Probable transmission failure on my 2021 Lariat Tremor with 30,526 miles.....being repaired under warranty today!....

[awd.nv]

Well, he was good right up to that point. These and other transmissions with adaptive learning do not learn your driving style. All they are doing is 'learning' how the particular valve body and clutch pistons apply and release.

There isn't a transmission on the market right now that 'learns' the way you drive. Think about it. You'd have car rental agencies having all kinds of issues with every single car if they were all running around confused about what driver was driving them and their 'style'

This is also why there is a VERY specific procedure to do an adaptive relearn.

https://gearsmagazine.com/magazine/...0r140-10r80-and-10r60-the-same-but-different/

From the article.

The Adaptive Learning Drive Cycle is performed on a level road as follows:

1. Record then clear DTC’s
2. Drive the vehicle until the engine and transmission reach normal operating temperature.
3. Accelerate from a stop with light throttle (15%), ensuring that upshifts 1st through 8th occur at engine speeds between 1300-1600 rpm.
4. Continue to accelerate (may apply slightly more throttle after 7-8 upshift at 32-38 mph (51-61 km/h) until you achieve 55 mph (88 km/h) and the 8-9 and 9-10 shifts complete.
5. Brake gently to a complete stop and hold the foot brake for five (5) seconds.
6. Shift the transmission to Neutral. Wait 1 second.
7. Shift the transmission to Reverse. Wait 2 seconds.
8. Shift the transmission to Neutral. Wait 1 second.
9. Shift the transmission to Drive. Wait 2 seconds.
10. Repeat Steps 3 through 9 six (6) additional times.

After the final step, place the vehicle in park and cycle the ignition key off. Wait 3-5 minutes before driving to ensure enough time for the coding to be written to the module.

Actually Mercedes had that back in roughly 2003 or so in the 5 speed transmissions, I assume they carried it on to the new models too. It was noticeable on test drives which customers had the heavy foot vs the granny drivers. Just sayin', you can probably google it with Mercedes transmission adaptations or so.

I was an avid Tow/Haul user around town. I replaced my trans at 37000.

Well that is good to know. I am the same. I am either in Tow/Haul or Sport mode, never in normal drive because of the way it shifts. Well, hopefully I do not have a trans issue when out camping or towing with the fam.

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[ctechbob]

Actually Mercedes had that back in roughly 2003 or so in the 5 speed transmissions, I assume they carried it on to the new models too. It was noticeable on test drives which customers had the heavy foot vs the granny drivers. Just sayin', you can probably google it with Mercedes transmission adaptations or so.

Fair, although they specifically call it 'Driver Adaptive'...and well, zee Germans.

Although ZF doesn't do it and they're German, go figure.

Still stands that most 'adaptives' these days are just purely as I described it.

 

[Jackpot Tremor]

ok, got my Tremor back yesterday.....drove it all over town and little bit on the freeway.....shifts like a dream...nice and smooth like butter and quick with zero delays.......hope it stays this way cuz this is what it is suppose to do!!....and I have my aftermarket trans pan installed to boot for easy fluid changes in the future.....I'll probably let the dealer do the trans drain and refill from now on just because now they "own it" by doing the valve body under warranty.

and......I was considering a Ranger Raptor but not anymore after this fix!!

 

[9zero1790]

First off, I LOVE my tremor and have been documenting the maintenance and mods since day 1

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/loving-my-new-lariat-tremor-modding-it-up-already.16842/

and even decided it was "almost as good" as the new Ranger Raptor after I test drove one

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/i-test-drove-a-ranger-raptor-yesterday.29735/

but, I think I jinxed myself......I was driving home from a jobsite this past Thursday afternoon on the local toll road (133 fwy southbound) going slightly/moderately uphill at about 75+ in sport mode when all of a sudden it hesitated a little bit, started to act "funny" and shift rough and "popped" out of gear. I immediately got over to the far right lane, eased off the gas to slow down and drove carefully to try to make it home which was about 5 miles. It was fumbling through a couple of gears and white smoke was definitely visible in the rear view mirror coming from my truck. I exited the freeway and came to a stop and was praying it would get me home and it started from a dead stop but not without fumbling through the gears. 2 minutes later I was home and parked it overnight in a guest spot in my condo complex as I was running late for my gym work out with my son.

The next morning (Friday) I called the dealership and made an appointment and also called AAA to tow it in as I didn't want to drive it the 5-6 miles to the dealership. I did however take it around the block to see if it was just a "fluke" but it was still fumbling through the gears and it had a heavy trans fluid smell. When the AAA driver put it on the flatbed it was obvious that it has some transmission problem as it was dripping fluid and the whole back half underside was covered in trans fluid. The white smoke was the fluid dripping on the hot exhaust and nothing engine related.

