Transmission Shudder problems of the 2011 Ford Mustang

Transmission grinds 1-2, 2-3,3-4 shifts intermittently. Occasionally locked out of gears. Transmission rebuilt at Ford dealer only to have the problem return. After my transmission was rebuilt it shifted nicely for about a month. Now it is beginning to grind again and today I was locked out of second gear and third gear. I was leaving a light on a hill in first gear, went to shift into second and couldn't engage it (not skip shift related as I was over 3000 rpm), went for third and no luck there, by this time the car was almost back to a complete stop and people were swerving around me (very frightening with my 4 year old in the car). I put the car back in first gear and was able to shift normally through 6th gear. Since rebuild dealer claims to be unable to replicate the problem. When the transmission was apart I was able to see that 2nd gear was missing more than half of the dog teeth on the synchro ring.

During the first 5 minutes of driving (before the car has had a chance to reach its operating temperature), the transmission grinds when shifting from 1st to 2nd and sometimes 2nd to 3rd. Today while making a right turn, the car would not shift into 2nd gear or back into 1st leaving me coasting for several seconds while trying to resolve the situation. Finally I skipped into 4th gear and accelerated much slower than expected nearly causing an accident.

1. This event has happened twice in the 3 weeks I've owned the vehicle. This occurred in a normal driving situations. No extenuating circumstances. 2. The transmission will not go into first gear. I can't get out of someone's way at a light. It also will not transition into second gear, even with a throttle blip. When this happens the vehicle begins to coast and I have to fight with it to get into gear. It's distracting and frankly nerve racking. There are times when transitioning from reverse to first gear, the transmission grinds. On coming to a stop, the transmission will vibrate violently. It almost shakes the shifter out of your hand. 3. I called Ford. They gave me a claim number. Ford did not offer any advice about this issue. I have to schedule an appointment with a service tech. However Ford is not guaranteeing that I will not have to pay out of pocket for this inspection. It's almost like a threat. If nothing is found to be wrong with a brand new transmission, I am culpable for the cost. Ford offers no rental, so this compounds the issue.

Day 1 (3/7/11) complained to selling dealership about stiffness / reluctance of vehicle to shift into 1st and 2nd gear. Selling dealer (hertich Ford / maryland) advised that the shifter will loosen up with some use. April / may / June and July pass with no real loosening and still the occasional refusal to go into gear. During June 2011 I start noticing a vibration eminating from the shifter at around 2500 rpm's on deceleration. I monitor this issue as the vibration is hard to replicate constantly. By August 2011 the transmission is vibrating excessivley in 2nd,3rd and 4th gears at 2500 rpms. Service appointment is scheduled with local dealer (bob bell Ford / maryland) for 15 Aug 11. Vehicle is serviced and to address continued shifting issues they complete TSB by replacing fluid. To address the excessive vibration they hand me a sheet called oasis special service message that states"some 2011 Mustangs equipped with 3. 7l v-6 engine and mt82 manual transmission may exhibit a vibration in the shifter. . . . Between 3500 and 2000 rpm. This is normal operational characteristics and no repiars are required or recommended. " I pick up my vehicle and not a block away the vibration is still there and the resistance to shift into 1st and 2nd gear is still there. As I have read up on the numerous complaints regarding both of these issues there was no reason to return it to the servicing dealer until Ford admits an issue and allows a repair. Your assistance as a government oversight is requested. Mileage on service date was 3,925. Current mileage is 4,139.

Transmission grinds from 1st-2nd when cold and intermittently when at operating temperature. TSB for "rough shifting" has been performed. Whining from transmission started around 800 miles and still remains. When attempting to shift into 3rd gear vehicle frequently locks me out leaving me slowing down in traffic to find a gear that will engage. Also experience lock out when down shifting into either 2nd or 1st gear. These erratic shifting issues are a daily occurrence and I'm concerned for my safety in the vehicle.

Vehicles has been to dealer twice due to 1) transmission grinding from 1st to 2nd; 2) difficult engaging into 3rd gear - been locked out, unable to get into 3rd gear on numerous occasions; 3) clutch has grabbed on several occasions shifting from 1st to 2nd causing the entire car to shudder 4) on several occasions, unable to shift into any gear while accelerating. Had to repeatedly pump the clutch in order to shift gears; 5) unable to get into 1st gear after coming to a dead stop 6) difficulty getting into reverse. 1st time I took the vehicle in dealer said they couldn't replicate the problem and tried to blame is on the driver. When owner tried to explain in detail exactly what was happening w/ vehicle, dealer refused to document the additional information. 2nd time I took it to dealer, dealer technician identified concern. Ford technician came out and verified concern regarding grinding, hesitation getting into gears. Technician bled and vacuumed the clutch but the problem remains. Regional customer manager was supposed to contact owner regarding possible fixes. Regional customer service manager will no longer respond to emails. Called Ford headquarters last week to lodge a complaint and they said someone would get back to me within 48 hours. Tomorrow will be one week. . . Still haven't heard anything. One of these days I'm going to get rear ended due to being able to shift properly.

The transmission displays grinding noises and difficulty upshifting from 2nd to 3rd or 4th to 5th when the clutch is pressed all the way down. I have issues getting car into 1st gear from neutral at a red light sometimes. Transmission will not allow me to go into reverse when clutch is pushed down to floor during cold starts. Transmission feels and sounds clunky when shifting into all gears. This is what happens when we have our transmissions made in china. Skip shift is not causing damaged synchros, broken shift forks and shattered gear teeth inside the numerous failed mt82's; low quality components and materials is causing it.

Vehicle has been in 7 times for manual transmission grinding during gear changes leading to an inability to engage gears with 1st and 2nd being the most problematic. In emergency situations when you must accelerate quickly, valuable time is wasted just trying to get the car into gear. . . Which proves impossible. These cars are equipped with a "skip shift" feature that locks out 2nd and 3rd for fuel economy and a message is displayed on the dash. Multitudes of owners are reporting they are unable to engage 2nd gear with no warning of it being locked out on the dash. They replaced the transmission at only 2500 miles and then changed the viscosity of the fluid used which Ford claims is the solution. However, I and others getting this repair are discovering it does nothing to fix the issue. In fact, it only makes the shifting worse and causes whining from the transmission. This is happening to many 2011 Mustang owners with the mt82 6-speed manual transmission (both v6 and v8). . Read more...