So our jeep should be paid off next summer and that will allow me to finally sell the minivan and get a truck again! Looking at 2016 - 2019 range. I’m not sure if I want to do the 3.6 eco-boost or the 5.0, but I’m leaning toward the 5.0. Are there any issues with the new 10 speed transmission or should I stick with the older six speed? Any other things I should consider in these year ranges? Thanks in advance.

 

The 6R80 is a fine transmission. It has been around long enough to have had all the kinks worked out. However, there were only a few issues with early iterations of the 10-speed. For the most part it has become a solid performer. If I was looking for a new truck (or a used truck), I would lean toward the 10-speed. We live in the mountains, and going up the grade, I find the 6R80 is often in a "between state" where another step in the shifting would be nice.

 

The ZF based 6R80 has been an excellent transmission for the most part. Ram uses a ZF based 8 speed variant of it, and it's probably the best light duty auto on the market.

It seems that the Ford/GM 10 speed has been okay, but the one in our 2020 Navigator required a rebuild at less than 30k miles. I never really liked it that much and would probably avoid one in the future, unless Ford made a significant improvement to it. I have to admit, it's one of the big reasons that I hang onto my 2015. Plus, it's been an excellent, trouble free truck that is still in great condition.

Many will post about their trouble free 10 speeds and many are happy with them. But even when they function properly, they shift strangely, and there are many threads that you can read about that in Ford trucks forums and GM truck forums.

 

There are a few complaints about the "behavior" of the 10-speed, but mostly that's not a real reliability issue, just annoyance. The 6R80 is rock solid however.
Personally, I'm comfortable with either, and it wouldn't be a key factor in my decision.

 

FWIW, we have a 2015 F-150 with a 3.5 and a 6 speed trans.
We also have a 2017 F-150 with a 10 speed trans.

Both have been flawless !! We did take a trip in the truck with the 10 speed, and it averaged about 25 m.p.g. as I recall

 

There is an old saying in the racing world....if you have enough power you don't need the gears (ie fewer gears the better)

 

I have a 2017 4x4 F150 3.5 10 speed with 45k, haven’t had the slightest issue , I asked my buddy ( the owner of a transmission rebuilding company what his experience with them is , he said other that normal fluid change , he’s never had one come in with a problem, unbelievable

 

I recently traded a 2019 f150 that i only owned for 3 months and down traded to a 2017.Reason? The 10 speed in the 2019 was a constant problem.Very harsh downshifts in the lower gears.Have gone back to the 6 speed with the 5.0L engine.Engine and transmission both perform flawlessly.If you do a search online,you will find many unhappy owners with the 10 speed.

 

When we first got our 2015 (with the 6R80), it had some issues at low speed when it would "drop" (and I mean literally drop) into 1st gear. It could be quite jarring. It got out of that habit after a few months. However, the tendency to be "one gear too low" when coming up the mountain in our area, it has never lost that habit. I work around it by clicking on tow/haul mode which has the effect of dropping down one more gear than what it would do by itself. In that respect, I do not like the behavior of the 6-speed. OTOH, it has been very reliable and trouble free.

 

Consider this, on a forums like this you will see a concentration of issues of all kinds that may lead you and others to believe there is a basic issue with many parts of these trucks that the large percentage of owners do not have.
.
Biggest issue is not understanding the various different operations the transmission is called on to do and offered by shift mode control operation.
There are 5 shift modes available to select per the use the driver wants to use. It's called Select Shift by Ford.
1. Normal.
2. Tow.
3. Wet/Snow.
4 ECO.
5. Manual shift select.
.
In these various modes the shifting is different by design. For example, in ECO, the shifting under light throttle becomes 1-3-5-6 and on up to 10 as ground speed increases. Plus the throttle sensitivity is reduced by design intent.
In wet/Snow mode., the shifting sensitivity is also reduced plus traction control is enhanced by the ABS system using an open rear where rear braking is modulated side to side according to traction conditions at each wheel in leu of traction loc, that works very well.
Add to this the ability to >>learn<< the driver's way of driving that can even be re-set.
I've only touched on a few!
If one does not know some of this performance, don't give this trans a bad rap apart from a (real fault) that any machine can have just from what others are saying, in a concentrated space of a forum like this, where you read about a very small percentage of issues out of hundreds of thousands of trucks on the road.
The 10 speed has been out for 4 years and proven to be pretty good.
There is a lot to learn about these new truck designs that has to let memory of old times go. There is no comparison.
I have a 2018 5L 10 speed with 68k miles with no issues of any kind.

 

I have had Both the 6spd and 10spd now for the 3.5L powerplant. Have to say I love the 10spd over the 6spd for improved all around performance and way better gas mileage. I definitely make less trips to the pump with my 10spd than I did with my 6spd. Also, towing with the 10 has been improved over the 6 with less jumping around the high RPM band in hilly conditions due to more gears to work with.

Also of note, I have been pleased with the Gen2 3.5L Eco on my 2019 over my Gen1 that my 2011 had. Again, improvements across the board with the powerplant. I have had V8's in the past and found I get more power/performance and towing out of my 3.5L in comparison.