2012 6F35 Transmission Problems (New Video)

[ChadSykes]

If you don't mind i am going to add my experience with my former 2010 Ford Fusion. I bought my fusion in July of 2009. Seemed fine for about a year then i started getting shift flares in gears 2-3. Had the flash done at 6000mi after the customer satisfaction letter i received and passed a load test. From there it got worse. Took my son to visit a college and noticed the transmission struggling to find a gear when going uphill. Then at 19000mi the fusion sporadically started not to engage at all when driving losing all forward motion and was almost rear ended twice. Then noticed small pools of transmission fluid in my driveway. Took it to the dealer and they had to replace the half shaft, seals clutches, and other related parts. At 24000mi while on vacation doing 70mph the transmission completely gave out. Slipped out of gear leaving me stranded. Dealer said the transmission was burned out and needed rebuilt. After the rebuild i started getting the 2-3 flares again. I said THAT'S IT I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! It always starts with the 2-3 flares and progressively gets worse. At 26000 miles i traded my fusion in for a 2012 Sonata Ltd before i was underwater on the fusion loan. It's sad i had to go this route because i really liked the fusion and it would have been paid for in 2 more years if not less.

 

These 6f35 transmissions have a serious design flaw. I believe even though owners may not have a problem now you have to question the durability of the transmission. The dealers did everything they could to fix mine but there just isn't a fix for poor engineering.

 

I feel that when these problems become mainstream news (Fords doing a wonderful cover up job) the value of the fusions will drop like a rock. Hence my trading the fusion in after the transmission rebuild and after Ford extended my powertrain warranty to 10yrs/100,000mi. I just couldn't deal with an unreliable car anymore.These cars are unsafe and put people lives at risk. If your one who is experiencing these transmission issue my advice is to get rid of it ASAP or get a lawyer. If you talk to a lawyer you will find there is a backlog of thousands of people who are suing for this same issue under lemon laws.

 

Sorry if i made anyone paranoid but i am just stating what i believe is the truth.

Edited September 30, 2011 by ChadSykes

[ehidle]

UPDATE: I visited the local dealer this morning to demonstrate the problem, and it did not manifest itself. The transmission behaved normally as anyone would expect. The car sat for approximately 60 hours in temperatures ranging from the high 40's at night to the low 70's during the day. This is the variable that has changed since last time. The average temperature is about 20 degrees lower than before.

 

This leads me to believe that temperature, and more importantly viscosity of the transmission fluid, is a factor. It stands to reason that the fluid would seep through a gap more slowly at lower temperatures.

 

As of right now, though, my usual method for reproducing the problem has failed.

[Jo7hs2]

If you talk to a lawyer you will find there is a backlog of thousands of people who are suing for this same issue under lemon laws...

Sorry if i made anyone paranoid but i am just stating what i believe is the truth.

 

I'm sympathetic to those who are having 6F35 problems, as I too have had a cars with a possible defects in the past (T-bird Essex V6 head gasket; 2005 Bonneville), and I know how frustrating it can be. That said, I think the average 2010-2012 owner should not get paranoid quite yet. Alert, maybe, but paranoid, no.

 

Why? Because even if the lawyer is right, the number of impacted cars is quite low. Ford has sold hundreds of thousands (well over 750,000 by my math) 6F35-equipped vehicles since introduction of the transmission. Let's assume 750,000 for purposes of this discussion. Let's also say that "thousands" means 3,000 for purposes of this discussion. That works out to be 0.4 percent. Assuming 750,000 sales...7,500 cars would need to be impacted to hit ONE percent. Discussions on the internet have turned up far fewer than 3,000 complaints, so until Ford or some other source releases actual numbers, I just cannot believe this problem is even that common.

