Hi All

My truck (09 5.4 4x4 3.73 157") was shifting weird from 1-2 like many others; especially during warm up. When I read the 09-11-5 TSB, I thought they wrote it specifically for me.

Sure enough, the dealer re-flashed the tranny and it seems to be doing better, but something has been bothering me about this...

I asked if it would take long for the transmission to re-learn my driving style, and the tech mentioned he didn't reset the KAM (Keep Alive Memory) - he said it wasn't necessary.

Well in the text of that TSB, it says

NOTE: IT IS CRITICAL THAT TCM KAM BE CLEARED FOR THIS PROCEDURE TO BE FULLY AFFECTIVE.


Something about the word "CRITICAL" gets my attention. Why would the tech not do this?

 

My guess is that the dealership wants to spend the least amount of time as possible on something they concider to be not important.

They would rather blow smoke up your butt and say they did the job properly, than to actually do it right and have a happy customer.

Ford corporate could care less either. All they will tell you is that the dealerships are privately owned and they (corporate) can do nothing to help you. I have a letter from them to prove it.

 

My 2009 Supercrew is going back to the dealer this week for another try at fixing this problem. When I read the TSB they applied at 7000 miles, I thought that they couldn't have done the entire procedure in the short time they worked on the truck. The TSB did make things better, but at 13000 miles I still get frequent jerky shifts between 1st and 2nd gear. Will let you know what happens this time.

 

im goin in next week to get the TSB on my 09 fx4. do yall think its worth it?

 

My truck shifts WAY nicer now from 1-2 (can't really tell a difference on other shifts, but no complaints anywhere else).

I was just reading the full text of the TSB, and wondered about that "critical" procedure that was left off mine.

If you have the procedure done (there are several - the TSB I am referring to is 09-11-5), at least find out whether they cleared your TCM Keep Alive Memory (KAM). If not, maybe ask them why.

Please report back, I'm very interested in the outcome. But you should notice different shifting right away.

 

I just got a 2010 last Saturday and The trannie does shift different when it is cold. I think all brands do. After it warms up it is as smooth as silk.

 

The 1-2 shift on mine when it was cold was more than just different - it stayed in 1st too long, then banged into 2nd. The re-flash definitely helped.

It does drive nice now - I'm just trying to decide whether I want to take it back and point out their potential mistake, or if I should just forget about it and enjoy the truck now...

 

Dealer service advisor just called me ... they discovered that the last time they worked on the tranny the TSB flash was done, but not the synchronization procedure which involves driving at full throttle in every gear and a bunch of other on-the-road driving that takes some time to do correctly. Glad my dealership is being honest about it and wants to do it right. They also are ordering a new 3rd taillight to fix the leak.

 

You would almost think that if they can make a transmission that can "learn" and considering that they can re-flash the transmission, then they should be able to program the transmission with a laptop to the customers style of driving. I'd like an aggressive pattern, you'd like a moderate pattern, etc. Thinking about it, you should be able to go into your control centre and select whatever style you like on a drop down menu. My transmission is terrible; has been since new. First the shifts were like you were shifting a manual cautiously, with that hesitation in movement as it upshifts. Now that's gotten a little better, but sometimes it seems like it's cramming two shifts into one, and it's also shifting up when I'm driving at a constant 60k/h into a gear that's too high. If quality is equal to Honda and Toyota as they advertise, those guys have some poor quality too. Well, we know about Toyota!

 

Good news !! crossing my fingers, but it looks like my transmission issues have finally been fixed. Been driving it for three days - no more sloppy shifts, no more bumps or hesitation. Shifts crisply and seems to be holding each gear longer than before, and doesn't try to hunt for the right gear when downshifting. Throttle response is much better. It actually feels completely different and totally predictable. Finally, my truck is fun to drive!