I didn't hear anything from the dealership today (Saturday) so I decided to go down there and see what was going on. Turns out the tow truck driver just dropped it off and no one at the dealership "checked it in" so it wasn't even in the system yet. The service adviser, Jack, was super nice and said he'd have the transmission tech look at it on Monday and get back to me. I told him how "disappointed" I was because the truck has been great up until then and only has 30,526 miles and thank goodness I wasn't on my way to Vegas in the middle of nowhere in 115 heat!

I talked to Jack a little bit and also chatted with a sales guy named Tim who also had a Lariat Tremor but his was a 2022. We chatted a while about our trucks and even compared them to the new Ranger Raptor.......the whole time I was getting good vibes from everyone that it would be under warranty (It better damn should be!) and that probably it would get a new (revised) transmission instead of just rebuilding my current one. I'm just speculating that the trans is bad based on what I experienced and just hope I don't get the run around or some lame BS excuse why it isn't covered. I need my truck for work and this sucks and my anxiety is through the roof waiting to hear the diagnoses but I'm sure they want it fixed under warranty with a new trans just as much as I do!...or at least I hope!!

The next couple of days of waiting is going to kill me!

sorry to hear that! hate to say it but im expecting that from mine any mile. let us know how it goes and what the dealer / ford does to fix things.

 

[Big Blue]

ok, got my Tremor back yesterday.....drove it all over town and little bit on the freeway.....shifts like a dream...nice and smooth like butter and quick with zero delays.......hope it stays this way cuz this is what it is suppose to do!!....and I have my aftermarket trans pan installed to boot for easy fluid changes in the future.....I'll probably let the dealer do the trans drain and refill from now on just because now they "own it" by doing the valve body under warranty.

and......I was considering a Ranger Raptor but not anymore after this fix!!

Really glad for you. Also the fact that they didn't check and ding you for using the one-size fits all transmission fluid. It is known that these transmissions are picky about what fluid you use.

 

[AzScorpion]

ok, got my Tremor back yesterday.....drove it all over town and little bit on the freeway.....shifts like a dream...nice and smooth like butter and quick with zero delays.......hope it stays this way cuz this is what it is suppose to do!!....and I have my aftermarket trans pan installed to boot for easy fluid changes in the future.....I'll probably let the dealer do the trans drain and refill from now on just because now they "own it" by doing the valve body under warranty.

and......I was considering a Ranger Raptor but not anymore after this fix!!

Glad to hear it's all fixed and runs like new again. It's nice to see a dealership stand behind and help out their customers and not nit pick little aftermarket parts. I wish more would follow this direction as this is how customer service should be!

 

[Jackpot Tremor]

sorry to hear that! hate to say it but im expecting that from mine any mile. let us know how it goes and what the dealer / ford does to fix things.

The dealer was fantastic as was the service advisor!....They never brought up anything about the Ford tune I had on it and asked about the aftermarket trans pan but never was an issue for them which was awesome! They changed the valve body and reinstalled my aftermarket trans pan and of course made sure the trans fluid was topped off to spec.....drove it today like I normally do, fast and furious and it drove great! Smooth shifts and no fumbling through the gears.....so far so good (fingers crossed)

 

[awd.nv]

Glad to hear that did the trick. All I want is a bullet proof truck, the more electrical these things get the more concerned I become when I use this for work, towing and camping. Wish we did not have the trans on mind as a failure point. (Sure more computers can often bring in reliability, I am in the tech industry after all, I just know cost cutting is trend too)

Glad to hear it's all fixed and runs like new again. It's nice to see a dealership stand behind and help out their customers and not nit pick little aftermarket parts. I wish more would follow this direction as this is how customer service should be!

THIS, we have a few Ford dealers in the Vegas area, I need to find out which one uses logic over declining warranty coverage. I have been wanting to upgrade the radiator and intercooler primarily for summer towing but my closest dealer didn't give me peace of mind when I brought up my concerns.

I know sometimes it really may be out of their hand but often it is at their discretion. For example, Ford may require a printout to show the last time the ECU was flashed but usually it is the dealers call. I know customer pay is usually better paying than warranty which incentivizes the tech or advisor that puts them over the client.

