GEN 2 Possible transmission issues

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EccentricRaptor

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Hi everyone! I got my first Raptor (2017) earlier this year and so far I love it except for the transmission acting odd. While I've driven Rangers and larger trucks (F-350 and F-450), I never driven a Raptor or anything like it before getting mine. I knew from reading reviews and such that the 10 speed transmission "fumbles" from time to time when deciding what gear to shift into before I bought one, but that didn't deter me. But, I was wondering if what I'm experiencing is normal or if anyone else has experienced these things before. I have it scheduled later this month to have it looked at by the local Ford dealer, but I wished I knew from others how Raptors typically acted. Here's what I'm experiencing.

- A few days after I bought it, it began bucking on almost every downshift in normal mode (particularly the lower gears). Sport mode bucked/shifted harshly on both upshifts and downshifts. I took it to the local Ford dealer and told them about the update that was out there for early 2017 Raptors (read about it here :)). They updated the transmission and that helped a lot. Normal mode was pleasant and I just experienced the random "fumble" when driving in town.
- Sport mode revs on most downshifts to the point that it speeds the truck back up and fights the brakes. It does it the worst when going from 7th to 6th gear and also 6th to 5th. But, I've had it do it on other gears too.
- Normal mode sometimes bucks (very subtle) when going from 4th to 3rd gear. Sport mode does this also but it's not so subtle.
- Sport mode frequently slams into gears when upshifting. However, sometimes it shifts smoothly. 3rd to 4th gear is the worst.
- I tried Manual mode the other day when driving on back country roads. I've driven manual stick shift trucks (older with only five gears and reverse). While I realize these are very different than what's on the Raptor, I didn't expect it to act the way it did. There was a solid 3 second or so delay after using the paddle shifter and it upshifting. And when it did upshift is was unbearably harsh (lurched/bucked). I read the manual on what the recommended speeds were to shift and I didn't get the RPM much past 2000 (hard to do since it wouldn't shift when I told it to).
- I have the most problems about an hour or so after driving - it becomes oddly clunky when upshifting (normal and sport).

Has anyone experienced anything like this?
 

CoronaRaptor

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Have you checked the transmission level? Good luck, hopefully the dealer fixes it to your satisfaction.
 

GCATX

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If you have forscan, you might try clearing the transmission learning tables. Mine is a bit of a problem child too, I have to reset it every 6 months or so, it picks up some bad habits. I start getting hanging shifts, going into 8th. Shifting into 5th in sport is very harsh. 87k miles, I just reset it when I think about it.
 
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EccentricRaptor

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Have you checked the transmission level? Good luck, hopefully the dealer fixes it to your satisfaction.
I have not. Part of me hates that I haven't attempted to do so though. Biggest thing holding me back from that was that it does drive nicely at times (as long as it's in normal mode). Had a couple relatives with transmissions that leaked fluid and the way their vehicles acted when they were low didn't really match with how the Raptor is acting. But, every vehicle can be different so I decided to looked up how to do it today. And I was surprised that it wasn't just a simple dipstick under the hood. I have zero issues with driving it enough to get the transmission to the right temperature. But, since I'm scheduled to take it into the dealer early next week (and I don't need it until then) I've decided to hold off. Normally I'd be more adventurous. While I feel that I'm capable of getting under the vehicle and loosening the bolt to get the dipstick out, I've honestly never done anything like that before.

I'll be honest. Beyond checking/replacing basic fluids under the hood, the battery, head/tail lights, windshield wipers, etcetera and knowing where the major components are at and what they do on a basic level, I don't know much about vehicles under the hood. I've always wanted to learn more though, it's just a lack of time and opportunities for hands on experience (the way I learn best is to watch a video or read instructions and then doing it). Guess I should have spent more time on the family farm growing up with all the equipment :(
 
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EccentricRaptor

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If you have forscan, you might try clearing the transmission learning tables. Mine is a bit of a problem child too, I have to reset it every 6 months or so, it picks up some bad habits. I start getting hanging shifts, going into 8th. Shifting into 5th in sport is very harsh. 87k miles, I just reset it when I think about it.
I don't have Forscan. I looked up what it was (new to these things) and it looks like a handy gadget though.

