10R80 Owners - ULTIMATE M6G 10R80 Facts + Resolutions to harsh or no shift conditions

[saiyangt]

I agree. My new transmission still clunks when it downshifts sometimes and hesitates when I floor it in higher gears.

GM seems to know how to implement the software better for this transmission.

I'm going to start looking into reviews for tunes. I'll be specifically looking into those that address transmission responsiveness and gearing.

I will update here with what I decide on going with, and how it turns out!

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[Dominant1]

I was reading some posts on the camaro forum and they are having some issues with the 10 speed as well, but nothing to the severity that i’ve read here. I think Chevy has the better factory tune then Ford but they both have some mechanical issues also . Anyway you slice it, its completely unacceptable. I would be pissed if i bought a $50k 2018- 2020 mustang and had this stuff come up..sorry to hear you guys are having these issues. I have a modded 2016 gt with a 6r80.

 

[ihc95]

I was reading some posts on the camaro forum and they are having some issues with the 10 speed as well, but nothing to the severity that i’ve read here. I think Chevy has the better factory tune then Ford but they both have some mechanical issues also . Any way you slice its completely unacceptable. I would be pissed if i bought a $50k 2018- 2020 mustang and had this stuff come up..sorry to hear you guys are having these issues. I have a modded 2016 gt with a 6r80.

Agreed that Chevy has the better factory tune, but a majority of 10 speed Mustangs have been fine. And when they do have shifting issues, most of them can be resolved with a simple software update from Ford (as with my car).

 

[Stage_3]

Agreed that Chevy has the better factory tune, but a majority of 10 speed Mustangs have been fine. And when they do have shifting issues, most of them can be resolved with a simple software update from Ford (as with my car).

Have not been reading the posts in this thread??
People have gotten updates and even a new transmission,.....it's not helping. It may help for a couple of months, but then it reverts back to it's ways.

 

[TorqueMaster]

My 2018 EB started acting up last year. Took it in back in October 2019 at 13,xxx miles. They confirmed my harsh shifting and clunking -- primarily when slowing for a stoplight, and also from reverse to drive. Checked Oasis, passed all tests no codes. They cleared trans tables, performed adaptive drive cycle. Road tests fine. I had asked about software updates, but they said I was current.

It was good when I took it home. Like butter as they say. But it has gotten slightly worse. And lately, with you-know-what going on, I'm barely putting on any miles so I can't really sense if it's getting worse still or leveled off . It's no where near as bad as it was, but that may be just a matter of time/miles, who knows. Am I going to have to do those steps every 10K to keep it shifting well?

They did NOT check the ATF level and I'm wondering about that now, having read these posts. I don't have a lift and it seems like a pita to have it running, up on jack-stands, at full temperature, reaching in-between hot things to check it. I understand it needs to be checked this way, but once the level is confirmed correct, can it be checked dead cold, not running, and use that for a future reference? I could not find any explanation why this couldn't be done, only that it wasn't the recommended way because the running hot level is what's most important.

Will ATF pour out of the hole if it is checked cold after draining down? Does the torque converter, etc, drain down inconsistently based on it's orientation when it stops? Curious, thanks...

 

[Alan2955]

Agreed that Chevy has the better factory tune, but a majority of 10 speed Mustangs have been fine. And when they do have shifting issues, most of them can be resolved with a simple software update from Ford (as with my car).

The update had mine working great for a couple hundred miles but now I’ve gone 1500 and it’s not great. Occasionally jerks hard from P to R. Some up shifts are a bit rough, but other times butter smooth. I feel the downshifting in the lower gears again too. Worst thing is the bump I get when it drops 3 to 1 while coming to a stop. No clunk but almost always a jerk unless you extend the distance to a dead stop just so. Do other people get a jerk right before stopping? Drove a used 2019 ecoboost and it was worse than mine. Honestly Ford this is pathetic. My dealer keeps saying it needs time to learn. I say bull. I think I’ll try another dealer soon. Carvana made me a good offer on it too. That might be the best solution. I just always have bad luck with Ford products, excepting my 2014 Mustang V6 was pretty good.