 

[pismo1]

ok, got my Tremor back yesterday.....drove it all over town and little bit on the freeway.....shifts like a dream...nice and smooth like butter and quick with zero delays.......hope it stays this way cuz this is what it is suppose to do!!....and I have my aftermarket trans pan installed to boot for easy fluid changes in the future.....I'll probably let the dealer do the trans drain and refill from now on just because now they "own it" by doing the valve body under warranty.

and......I was considering a Ranger Raptor but not anymore after this fix!!

What dealer did you go to?

 

[Jackpot Tremor]

What dealer did you go to?

Tuttle-Click Ford in Irvine is where I took it to and they did the work and Jack was my service advisor.....awesome guy!!......I was skeptical at first but after talking to the another Ford Dealer first who seemed to want to "blame" me from the get go and couldn't even look at for at least "a few days", I knew I had to take it to Tuttle-Click......I'm pretty sure they are part of a big "chain" of dealerships' but they treated me great. I previously had a 2019 Ford f-150 Raptor Super cab that I took their for something so I was in their system already.....I also was playing like a "politician" to help build a friendship of sorts to get them to like me and to work with me and not against me.......I would for sure go back for anything I need from the dealer!

 

[LawnMM]

Glad you had a good experience man. Might be going down this path myself, at a whopping 3600mi. Trying to remain positive. Freak stuff happens.

If the service center treats you well, if they fix the problem and get you back on the road, can you really complain? Certainly, you can be disappointed and unhappy about the experience but if you're cared for that's the main take away.

Obviously, moving forward then, is it a one off experience. So please report back and let us know how things run for you moving forward. That's the really important thing, is it fixed, or is it band aided and buying time?

Rich

 

[awd.nv]

Glad you had a good experience man. Might be going down this path myself, at a whopping 3600mi. Trying to remain positive. Freak stuff happens.

If the service center treats you well, if they fix the problem and get you back on the road, can you really complain? Certainly, you can be disappointed and unhappy about the experience but if you're cared for that's the main take away.

Obviously, moving forward then, is it a one off experience. So please report back and let us know how things run for you moving forward. That's the really important thing, is it fixed, or is it band aided and buying time?

Rich

I think the dealer experience is more important than the breakdown. Things can happen even on a bullet proof vehicle, it is how the dealer treats the situation that matters most.

 

[Mighty Little Blue]

Tuttle-Click Ford in Irvine is where I took it to and they did the work and Jack was my service advisor.....awesome guy!!......I was skeptical at first but after talking to the another Ford Dealer first who seemed to want to "blame" me from the get go and couldn't even look at for at least "a few days", I knew I had to take it to Tuttle-Click......I'm pretty sure they are part of a big "chain" of dealerships' but they treated me great. I previously had a 2019 Ford f-150 Raptor Super cab that I took their for something so I was in their system already.....I also was playing like a "politician" to help build a friendship of sorts to get them to like me and to work with me and not against me.......I would for sure go back for anything I need from the dealer!

Great dealer for service have used them a few times in the past, but could not make a deal with them on the purchase of my Ranger.

 

[got3fords]

The dealer was fantastic as was the service advisor!....They never brought up anything about the Ford tune I had on it and asked about the aftermarket trans pan but never was an issue for them which was awesome! They changed the valve body and reinstalled my aftermarket trans pan and of course made sure the trans fluid was topped off to spec.....drove it today like I normally do, fast and furious and it drove great! Smooth shifts and no fumbling through the gears.....so far so good (fingers crossed)

So if I am understanding correctly, all the work was done with the performance tune installed? I have heard people with after market tunes say they revert back to the stock tune before taking it in for trans service. Is that necessary?

 

[Jackpot Tremor]

So if I am understanding correctly, all the work was done with the performance tune installed? I have heard people with after market tunes say they revert back to the stock tune before taking it in for trans service. Is that necessary?

I did in fact just leave it the way it is with the Ford Performance Tune installed and the aftermarket trans pan installed. I'm not even sure if I have the original factory setting saved as I have a new computer. I figured worst case scenario is I'd have to pay for it out of my pocket.....I didn't want to go that route but it is a "company" truck that I use for work so I'd just write it off if I have to pay for the repair myself.

They never mentioned anything about the tune or if they even checked for the tune but they did ask about the aftermarket trans pan.....I just said I was being proactive and did a "drain and refill with a new filter" and wanted to be able to do it again as needed so I threw the garbage plastic trans pan with no drain plug away......the service advisor didn't indicate that was a problem and just said something the lines of "ok cool, good on you".....

he said it was being fixed under warranty as he called me and the call was just an update and to let me know the valve body was in stock and it would be done the same day.

easiest service/warranty experience ever!!

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