Blown Transmission

Service manager emailed me to say Ford is now aware the vehicle only has 7 key cycles since the last reset. He said he wants to fix it for me but if Ford denies the warranty, I’ll have to pay for the repair! The thing is, I’ve only driven the vehicle a handful of times since getting it back because they told me the rear differential needed to be repaired and because the transmission was slipping! I haven’t had the tune in it for the same reasons. I’m not sure if he’s trying to scare me or what but I’m going in there today. I may just have it towed to another dealer. These guys are just ridiculous!


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If I were you, I'd look up every transmission related TSB and see which one could fit the bill. If this is a transmission failure outside of known issues, there is a good chance they will blame the tune. Then again, Ford has had problems with their 10 speeds across multiple lines... maybe they will just add it to the list. I'd file a report with the NHTSA in any case: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

I talked to the service manager and he said I need to make a decision on whether or not to move forward. He said he doesn't know if Ford is going to cover the repair or not and won't know until after they get the transmission out. That is such BS. Then I will have to let them fix it! So if it's a cheap fix they will approve it but if it needs a rebuild they will deny it? Screw that! The guy at the service desk told me when I was there before that he had to fight with Ford to get an approval to fix my vehicle under warranty. So why can;t he tell me if he can get approval or not for this repair. I'm pretty sure they have to get an approval before doing any work under warranty. I don't know if I should roll the dice or not. I started looking up TSB associated with this and found quite a few. I think I'm going to call Ford myself and explain the situation to see what they say.

I think you've found a Service Manager that doesn't like aftermarket tunes and he feels no obligation to make a warranty happen for you. That seemed kind of obvious when you reported your previous conversation with him. The coincidence of your most recent service has no bearing in his mind, he's blaming the tune for your powertrain issues. As the old saying goes he's "got your number". I sincerely believe that Ford corporate's decision is determined by what the shop recommends and he may be doing a "we'll show you".

That said, we all know not to expect powertrain warranties when we run a tune. In many instances, it's almost impossible to definitively tell what caused the problem and that is supposed to fall on their shoulders. I'm not saying for a minute that your tune contributed to this failure, but what most of us believe won't change his mind.

He may end up pushing it through but he'll likely tell you he's done with you and future warranty repairs. This may be a good time to get it to another dealer and cross your fingers that the next dealer doesn't have access to this shop's determination. The above post on transmission TSB's may be a great idea. These transmissions are not without problems.

On the other hand, now may be the time to cut bait and get a tougher transmission in it.

I called a local shop I'm familiar with and he said about $8k for a rebuild! That's crazy! So I called a couple others and one said they wouldn't do it and the other said between $6-8k! Plus it's almost $4k for the kit so it would be around $12k total! I'm just going to roll the dice and hope Ford covers it. If they don't, I'm screwed anyway. I asked about a used one and he just chuckled and said good luck finding one. What a freakin' nightmare!

There is a lot of used ones on Ebay if you wanted go that route. I wouldn't myself but since you asked.

OK, I looked on eBay just for the hell of it and found one for the 2.3L for less than $3k! Transmission Used are selling for about half that. What am I missing? Why are they so cheap? I had to replace the transmission in my Ranger (5R55E) and it cost me $2,800 for a used one with 41K miles. And, if it costs $8k to rebuild one why wouldn't you get a used one? I don't think I'm getting the right information. Are the 2.3L, 3.0L and 3.3L all the same?

Those prices for rebuild are insane even if it included removing and reinstalling the trans imo. You can send yours out for a built rebuild for 6k. A stock rebuild should be around 2-3k tops.

I feel very fortunate that I have the tools and ability to pull my own trans when the time comes for a rebuild. Gives more options in what to do with your trans.

Truthfully, I would consider visiting another dealer if possible to see if they give you as hard of a time as yours is.