 

[TorqueMaster]

The update had mine working great for a couple hundred miles but now I’ve gone 1500 and it’s not great. Occasionally jerks hard from P to R. Some up shifts are a bit rough, but other times butter smooth. I feel the downshifting in the lower gears again too. Worst thing is the bump I get when it drops 3 to 1 while coming to a stop. No clunk but almost always a jerk unless you extend the distance to a dead stop just so. Do other people get a jerk right before stopping? .

P to R and R to D issues (harsh, and/or delayed) and jerk while slowing for stoplights were my primary issues. I started readjusting *my* sense of "normal behavior" but then drove my mom's Edge and I realized how effed up my Mustang was. R to D was annoying because in a "normal" car, you can back up, stop, shift to drive, and by the time your foot is off the brake, it's easing into drive about the same time you get you foot to the gas. I'm finding I have to wait...and wait... for it to engage D. It's probably just a quarter-to-half second, but feels like forever -- you know if you hit the gas too early it's going to engage HARD, so you wait... It's not rocket science my Pinto C3 made that shift quicker...

I may be dumb but how do you know it's a 3-1 downshift at stoplights? Do they show up for you in D? I've only seen gear numbers when I'm in shifted into S. Might have to have touched the paddles too... I have the base model.

Oh, yeah, after they worked on it, they said it'd still be learning. Then some snarky comment about not driving it too hard, implying that's what caused this issue to appear. I repressed a violent urge...knowing I may drive a bit sporty at times, but in no way abuse the car. I think I need to get my ATF level verified. Not sure if that would make it learn poorly, or unlearn, or whatever the #*!! it's doing.

 

[Dominant1]

I guess the only solution is to trade her in if Ford will not fix these issues. I see a class action lawsuit coming down in the near future. There’s one going on with the mt-82 as we speak. Ford should stop thinking about their budgets and start thinking about the customer again. They should put the gt-350 Tremec manual in all the mustangs and dump that Chinese junk mt82. When i saw how fast the 10 speed shifts i wanted one. But after hearing all the issues i backed off. I have a lot into my 2016 gt/cs (Mods), so I decided to stick with it. Its been my best car ever..

 

[Alan2955]

P to R and R to D issues (harsh, and/or delayed) and jerk while slowing for stoplights were my primary issues. I started readjusting *my* sense of "normal behavior" but then drove my mom's Edge and I realized how effed up my Mustang was. R to D was annoying because in a "normal" car, you can back up, stop, shift to drive, and by the time your foot is off the brake, it's easing into drive about the same time you get you foot to the gas. I'm finding I have to wait...and wait... for it to engage D. It's probably just a quarter-to-half second, but feels like forever -- you know if you hit the gas too early it's going to engage HARD, so you wait... It's not rocket science my Pinto C3 made that shift quicker...

I may be dumb but how do you know it's a 3-1 downshift at stoplights? Do they show up for you in D? I've only seen gear numbers when I'm in shifted into S. Might have to have touched the paddles too... I have the base model.

Oh, yeah, after they worked on it, they said it'd still be learning. Then some snarky comment about not driving it too hard, implying that's what caused this issue to appear. I repressed a violent urge...knowing I may drive a bit sporty at times, but in no way abuse the car. I think I need to get my ATF level verified. Not sure if that would make it learn poorly, or unlearn, or whatever the #*!! it's doing.

I have the all digital dash and it always shows what gear the auto transmission is in. You make a good point too about if you drive a normal automatic then get back in the mustang it’s even more obvious how poor it shifts. Mine also has the slower than normal change from R to D. It’s not really that long, but it’s long enough to be noticeable. I’ve probably had 25 or so automatic transmissions and this one is the worst I’ve owned. My biggest gripe is that jerk right before it comes to a stop. I’m going to visit another dealer soon and see what they say.

