Who is dissatisfied with the 2020 Ten-Speed Trans | Page 2 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Who is dissatisfied with the 2020 Ten-Speed Trans

Who is dissatisfied with the 2020 Ten-Speed Trans

  • No problems the transmission works well

    Votes: 16 59.3%
  • Occasional glitches that I can live with or rarely notice

    Votes: 4 14.8%
  • Constant reproducible issues

    Votes: 7 25.9%
  • Constant intermittent issues that never get dealt with

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    27
The freep story is almost 4 months old. With almost 10,000 vehicles caught up in the Flat Rock detour it's no wonder a few folks are having problems. Unfortunately, the info has little bearing on current issues. My dealer isn't hearing anything about the problems Ford was/is having, Just that they are aware of several issues and are working on fixes.
 



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still prefer a Ford over the other two name plates in the US for good reason.

was in retail transportation for over 20 yrs and saw them all.
.
PS Sharin: the Lost Dutchman is Red Mountain, Mt Mc Dowell.......j
 






still prefer a Ford over the other two name plates in the US for good reason.

was in retail transportation for over 20 yrs and saw them all.
.
PS Sharin: the Lost Dutchman is Red Mountain, Mt Mc Dowell.......j
What am I missing.
 






I own an ST built in late July 19', 2500 miles, no transmission shift issues here at all, cold or warm engine. Every vehicle that I have ever owned always ran a little smoother, quieter, better than when cold in a few miles or minutes after it warmed up. My 2020 Explorer St is no different and in my opinion is better than most of my recent vehicles in this regard. One of the key advantages of all the engine options in the new 2020 Explorer is their higher than horsepower torque ratings, this allows you to be smoother on the throttle in all aspects of driving and frankly adds dimensions to the Explorers driving experience vs. all other competition. If you've never owned a vehicle that had more torque than horsepower (similar to most full size pickups), perhaps there is an adjustment to become more comfortable with how the engine/tranny responds across all driving situations.

Sharin - I believe you may provide the answer from your own original post/issue in your own post #11, in your words, "The severity of the shift does go away but not as quickly as the engine warms up. It's not until the car has been on the road for several miles before things settle down. The shift from second to third is not quite as harsh and it too settles down later."

Sharin - If you don't feel your vehicle is operating correctly, you very well may have an issue with your tranny, have the dealer check it out, it's all under warranty.. Good luck, keep us posted...
 






Mine is not the smoothest thing in the world either. Especially on downshifts coming toward a stoplight or stop sign. I'll keep driving it though, it's not overly concerning. If I am at the dealer again for anything, I'll bring it up. I did drive a loaner 2020 for a week and felt it was smoother than mine. So certainly there are some that are "better" than others.
 






I would disconnect the battery for 10 minutes or so. If the transmission picked up some bad learning curves even from factory it can do wierd things. Our 2016 we bought late in the model year with a couple hundred test drive miles on it and had some wicked transmission issues. It would stumble and hunt gears especially if we had to pull out on to a highway. Had the dealership do a refresh of the computers and it did nothing. It the battery died last summer and when we replaced it things got much better.

Another reference I had a rental F150 with a 10 speed and it would have some stiff 1:2 shifts while getting up to temps too. But my F150 does not have that issue. Granted I drive at almost WOT all the time so transmission most likely shifts firmer than most and to me that is to be expected :).
 






Thanks steweod, you may be on to something because your description sounds right on... "It would stumble and hunt gears especially if we had to pull out on to a highway."
It's worth a try.
Anybody believe I should not disconnect the battery?
 






Thanks steweod, you may be on to something because your description sounds right on... "It would stumble and hunt gears especially if we had to pull out on to a highway."
It's worth a try.
Anybody believe I should not disconnect the battery?


We have places around here where you pull straight on to a 65MPH highway with no acceleration lane. Our 2016 would have shifted all the way in to 3rd by the time I completed the 90 degree turn and started to roll on the throttle. It would then lug 3rd gear for a moment then try to downshift to 2nd. That's where it got dangerous because that is when it just wouldn't go until I got to about 90% throttle input then it would jam into first and Rev to about 5000 and take off.

Never had this issue with the 2013 sport with me driving the same way. Had the issue with the 2016 Platinum until I replaced the battery and never been an issue since.

Sometimes I think the computers in cars are just like regular computers and need a good reboot sometimes. But that may just be me.
 






Never had this issue with the 2013 sport with me driving the same way. Had the issue with the 2016 Platinum until I replaced the battery and never been an issue since.

Sometimes I think the computers in cars are just like regular computers and need a good reboot sometimes. But that may just be me.

Having messed around with primarily GM diesels and automatic transmissions, I can confirm that the trans needs to "learn" your driving style. If you buy something off the lot with a bunch of miles on it, the computer really does need a "reboot" to clear the stored information on driving styles.
 