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I would just buy a new one from Ford. They can be had for 2,800
You would need to find a shop to install it and check on the cost for that.

https://parts.autonationfordwhitebearlake.com/oem-parts/ford-automatic-transmission-assembly-l1mz7000t?c=Zz1hdXRvbWF0aWMtdHJhbnNtaXNzaW9uJnM9YXV0b21hdGljLXRyYW5zbWlzc2lvbiZsPTEmbj1Bc3NlbWJsaWVzIFBhZ2UmYT1mb3JkJm89ZXhwbG9yZXImeT0yMDIwJnQ9c3QmZT0zLTBsLXY2LWdhcw==

That’s actually a reasonable price. Wonder if it comes with any warranty if Ford doesn’t install it? It does have a core charge but you’ll get that back. You could have it ready to go when he pulls the old one.

Good suggestion.


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It looks like Ford will warranty it if not installed by a Ford dealer.

https://www.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com/vdirs/oasis/service_warranty/FCS_8405_AG.indd.pdf

Solid option then IMO.


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So the prices I got are not too far off. I called A1 Transmissions and they said about $7,200 and I would have to send them my transmission. That price is for a built transmission though. I just can't afford to sink that into the vehicle right now.

I have a feeling this service manager is just giving me a hard time and might be lying about Ford. I talked to him this morning about the new transmission and he said, "We won't know until we get the unit apart and see if it can be repaired. Ford's not gonna pay for a new transmission when they only have to pay to have it fixed." He said "when" and not "if"! When I asked him why he told Ford about the key cycles he said he didn't. He told me everything goes to Ford now and they can see everything the tech sees and more. Ford is remotely connected to them and can go in and see more than they can. I don't know if that is true or not but I think they would either approve or deny it based on what they see. Not wait until the transmission is out and apart. He said this has only happened one other time and it was due to a "Diesel Delete". So I don't know if he is just trying to scare me or what but I have a gut feeling that he is full of shit. I guess I'll find out soon enough. If I have to pay for it out of pocket then so be it. I'll opt for the new transmission over letting them rebuild it! I knew the risk of using a tune. It just sucks because I know it wasn't caused from the tune. They screwed up when they did the service but unfortunately I have no way to prove that.

Any update.

Not yet. I asked about it Friday and was told he had to pull his transmission guy for an emergency ambulance job. I'm going to go there today.

I went in and spoke with the service manager and they have not started on my vehicle yet. They are still working on the ambulance but should be done in the next day or two and my vehicle will be back on the lift. He seemed to be certain that Ford has said they are not going to cover the repair. However, he said that he has some back doors he can try and might get them to cover it or maybe half of it. He said he wouldn't know until he was able to find out what is wrong with the transmission. Seems fishy to me. He also told me that if I was running the FordPass app that they can look at the vehicle at any point and see what's been done. I think at this point he may just want me to leave it there so they can get it apart and then I'd have to let them fix it. I don't know. My head says to pull the vehicle out of there and just send the transmission out to be built but my gut says to leave it in case Ford does pay for some of it. $7,200 is a lot of money to spend but at least I know I have a better chance of it being done right! Tough call for me!

Tough call for sure. Good luck!


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How much of it does Ford have to cover before it becomes a non-issue for you? I certainly wouldn't want to pull money out of my pocket to cover it if Ford is going to. That said, if they came back and said, they're going to cover $1500 of the total I'd be kicking cans down the street. Now if they said, they'd cover half, I'd probably have them do it.

+1.

https://www.oemfordpart.com/v-2021-...utomatic-transmission--automatic-transmission

I was sort of surprised by the costs mentioned earlier in this thread. I would think at most $1k for labor to install this.

I got a reply from the service manager and he was able to confirm that my PCM was updated the last time it was in for service so the key cycles were reset. With that information and the fact I only drove the vehicles a handful of times, he said that he feels Ford will cover the transmission repair. He said that having two ambulances in the shop with transmission issues coupled with half the shop being out sick, including the transmission tech, is why they haven't been able to get to my vehicle yet. So I responded and asked him if I should just bring it somewhere else. He responded and said the plan for my vehicle is to have one of the other techs pull the transmission and have it on the bench ready to go as soon as the ambulances are done. I still think it's just BS but I'll go with it for now.