 

[ihc95]

The update had mine working great for a couple hundred miles but now I’ve gone 1500 and it’s not great. Occasionally jerks hard from P to R. Some up shifts are a bit rough, but other times butter smooth. I feel the downshifting in the lower gears again too. Worst thing is the bump I get when it drops 3 to 1 while coming to a stop. No clunk but almost always a jerk unless you extend the distance to a dead stop just so. Do other people get a jerk right before stopping? Drove a used 2019 ecoboost and it was worse than mine. Honestly Ford this is pathetic. My dealer keeps saying it needs time to learn. I say bull. I think I’ll try another dealer soon. Carvana made me a good offer on it too. That might be the best solution. I just always have bad luck with Ford products, excepting my 2014 Mustang V6 was pretty good.

Are you sure you got the update or did your dealer just reset adaptive learning and tell you they updated it? It sounds like the latter to me. I had to show actual proof to my dealer there was an update for them to do it. My car also had the jerk from P to D and R to D, and the jerky downshifting when coming to a stop. I got the update about a year and ~4000 miles ago and it has been great since. It's still not as smooth as other modern autos (like ZF 8speed) but thats just a characteristic of the A10 that personally I can live with no problem. I also have the 1/2 second delay shifting into drive. That's normal for this transmission and I don't understand the big deal with that.

I truly believe a lot of people are just getting their PCM reset instead of an actual software update. Ford dealers are truly lazy and incompetent.

 

[Alan2955]

Are you sure you got the update or did your dealer just reset adaptive learning and tell you they updated it? It sounds like the latter to me. I had to show actual proof to my dealer there was an update for them to do it. My car also had the jerk from P to D and R to D, and the jerky downshifting when coming to a stop. I got the update about a year and ~4000 miles ago and it has been great since. It's still not as smooth as other modern autos (like ZF 8speed) but thats just a characteristic of the A10 that personally I can live with no problem. I also have the 1/2 second delay shifting into drive. That's normal for this transmission and I don't understand the big deal with that.

I truly believe a lot of people are just getting their PCM reset instead of an actual software update. Ford dealers are truly lazy and incompetent.

They claimed they updated it. And for a few miles it was much better. But didn’t last long. As the other poster stated you could get used to it in spite of it all, but when you drive another vehicle it reminds you how crappy this thing is. I’m not even sure what’s normal on these. Some people posting theirs are smooth. Many others saying jerky is normal. I did drive a used 2019 ecoboost a few days ago, and it felt worse than mine.

 

[ihc95]

They claimed they updated it. And for a few miles it was much better. But didn’t last long. As the other poster stated you could get used to it in spite of it all, but when you drive another vehicle it reminds you how crappy this thing is. I’m not even sure what’s normal on these. Some people posting theirs are smooth. Many others saying jerky is normal. I did drive a used 2019 ecoboost a few days ago, and it felt worse than mine.

I'd try another dealer then. I watched the tech pull the update from the computer and load it into the car. My cars dash lit up like a Christmas tree in the process. The fact that your transmission was smooth at first but then got jerky again definitely sounds like a software issue and not a hardware issue, so thats good at least.

 

[filipradenovic]

Are you sure you got the update or did your dealer just reset adaptive learning and tell you they updated it? It sounds like the latter to me. I had to show actual proof to my dealer there was an update for them to do it. My car also had the jerk from P to D and R to D, and the jerky downshifting when coming to a stop. I got the update about a year and ~4000 miles ago and it has been great since. It's still not as smooth as other modern autos (like ZF 8speed) but thats just a characteristic of the A10 that personally I can live with no problem. I also have the 1/2 second delay shifting into drive. That's normal for this transmission and I don't understand the big deal with that.

I truly believe a lot of people are just getting their PCM reset instead of an actual software update. Ford dealers are truly lazy and incompetent.

Can you share the update proof here? Is it the transmission strategy update? After several visits, and after going to another Ford service I finally got a "transmission strategy update" which at a first glance makes the transmission much smoother, not perfect. I will give it a few hundred (or thousand) miles to learn my habits and see then.

