NHTSA Complaint #10126558 — 2001 FORD F-350 SD

VEHICLE HAS 85,600 MILES, 95% OF WHICH ARE HIGHWAY MILES, 10% OF WHICH WERE PULLING AN 8,000 POUND TRAILER. NO SIGNS OF TROUBLE UNTIL PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN LAST NIGHT WITH NO LOAD. TRANSMISSION ENGAGEMENT IN MY E04 TRANSMISSION WAS A LITTLE ERRATIC WITH A CLUNKING NOISE. SOON AFTER, IT DIDN'T WANT TO SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR WITHOUT ME BACKING WAY OFF OF THE THROTTLE AND THEN IT SHIFTED HARD INTO 2ND. ALL SHIFT POINTS SEEM TO BE VERY SLIGHTLY HIGHER. NO NOTICEABLE PROBLEMS EXCEPT IN 1ST GEAR. EVEN MODERATE ACCELERATION FROM A STOP WITH NO LOAD PRODUCES ERRATIC ENGAGEMENT PROBLEMS. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THE FORD 5-YEAR, 75,000 MILE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER, 100,000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY THAT I BOUGHT WITH THE TRUCK WON'T COVER THE TRANSMISSION SINCE IT IS NOT CONSIDERED PART OF THE "POWER TRAIN". IT IS CONSIDERED, INSTEAD, PART OF THE "DRIVE TRAIN." THIS IS VERY MISLEADING AND FORD SHOULD BE FORCED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE TRANSMISSIONS. I HAD TO PAY $96.00 FOR THEM TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEMS, THEN ANOTHER $96.00 TO TEAR INTO IT AND PROVIDE AN ESTIMATE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ''ONE-WAY CLUTCH'' HAD FAILED AND FILLED THE TRANSMISSION WITH BITS OF METAL. THEY SAID THAT IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT THEY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TRYING TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION BUT, INSTEAD, REPLACE IT WITH A REMANUFACTURED UNIT. THEY DID INDICATE THAT FORD HAS REDESIGNED THE NEWER ONE-WAY CLUTCHES AND SOME OTHER COMPONENTS TO BE STRONGER AND THOSE WOULD ALREADY BE INSTALLED IN THE REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION. THE COST: $3,400 PLUS TAX WITH A 3-YEAR/36,000 MILE WARRANTY AND THREE MORE BUSINESS DAYS IN THE SHOP. THIS IS MY LAST FORD VEHICLE.