 

For some perspective... Ford's major problem child transmission, the AXOD used in the Taurus, had a significantly higher rate of failure. "A 1995 survey by Consumer Reports found that nearly 20 percent of the owners of the 1991 Taurus/Sable and Continental had experienced a serious transmission problem in the preceding 12 months, four times the average problem rate for automatic transmissions in all 1991 vehicles." (See http://www.autosafety.org/ford-automatic-4-speed)

 

My point? Don't freak if your car isn't displaying symptoms. Unless and until we have confirmation from the media, NHTSA, or Ford that there is a widespread flaw, this appears to be an isolated issued.

 

Some perspective out of the way, I really hope Ford is able to solve the impacted people's problems. And I'm really impressed with folks like ehidle who are getting down and dirty to figure out what is causing their problems!

[Jo7hs2]

UPDATE: I visited the local dealer this morning to demonstrate the problem, and it did not manifest itself. The transmission behaved normally as anyone would expect. The car sat for approximately 60 hours in temperatures ranging from the high 40's at night to the low 70's during the day. This is the variable that has changed since last time. The average temperature is about 20 degrees lower than before.

 

This leads me to believe that temperature, and more importantly viscosity of the transmission fluid, is a factor. It stands to reason that the fluid would seep through a gap more slowly at lower temperatures.

 

As of right now, though, my usual method for reproducing the problem has failed.

 

That's fascinating. Do you park the car in a garage? If so, could you find a way to heat up the garage safely, to see if that causes the problem to reappear?

[motorcyclist]

I'm sympathetic to those who are having 6F35 problems, as I too have had a cars with a possible defects in the past (T-bird Essex V6 head gasket; 2005 Bonneville), and I know how frustrating it can be. That said, I think the average 2010-2012 owner should not get paranoid quite yet. Alert, maybe, but paranoid, no.

 

Why? Because even if the lawyer is right, the number of impacted cars is quite low. Ford has sold hundreds of thousands (well over 750,000 by my math) 6F35-equipped vehicles since introduction of the transmission. Let's assume 750,000 for purposes of this discussion. Let's also say that "thousands" means 3,000 for purposes of this discussion. That works out to be 0.4 percent. Assuming 750,000 sales...7,500 cars would need to be impacted to hit ONE percent. Discussions on the internet have turned up far fewer than 3,000 complaints, so until Ford or some other source releases actual numbers, I just cannot believe this problem is even that common.

 

For some perspective... Ford's major problem child transmission, the AXOD used in the Taurus, had a significantly higher rate of failure. "A 1995 survey by Consumer Reports found that nearly 20 percent of the owners of the 1991 Taurus/Sable and Continental had experienced a serious transmission problem in the preceding 12 months, four times the average problem rate for automatic transmissions in all 1991 vehicles." (See http://www.autosafety.org/ford-automatic-4-speed)

 

My point? Don't freak if your car isn't displaying symptoms. Unless and until we have confirmation from the media, NHTSA, or Ford that there is a widespread flaw, this appears to be an isolated issued.

 

Some perspective out of the way, I really hope Ford is able to solve the impacted people's problems. And I'm really impressed with folks like ehidle who are getting down and dirty to figure out what is causing their problems!

[MTLFusion2010]

..

My point? Don't freak if your car isn't displaying symptoms. Unless and until we have confirmation from the media, NHTSA, or Ford that there is a widespread flaw, this appears to be an isolated issued.

 

Some perspective out of the way, I really hope Ford is able to solve the impacted people's problems. And I'm really impressed with folks like ehidle who are getting down and dirty to figure out what is causing their problems!

 

Hi Jo7hs2

Not trying to dispute your argument, which does make a lot of sense, but just want to point out that this problem may be more widespread than reported. Why do I think so? Because it takes some very specific procedure to reproduce. And I am sure the vast majority of owners never deliberately tested for this flaw. You need to leave the car parked between two days and a week then accelerate immediately (or very shortly after starting the car) as if trying to merge into fast flowing traffic.

