A10 - 5th Gear

Sorry its been a long time since response, I havent taken her in yet - I have been swamped with work so opportunity to be without a car or drive across town to drop off....

It needs to go in though, the car is doing some funky stuff, its running rough and almost sounds like its missing - also she almost stalled when I got off the freeway one morning this week while going around a corner....5600 miles, sigh - oh well that's what warranty is for!

Has anyone got a response from dealer regarding this matter?.......is driving me nuts.......

Thanks!

On my '18 (currently 2900 miles) the 4-5 shift is often harsher than the rest. (But not always, sometimes I'm expecting it to be harsh and it doesn't act that way.) What's mechanically different about that gear change?

It's very inconsistent, the 1-2 shift is often mushy, then 2-3 and 3-4 are about right, then 4-5 crashes like the transmission mount is busted. Why can't all the shifts have about the same sensation, for a given throttle position?

Edit: for this discussion I'm just talking about letting it shift automatically, in Sport, Sport+ or Track mode. If I use the paddles to shift manually, the shifts are usually (but not always) smoother, for whatever reason.

It's surprising to me that this kind of transmission behavior is considered "production ready." Maybe since it's (for me) predominantly an issue in the more aggressive Sport modes, Ford doesn't think it's a priority.

I don't notice an issue with 5th when driving normally, even in sport it's pretty normal if driving normally. If I'm driving hard, it's definitely a more violent shift than the others..

Check your transmission fluid .
PBD asked me to when mine was slipping and Lo and Behold it was low by a quart .

Tested after topping it and no slip (fingers crossed ) since .

olaosunt said:

Check your transmission fluid .
PBD asked me to when mine was slipping and Lo and Behold it was low by a quart .

Tested after topping it and no slip (fingers crossed ) since .

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There’s no trans dipstick on the A10 - how are you suggesting folks to check their trans fluid? Dealer Service?

FYI mine continues to behave flawlessly in normal drive mode and shifter position D. 16K miles. The trans always seems to be in the appropriate gear for throttle position, rpm, speed, and terrain. The car has an analog dash so I don't know what the display software thinks the trans is doing. :-)

Vanel27 said:

yes!..same on my car.
also....once on 5th....the progression is not "linear"....
press and keep accelerating....but once i get to 5th..the rpms actually lower!for the half a second almost as if it hesitates for sec..and then keeps rising......it only does this on 5th.....is driving me crazy.

Click to expand...

Are you sure that isnt converter lock up?

Zathras said:

On my '18 (currently 2900 miles) the 4-5 shift is often harsher than the rest. (But not always, sometimes I'm expecting it to be harsh and it doesn't act that way.) What's mechanically different about that gear change?

It's very inconsistent, the 1-2 shift is often mushy, then 2-3 and 3-4 are about right, then 4-5 crashes like the transmission mount is busted. Why can't all the shifts have about the same sensation, for a given throttle position?

Edit: for this discussion I'm just talking about letting it shift automatically, in Sport, Sport+ or Track mode. If I use the paddles to shift manually, the shifts are usually (but not always) smoother, for whatever reason.

It's surprising to me that this kind of transmission behavior is considered "production ready." Maybe since it's (for me) predominantly an issue in the more aggressive Sport modes, Ford doesn't think it's a priority.

Click to expand...

They arent all the same because the ecm is adjusting torque reduction based on numerous factors.

Are the vast majority of the people complaining about how the automatic shifts complaining about how it shifts in the "sporty/track/backroad" modes? If so what makes you think the transmission isn't behaving as intended for actual situations when more aggressive shifting and "holding" a gear a little longer are actually appropriate? I figured out right away that using a "sporty" mode for typical around town driving was silly. D and "normal" with the nannies on work great. The car has tons of power and torque and 10 gear ratios. It isn't picky about which gear it is in of the many choices it has for any given road speed and approximate throttle position. We aren't talking Miata or other "needs lots of revs" engines. :-)

hawkbox said:

Do any of you with an A10 notice it shifting super rough in and out of 5th or notice it have a hard time with 5th being right about where it needs to shift for traffic?

Curious - I am wondering if its just learned KAM values that a good battery off reset will help, or......

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I’ve had this issue since I got my GT PP in January. I took it to be serviced, but the dealership couldn’t find anything wrong with it and said it “shifted beautifully”. Is this just how the torque converter behaves in the A10?

chocoblox said:

I’ve had this issue since I got my GT PP in January. I took it to be serviced, but the dealership couldn’t find anything wrong with it and said it “shifted beautifully”. Is this just how the torque converter behaves in the A10?