More detailed update on my half-year issues with transmission. I basically had it all on my 2018 EcoBoost: (i) P to R and D to R was very harsh at times, the car would jerk so much that my passengers would ask if we hit anything; (ii) hard shifts, mostly going into 5 (up and down) and harsh downshifting when coming to a stop, especially when abruptly stopping; (iii) delay when going from R to D, longer than a second for sure, maybe even 2s; (iv) one particular time there was crazy erratic shifting with super strong jerks at cruising speed on highway (car couldnt decide and was jumping from gear 10 to 8 and back).

Visits to first Ford service:
1) transmission fluid low, they topped it off: P to R harsh seemed resolved but came back, everything else was still there
2) replaced valve body, reset adaptive learning: R to D delay gone (there is still a small delay but manageable, they actually told me up to 3s is normal, which sounds crazy), P to R and D to R harsh happening less but would still happen rarely, harsh shifts still present
3) transmission tech drove the car with me, and said shifting was normal. After waiting another 13 days, they let me drive a 2019 car from the lot and it felt better to me, tech said it is "pretty much the same". This is when I gave up on this service.
NOTE: I asked about putting monitoring device to the car, measuring transmission pressures, and asked about the update. They always told me they will do it, but then ignored me. In general, communication with them was really bad, I always felt like I was bothering them and that they just say yes to get me off their back. They could never explain anything I asked.

Visit to second Ford service after contacting Ford and getting a regional service manager on my case:
They immediately said it feels harsh, and that it needs strategy update, updated it (and reset adaptive learning) the same day and gave me the car back. That was yesterday, car feels good so far, not buttery smooth but definitely better, so I will wait a bit to see if adaptive learning will make it even better.

 

[4leghorse]

I brought my car in a few days back for airbag fault and had them look at the trans also 10r80 22k miles I got it new for the last like 10k miles maybe more the 4-5 shift in sport or track could literally throw me out the windshield with the jerks it would do. Service advisor said he had his tech look at it and he’ll call me back. Service advisor said there’s an update for the trans. I got the car back today and it feels completely different. The 4-5 harshness is gone every shift is smooth like butter in every mode even the downshifts. Legit feels like a completely different transmission. Very happy with the results

 

[Alan2955]

I brought my car in a few days back for airbag fault and had them look at the trans also 10r80 22k miles I got it new for the last like 10k miles maybe more the 4-5 shift in sport or track could literally throw me out the windshield with the jerks it would do. Service advisor said he had his tech look at it and he’ll call me back. Service advisor said there’s an update for the trans. I got the car back today and it feels completely different. The 4-5 harshness is gone every shift is smooth like butter in every mode even the downshifts. Legit feels like a completely different transmission. Very happy with the results

Let us know if it lasts. Mine rapidly went downhill again. Not as bad as before, but still the worst automatic I’ve ever driven or owned. Just for grins I drove another eco-boost and it shifted even worse than mine. And then yesterday I drove a used 2019 GT and the salesman even warned me that the transmission was a terrible mess on it, and shifted like hell. He was absolutely right. This is just utterly pathetic that Ford can’t get these things right. It’s starting to smell like a repeat of the Focus and Fiesta transmission fiascoes. I mean they’ve had three years to figure these transmissions out, and they are still a mess. Every time I drive this thing I just get pissed off about all the jerks and lunges .I think I’ll just dump it to Carvana when the convertible season is over, and wash my hands of it. It just reminds me why I haven’t bought a new Ford since 1999, and swore I would never buy another one after that one. Fortunately I didn’t this time either. At least since I bought it used I won’t lose my butt on it. There’s a reason why Ford keeps losing market share. It’s because they are in capable of building a quality product. My dealer just washes their hands of the transmission issues, and said that’s just how they are. So much for the Ford powertrain warranty right? What good is a warranty when the manufacturer doesn’t know how to fix it?

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