 

I for one had the car for almost a year and only realized my car was impacted after I came back from vacation and I had just read about this problem on the forum so I decided to test for it given the car had been sitting for a couple of weeks. Otherwise, my car is driven daily and and I do not accelerate that aggressively so the problem does not manifest itself under my normal driving conditions. Had I not tested under the right condition, I would have continued to think I was not impacted.

 

Until all cars equipped with the 6F35 transmission have been tested this way, we can not be sure that the number of cars impacted sits at any given percentage. Of course, to Ford's relief, this will never happen and they will be able to play the percentage numbers to their advantage.

Edited October 4, 2011 by MTLFusion2010

[motorcyclist]

I have to agree with Jo7, with hundreds of thousands of 6F35 trannys out there the problem rate is very small,( granted that's no consolation if you have a problem vehicle).

Our 2011 sel does shift a bit what I will call lazy when cold, (so far nothing that causes me concern) the chevrolet company van I use for work also does shift a bit lazy when cold, and though I am no authority on auto trannys as this is the first one I have personally owned, I am inclined to believe that the auto tranny operates most efficient at normal operating temp as does your engine. As most anyone who has driven manual trannys a lot as I have, most will tell you that they all shift a bit rough and stiff until the lube is warm.

With that said, if you are having problems with your vehicle it is much better to work with Ford on resolving the problem (and they should give you their full attention until it is resolved), for when you get attorneys involved in class action suits, they are only looking out for their own personal gain, while you will very likely end up taking it in the shorts.

[Jo7hs2]

Hi Jo7hs2

Not trying to dispute your argument, which does make a lot of sense, but just want to point out that this problem may be more widespread than reported. Why do I think so? Because it takes some very specific procedure to reproduce. And I am sure the vast majority of owners never deliberately tested for this flaw. You need to leave the car parked between two days and a week then accelerate immediately (or very shortly after starting the car) as if trying to merge into fast flowing traffic.

 

I for one had the car for almost a year and only realized my car was impacted after I came back from vacation and I had just read about this problem on the forum so I decided to test for it given the car had been sitting for a couple of weeks. Otherwise, my car is driven daily and and I do not accelerate that aggressively so the problem does not manifest itself under my normal driving conditions. Had I not tested under the right condition, I would have continued to think I was not impacted.

 

Until all cars equipped with the 6F35 transmission have been tested this way, we can not be sure that the number of cars impacted sits at any given percentage. Of course, to Ford's relief, this will never happen and they will be able to play the percentage numbers to their advantage.

 

Well, that actually supports my point. Reliably generating flares on many impacted vehicles requires a detailed procedure simulating a few days of non-use. If that is the case, then the problem, even if widespread, likely only occurs under limited circumstances in many impacted cars. In other words, it probably isn't a huge reliability concern, since it is intermittent. A few flares over the life of the transmission are probably within tolerances.

 

We'll have a better idea if this poses a serious reliability problem as the 2009-2010 Escapes and 2010 Fusions hit high mileage. Fleet cars should be hitting that now, or soon, especially in 2009 Escapes, providing a good warning for the rest of us. So far, I've only read of a literal handful of documented 6F35 catastrophic failures...not enough to get past the number which, statistically, would fail regardless.

 

If it turns out to be a widespread flare issue, my (pure) speculation is that Ford considered a few flares within tolerances, so they felt they wouldn't pose a reliability issue. Now they'll have to deal with it, since it is scaring people.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Jo7hs2

[ehidle]

I am not going to pass judgment at this time on whether I think this issue is present in all 6F35 transmissions. I certainly believe it is worth examination in great detail. I certainly think this COULD be an issue in the design, given what I have read about it. But, proof is very different than a suspicion. I do feel something strange about the 2-3 shift when I pay close attention. The 1-2 shift is nice and snappy, but the 2-3 shift is limp and subdued. The 3-4 is less so, and then the others are so tall that they don't result in any noticeable transient acceleration.

