To be honest, I don't know why they designed it like this either. I can't think of any reason one would want to lock it into 3rd gear only and prevent downshifting to 2 or 1. I discovered this "feature" when I shifted into 3 in stop and go traffic and I too felt it bogging until I realized it was locked in 3rd. I've never seen this in any other automatic tranny before.

I think you're right that this might have been a poorly executed precursor to the "manual mode" feature on the 2011's and up since gears 4, 5 and 6 are not selectable in the 2010.

I also don't know whey they designed the floor shifter to require pressing the shift lock lever to move from D to N (but they allow free shifting from N to D). IMO, you should always be able to just slap the shifter into Neutral quickly and without obstruction.

 

I would expect there to be very limited power being in such a heavy vehicle at a dead stop on an incline in 3rd gear, what gets me is the rolling backwards even when your giving it a lot of throttle, something about that doesn't sound right unless you were on a really extreme incline. I also know that transmissions don't perform at their best when its cold out and your trasmission take much longer to warm up then your engine does.

 

I know what you mean. If I put my truck in 3, it's in 3 from start to finish unless I shift.

So why didn't the service advisor know that's how these truck are?

 

I lock mine in 3rd when towing in areas where I won't be going over 45-50mph. Like winding curves where the speed drops down to 30mph or so and I am constantly going up and down in speed(30-50mph). I have a 2010 so the tranny can't be locked into any gear like the 2011 and up. If I leave it in D then when driving in those type of areas the tranny wants to hunt back n forth. I have forgot about it when I've come to a stop and went to take off, have to switch back to D.

 

Well its funny that the service advisor and ford engineers did not know either, since they kept my truck for 4 days without coming up with an answer. From my experience putting an automatic transmission selector in the "3" position means it will start in first gear and go no higher than 3rd gear. This seems like an odd way to design an automatic transmission. My last Ford Truck was an 1989 Ford F250 XLT PU. I will bring this up with my Ford Dealer Service Advisor and see if he agrees.

 

No its not a joke. This afterall is an automatic transmission not a manual transmission.

 

The manual describes it all very well. Even the E4OD locked second gear only when "2" was selected. The 6r80 just gives you the third as another option. It's quite nice to have in stop and go traffic that fluctuates around 20mph... I use it all the time.

This has been common for ford, but not other manufacturers.

service advisors are idiots usually.

 

not much to argue about....

 

You know, when I first saw this thread this a.m., I just thought to myself, here we go again, and I did think it was some sort of a joke or spoof.

I figured this 3rd gear aspect out, the first day I had my truck, and later on, if inadvertantly starting or shifting in that gear, the sudden sluggish loss of power, would cause me to immediately reach for the shifter and change the slot I was currently in. Note, my truck has the column shifter.

I wonder how many other instances, as reported here, with various descriptions of "shuddering", "shuttering", and "stuttering", are really individuals who are new to trucks and/or not fully aware of how this 6-spd A/T functions, vs. a genuine problem; aside from, and not to diminish, the obvious recent pump failure situation, or some genuine reflash issues?

My hunch is, there may be a certain % which fall into this 3rd gear category, and they then think their trans is taking a dump.

 

This thread reminds me of a statement my Mom once made to my Dad ... She said hey honey the furnace must be broken , because every time I hear it come on it blows cold air for a few seconds before it get warm

I dont know what the hell vehicles you guys are driving ??? I've never owned a automatic vehicle that does not start and end in the gear you select PERIOD..... Up here in Canada we get snow, weather I am in my F150 or in my 12yr old Honda Accord if I select 2nd gear to help with traction it stays there til I change it!!!