show them up.

Having read these reports, if you want to still consider this truck, I would insist on a long and thorough test drive, Including highway and all other normal driving conditions (they probably won't let you take it off-road, but these problems don't require that to be seen), and be prepared with a list of all the things to look for.

Ok I do appreciate the feed back..

I was going to take it for another test drive for sure, I never even got it on the highway. My test drive was just to see if the Ranger was even a option for me and see how the 4cyl actually was. I like the engine and transmission combo. Only thing is I miss the sound of the larger engines.

So this shudder goes away? I thought that was a trait of the truck from what others have said. I thought it was because of the design of the drive shaft, this was probably the wrong thread to have posted this in and the other would have been better that talks about that problem.

I do realise people with issues post about it more than those that do not. Also some fanboys will make accounts on other truck forums to claim issues when they do not even own the truck. Something I never understood, just because someone own something different. Who cares what someone else owns, I do not know why people care let them be happy.

 

[DavidR]

We've never had shuddering, the only thing we occasionally have is a slight roughness at very low speed right after starting, and it's gotten better since I switched up to 89 fuel, so I think our issue is probably engine related. From some of the reports here, it sounds like it might make sense to crawl under and take a look at the driveshaft, joints, and bearings, etc.

Like someone said, these things probably occur only 0.1% of the time, but it does sound like in some cases the dealers will try to brush them off as "normal" if you do have them.

Ok I do appreciate the feed back..

I was going to take it for another test drive for sure, I never even got it on the highway. My test drive was just to see if the Ranger was even a option for me and see how the 4cyl actually was. I like the engine and transmission combo. Only thing is I miss the sound of the larger engines.

So this shudder goes away? I thought that was a trait of the truck from what others have said. I thought it was because of the design of the drive shaft, this was probably the wrong thread to have posted this in and the other would have been better that talks about that problem.

I do realise people with issues post about it more than those that do not. Also some fanboys will make accounts on other truck forums to claim issues when they do not even own the truck. Something I never understood, just because someone own something different. Who cares what someone else owns, I do not know why people care let them be happy.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

going back a few years, to when i was young and attractive, svelt figure and sharp mind, I had a 1988 Ranger, Manual transmission.
From my comparative experiences, I had far more bad shifts in the '88, than I ever had on the 2019 in the six months I have owned it.
Yes, mostly from my own learning curve, but still the numbers stack up and lean considerably.
the early transmission never failed me, even though I beat it hard.
I do not suspect this one will either, even though it acts strange in some instances.
if it does....then this fancy word "warranty" comes into play.

Okay..Another Back Story:

We introduced that Saleen Ranger to racing. It was 1987, I built the Rangers but I knew that the old TK 4 speed box was being replaced with a new Mazda 5 speed. So over the winter I send the new transmissions to the team. They were not in production at the time but the transmissions would be hitting production the following model year. Call this prove out. We were at Sears Point Raceway in early April of the 1988 model year. The trucks when out for the first practice session and in a few laps , George Follmer,who with whch I worked closely, came in with the shiftier on the floor. Steve Saleen followed with the same problem.
Omg! What is going on, so we dived into changing transmissions for new ones. Next secession on track produced the same results. Cripe! What is going on, so I took one of the failed transmissions top cover to peer into the gear box. To my amazement the boxes were pristine. What was going on???? So I examined the shiftier...Same... pristine. I sat with the gear box in my lap.
Then the lightbulb came on. The three shift rails were inside the gear case were out in space, and what was happening was that the rails would spread apart if the gear lever was not exactly positioned to engage the next shift rail. Eureka! I had an idea of what happened. So up to one of the track shop at the race track and we welded in aluminum spacers to the outside of the 1 - 2 and 5 - Reverse Shift rails to keep the rails from deflecting sideways. We put the new modified transmission in to the trucks for the race and there were no missed shifts. I had the fix, so called back to the transmission supervisor at Ford. He, in turn, called Mazda and relayed the information. Mazda duplicated the concern and verified my 'fix". They revised the top cover to include my weldments and before production, all transmissions were reworked before production.

So, Racing can and does improve the breed...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[oneminddoc]

Took to dealer. Flashed ECU. There is a TSB. Will let everyone know how it works out.

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