Not buying the "reboot" theory. After 9k miles, wouldn't the car have learned your driving style and purged any data from the first 50 miles when I got it?

Not sure if some do not notice the shifting woes or if they think that it's normal behavior. For sure it is not all the time. Maybe not even 10% of the time but it is definitely noticeable when it does happen. I paddle shift most of the time so it's not even a question of gear searching. The car will take abnormally long shifting into gear and then lurch when it finally does.

If this was an anomaly for just a few us, would you see this in print in published reviews on the 2020 Explorer?

Consumer Reports on XLT: "When starting up from a stop, such as at a traffic light or pulling into traffic from a side street, the Explorer lurches forward. That’s followed by rough shifts from first to second gear, and from second to third."

Motor Trend on XLT: "The EcoBoost engine is remarkably torquey and smooth, and although we experienced a couple rough shifts, its 10-speed automatic helps make the most of the little engine's powerband."
 






There is confusion on what Ford transmissions do. They do not learn an individual's driving habits and will not learn person A from person B.

What Ford's learning strategy does is measure the time it takes to shift between gears and if too hard/harsh or too soft, it will make very small adjustments until it falls into spec.

By removing the battery, it will cause it to relearn over again how much pressure/time it takes for the gear to complete a gear change and then start making adjustments again.

So yes it can help it relearn how to shift properly by going back to a default and slowly making adjustments again.
 






Adaptive shift in the 2004 Explorer owner guide as in (A I intelligence) pg 149:
This vehicle is equipped with an adaptive Transmission Shift Strategy. Adaptive Shift Strategy offers the optimal transmission operation and shift quality. When the vehicle’s battery has been disconnected for any type of service or repair, the transmission will need to relearn the normal shift strategy parameters, much like having to reset your radio stations when your vehicle battery has been disconnected. The Adaptive Transmission Strategy allows the transmission to relearn these operating parameters. This learning process could take several transmission upshifts and downshifts; during this learning process, slightly firmer shifts may occur. After this learning process, normal shift feel and shift scheduling will resume.
 






Adaptive shift in the 2004 Explorer owner guide as in (A I intelligence) pg 149:
This vehicle is equipped with an adaptive Transmission Shift Strategy. Adaptive Shift Strategy offers the optimal transmission operation and shift quality. When the vehicle’s battery has been disconnected for any type of service or repair, the transmission will need to relearn the normal shift strategy parameters, much like having to reset your radio stations when your vehicle battery has been disconnected. The Adaptive Transmission Strategy allows the transmission to relearn these operating parameters. This learning process could take several transmission upshifts and downshifts; during this learning process, slightly firmer shifts may occur. After this learning process, normal shift feel and shift scheduling will resume.
The 2011 to 2015 Owner's Manuals carried a note on Automatic Transmission Adaptive Learning but as of the 2016 Manual, it is no longer there.

Peter
 


















The Aviator is 596 pages and the Navigator is 637 pages. So not sure what your post has anything to do with the thread.

My thoughts exactly!

Bill
 






Not buying the "reboot" theory. After 9k miles, wouldn't the car have learned your driving style and purged any data from the first 50 miles when I got it?

Not sure if some do not notice the shifting woes or if they think that it's normal behavior. For sure it is not all the time. Maybe not even 10% of the time but it is definitely noticeable when it does happen. I paddle shift most of the time so it's not even a question of gear searching. The car will take abnormally long shifting into gear and then lurch when it finally does.

If this was an anomaly for just a few us, would you see this in print in published reviews on the 2020 Explorer?

Consumer Reports on XLT: "When starting up from a stop, such as at a traffic light or pulling into traffic from a side street, the Explorer lurches forward. That’s followed by rough shifts from first to second gear, and from second to third."

Motor Trend on XLT: "The EcoBoost engine is remarkably torquey and smooth, and although we experienced a couple rough shifts, its 10-speed automatic helps make the most of the little engine's powerband."

Just saying what helped mine and it was way past 9000 miles. As for the press review those are normally pre-production press cars and there is a good chance bot those reviews may have been with the same car.
 






Just saying what helped mine and it was way past 9000 miles.

You may be on to something. disconnected battery for about a minute. Have taken three drives and no rough shifting so far. I dare say shifts are fast and firm even on normal mode. Hopefully this will continue.
 






I'm surprised no one has mentioned temp based torque management.
 



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No issues here, everything is great. The only time I am not happy is in Sport mode. It is very sensitive and jerky on the downshifts. But during normal modes and normal driving, it has been flawless.

100% the same experience as this. Shifts are smooth in every drive mode except Sport, and I was one of the early ST buyers (taking possession in late July). In Sport, the downshifts can sometimes be incredibly jerky, almost like the vehicle is lunging a bit.
 






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