Well, GM has plenty of problems also, I know of many of their 1/2 ton truck tranny's that go out with less than 100,000 on the clock, some with less than 50,000 miles.
Dodge is also notorious for their bad 4 spd 3/4 ton tranny.
My point? With the internet and forums like these, I don't think you will find any manufacturer who can make bullet proof transmissions.
The forums attract all the problems, while the people who don't have problems never post so we really have no idea just how many people actually have a problem.
During the 70's people didn't have such an easy way to express their problems to everyone else.

 

Ii have a 2009 f150 with the 4.6. I believe im having transmission problems too. Between 40 mph and 70 mph you hear a grinding noise ( sounds like the dressing tool for a grinding wheel when you dress the stone) but doesn't happen all the time. It started really loud and gradually gets quieter. The transmission also seems to slip occasionally. ive taken it to 3 different ford dealers and they can't find the problem.

I'm kinda frustrated because I'd like it fixed before my powertrain warranty expires. has anyone else experienced this problem at all?

 

Not the grinding sound. Can you make it grind on demand? Find out how to do that, then request a ride with the tech. This is the only way to get them to hear the problem and acknowledge it.

On another note, Ford is no longer fixing the squawk during downshift. They say it's 'normal' and it doesn't hurt the tranny. Fing Ford.

 

I've tacken the tech for a ride in the truck and got the truck to make the sound but he claimed he couldn't hear it. He thought maybe it was the bearings for the pinion in the rear end.

 

Only thing I can think of is try another dealer.

 

I'm not having any problems. My transmission is shifting like butter. Have 457 miles on her. Having read all through this forum, I'll keep a look out for tranny problems in the future. Though I don't expect any. I know of another 2011 with 18k + miles on it and they aren't having any problems either.

 

Need to have the tranny tech-that sounds bad-drive with you, not the regular tech. They will know what it is. Tell them the friction plates are slipping.

 

I had a tranny tech drive it, look at it and drive with. When I drove, I heard it n pointed it out and he said he didn't hear anything. My warranty expired 88 miles ago so if it goes it goes then.

 

I have a 2011 F150 XLT with the new 5.0L engine. At 300 miles on the odometer, going 45 mph on a flat level road it would seem that the tranny locked up for a fraction of a second. If it wasn't for the seat belt, I would have gone through the windshield. This happened three times in about a 1/2 mile. The engine did not die. I did not notice if the tach dropped or not because my head was in my crotch. I drove it immediately to Fairway Ford in Greenville, SC where I purchased it. They kept it a week - put 1,000 miles on it, and could not get the truck to repeat the issue. Then my wife was driving it through a parking lot and it occurred again. The truck had about 10,000 miles on it at the time. After this occurrance, the engine started to make an un-natural noise, and the the stereo / head unit would occasionally skip over mode, i.e. skip USB and FM1, blue tooth would not work, and occassional after the truck was warm (drove on interstate about 150 miles), the idle would not drop below 1200 RPM. Next time you started the vehicle, the head unit might work again, idle was fine. Ford dealer claimed that there was nothing wrong with the head unit. I must be hitting the gas pedal at the same time as the gas pedal because the high idle could never happen. They changed the timing chain, idler, tensioner, etc. and then talked about changing the engine, but Ford engineering said no. The head unit has screwed up again, and I have taken a film of it on my camera phone. Idle occasionally won't drop below 1200 RPM when warm, the tranny has locked up on me in a parking lot, and now the engine is making the same noise as before when warm. I now have about 13K miles on it.
I have been a loyal fan of Ford trucks for many years. I wanted to support them considering Ford did not take any bail-out money from the government. Now I feel as if I've been screwed. Anybody having the same experiences? Suggestions?

 

If you have taken it back for the same problem 3 times, Lemon Law the truck. It's a simple matter of filling out about 6 forms. I did it with a 07 Expy. It was not hard to do.

 

According to the Lemon Law, they have to work on something, and document it for the Lemon Law to apply. I believe that the repeat issue has to occur within the first 12K miles. My issues are intermittent, and the times I have taken it in the problem does not occur with the dealer. If the dealer keeps the vehicle for 30 days and is less than 12K miles, lemon law applies as well. My vehicle doesn't fall into Lemon Law. It is still very frustrating to say the least.

 

Thanks for all the great comments. I have a 2009 with 78k miles. The transmission works overall but it seems to shift late and creates a mushy feeling. If you put your foot down, it will downshift and take off so it's not a power issue. Seems like a computer reflash would fix it as I think it's just the shift timing. Has anyone had the computer reflashed? Is this possible or available from the dealer? Thanks in advance for you response.

 

After reading this thread, I am very thankful I have Leroy. Leroy is a 2010 FX2 Screw 5.4 3.55's. Just rolled 25k miles today. Tranny shifts fine with no shuddering or vibration. I bought two months ago from my Dad's neighbor. He said it has never been in the shop for anything. It's probably one of the last 2010's built. Build date is Aug 2010. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. Good Luck everyone!!

 

It sounds like shift stategies need reflashed to me. The dealer should be able to update the PCM based on your complaint of slow or lazy shifting. If not, then a programmer with custom tunes such as SCTx3 from 5-Star (site sponsor) should be able to fix it as well as improve overall throttle response.