ldavis

I think for me it has taken awhile to get use to. Since my 85, 98, and 09 trucks all had 4 speed autos. I have noticed that if you have the cruise on and lets say you want to descrease from 70 to 60, using the "-" on the steering wheel it dropps down to 5th then 4th and then shifts back up to 6th. Now if your not using cruise and you just let your foot off the gas to reach 60 it doesnt downshift.

Have to say I love the 5.0, a major improvement over my 09 w/4.6 , but I'm not sold on the real benefits of the 6spd.

PRNDL

I agree that it feels weird and different. I also think that it makes these truck stronger and faster. 1st gear is deep, I think like 4.17 ratio. The second gear is roughly what a normal 1st gear would be on a 4 speed. These heavy truck take off fast because of that first gear. Also there are two overdrives, but 6 gear is no different than the 4th gear of a 4 speed. Ford added a gear between direct drive 1.1 and overdrive. I think this is so you can speed up on the highway by down shifting from overdrive to a lesser overdrive instead of dropping all the way down to 1.1. This is what I mean:

4 speed: 1st=2.40:1, 2nd=1.47:1, 3rd=1:1, 4th .67.
6 speed: 1st=4.17:1, 2nd=2.34:1, 3rd=1.52:1, 4th=1.15, 5th=.86, 6th=.69

See its very close to a 4 speed with an extra gear before 1st and an extra gear between direct drive and over drive. I love it.

We just have to get used to it and they need to program it a bit better.

J.Cagle

Hmm, Ill have to talk to my dealer about reflashing the tranny. Hope it doesnt cost me an arm and a leg. I wish you could get a truck just like mine but with a 5 speed manual. Thatd be awesome!

Also, nobody has said if thought driving in tow/haul mode is bad. Still kinda curious about it.

ldavis

I agree, would love to have a manual Tranny, but I guess were in the minority. Be nice to have it as a special option, but I understand the economics. As far as the Tow/Haul, It seems to resemble the shift points of the 4 Spd, meaning that it holds the RPM's longer until shifting. I've only pulled a 5x10 lawn trailer so far and liked the feel better in tow/haul, but obviously on a day to day basis your MPG would suffer.

Murray Clark

2009 F150 5.4L with 6 Speed - 52000 KMS

For the first 30,000 kms no problem, great gas mileage. Then it happened. While pulling my 7500# RV the truck downshifts occasionally on a flat road for no reason. Shop Foreman Test Drives and agrees....recalibration and now it continues to get worst. Downshifting happens when not pulling and gas mileage sticks...19L per 100 kms on highway unloaded. TSB performed and no improvement. Computer in shop has no error codes and the dealer and Tech Serv Team say release the truck there is nothing we can do.

I was hoping to get this repaired under warranty but that looks like it would be a pipe dream at best. What is the logical process to go through to fix this truck? Transmission service with oil and filter first? Then oil analysis? Then visual inspection of valve body? I am no mechanic. These are all great suggestions from various ford enthusiast but I am not sure if I should do all of these at once or which one first.
Any other ideas?

RRF150

JMO, but I think Ford dropped the ball on these 6sp trannies. You can find 09,10,11's with probs. Why would they still be having problems in the 3rd year? I've had my 10 in for a TSB flash, it's still not fixed. I'm running it till it breaks. Then they'll know whats wrong.

duelly02

I too agree this is a horrible shi%&y transmission i have a 08 ram 1500 4x4 and even with a 5500 lbs trailer it doesn,t shift near as much as my new f150 4x2 work truck empty im having delayed engagement slipping shuddering issues and i still have not worked my truck yet and may not might have to limit it too a few power and hand tools i can only hope there is a recall on trans dealer tells me a light must come on or a code must store before they will do anything.this will be my last ford if thats the case we have several different brands of trucks in our shop and have had no problems getting issues resolved only this one they are as&hole^ to admit there is a problem . the code they are looking for will come on at 60001km when warranty is over perhaps they will tell me i used the wrong oil

J.Cagle

How long is the transmission covered under the factory warranty? Mines an 09 with 42,000 miles.

Murray Clark

I am on the same page as King Ranch. 2009 F150 and have been attempting to have dealer fix problem for over a year.

Here is the response from the Ford Engineers:
The hunting can be due to the adaptive qualities of the transmission. Transmissions like the 6R80 used in this truck have a very high level of adaptability, shift timing and intensity can be adjusted quickly in response to driver inputs but it can also be learned based on repeat driver inputs. There is a reference in the Vehicle Owner Guide, under Driving and Automatic Transmission. The learned behavior is typically what leads to unwanted harsh shifts. Certain types of driving can teach the transmission to command higher pressure in anticipation of a high load or sudden load change, some of the most common driving inputs to cause this are stop and go driving, pulling a trailer, quick stops followed by heavy acceleration and rolling stops. These scenarios create a complete lack of load on coast down or braking followed by a sudden high load downshift as the vehicle accelerates, once the TCM learns this behavior it can shift hard even on a gentle accel or low load accel from a stop. This is not an indication of failure; the firm shifts are actually a self preservation measure to prevent slippage and premature wear. If you clear the vehicle KAM and adaptive shift strategies and the concern is gone for a few hundred miles, the shifts are learned and no repair is available. You can advise the customer on the types of driving that lead to this and assure them that no damage is being done to the transmission.

The dealer is now going to take my truck and trailer for a test drive while monitoring the preformance with shop test equipment. This is scheduled for March 19 th. I will post results.

summertop511

My truck ever since I got it when driving on highway then stop shut off restart slips on its shifts and or bangs into second and studders going into first like it is out of ATF. Other than that I love the 6r80.