10-speed auto transmission problems

[Pronichkin]

I have (or should I say, had?) a 2021 Mustang GT PP(1). We've done roughly 35k miles on it, when some day in January the car suddenly fired up the "powertrain malfunction" light and refused to accelerate past ~15 mph.

we took the car to the dealership the same day (on a tow truck.) It's been sitting there since then. (I.e., it's been nine months.)

the dealer is claiming known transmission issues and says they tried to rebuild and/or replace the transmission three times already, each time unsuccessfully. (E.g., at some point, a brand-new transmission arrived from the factory, and they installed it, only to find out it's broken.) They say it's a widely known issue with 10-speed auto, and every Mustang, Bronco, Ranger, etc. is affected. They say Ford does not have enough spare parts, and the dealerships all over the country do not have enough skilled techs, hence the delays. (Moreover, Ford refuses to send them a replacement, until they try to repair it first, and then report their studies back to Ford.) They say they have over 40 vehicles on their lot with the very same issue, some of them being there for about a year already.

I'm not a car guy myself, so it's hard for me to validate those claims. But Wikipedia article on the transmission type mentions five class action lawsuits on similar issues. So is this widely known indeed? Did other forum member have similar experiences with Mustangs of the same generation? How did you deal with it?


Thanks in advance, and have a nice day!
--Artem

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[CrazyHippie]

Hmmm. Did they provide you with a loaner vehicle for the past 9 months or offer some other type of compensation? This is still covered under your Ford warranty, corrrect? If they take that long to do a repair, the warranty doesn't do you much good, apparently! Jeeez! I'll bet that upgraded/built transmissions are available from a third party if Ford can't fix them - and they would probably actually work! Good luck - you seem to be admirably calm about it so far.

 

[Paddles]

I live in fear of this
I'll probably just have mine rebuilt with better clutches but I'm hoping it lasts more than 35k : (
Sorry you're going through this

Edit; When I see comments like this it makes me wish I had just kept my old 4.6 5 speed

 

[Pronichkin]

Hmmm. Did they provide you with a loaner vehicle for the past 9 months or offer some other type of compensation? This is still covered under your Ford warranty, corrrect? If they take that long to do a repair, the warranty doesn't do you much good, apparently! Jeeez! I'll bet that upgraded/built transmissions are available from a third party if Ford can't fix them - and they would probably actually work! Good luck - you seem to be admirably calm about it so far.

at first, they did not provide any loaner whatsoever, so we spent about $1,000 on rentals and rideshares. Then we asked a lawyer to write a nice and professional email to the dealer about those matters, which immediately got us a loaner. It's still not nearly as nice as the Mustang, but it gets the job done. (Although it does suck to keep paying for Mustang loan and insurance, while riding the cheapest rental cars imaginable.)

and yes, this is covered under warranty. At least, nobody dared to ask us for money yet It's kinda ironic that it happened short of 36k miles, but my understanding is that it qualifies as a drive train issue, so should have been covered even if happened after 36k.

yeah, I'm sorta calm about it now because I've already passed all the stages like denial, anger, bargaining and depression, so I'm now in my acceptance stage. I'm genuinely curious about others' experience, because it might give me an idea of the next steps. At this point, I'm not even sure who's more guilty: Ford or the dealer. (And I understand they're pointing fingers at each other and probably both are not being fully honest with us.)

thanks for the nice words though!

 

[ORRadtech]

Are you only dealing with the dealership? Have you contacted Ford corporate?
Yes, some do have serious issues, more than some really. But it seems kinda hit or miss. My Ecoboost is at 106k with (knock wood) no transmission problems.
Here's another thread from not too long ago. I don't think his time frame was anywhere near yours.
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/ford-just-lost-a-customer-for-life.205753/

 

[Nickel]

Manual swap time

 

[Cobra Jet]

Was this vehicle purchased new by you or used?

Was the vehicle in for transmission service ever before the time mentioned above?

If purchased new, in most States there is the Lemon Law. In order to qualify for a Ford RAV Buy back:
- Ford RAV goes by State Lemon Laws and Provisions within those laws. They don’t and won’t deviate from them.

- The Owner has to research and understand their Home State’s Lemon or Buy Back Laws, because every State is different and the provisions also vary. Only use the info directly from their State .gov site and NOT 3rd party websites.

- In many instances the Owner has to have filed for a Lemon/Buy Back claim within 12-15 months of ownership as well as within IIRC 12k-24k miles (both mos and miles vary by State) - whichever comes first. This filing has to be done from the date of the vehicle purchase invoice. HOWEVER, if the vehicle had prior repair attempts BEFORE the expiration of provisions noted, but the problem has now reoccurred, this could be a loophole to file a claim even though you’re at 35k miles now.

