general problems of the 2020 Ford F-350 - part 2

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission experienced rough shifting and the maintenance warning light was displayed. The transmission later became stuck in 7th and 3rd gears and the vehicle went into limp mode reducing the speed to 35 mph. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 152,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350, the contact stated that after the vehicle had been turned off for an extended period, after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle would not immediately drive forward or in reverse; however, the vehicle would roll if on an inclined surface. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the condition was caused by transmission fluid draining back from the torque converter. The contact was informed that manufacturer was aware of the condition and had advised that no service be performed to resolve the issue; but owners should be advised in order to prevent the condition from occurring, to allow the engine to run for a while before attempting to drive. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that no service would be performed to correct the condition. The contact was concerned that in an emergency situation the vehicle could not immediately be moved or the roll away condition would create a safety hazard. The failure mileage was 10.

I purchased this truck on 09/23/20. At delivery the steering wheel was not aligned correctly and had to be adjusted. Truck has had a constant vibration that is felt thru the steering and body. The vibration increases with speed. At 1031 miles a repair attempt was made that was unsuccessful, at 3225 miles again a failed attempt was made at correcting, at 3735 another filed attempt. At 8156 another failed attempt. And again at 8934 another more extensive repair attempt was made with no positive results. I will upload all repair work orders. There is a serious problem in the drivetrain of the vehicle that Ford as of yet has been unable to correct. The vibration is constant and at highway speed has made people car sick. I am fearful that there is a failing component in the truck that when it finally breaks will cause a serious accident. They have used a vcmm vibration analizer that listed a host of potential problems and in their words the results were misleading. This is a heavy duty truck that I fear towing my trailers with because they can't tell me why it has the vibration. I almost believe that they know the problem and won't disclose it to me. The most concerning statement made in the repair attempt is that they compared my truck to an instock unit and it drive comparable.

While negotiating steep grades (over 8 degrees) at moderate speeds (~30mph) with the engine brake in automatic a 3rd gear to 2nd gear or 2nd gear to first gear change is proceeded by a significant acceleration by as much as 5mph or more this can be simulated on less steep inclines by engaging the engine brake and manually shifting from 3rd to 2nd. . There will be an increase in speed that can be quite significant there is a minor reduction in braking when the truck performs a 4th to 3rd downshift but it doesn't cause acceleration to the degree that the 3rd and 2nd shifts do. The circumstances under which an engine brake would be used are exactly those circumstances where an unintended acceleration of any kind is most dangerous, such as mountain roads and switchbacks while towing heavy loads the dealer is aware of how to reproduce this event and has seen it first hand while on a test drive.

On 3 occasions since I bought the pu new on July 24th, 2020 I experienced what the Ford dealer now calls death wobble. The first time happened on sept 2nd while driving down hill pulling my trailer at about 50mph. When I stepped on the brake the steering wheel and brake pedal started to shake violently. I had little control until my speed dropped. I took the pu to the dealer sept 16th. They said they could find no problem and stated if their agent could not experience the problem while driving the pu they could not fix it. On the second time I was driving the pu empty at highway speed and again while braking the steering and brakes shook violently. Up to this point I was thinking the brakes were the problem. I started tracking the brake temperature which showed a large variety of temps for similar driving conditions. I provided the numbers to the dealer. I was told a few days later on oct 29th that the temps were normal and my driving style needed to be adjusted for a vehicle of this type. On the third time Nov 15th I was again pulling the trailer but this time at 40mph in wet and snowy conditions when I stepped on the brake I experienced the shaking to the point of losing control. When I took the pu to the dealer with just 8000 miles on the truck they again said they could do nothing without their agent seeing the problem themselves. But this time on the paperwork they described the problem as �death wobble�. I checked the NHTSA site finding several complaints similar to mine. The internet is also loaded with complaints and possible fixes since Ford won't or can't fix the problem. Ford clearly knows this problem exists because they have put a name to the problem but they are doing nothing on my pu (and many others) to fix the problem.

The contact owns a fleet of 2020 Ford f-250. The contact's employees had informed him that while driving at various speeds and shifting between gears, the vehicles were jerking as the check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure recurred on various occasions, and the contact's employee also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes were applied and failed to respond so the gear was shifted into neutral(n) and he had to depress the brake pedal with excessive force in order for them to respond and avoid almost hitting another vehicle. The contact called various local dealers and made them aware of the failure; however, there was no availability or capacity for the fleet vehicles. The vehicles were not yet diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was shifting hard between gears. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was previously serviced at a local dealer under Ford customer satisfaction program: 21b03 to replace the no. 1 planetary and ring gear assembly. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the failure persisted, and that the vehicle was jerking while shifting between gears. The contact had received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 22v256000 (power train) and 22v644000 (back over prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted and was unable to confirm when parts would be available. The contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.

Vehicle rpm will not drop when taking foot off the gas and in gear. Rpm stays at 1100 and vehicle speeds up on its own. No difference with engine brake on or off. Seems to happen in parking lots or at stop lights when moving at slow speeds 5 to 10 miles per hour. Vehicle will accelerate unless brakes are applied. Brakes have to be applied sometimes very hard to get vehicle to stop and engine rpm to drop. Documented by the dealer with no fix. Ford motor company contacted with no fix. This has occured multiple times.