My 1995 Explorer XLT (4.0 V6) had problems with the OD light flashing (code was for "wrong gear ratio"???) and then it would begin to downshift very rough (would bang into 1st gear when coming to a stop). I would unhook the battery and this would reset the flashing light and make the problem go away for a while.

Sometimes this rough shifting would begin with no OD light flashing. I just lived with it until the light would come on and I could unhook the battery (unhooking the battery when the light wasn't flashing didn't do any good).

Finally, the transmission would not stay in OD. It would shift into OD, but would soon shift back out and then would jump back an forth. I finally gave in and took it to a tranmission shop to be rebuilt. They fixed the slipping in/out of OD, but the downshifting to 1st gear is still there (get a big bang most of the time). Not so bad when I come to a sudden stop, but when I slow down quickly and then coast at a very slow speed it is a very rough downshift to 1st gear. The Tranny shop doesn't think it is something that they worked on. Any ideas of where to point them (it is still under warranty, downshifting problem was never addressed)????

 

I'd take it back to the shop and make them fix the downshift problem. When the transmission sets a code (O/D light flashing) it changes the downshift pattern to be much quicker resulting in the "big bang". If the O/D light is not flashing you shouldn't be getting the hard downshifts which shorten the life of your transmission.

Mason