- The other parameters that usually have to be met too (in no order of what is seen below):
—-Vehicle has had at least 3 attempts at repairing the Customer concern with documentation to back up those attempts (ie: shop invoices or work orders) where the repair has not fixed the issue.

—- Vehicle has been In-Op at the Service Center for a period of 30-consecutive days OR (again based on State laws) 30-calendar days within a year.

There may be other parameters based on State Laws that have to be factored into or met with the above 2, but those 2 are the most common seen within the 50 States Lemon Laws.



For more info on Lemon/Buy Backs, search the following terms on this site:
Ford Buy Back
Lemon Law
Ford RAV
Ford RAV worksheet
Buy Back
RAV Lemon
MSRP to MSRP

I’ve provided a lot on this subject matter over the years - much more than what is posted here in this response with greater details.

 

[Mikestang20]

I have (or should I say, had?) a 2021 Mustang GT PP(1). We've done roughly 35k miles on it, when some day in January the car suddenly fired up the "powertrain malfunction" light and refused to accelerate past ~15 mph.

we took the car to the dealership the same day (on a tow truck.) It's been sitting there since then. (I.e., it's been nine months.)

the dealer is claiming known transmission issues and says they tried to rebuild and/or replace the transmission three times already, each time unsuccessfully. (E.g., at some point, a brand-new transmission arrived from the factory, and they installed it, only to find out it's broken.) They say it's a widely known issue with 10-speed auto, and every Mustang, Bronco, Ranger, etc. is affected. They say Ford does not have enough spare parts, and the dealerships all over the country do not have enough skilled techs, hence the delays. (Moreover, Ford refuses to send them a replacement, until they try to repair it first, and then report their studies back to Ford.) They say they have over 40 vehicles on their lot with the very same issue, some of them being there for about a year already.

I'm not a car guy myself, so it's hard for me to validate those claims. But Wikipedia article on the transmission type mentions five class action lawsuits on similar issues. So is this widely known indeed? Did other forum member have similar experiences with Mustangs of the same generation? How did you deal with it?


Thanks in advance, and have a nice day!
--Artem

I filed a lemon law claim on my 2022 gt premium a10. Ford bought it back. BBB AUTOLINE . Had multiple issues before 2 years and 24k miles. If you had it on the dealer before 2 years 24k miles you might have a claim. CDF drum is the most common issue

 

[Crew4991]

Manual swap time

The problem with OP's 10 speed auto car began when the original owner selected a GT Performance Pack with an auto from the factory.

 

[Weeee]

Find a new dealership, and call around before you do. I brought my Mach 1 in for transmission TSB-24-2101. The dealership had it out of their shop in 2 weeks with a new valve body. If the harsh 4-5 shifting continues, full transmission replacement is next. Seeing how your transmission grenade itself, this should be a quick job pending parts availability.

At a minimum, you'll want to contact Ford customer service and open up a case.

 

[Nickel]

The hell with it. I probably would've hired a manufacturer warranties lawyer. Let them handle the problem on your behalf and threaten them with a lawsuit. I ASSURE you, things will get moving ASAP.

 

[Crew4991]

There is a real challenge here. The problem with rebuilt transmissions is that hardly anyone knows how to properly work on transmissions alone - let alone the Ford/GM 10 speed auto that is VERY complicated. When they are 'fixed' they usually aren't actually fixed. I always find it funny when there is a mechanical failure and companies try to 'fix' the problem with a software update. It may solve the problem short term but definitely not long term.

OP I think it is highly unlikely that you will get a new transmission, but I encourage you to push Ford this route. Keep pushing for Ford to 'fix' the problem for you while that warranty is still valid.
In my opinion, the next best case scenario would be to source a truly low mileage transmission that wasn't damage in a wreck from a crashed car. Even this route will difficult but it is an option for when the warranty expires.

One last thought: I am always skeptical of what dealerships say under warranty work. I would take a small amount of paint and smear it on the transmission in an out-of-sight spot, let it dry and then take it in to the dealer... if they tell you it was replaced, check the spot for paint... the paint should be gone if it is a different transmission.
If not, call them out on it. They might be screwing with you.