 

One experiment I want to run this weekend is to attach a g-meter to the car chassis and measure the acceleration through the entire shift sequence. This should attach some hard data to this "feeling" have about the 2-3 shift.

[Jo7hs2]

I am not going to pass judgment at this time on whether I think this issue is present in all 6F35 transmissions. I certainly believe it is worth examination in great detail. I certainly think this COULD be an issue in the design, given what I have read about it. But, proof is very different than a suspicion. I do feel something strange about the 2-3 shift when I pay close attention. The 1-2 shift is nice and snappy, but the 2-3 shift is limp and subdued. The 3-4 is less so, and then the others are so tall that they don't result in any noticeable transient acceleration.

 

One experiment I want to run this weekend is to attach a g-meter to the car chassis and measure the acceleration through the entire shift sequence. This should attach some hard data to this "feeling" have about the 2-3 shift.

 

See, I actually think the 1-2 is too snappy, at least on my car. Like a rubber band sometimes.

 

The g-meter is a good idea. Do you have a way of getting realtime rpm data to the computer simultaneously, so you can record exactly when and at what point in the shift the accelerations occur? That would be some really fascinating stuff to see even if it wasn't part of investigating a problem.

[ehidle]

See, I actually think the 1-2 is too snappy, at least on my car. Like a rubber band sometimes.

 

The g-meter is a good idea. Do you have a way of getting realtime rpm data to the computer simultaneously, so you can record exactly when and at what point in the shift the accelerations occur? That would be some really fascinating stuff to see even if it wasn't part of investigating a problem.

 

I can put a current transformer on one of the plug wires and count pulses easily enough. Ideally I would need a G-meter and pulse counter in the same microcontroller... something to work on this winter hehe

[Jo7hs2]

I can put a current transformer on one of the plug wires and count pulses easily enough. Ideally I would need a G-meter and pulse counter in the same microcontroller... something to work on this winter hehe

 

I was thinking more along the lines of an OBD-II feed of the reported rpm and an accelerometer hooked to a notebook computer recording both inputs, but if you want to be REALLY accurate, I guess the current transformer would be one method.

 

I'm curious... Do you plan to measure acceleration with the meter in the passenger compartment, or somewhere on a mechanical part riding on the motor mounts? I suspect you'd get better shift data resting on a mechanical component, but the heat and vibration might prove problematic. Then again, since you are trying to verify a subjective sensation, the passenger compartment, on a seat, might be the best place to start...

[MTLFusion2010]

I can put a current transformer on one of the plug wires and count pulses easily enough. Ideally I would need a G-meter and pulse counter in the same microcontroller... something to work on this winter hehe

 

This thread has now become even more interesting.... Please do not keep us hanging... OK all together now: G-me-ter.........G-me-ter...... G-me-ter......

[motorcyclist]

Well, that actually supports my point. Reliably generating flares on many impacted vehicles requires a detailed procedure simulating a few days of non-use. If that is the case, then the problem, even if widespread, likely only occurs under limited circumstances in many impacted cars. In other words, it probably isn't a huge reliability concern, since it is intermittent. A few flares over the life of the transmission are probably within tolerances.

 

We'll have a better idea if this poses a serious reliability problem as the 2009-2010 Escapes and 2010 Fusions hit high mileage. Fleet cars should be hitting that now, or soon, especially in 2009 Escapes, providing a good warning for the rest of us. So far, I've only read of a literal handful of documented 6F35 catastrophic failures...not enough to get past the number which, statistically, would fail regardless.

 

If it turns out to be a widespread flare issue, my (pure) speculation is that Ford considered a few flares within tolerances, so they felt they wouldn't pose a reliability issue. Now they'll have to deal with it, since it is scaring people.