The 2006 Taurus I had before the Raptor had a finicky transmission and depending on my mood I'll either drive the Raptor more gingerly like I did with the Taurus and other times I'll drive it more normally (never hard on it though). So, I can see how the Raptor may get confused on how I'll drive it since it's adaptive.

Mine has about 88k miles on it (84k when I bought it). Normally that'd deter me when buying a used vehicle, but since people seemed to really enjoy Raptors, I wanted one, and the amount of older Ford pickups I see around where I live, it didn't bother me since I'm used to babying things.
 

CoronaRaptor

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I have not. Part of me hates that I haven't attempted to do so though. Biggest thing holding me back from that was that it does drive nicely at times (as long as it's in normal mode). Had a couple relatives with transmissions that leaked fluid and the way their vehicles acted when they were low didn't really match with how the Raptor is acting. But, every vehicle can be different so I decided to looked up how to do it today. And I was surprised that it wasn't just a simple dipstick under the hood. I have zero issues with driving it enough to get the transmission to the right temperature. But, since I'm scheduled to take it into the dealer early next week (and I don't need it until then) I've decided to hold off. Normally I'd be more adventurous. While I feel that I'm capable of getting under the vehicle and loosening the bolt to get the dipstick out, I've honestly never done anything like that before.

I'll be honest. Beyond checking/replacing basic fluids under the hood, the battery, head/tail lights, windshield wipers, etcetera and knowing where the major components are at and what they do on a basic level, I don't know much about vehicles under the hood. I've always wanted to learn more though, it's just a lack of time and opportunities for hands on experience (the way I learn best is to watch a video or read instructions and then doing it). Guess I should have spent more time on the family farm growing up with all the equipment :(
It might not actually be low, I have heard others mention that it can act up when it is over filled as well. Let us know what happens. If you want to learn about these trucks, the best advice is to be more active on forums or at least read more about them. Start off doing simple jobs, like changing the air filter and move onto spark plugs, rotating your tires, etc. You will start to gain some confidence and we are here to help 24/7, even open xmas :)
 
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EccentricRaptor

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It might not actually be low, I have heard others mention that it can act up when it is over filled as well. Let us know what happens. If you want to learn about these trucks, the best advice is to be more active on forums or at least read more about them. Start off doing simple jobs, like changing the air filter and move onto spark plugs, rotating your tires, etc. You will start to gain some confidence and we are here to help 24/7, even open xmas :)
I'll be sure to let you all know what I find out!

That's the main reason I wanted to join the forum :) I loved reading what everyone was doing with their Raptors and the enthusiasm. Plus it seemed like a great place to learn something new about them and get more comfortable with things under the hood. I think one of my favorite things about things that are more niche (Raptors aren't overly common where I'm at) is that there are these kinds of communities/groups/forums and they're just so alive :D
 

ryeabs

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I have very similar problems with my 2017. Have had it into the dealer 4 times (aligned with other recalls) and the fix is always to clear the adaptive transmission learning tables. Drives great for 6 months and then goes downhill again. I haven't gone down the path of getting/learning forscan myself, but I might need to as the dealers never turn it around quickly (never less than a week so far).
 

GCATX

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I have very similar problems with my 2017. Have had it into the dealer 4 times (aligned with other recalls) and the fix is always to clear the adaptive transmission learning tables. Drives great for 6 months and then goes downhill again. I haven't gone down the path of getting/learning forscan myself, but I might need to as the dealers never turn it around quickly (never less than a week so far).

Yes, get forscan. It's pretty painless once you figure it all out. Everything can be found by google.
 

Joey DeLorenzo

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FORScan is great and fairly easy to use! Plus like GCATX said, everything is on Google or YouTube, so you can look up how to do it worse comes to worst.


A transmission tune, if you're feeling spicy, is another option too. It's also plug and play, no skills required, but it is expensive and you can probably play the "will this void my warranty" game until kingdom come.
 
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