 

[Torched10]

I see wash has lem I m law it has to be within 30 mohths of purchase.open
a case with corporate

at first, they did not provide any loaner whatsoever, so we spent about $1,000 on rentals and rideshares. Then we asked a lawyer to write a nice and professional email to the dealer about those matters, which immediately got us a loaner. It's still not nearly as nice as the Mustang, but it gets the job done. (Although it does suck to keep paying for Mustang loan and insurance, while riding the cheapest rental cars imaginable.)

and yes, this is covered under warranty. At least, nobody dared to ask us for money yet It's kinda ironic that it happened short of 36k miles, but my understanding is that it qualifies as a drive train issue, so should have been covered even if happened after 36k.

yeah, I'm sorta calm about it now because I've already passed all the stages like denial, anger, bargaining and depression, so I'm now in my acceptance stage. I'm genuinely curious about others' experience, because it might give me an idea of the next steps. At this point, I'm not even sure who's more guilty: Ford or the dealer. (And I understand they're pointing fingers at each other and probably both are not being fully honest with us.)

thanks for the nice words though!

Here's contact info to open a case with fitd corporate .good luck.wash has 30 month to open.lemom Law case

https://g.co/kgs/wcQ7T1r

 

[Pronichkin]

Thank all of you for kind words! I appreciate the support.

To answer your questions in bulk.

1. This was a new car, purchased from the same dealer in 2021. They even convinced us to buy their extended warranty.
2. We did not have any major problems with this car before. So, I believe, the local lemon law does not apply anymore, but I will do some further research. Thanks for the hints!
3. There were small issues here and there, over the course of three years we're owning it, but nothing even remotely as bad. Like the tiny back windows not going fully up when closing the top, or one of the tire pressure sensors seemingly died. All of that was routinely fixed when we brough the car to the dealer for another +5,000 miles checkup and maintenance.
4. At some point (say, a year and half ago), we started noticing some "jerk" when switching from rear to drive. Retrospectively, it might seem like a sight of the transmission problem starting to develop. But back then, the dealer said it was "normal," and we did not push as we were unaware of these kinds of issues. I'm not sure we can find a paper trail of that complaint, but that's certainly a good lesson for us to learn.
5. I think it's a bit too late to set a mark on the old transmission, since the car has been at the dealer for nine months, and they claim they already replaced the transmission at least once. (Yesterday they received another replacement and reportedly started working. Fingers crossed...)
6. We did call Ford corporate a few times, but all they had to say is "we're sorry, maybe you should go to another dealer." Meanwhile, our dealer claims global labor shortages, and as someone mentioned above, these transmissions are incredibly complex. So, when they say they only have three highly paid technicians who're capable of working on these, and they cannot hire anyone else, that kinda sounds believable. They also say that other dealers in our area are known to simply not accept cars with these issues anymore due to the huge backlogs. I have not tried to validate this claim yet, but maybe I will.
7. We'll do more research on how to push Ford. But assuming we get the car back this week or next week (as the dealer keeps promising now), do you think it still makes sense to escalate? Can we realistically get some sort of compensation retroactively?


thanks again, and have a nice day!

 

[Cobra Jet]

You stated you have called Ford Corp; do you have a Case # with a Regional Rep., or have you only spoke to like a Customer Care Rep?

If you don’t have a case # yet, call the Ford 800# and ask to speak to a Regional Rep. to set up a Case which will elevate your vehicle to a higher priority. You can also go above and state you want to speak to a Supervisor because after all - you’re paying on a vehicle that has not been enjoyed and is sitting at some Dealership for now 9 months.

See this link - it has the Ford 800# as well as other pertinent numbers that I posted here a few years ago.
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/the-ford-800-info-for-those-needing-it.111571/

In your Owner’s Manual (or the same online version) the numbers are listed in there too.

—-
Also be aware, when you are talking to the Regional Rep or Supervisor, exclaim your frustrations and tell them you want your monthly payments removed for each month you have not had access to the vehicle. They CAN reimburse…. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.

At this stage, the Dealership should have requested a new 10R80 from Ford and swapped the old with the new. The other thing a Dealership can do in such compelling situations (and this is laid out in the Ford Warranty and Policy Manual every Ford Franchise has), is they can take a new car off their lot and take the new car part off the vehicle and install it into a Customer’s vehicle. This is so that the Dealership can get the Customer car completed when there is a shortage of parts. The Dealership would then repair their lot vehicle once parts became available again. The part taken from the new lot car and installed into a Customer’s car would have the same warranty coverage as if the part was delivered from Ford.

Your Dealership isn’t doing you any favors by having a Tech or multiple Techs rebuild that 10R80 multiple times…. Either that really happened, OR they’re blowing smoke at you because you’re being just TOO patient and accepting whatever they’re telling you…. Don’t take that as an offensive statement or that you are bowing down to their word - but some Dealerships will just crate word salads and if the customer buys it, they’re off the hook for the time being and gives them additional time where they don’t work on your vehicle….

Have you gone to see the condition of the car in the 9 months it’s been there? Is it all apart?

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