When I think back of any automobile or motorcycle I have owned, every one of them have had a few minor to slightly annoyoing quirks about them that one just had to learn to live with. Motor vehicles of today have thousands of parts and componants that would seem almost impossible for everyone of them to funcion without a few occasional irregularities. Now if it causes an issue that could be a potential safety hazzard then by all means it must be resolved but for an occasional irratic shift I personally am not one to become overly concerned regarding that unless it does so consistantly, and am still of the opinion that the tranny will operate most efficient when up to operating temp. I can live with the slightly lazy shifting when cold as long as it functions normal at normal operating temp but as you state it will be interesting to see the long term reliability ratings of this tranny.

[ehidle]

I was thinking more along the lines of an OBD-II feed of the reported rpm and an accelerometer hooked to a notebook computer recording both inputs, but if you want to be REALLY accurate, I guess the current transformer would be one method.

 

I'm curious... Do you plan to measure acceleration with the meter in the passenger compartment, or somewhere on a mechanical part riding on the motor mounts? I suspect you'd get better shift data resting on a mechanical component, but the heat and vibration might prove problematic. Then again, since you are trying to verify a subjective sensation, the passenger compartment, on a seat, might be the best place to start...

 

Well, the OBD-II won't be nearly fast enough. The A/D converter I am looking at to measure the accelerometer output samples at up to 500ksps, so that's an accelerometer measurement every 2 microseconds. of course, there's no way I can measure RPM that fast with a CT on only one plug wire, so I'll have to use CTs on all 4 wires.

 

It will also be very important to mount the accelerometer as far away from the engine as possible to minimize vibration, so I will probably pull the spare tire and mount the measurement fixture to the bottom of the trunk pan. That will hold it rigid for accurate acceleration measurement. If I use the 6 DOF accelerometer, I may even be able to measure rotation of the chassis due to acceleration hehe...

 

Remember, the point is to objectively measure what the car is doing, not to verify my "feelings" about what it is doing

[Old Sarge]

I have watched the videos of the OP several times. I do not see a flare other than the RPMs dropping lower as it shifts into the next gear, which is conisdered normal.. In the old flare vids, the engine would almost redline between shifts.

 

Not to take anything away from the OP's posts, but maybe they are looking too hard.

 

I have a 97 F150 I bought new back then that has had a funny shift from 3-4. It has 115K on it now, and it is as solid as ever.

[con_fusion]

I have watched the videos of the OP several times. I do not see a flare other than the RPMs dropping lower as it shifts into the next gear, which is conisdered normal.. In the old flare vids, the engine would almost redline between shifts.

 

Not to take anything away from the OP's posts, but maybe they are looking too hard.

 

I have a 97 F150 I bought new back then that has had a funny shift from 3-4. It has 115K on it now, and it is as solid as ever.

 

From my perspective this is a little different from some that we've seen.

 

Here in the OPs clip, if you have the sound up loud enough you can hear it like a "double clutch". Like it was a manual and you slightly pressed the clutch in a couple of times when it shifted. You see it in the tach also.

[IcyFusion]

I wanted to chime in and state that my 2012 Fusion SE (6-speed auto w/ SST) is starting to do the same thing at just over 800 miles, just not to the magnitude of ehidle's (I hope it doesn't get there). Except mine is from gears 3 to 4, instead of 2 to 3. I'll get up to the 3rd gear and the RPM will rise as it should then drop a little then rise again and THEN shift to 4th gear. At this point the RPM slowly climbs (like maybe 50-100 RPM, closer to 50) before it suddenly shifts to 5th gear. Almost acting like it doesn't even want to deal with the 4th gear in general or is missing it.

 

Once it gets into 5th and I take my foot of the pedal or go to slow-down from an exit ramp it will shift down normal (dependent on the speed) but when I put my foot on the gas again it roughly shifts into whatever gear it decides to chose. I noticed it doing this a lot when I was in stop and go traffic, but I attributed that to most cars shifting like that because of the VSS.

