TSB 20-2277 2019-2020 Ranger - Shudder/Vibration When Accelerating From A Stop

[rdgallo]

Hi Ron,

You have asked a good question of which I have no answer directly. At launch of the production Ranger, there is an engineering drive team and the program will dictate how many Rangers the team must evaluate and for what distance they will evaluate, usually under 75 miles and the vehicle warranty is extended by the amount of the drive. If this was a problem that bubbled up, which I do not know but suspect it was flagged, (JMO!) the upper management of the program has to decided to fix it, let it go or something in the manufacturing process changed to now introduce the concern. I do not know the exact rate of problem occurrence, which is why I implored those with the problem to notify Ford Customer Care. The fact that a TSB was issued indicates that Field Service Engineering decided this problem was real and of an amount to investigate and develop a "fix". Whether this is a robust fix remains to be seen. Witness the cold start. We now have a second TSB as the first one failed on the cold start part. I have this surge and will be calling the dealership to get my PCM reflash....difficult to back out of the garage with the surging. So if the shudder fix is unsatisfactory, back to Ford Customer Care with another complaint. Sad it is a non robust process....hopefully Jim Farley can change the way Ford handles customers.

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

As always, Phil, thanks for the information. We will see what the TSB does for mine. I am hoping for a fix, but am slightly skeptic. When you say, "PCM reflash" is the PCM the electronic brain for the tranny/engine? My truck's shifting behavior has never been what I call great. Some days are better than others. Mine seems like it will shift and then balks/surges right after the shift. I probably should have the dealer reflash mine also while it is in for the TSB. Again, thanks for your input.

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[rdgallo]

The instructions for the TSB stipulate a half tank of gas.

I didn't know that. Mine goes in Wednesday and unfortunately will have a full gas tank.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

As always, Phil, thanks for the information. We will see what the TSB does for mine. I am hoping for a fix, but am slightly skeptic. When you say, "PCM reflash" is the PCM the electronic brain for the tranny/engine? My truck's shifting behavior has never been what I call great. Some days are better than others. Mine seems like it will shift and then balks/surges right after the shift. I probably should have the dealer reflash mine also while it is in for the TSB. Again, thanks for your input.

The dealer likely won't reflash the PCM on yours since the TSB only lists the 2019 model year and yours is a 2020. I have the same issue (Nov 2019 build but badged 2020) and will probably end up having to live with it until Ford expands the current TSB or issues a new one to cover mine as well.

 

[rdgallo]

I didn't know that. Mine goes in Wednesday and unfortunately will have a full gas tank.

I just read the TSB and don't see anywhere that says the fuel tank must be half full. Maybe my copy of the TSB has been revised?

 

[Porpoise Hork]

The TSB does not state it. It's listed in the Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 204- 00 on how to properly determine if the truck ride height is within spec or not.

 

[rdgallo]

The TSB does not state it. It's listed in the Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 204- 00 on how to properly determine if the truck ride height is within spec or not.

I wonder if it is a big deal....half tank vs full tank as it is only about 57 pounds different?

 

[ChiefQM]

I just read the TSB and don't see anywhere that says the fuel tank must be half full. Maybe my copy of the TSB has been revised?

You're right, it's not in the TSB. But I know I read it somewhere when I was researching the issues some of us are experiencing. Mea culpa.

 

[TheMuffinMan_904]

mine is intermittent as well. the more i drive the less i notice it's there. colder temps make it more apparent too.

personally, i don't feel it is pinion angle or the carrier bearing but something with the torque converter.

This is "exactly" the issue. I am friends with a GM engineer. Of course his first sarcastic question to me was "Why did you buy a Ford?". Anyway, I have a 2020 Lariat with this "shudder" issue at around start to 35mph. Its annoying. Dealer did a transmission learn reset to no avail. I have since been running a Livernois tune which has helped quite a bit (I have it shifting through all the gears regardless, no skipping or gear hunting). That being said, when I mentioned it to my friend, he said "yep, GM had the exact same issue with their 8-speed transmission. Come to find out, it was the transmission fluid they were using. They did some testing, and the fix was to double flush the tranny, re-fill with a full synthetic fluid, problem resolved. Its the torque converter that is "flapping" constantly due to the cheaper fluid breakdown. He said eventually, the TV will fail due to the constant flapping. Now, not sure that is the issue here, but it makes perfect sense and feels EXACTLY like that. I'm just sayin.

 

[Jfleming]

A co-worker of mine has a 2019 Colorado and had this shudder issue with the transmission. He took it back and they told him that they would change the fluid to fix it. This sounded hard to believe, but he swears that it did work on his Chevy.

I have no idea if this is the same issue some Rangers are having. The Colorado does not use the jointly developed GM / Ford 10 speed like the Ranger does.

