Does anyone else think the 10 spd transmission just plain sucks?

[Trevisan]

You can reset it yourself and sometimes the re-learn the second time around gives different results. (you need Forscan or an ODB device capable of wiping the learn table)

YouTube video of clearing the transmission adaptive tables.

I'm not sure how much I buy the "learning transmission."
What happens if / when someone sells the truck? Does it re-learn? Is it always learning?

Is it a slow learner?

Maybe I'm not used to it or I don't understand it...but it sure as chit isn't smoothe or enjoyable.

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[Oxford_Powerboost]

The technology in this thing is so vastly different than your old Toyota 5 speed that they’re really incomparable. It’s made to handle pretty hefty loads and also has to do the job of daily driving while trying to get the best fuel economy all at the same time. One thing that made old Toyota transmissions so smooth is how often they unlock the torque converter. For example coming to a stop, Toyotas tend to just unlock the converter and drop to basically idle. While it makes for a smoother ride, it leaves a lot of slack in the drivetrain to pick up and is inefficient as it can’t go into deceleration fuel cutoff. Youll notice the converter is almost always locked once you’re moving in this, and it’ll row down through the gears to keep the revs up and in deceleration fuel cutoff. The 10 speed is also one of the first that can actually skip gears, which is great for getting you to the right ratio but can lead to a little jerkiness. And the end of the day, it’s not perfect the way ford programs it and I hope to see some updates, but no I wouldn’t say it just plain sucks…it’s actually pretty good. (GM did program it better though, I gotta say)

Also, mine is fairly smooth, coming from a luxury sport sedan before (sport means it also had firmer, but still smooth, shifts). The first time it drops back to first on a cold morning though is always a fun little jolt lol.

 

[gtotco]

I find shifting a little abrupt in lower gears (mostly 2-4) but mostly pretty smooth and it does a good job of finding the right gear generally. Not as lightning quick as the dual clutch was in my GTI but overall I find it to be pretty responsive and a decent transmission overall, especially for such a large vehicle putting out 400hp and 500 ft/lbs torque. It does seem like it enjoys having a few minutes to warm up.

 

[Snakebitten]

I'm not sure how much I buy the "learning transmission."
What happens if / when someone sells the truck? Does it re-learn? Is it always learning?

Is it a slow learner?

Maybe I'm not used to it or I don't understand it...but it sure as chit isn't smoothe or enjoyable.

They call it "learning", but the better word is adaptive, because that's literally what it is. And it's a set of tables, like sheets in a spreadsheet, with various values entered into it based on how the truck is being driven. Thus so called learned.

If you sell the truck, obviously the new owner inherits the existing adaptive table values. But again, wiping those tables is done commonly, on purpose and accidentally.

A KAM reset is a Keep-Alive-Memory reset. Those adaptive tables are in the KAM. If you disconnected your battery and left it disconnected and discharged all night, you would result in a KAM reset and your tcm (transmission control module) would have no adaptive values. Just like the day it came off the assembly line.

 

[xtraman122]

My transmission isn’t bad, it does occasionally do some questionable things, but I don’t have any of the big complaints others do. The transmission itself is definitely solid and an engineering marvel, it just seems to be Ford’s programming on it that’s a little questionable at times. This was jointly engineered by Ford and GM and is used in GM trucks, some Camaro trims, and the Mustang by Ford. I remember seeing some comparison of the 2021 trucks by Car & Driver or another magazine and they noted how the Chevy’s transmission definitely felt better and more predictable on shifts than the F-150 despite them being the same transmission just with unique programming from each manufacturer.

The only thing that really bothers me is how often and easily it skips 2nd. Unless you really get on the gas fast in 1st you’re guaranteed to go straight to 3rd and there’s just no way to accelerate in a gentle fashion at all and still use 2nd without being on a hill.

 

[Pedaldude]

I must have gotten a GM transmission in my truck, since my transmission is ridiculously smooth. So smooth, it sometimes feels like a CVT. I kind of skipped a few years of development, as my older vehicles maxed out at 4 speeds with their automatics. Though I have driven plenty of miles in a 4runner and Ridgeline with 5 and 6 speeds respectively, they don't drive any smoother or less smooth than my old 4 speeds did. The big differences noticed with them is mostly because of the engines.

One of my main complaints about older truck and SUV models is being stuck between gears at certain speeds. With the ten speed that doesn't happen and I don't care if it skips gears in certain situations, since even when driving manual transmission cars and trucks, I will often skip gears myself when both shifting up and down.

I do think it's a bit of a gimmick though, since I'm not getting better MPG compared with my old 2001 Navigator on identical routes around town and much worse mileage than my 06 Silverado that I drove much harder. One thing that I notice most is even in Eco mode, it downshifts too soon from the speeds that let the transmission freewheel with no engine braking. So if I am trying to coast, it won't under certain speeds. Even if I try and force it to stay in the higher speeds with the silly manual shifting buttons. Which kind of sucks, because there's lots of opportunities to coast in city driving and it really works well in the automatic transmission Honda Civic that I drove, which also did this crazy thing where it would start freewheeling when you braked for a stop sign and all of a sudden felt like the brakes went out because of the lack of engine braking. So I can see why in a heavier vehicle they might want to avoid that effect but still, if I am not braking to slow down, I don't really need the transmission downshifting to slow me down.