 

I'd like to not think that I'm crazy but pretty much the dealer told me nicely that I just need to have confidence (ie not be crazy) in the car and that I have a warranty if something goes wrong; in my case 5 yr/ 100k miles. Except for the whole fact that I don't want to deal with replacing the transmission in 10k miles when all of this rough shifting screws the hell out of the gears/TCC/TC (as what happened in my Pontiac). The dealer said that nothing was coming up on the computer code-wise (which I knew) and that the fluid was at a perfect level (checked this after ehidle's deal).

 

It has escalated to Ford Regional here for me in a matter of 2 days and I'm supposed to be talking to regional management tomorrow. I''m not looking for a new car but rather one that isn't going to be a pain in the ass, which was the whole reason I parted ways with my 1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT. You have to figure, if everyone sat silent with no problems then they would not be considering fixes or considering that there may be problems down the road (design/programming/electrical flaws), so that is why I'm more than happy to troubleshoot with them...well that and the $23k I spent on this vehicle...

[ehidle]

I wanted to chime in and state that my 2012 Fusion SE (6-speed auto w/ SST) is starting to do the same thing at just over 800 miles, just not to the magnitude of ehidle's (I hope it doesn't get there). Except mine is from gears 3 to 4, instead of 2 to 3. I'll get up to the 3rd gear and the RPM will rise as it should then drop a little then rise again and THEN shift to 4th gear. At this point the RPM slowly climbs (like maybe 50-100 RPM, closer to 50) before it suddenly shifts to 5th gear. Almost acting like it doesn't even want to deal with the 4th gear in general or is missing it.

 

Once it gets into 5th and I take my foot of the pedal or go to slow-down from an exit ramp it will shift down normal (dependent on the speed) but when I put my foot on the gas again it roughly shifts into whatever gear it decides to chose. I noticed it doing this a lot when I was in stop and go traffic, but I attributed that to most cars shifting like that because of the VSS.

 

I'd like to not think that I'm crazy but pretty much the dealer told me nicely that I just need to have confidence (ie not be crazy) in the car and that I have a warranty if something goes wrong; in my case 5 yr/ 100k miles. Except for the whole fact that I don't want to deal with replacing the transmission in 10k miles when all of this rough shifting screws the hell out of the gears/TCC/TC (as what happened in my Pontiac). The dealer said that nothing was coming up on the computer code-wise (which I knew) and that the fluid was at a perfect level (checked this after ehidle's deal).

 

It has escalated to Ford Regional here for me in a matter of 2 days and I'm supposed to be talking to regional management tomorrow. I''m not looking for a new car but rather one that isn't going to be a pain in the ass, which was the whole reason I parted ways with my 1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT. You have to figure, if everyone sat silent with no problems then they would not be considering fixes or considering that there may be problems down the road (design/programming/electrical flaws), so that is why I'm more than happy to troubleshoot with them...well that and the $23k I spent on this vehicle...

 

If you do get some phone time with a Ford Regional person, I would LOVE to be in on conference. Send me a PM if you're interested...

[IcyFusion]

If you do get some phone time with a Ford Regional person, I would LOVE to be in on conference. Send me a PM if you're interested...

I will see about that after the initial call for sure. It would be great to have someone in on the call that a more severe case of this problem.

 

Called Regional and they pretty much told me the same as the dealer but seemed a lot more concerned overall than the dealer (not to say the dealer wasn't nice). They also want me to evaluate it for a little bit longer and get back to them.

Edited November 5, 2011 by IcyFusion

[callchris]

I have a 2012 Ford fusion se 4cyl automatic with only 600 miles, around 500 miles I noticed these issues. It would periodically violently jerk as if shifted from 4th directly into 2nd gear on a manual. Felt like it was going to stall, all while going a contast 60 mph. Craziness. Also and again only periodically when I slow down for a stop light and then excelerate when it turns green it noticeably bucks forward. I can't believe this is happening in a car that only has 600 miles. Ridiculous. In my opinion they should be ashamed of selling such a faulty product. Dropping it off at the dealership monday. What an inconvenience. Grrr

[IcyFusion]