This may just be two totally separate yet similar issues???

 

[RedlandRanger]

A co-worker of mine has a 2019 Colorado and had this shudder issue with the transmission. He took it back and they told him that they would change the fluid to fix it. This sounded hard to believe, but he swears that it did work on his Chevy.

I have no idea if this is the same issue some Rangers are having. The Colorado does not use the jointly developed GM / Ford 10 speed like the Ranger does.

This may just be two totally separate yet similar issues???

If it were a transmission issue, I would expect it would be a common complaint amongst a variety of vehicles (F-150, Explorer, etc as well as a bunch of GM vehicles). This exact same transmission is in a LOT of vehicles:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford-GM_10-speed_automatic_transmission#Applications

 

[Porpoise Hork]

This is "exactly" the issue. I am friends with a GM engineer. Of course his first sarcastic question to me was "Why did you buy a Ford?". Anyway, I have a 2020 Lariat with this "shudder" issue at around start to 35mph. Its annoying. Dealer did a transmission learn reset to no avail. I have since been running a Livernois tune which has helped quite a bit (I have it shifting through all the gears regardless, no skipping or gear hunting). That being said, when I mentioned it to my friend, he said "yep, GM had the exact same issue with their 8-speed transmission. Come to find out, it was the transmission fluid they were using. They did some testing, and the fix was to double flush the tranny, re-fill with a full synthetic fluid, problem resolved. Its the torque converter that is "flapping" constantly due to the cheaper fluid breakdown. He said eventually, the TV will fail due to the constant flapping. Now, not sure that is the issue here, but it makes perfect sense and feels EXACTLY like that. I'm just sayin.

If I remember correctly the 10R80 10 speed transmission used in the Ranger was the product of a joint venture with Ford and GM. So if GM the issue was being caused by the trans fluid, I wonder how long Ford will take to come to the same conclusion. They have already been having serious issues with it in the Mustangs, (many of the known issues listed I have seen in mine or mentioned by others) so if the wrong fluid type is still being used or under filled it then it may just be a matter of time before similar issues start appearing in the Rangers and other vehicles that use it.

 

[HarryD]

The stuttering issue that has been plaguing the Colorado ever since its last re-design is with their 8 Speed transmissions.
GM has been applying bandaid fixes for 5-6 years with fluid type, torque converters and different methods and equipment to flush the fluid.
This, and their use of their Engine Management System which shuts down engine cylinders for “economy” pretty much guaranteed I would not be buying one.
THANKFULLY, Ford released this new Ranger!!

 

[jsphlynch]

I thought the issue with the Colorado was a stutter at shift points, whereas the Ranger problem is a general shuddering during acceleration even when not shifting?

On the other hand, if the Colorado does have the same problem as some of the Rangers, it's worth noting that a tailgate damper is standard on the Colorado. Coincidence?

 

[TheMuffinMan_904]

I thought the issue with the Colorado was a stutter at shift points, whereas the Ranger problem is a general shuddering during acceleration even when not shifting?

On the other hand, if the Colorado does have the same problem as some of the Rangers, it's worth noting that a tailgate damper is standard on the Colorado. Coincidence?

That's correct. Ranger shudder is regardless of shifting. Its definitely the torque converter...has to be. Makes no sense to be anything else if its not actually shifting. All these new GDI engines are designed to provide torque at all speed ranges. No "lag". They use the transmission to do that. My buddy did mention the collaboration between Ford and GM on that tranny but he said that fell apart actually in the late stages. Not sure i'm quoting him correctly or not. I had a 2017 F-150 2.7 ecoboost with the 6spd tranny...no issues at all. My buddy bought the same exact truck only with the 10spd, shudder! The Mercon fluid Ford uses is, i believe, full synthetic, but, not sure a full flush and re-fill would solve anything...plus, at only 4500k on my truck they will think i'm crazy.

 

[TheMuffinMan_904]

That's correct. Ranger shudder is regardless of shifting. Its definitely the torque converter...has to be. Makes no sense to be anything else if its not actually shifting. All these new GDI engines are designed to provide torque at all speed ranges. No "lag". They use the transmission to do that. My buddy did mention the collaboration between Ford and GM on that tranny but he said that fell apart actually in the late stages. Not sure i'm quoting him correctly or not. I had a 2017 F-150 2.7 ecoboost with the 6spd tranny...no issues at all. My buddy bought the same exact truck only with the 10spd, shudder! The Mercon fluid Ford uses is, i believe, full synthetic, but, not sure a full flush and re-fill would solve anything...plus, at only 4500k on my truck they will think i'm crazy.

You think they would just put it on...WTF?
https://accessories.ford.com/damper-asy-12567.html

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