09KingRanch

I have the 5.4L with 3.73 gears/max tow package on my King Ranch. I've never had a 6 speed transmission before and am surprised how much it shifts down when going over freeway overpasses and slight grades, etc. I traded in a Nissan Armada with a 5.6L and a 5 speed transmission and it would stay in 5th gear unless it was a very steep hill. Also, when slowing down I have noticed that if I hit the tow/haul button the transmission doesn't shift at all and there is no change in the RPM. In order to get engine braking to slow down it requires me to manually shift down. Is this normal for this transmission? And how come the selector only has D, 3, 2, 1? Shouldn't there be a 4 and 5 option with the tow/haul being 6?

miztigerszou52

5th and 6th are both overdrives, so they can't handle any type of incline. Hit the brakes to shift down on declines. D 3 2 1 works for me as I use the engine braking on declines. I wouldn't recommend racking it into 3rd when you are trying to slow down. The computer won't let the transmission shift down if your speed is too quick, but I wouldn't want to chance a downshift at 70 m.p.h. Hope that answered your questions.

ex10psi

i have the platinum with the 5.4 and 3.73 and man... let me tell ya i hear you LOUD and clear. i am coming from a 2007 chevy tahoe that had a 5 speed and it was so much better in regards to transmission shifting.

the 6 spd is horrible in my truck, plain and simple, horrid. i feel like the damn thing shifts ALL DAY long, no matter what. has a hard time shifting quickly for uphill climbs, hunts for gears, and simply put, the stupid thing is "confused". in general i dont understand 6 spd automatic transmissions. we had an 07 audi A4 with a 6 spd and that thing was pretty horrendous too. lots of bogging of engine because the computer wouldnt shift it out of 6. at least it had that "tip tronic" mode where you could control the shifts. the ford goes from D, 3,2,1. where the hell is 4, 5, 6? at least give me 4th!! or a damn OD buttom for christ sakes!!!!!

i could go on and on about this piece of **** transmission but i wont. i miss the chevy tahoe greatly, the transmission and engine was so much more responsive, precise, more pleasurable to drive.

now having said all this, my wife never complained about the A4's horrible 6spd tranny, and she'd probably never complain about my f150's tranny... but she's my wife i guess i'm a little more critical being the "enthusiast" that i am but arent we all? at least for those of us who frequent these message boards looking for an answer or someone who shares the same frustrations, granted i'm probably more frustrated than the majority of you

i'm waiting a few months to purchase an aftermarket software chip/programmer. it's cheaper than selling my truck right now.

NorCal-09

I think few here, save maybe a forum troll, share your opinion.

I, too, am an 'enthusiast' and I love my new F150, and its new hi-tech 6 speed A/T.

I do understand my six speed, I have read the manual as well as a lot of other industry publications for my knowledge, coupled with a good balance of city, freeway, and mountain driving, including towing a 21' boat.

IMO, this is the best new vehicle I have ever owned in my 57 years on this earth, and the six speed trans is incredible from all my driving experience.

Have a nice day.

Dironk4011

I too am an enthusiast and a long time FORD owner and have totally felt your pain. I thought this was the worst transmission by far I had ever had in a vehicle and hated even driving it, but I went and had the TSB done and took some advice of others on different threads about running the crap out of it while it was learning my driving style and it is 100% better than what it was. Now it shifts like I think a transmission should . Hope you can get it sorted out .

ex10psi

thanks for your opinions, thoughts, help... i had the TSB done and i will admit the shifting did improve, but only on the standing start, the 1st to 2nd feels a lot better, perhaps going from 2 to 3 has improved a bit as well.

but the "hunting" and the confusion and the number of downshifts (because it upshifts to 6th way too early) is still prevelant and annoying.

i have heard the same regarding driving the **** out of it for the tranny to "learn" my driving style so i'm doing that now, of course gas mileage is suffering. i really do hope that things get sorted out or the tranny figures it self out rather quickly. like the previous poster, i really am having a hard time enjoying driving this truck.