Click to expand...

Imho, yes.

From the Factory Service Manual:

System Operation

The 10R80 transmission is a 10-speed, step ratio rear wheel drive transmission that is controlled by a PCM . The 10R80 has ten forward speeds, one reverse speed, four planetary gear sets, one mechanical One-Way Clutch or OWC, six friction clutches, an upper valve body, a lower valve body with eight solenoids, and PCM controlled electronics. The 10R80 utilizes six shift (A-F) solenoids that are linear force solenoids. Unlike previous shift solenoids they are mechanical in nature in that no transmission fluid passes through them. CIDAS s use a armature/pin assembly that moves a control valve in the main control valve body to control and apply hydraulic fluid pressure. Each clutch (A-F) is controlled by a corresponding shift solenoid (A-F). These solenoids are directly proportional in that zero current equals zero pressure and maximum current equals maximum pressure. If the power circuit to the transmission solenoids fails open, then all solenoids are failed electrically OFF, none of the clutch packs are able to engage and there is no fail safe operation.

Upshift Gear Sequence

At times the 10-speed transmission may skip gears when the vehicle starts from a complete stop. This is normal and desired behavior .

At part pedal when acceleration is brisk, single step upshifts would result in very frequent shift events (very short time in gear). Double step upshifts results when a longer time is spent in gear.

However, at light pedal or road load, single step upshifts will occur. The small 10-speed gear steps allow the engine speed to drop to lower values than it would in the 6-speed transmission; providing for the best fuel economy. In contrast, when the 10-speed transmission is at heavy or max pedal, the small steps keep the engine closer to the horsepower peak for best performance.

Down shift Gear Sequence

At times the 10-speed transmission may skip gears when the vehicle down shifts to a complete stop. This is normal and desired behavior .

The same skip shift strategy that is used for the upshift may be applied during down shift.

Info on road testing shifting. Note the info on how long it might take for the TCC (torque converter clutch) to lock up in tenth gear. Unfortunately no info on timing of TCC lock up in other gears.

Road Testing Vehicle
Shift Point Road Test

NOTE: Always drive the vehicle in a safe manner according to driving conditions and obey all traffic laws.

Upshift Gear Sequence

At times the 10-speed transmission may skip gears when the vehicle starts from a complete stop. This is normal and desired behavior .

At part pedal when acceleration is brisk, single step upshifts would result in very frequent shift events (very short time in gear). Double step upshifts results when a longer time is spent in gear.

However, at light pedal or road load, single step upshifts will occur. The small 10-speed gear steps allow the engine speed to drop to lower values than it would in the 6-speed transmission; providing for the best fuel economy. In contrast, when the 10-speed transmission is at heavy or max pedal, the small steps keep the engine closer to the horsepower peak for best performance.

Downshift Gear Sequence

At times the 10-speed transmission may skip gears when the vehicle down shifts to a complete stop. This is normal and desired behavior .

The same skip shift strategy that is used for the upshift may be applied during down shift.


Most performance based automatic transmission DTC s require the fault to be detected multiple times before setting a DTC . In many instances the faults musts be detected consecutively a predetermined number of times (up to five). Performing the shift point road test as detailed below increases the likelihood that a DTC sets if a fault is present in the system.

Shift Point Road Test

1. Bring engine and transmission up to normal operating temperature.

1. Operate the vehicle with the selector lever in the D position.

1. From a stop, accelerate the vehicle to 80 km/h (50 mph) with the shifts occurring at approximately 2000 rpm. Stay in 10th gear for 30 seconds or until the TCC applies. Repeat this two times.

1. From a stop, accelerate the vehicle to 80 km/h (50 mph) with the shifts occurring at approximately 3000 rpm. Stay in 10th gear for 30 seconds or until the TCC applies. Repeat this two times.

1. If the transmission fails to upshift/downshift,
   REFER to: Diagnosis By Symptom (307-01 Automatic Transmission, Diagnosis and Testing).
   

Shift Speed Chart


Shift Speed
1-2 15 mph ( 24 km/h)
2-3 20 mph ( 32 km/h)
3-4 27 mph ( 43 km/h)
4-5 32 mph ( 51 km/h)
5-6 37 mph ( 60 km/h)
6-7 42 mph ( 68 km/h)
7-8 48 mph ( 77 km/h)
8-9 52 mph ( 84 km/h)
9-10 60 mph ( 97 km/h)

Here’s a video that shows the RPM fluctuation I get in fifth gear: