NHTSA Complaint #10104499 — 2001 FORD F-250 SD

VEICHLE WAS PURCHASED IN MAY 2001. AT 36700 WHILE I WAS ON LEAVE IN DALLAS TX, I WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY I CAME TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHEN I ATTEPTED TO ACCELERATE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED FROM 1ST TO 2ND TRIED TO GO TO THIRD THEN JUST STAYED IN 2ND AND GOING BACK FROM FIRST TO SECOND AND KEPT DOING THAT UNTIL I PULLED OVER ABOUT A 1/6MILE FROM THE LIGHT. I CHECK ALL THE FLUIDS AND THEY WERE FINE. AT EXACTLY 25500 I HAD THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED WITH A FULL SYSTEM FLUSH AND A FILTER CHANGED. AFTER THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO THE SKYLINE FORD DEALERSHIP IN DALLAS. THEY LOOKED AT IT AND SAID IT HAD KICKED OUT SOME CODES ON THEIR "FORD" COMPUTER. I HAD NO INDICATION OF FAIL LIGHTS IN THE CAB OF THE TRUCK. WHEN THEY GOT THE TRANSMISSION APART THEY SAID THE FAILURE WAS A COMMON FAILURE AND THAT THEY HAD SEEN THIS MANY TIMES FOR THIS YEAR AND MODEL, AND THE TRANSMISSION INTERNALS WERE NO GOOD, THE TECHNICIAN PICKED UP A HANDFUL OF METAL SHAVINGS FROM INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION AND SHOWED THEM TO ME. THEY PERFORMED A FULL TRANSMISSION REBUILD USING THE HULL OF THE OLD TRANSMISSION. SINCE THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED JUST RECENTLY OUT OF WARRANTY THEY REFUSED TO PAY FOR IT UNTIL I TOLD THEM I BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AT THE PURCHASE TIME OF THE VEICHLE. NOT LESS THAN 3000 MILES LATER THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AGAIN. THIS TIME I HAD STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND AS SOON AS I STOPPED THE TRUCK DIED SO I STARTED IT BACK UP WENT INTO DRIVE AND IT DIED AGAIN. I HAD TO GET SOMEONE TO TOW IT. THIS TIME THE DEALER WAS MCKIE FORD IN RAPID CITY SD, WHEN THEY GOT THE TRANSMISSION OFF THEY SAID THE SAME THING THAT IT WAS A COMMON FAILURE WITH FORD TRANSMISSION WITH THIS TRUCK WITH THIS PARTICULAR YEAR MODEL. THIS TRUCK HAS LESS THAN 2000 MILES OF TOWING UNDER ITS BELT. THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF VERY WELL BOTH FAILURES WERE TO BE BLAMED ON FORD. THIS TRUCK HAS NEVER BEEN DRIVEN HARD AND ALL OF THE TRUCK REMAINS STOCK.*AK