I have seen other threads where people have reset their transmissions and they were smoother, it also seems Powerboost models are having more strange behaviors than the conventional transmission trucks. There's some speculation that the harder shifts were a result of previous drivers hot-rodding the trucks at low speeds in transport or at dealership lots. My truck only had a handful of miles on it when I took delivery, so it's possible that theory is true. I really don't know why they would allow that to be the case though.

My truck has the 5.0 V8 with a 3.73 axle, regular cab long bed and the super stiff springs that come with the HDPP. So that could all be a factor. The spring rate was the biggest thing it took to get used to over my last truck which was a plain jane Silverado crew cab with the 4.8 V8.

 

[Bandito]

I'm coming from a 2018 EcoBoost and while that truck's transmission had a couple of scary clunking and jerking downshifts when brand new, it smoothed out and never did it again. I assumed in learned from its mistakes.

With my 2021 PowerBoost, I haven't had any bad downshifts so far (knock on wood), but it's not yet as smooth as the 2018 was. I'm not too concerned as I only have 800 miles on it so far and a good portion of those were on the highway with little shifting being necessary.

If you've had your truck for a while and it still isn't shifting very well, as mentioned before, you may want to have the dealer clear the learning and start it over again.

 

[bosro]

So far the 21 is smoother than my 17....
Less clunky downshifts and sorta losing itself.
It is still in 8th gear way to early but that's the programming for you.
I always limit it to 6th gear around town.
I didn't think the 17 tranny was bad either but I keep hearing the GM twin is silky smooth...but have never driven one.

 

[dhrandy]

I haven't really seen any hard shifts through the gears, except maybe when it shifts from 1st to 3rd. It's just the RPM drop.

 

[Sash]

I drove today 2020 xlt with 3.5 eco and tranny was clunky also last week I had a 2020 xlt with a 5.0 also clunky ,the zf8 in ram truck is way better shifting transmission, silky smooth .

 

[notabot]

Last two 10 speeds I've owned have been pretty doggone smooth. No complaints.

 

[Str8Shooter]

The most important reason why I bought a truck off a lot from a dealership instead of doing an online order is to do a test drive. In my opinion, quality control on cars/trucks just isn't there yet, even though it has come a long way. I want a buttery smooth engine and transmission on day 1, which is my main reason for a test drive. The 2021 F-150 PowerBoost truck I bought has buttery smooth shifting.

My other car, a Ford 2011 SEL Fusion 3.0 liter, has a little bit of clunkiness and weird shifting. It's been like that from day 1 - it now has 161K miles. The sales man told me on the day I bought it that the transmission learns, but this car still hasn't learned anything, even with resetting the transmission. Long story short, I think the transmission adaptive learning story is mostly bs. If the transmission isn't buttery smooth on day 1 I will look for another car that is buttery smooth - this is best adaptive learning advise I can give.

 

[pkinneb]

The most important reason why I bought a truck off a lot from a dealership instead of doing an online order is to do a test drive. In my opinion, quality control on cars/trucks just isn't there yet, even though it has come a long way. I want a buttery smooth engine and transmission on day 1, which is my main reason for a test drive. The 2021 F-150 PowerBoost truck I bought has buttery smooth shifting.

My other car, a Ford 2011 SEL Fusion 3.0 liter, has a little bit of clunkiness and weird shifting. It's been like that from day 1 - it now has 161K miles. The sales man told me on the day I bought it that the transmission learns, but this car still hasn't learned anything, even with resetting the transmission. Long story short, I think the transmission adaptive learning story is mostly bs. If the transmission isn't buttery smooth on day 1 I will look for another car that is buttery smooth - this is best adaptive learning advise I can give.

Unfortunately in todays environment that will most likely be a very expensive exercise. In my case over $12K between what the local dealer wanted on a lariat vs the platinum I ordered.

 

[Str8Shooter]

Unfortunately in todays environment that will most likely be a very expensive exercise. In my case over $12K between what the local dealer wanted on a lariat vs the platinum I ordered.

I hear you and agree that is worth considering in todays environment, but I would still test drive it first before signing all the papers. If it shifts clunky, do not buy into the bs that it's still learning shifting points - tell the dealer that if it doesn't learn before the day is out there is no deal.

Oh, BTW, I'm excited for you that your truck is on its way to you. Good luck! I'm sure most are built without problems. I hope too see a great report from you!

 

[Snakebitten]

Adaptive learning isn't BS.
But the "Normal" mode shifting strategy is very unpolished on the 10r80.

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