I have a 2012 Ford fusion se 4cyl automatic with only 600 miles, around 500 miles I noticed these issues. It would periodically violently jerk as if shifted from 4th directly into 2nd gear on a manual. Felt like it was going to stall, all while going a contast 60 mph. Craziness. Also and again only periodically when I slow down for a stop light and then excelerate when it turns green it noticeably bucks forward. I can't believe this is happening in a car that only has 600 miles. Ridiculous. In my opinion they should be ashamed of selling such a faulty product. Dropping it off at the dealership monday. What an inconvenience. Grrr

Did the dealer say anything about it? I was reading another thread in this forum section and apparently there was a new TSB out (for 2011's?) that was correcting their flares and rough shifts. I've wondered if this is soon going to be coming to the 2012's too?

 

Yesterday I was backing down my driveway and had another car coming that I didn't see so I had to put it into drive to pull forward back into my driveway to get out of the street and let the car pass. I put it back into reverse and got out into the street, when I went to put it into drive I thought it had shifted but apparently it hadn't and it jerked forward (big delay in transition from reverse to drive).

 

 

**EDIT**

Was waiting real long to downshift today after highway driving and when I would almost come to a stop (say when a red light changes to green before you stop) I would go to press the accelerator and it would shift real hard into gear to keep moving. Not sure if the cold has anything to do with this.

 

Even on the warmer days (75 yesterday) it seemed to be idling higher and sort of making a whining sound. I'm not sure of the idle ranges but in my Grand Am (3.1L auto) shifting from drive to neutral caused the RPM to go from 500 to 600, if that...in the Fusion it goes from about 500 to almost 900-1000 for me, that normal to you other owners?

Edited November 16, 2011 by IcyFusion

[rejester]

I have a 2011 V6 SEL with the 6F35. I've had the hard shift/flare issue since about a week from when I bought it new. I've taken this to the dealer and they say it's normal like most of you have encountered. I also had a 2008 v6 fusion prior which is why I bought the 2011, I had such good luck with the 08, I loved it but was under lease. The 2008 did not have the 6F35, I think it was a Aisin. It was not a 6 speed either. The Fusion V6 3.5L Sport model since 2010 also has a Aisin tranny and as I understand does not have this problem. For that matter the I belive the Lincolns that are based off the Fusion also have the better Aisin tranny (same as in the Sport), so they don't have the problem.

 

My flare/hard shift happens mainly after it has sit for more than one day. It is worse in cold temperatures as to be expected with any transmission. Though, I had this problem when it was in the 90's this summer in St. Louis. I have started having hard down shifts now as well, I have 18K miles on the car. If the transmission does hold up I'm guessing the mounts will prematurely fail.

 

No matter how you look at it, the 6F35 is a craptacular transmission. It has been for 3 years now and nothing has fixed it permanently. I'm living with it, with a bitter grudge.

Edited November 30, 2011 by rejester

[347BLKCAT]

One of the main reasons for buying the Sport was the Aisin transmission over the 6F35. So far no problems...

[bbf2530]

Hi all. :D I just want to add one bit of information that would be good for all of us to remember: one of the worst driving habits/errors for the performance and longevity of our cars engine/transmission/powertrain is to drive them hard before they are properly and fully warmed up. They should be driven very easily for at least the first ten minutes or so of driving and definitely not until the engine temperature gauge reads that it is fully warmed up. And "hard" does not only necessarily mean flooring it. Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is that we should not run the engine over ~3,000 rpm, in any gear, until the engine is fully warmed up. And the colder the weather, the more important this rule is to remember.

 

Of course, this rule has always applied to any vehicle in the past, but it is even more important with modern cars, since both their engines and transmission components have much closer tolerances than older vehicles. That means more damage can be done to a cold engine on a modern car than in the past.

 

Again, not the likely cause for anyone problems here, but not a bad place to post this reminder. :grouphug:

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited November 30, 2011 by bbf2530