this is my first ford product, i've owned many cars, mostly german: bmw, audi, porsche, only domestic was the chevy tahoe. in fact i use my f150 to tow my 911 race car in a featherlite enclosed and the truck is mighty nice. sure it can use a bit more power but i dont care about that. all i want is a decent, "smart" 5 spd tranny. the truck is excellent otherwise, beautiful styling, interior, comfort, ride, stoutness, tows so much better than my tahoe ever did. i do enjoy the truck more than the tahoe, minus the transmission. so yes, i do LOVE my truck, it's something special indeed but its hard to ignore this transmission "issue"

might be a moot point though, i'm already considering a super duty diesel as it'll probably suit me better for my needs.

anyhow, i appreciate your feedback, comments, opinions, i also do believe the new f150 is a great truck and i've got pride in my new baby. i just wish ford would have better executed on this 6spd, or stuck to the 5 spd (if it aint broke....). my buddy has a 2001-2002 f150 with a 5spd and i enjoy driving his truck. but other than the tranny, our 09's are so much nicer than the previous gen 150's, they've come a long way!

take care, drive safe.

SFCFX4

The only 5sp Ford has had in the F150 was a manual, so of course it's going to shift better. They've used 4sp autos since '87. I've driven a few 11th gen F150s with the 4sp, and this new 6sp auto is a huge improvement. The 4sp made the truck feel heavy and sluggish.

Now if you're thinking of going the Super duty route, you'll love the 5sp TorqShift auto. It's incredibly smooth shifting. But they are going to a 6sp for the '11, so not sure how that'll work out. But you will be able to select your own gear from all six gears on the column shifter via a selector rocker switch like on the Dodge 2500/3500 Aisin transmission or the Silverado 2500/3500 Allison transmission.


In all fairness though, my '09 shifts a little funky too, but I've never really been bothered by it. I love the truck so much and get great mileage for suck a heavy beast. I'll probably have the TSB done with my first oil change to see how it does.

ex10psi

thanks for the education, didnt realize they used 4 spds! guess i couldnt tell...

i've heard good things about the torqshift auto, that alone makes the switch that much more tempting!

i'm going to live with it for a bit and see how it goes. perhaps try the $400 or so for a programmer. take it from there. eventually tho we're going to need a diesel. the featherlite + race car tips in around 7k, not too bad but a bigger truck would be nice, esp for those long drives down to nor cal...

SFCFX4

No problem! Gotta admit though, wikipedia had a hand in it.

Whether you switch over before or after they ditch the 6.4 PSD, you're gonna have to deal with the DPF Regenerations. Lots of guys hate it and bag on it, but I feel if you take proper care of the engine like it needs and don't try to push it past it's limits (dpf deletes and tuners), it's a reliable platform. I don't have a problem with the DPF Regen one bit, and don't seen much of a dip in fuel mileage when it happens either. Mileage we're getting is around 16-17 highway and about 13 pulling a trailer.

09KingRanch

Thanks for all of the responses and insights on the 6 speed tranny. Maybe mine is still learning my driving style. Not quite sure how to change my driving style going over an overpass at 65MPG though. I plan on getting the TSB done on my first service to see if that improves some of the hard shifting in the lower gears and low speeds. Fortunately it is a smooth and quiet drivetrain so all of the shifting at highway speeds isn't too bothersome, I'm just not used to an auto downshifting on such slight inclines. My hunch is that 6th gear was added to improve the MPG rating. They must do that test running on perfectly flat highways!
Now I'm wondering how it is going to do when it is loaded up and towing the boat? For those of you who tow, do you just use the tow/haul switch and let the tranny do the work on it's own? When towing I like to use the transmission to slow me down on downgrades and lay off the brakes. I've tried tapping the brakes on deceleration and I can't get mine to do any downshifting. Is there something I am missing here?