Second Trans Rebuild, what the heck!

[Jettix2]

2019 expedition platinum max. Originally purchased with 26,000 miles as a CPO car. We bought the ESP warranty because our previous 2018 had had a lot of issues.

Transmission started shifting erratically at about 38,000 miles. Dealer performed the steps of the TSB and ultimately ended up replacing and rebuilding the CDF drum assembly in fall of 2023 around 42k miles.

Vehicle drove great for the next few thousand miles.

Around 50,000 miles we started getting intermittent clunking again especially with fifth gear

Took in last week at 54,000 miles. The dealership was able to duplicate the shifting, but in order to get Ford to rebuild the transmission again we need to follow the TSB steps again, which means we had to have a transmission reflash and adaptive tables reset. Technician said he’s seen the rebuilt 10r80s fail more than once, which doesn’t lend much confidence.

Now we need to put a few hundred miles on it to make sure that it still not shifting correctly (it’s not) and then the dealer will write it up for a full crate replacement transmission <—-this would be an improvement over “dealer rebuilt transmission”.

We’re gonna put 600 miles on it tomorrow and it’s already clunking and not shifting properly so unfortunately it looks like we’ll have to deal with the second transmission rebuild or replacement.

What a royal pain in the ass. The warranty is great but the dealers an hour away and having to take three trips down for the initial diagnosis and then showing them that the problem exists still, and then getting the transmission replaced is super inconvenient. This is my wife’s vehicle which we take for family outings.

I’ve also got some strange engine behavior visible with a fluttering turbo gauge showing erratic boost and surging when towing or driving up hills. It also stumbles when I first cold-start it, before it settles down to idle. Just replaced spark plugs. I’m not sure if this is a result of cam phaser failure or something else. I guess we’ll deal with that after the transmission is fixed.

Really love the car and I’m not sure what I would even replace it with, but it sure is getting frustrating having to take it to the dealer all the time and doubting whether it’s reliable enough to take on a long trip.

 

[5280tunage]

The tranny issues are very frustrating and I concur that while it's nice having the warranties to take care of items like this, the time is absurd. And then, if you can't find a loaner, they refer you to a rental car company that tries to squeeze you into something like a ford festiva. So annoying, when you're going from an 8 passenger to one that barely fits 3 and they act like they are doing you a favor. Love it when you look at other brands that put you in nicer loaners to entice you to upgrade.

On the turbo surge and flutter, I've had that from day one, and I've had both turbos replaced. It got better with a tune but still happens every now and then, not sure there is a fix for that.

 

[SyndicateZ]

My tranny has very early signs of eventually needing service. Im thinking about trading in the expy before its bad for something smaller anyways. I dont want to be without a vehicle and the expy at the dealer for months while they wait for parts... The 2024 Chevy Traverse looks like a possible fit. Im staying away with from Ford.

 

[Ugh_J]

I had my 2020 with about 58k miles into the dealer in February 2024 with some pretty odd/sloppy 1-3/3-5 shifting. They determined CDF drum and a bunch of clutches were bad, and rebuilt the transmission. Better for a while, but I left it with them again over July 4th vacation for cold start rattle, more 3-5 shift clunkiness, and a pretty notable pump whine noise. They ended up doing the cam phaser replacement (all 4) and after confirming the trans shift/whine issues replaced the transmission with a brand new one. Shifts like butter now, and the only rattle left is the turbo waste gate dogbone, which I have the springs to fix next time I get to a lift where I can access them easy.

I now have 58,900 miles on it, and I'm really hoping this new transmission has the updated anodized internals and the corrected front bushing that supposedly solves the "axial play" issue and the rest. I love the truck but it's been in the shop for almost 2 months out of the first year of ownership (bought it at 51,500mi last July).

 

[Jettix2]

I had my 2020 with about 58k miles into the dealer in February 2024 with some pretty odd/sloppy 1-3/3-5 shifting. They determined CDF drum and a bunch of clutches were bad, and rebuilt the transmission. Better for a while, but I left it with them again over July 4th vacation for cold start rattle, more 3-5 shift clunkiness, and a pretty notable pump whine noise. They ended up doing the cam phaser replacement (all 4) and after confirming the trans shift/whine issues replaced the transmission with a brand new one. Shifts like butter now, and the only rattle left is the turbo waste gate dogbone, which I have the springs to fix next time I get to a lift where I can access them easy.

I now have 58,900 miles on it, and I'm really hoping this new transmission has the updated anodized internals and the corrected front bushing that supposedly solves the "axial play" issue and the rest. I love the truck but it's been in the shop for almost 2 months out of the first year of ownership (bought it at 51,500mi last July).

Wow, was your second trans repair done under factory warranty, or Ford ESP? Dealer told me today that they have to call ESP warranty administrator to find out next steps to rebuild it a second time (or hopefully replace completely). I’ve also got cam phasers going (guaranteed that’s causing the hesitation and wierd boost) but they don’t wanna tackle that until they do the trans. Ugh.

 

[Polo08816]

Two transmission replacements has to cost Ford a lot of money…

 

[Ugh_J]

Wow, was your second trans repair done under factory warranty, or Ford ESP?

I have an ESP but since I'm still under 5year/60k miles, they did it under the factory powertrain warranty.

 

[David 20152]

We purchased a 2020 CPO MAX Limited with 42K. Within 5K we had similar issues. The dealer replaced the CDF drum and clutches under Ford warranty. It shifted oddly on our last outing towing a TT. We have an extended warranty and still below the 60K factory warranty.

 

[VBreithaupt]

I have had mine in twice for trans rebuilds. First because it would slip out of gear, second because it was shifting hard. Both done under extended warranty. Second time I had to wait 2 weeks because the Extended warranty and Ford drivetrain warranty were fighting over who was going to pay for it!? Its a love hate relationship with this transmission. I love the feel of it, traveling, and towing when its working right. I worry about having major issues down the road.

 

[Jettix2]

We purchased a 2020 CPO MAX Limited with 42K. Within 5K we had similar issues. The dealer replaced the CDF drum and clutches under Ford warranty. It shifted oddly on our last outing towing a TT. We have an extended warranty and still below the 60K factory warranty.

Thank you guys, I just checked back oni

I have an ESP but since I'm still under 5year/60k miles, they did it under the factory powertrain warranty.

This is amazing. Thanks for jarring my memory. I dug out the carfax I got when I bought mine, and it looked like in-service date was in October 2019. I called the dealer yesterday, and sure enough, I'm still under factory powertrain until October 2024. So, this second trans should be covered (more easily, I hope) by that instead of dealing with ESP!