When coming to a stop sign or slowing down in traffic my 04 250 is downshifting to first extremely hard. You can feel it in the seat floorboards and steering wheel has anyone else had this issue???

 

Are you driving in Tow-Haul mode when this is happening? This was also the reason for some of the early calibration changes (re-flash) because there were too many consumer complaints to Ford about the downshift quality of the Torqshift tansmission... so they made a change.

This has resulted in a smoother shifting, up and down, but there are many owners who tow that are not happy with the change at all. You may see references to neutered or destroyed tow-haul operation. The tow haul operation is designed to control gear selection and increase engine braking above 25 MPH and it also requires the operator to know how to make it work effectively using the throttle and the brake. It was never intended to work like an exhaust brake and slow the vehicle all the way to a stop. I am quite sure you will find arguments to the contrary and many opinions on the topic if you look around in these forums.

Whether you tow or not, I would recommend a visit to your Ford dealer, take the service Advisor or the technician for a road test to ensure that they understand what your concern is. Have them check the transmission for any malfunctions and make any necessary repairs, however, if all checks out, I would definitely have the modules re-flashed to correct this harsh shifting concern.