Transmission - Rough 5th gear change

There is a recall for transmission software; see if your truck is one of them. Dealer just reprograms the transmission.

Thanks for the reply. I checked Carfax with my VIN and states the only recalls i have are EGR and DRL. No mention of the trans.

This is the "Ghost" Recall/TSB I think @Stroki is referring to: Recall 20E07: PCM Reprogramming (Emissions-related) where they are up to 20E07B version and no one has been able to figure who is affected or what it is changing.

So I guess they are not offering it? Honestly it doesn't really bother me that much. It just goes into 5th a bit aggressively versus any other gear you don't even feel it shifting. Just worried it'll damage something in the long run.

Though, sometimes I do get a jittery 1st-2nd gear change/clunk.

I think I know what you're talking about and experience the same thing. Pretty sure this is normal and due to something physical in the transmission, that shift doesn't shift the same way as the other ones do. I have the newest calibration and it's always been that way.

My transmission shifts rough- no matter what mode it's in- going into and out of 4th gear (always), and in sport mode it is rough downshifting from 10th to 8th on the highway (sometimes), and downshifting into 1st (always). I'm waiting on Ford to come up with a final version of the 20E07 recall before I take mine in. Last I heard, they were on version "C".

Laytunes said:

I think I know what you're talking about and experience the same thing. Pretty sure this is normal and due to something physical in the transmission, that shift doesn't shift the same way as the other ones do. I have the newest calibration and it's always been that way.

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This is what I wanted to hear. I test drove another 3.0 Powerstroke and I am pretty sure I remember the same thing/behavior. I just didn't pay attention to what gear it was. For my PS, it is for sure when going from 4th gear to 5th. It's always a slightly rough shift compared to all the other gears. Gears 1-2 sometimes get a little rough.

Chrispy said:

This is what I wanted to hear. I test drove another 3.0 Powerstroke and I am pretty sure I remember the same thing/behavior. I just didn't pay attention to what gear it was. For my PS, it is for sure when going from 4th gear to 5th. It's always a slightly rough shift compared to all the other gears. Gears 1-2 sometimes get a little rough.

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I rarely see a 1-2 shift unless i'm towing, or in slow ass traffic. normally it just skips 2 and goes 1-3.

So I am getting a bit worried, as the shifting in sport is SUPER aggressive when it changes to 5th. Any time I am driving the truck I always know when it switches to 5th gear just because of the rough shifting it does. It does it every time. Thinking I am going to try to get the dealer to reflash the trans. The fiancé was asking me why it shifts so hard and at that point I figured it's time to let them look at it.

Will be taking it in on Wednesday and see what they say.

Another issue several people have found is the transmission fluid being a quart or so low from the factory. Might be something to have checked.

@Chrispy - I think you have a good summary of what to ask your dealer to check:

1. Ask them to check the transmission fluid level hot to ensure at correct operating level
2. Ask them if your VIN is eligible for:: Recall 20E07: PCM Reprogramming (Emissions-related)

Please respond back here to let us know what you dealer says and how you make out...

So I dropped my vehicle off for the current recalls it has and so far my experience has been less than stellar.

They want $159 + tax just to diagnose. If they have to reprogram it's an additional cost. The recall posted above doesn't apply to my VIN.

@Chrispy - well that was useless... I would hope your dealer would check the fluid level free-of-charge to address your concerns, but alas I digress.

You could always open an incident with NHTSA that the rough shift is a safety concern = maybe that will get Ford's attention!

I do believe there are issues with this 10R80 transmission that Ford is keeping quiet about.

Still scratching my head on how Ford comes up with the VIN list for vehicles that need 20E07...

Yeah. I am just wondering if it is normal behavior or not at this point. Going into 5th gear, you can definitely notice it at all times. Sometimes it's a gentle but "feel-able" shift into 5th. This is why I am trying to get clarification on here.. maybe it's normal and everyones 5th gear kind of shifts hard because of what goes on inside the trans internals.

Either way, I have a case of fluid arriving this weekend. Will be performing a drain and fill, and install a new filter. Will drive it for another 5k miles until the next oil change and drain and fill the trans again. Eventually getting all the old (and likely original) fluid out.

@Chrispy - if the fiancé is complaining about it, my guess is it is noticeable... Call it the "fiancé" test!

FYI - not sure how mechanical you are, but I did find some old but interesting articles from 2014 (during the 10R80 Design & Development cycle) that you might find an interesting read in Post #16 in the Transmission broke thread = they have transmission "stick" diagrams that show flow and what components are engaged for each gear. I understood enough to know I should never open a modern day automatic transmission and leave that job to the professionals...