Super Hard/Rough Shifting - Brand New

[spazzyfry123]

Hi all. I just brought home my ‘25 Ranger Raptor this past weekend. I’ve put probably 350 miles on it so far and have overly conscious of “taking it easy.” While the dealer told me no break in or anything needed, I’m going to wait for 1000 miles and look to change fluids and let it rip.

Disclaimer out of the way, does anyone have issues with rough shifting? I am experiencing this in just run-around-town driving with minimal throttle. Maybe 1/8th throttle just putting through traffic. Entirely “Normal” settings - no Sport or Baja or whatever. It is inconsistent in its frequency other than I’ve experienced it at least once on I’d say every drive. Same input from me may result in a totally smooth shift or it would just randomly feel like the transmission just fell out of the truck it is so hard. I’d equate it to being rear ended at low speed. It hits hard.

I see it I’m guessing (can’t see what gear it’s in, it just shows “D”) on the 3-4 or 4-5 upshift at somewhere between 30-40 mph. It feels like it’s going to make the upshift, slip a bit, revs go up a little and then it makes a last second decision to downshift and it SMASHES into gear.

Separately, but maybe not, I feel like it has a rough downshift as I am applying the brakes and coming to a stop probably around 20-25 mph. Again, totally normal driving in a standard drive mode. Just approaching a red light and applying brakes as normal and you can kind of feel the downshifts until what I think to be either the 4-3 or 3-2 downshift and it is just a good clunk. Nothing remotely close to what I’ve experienced on the upshift in terms of violence, but a clunk all the same and I believe every single time.

I’m hoping this may be a software thing. I had originally chalked it up to a brand new vehicle learning my habits, but it’s just too intense and can’t write it off. Before I go to the dealer and go through what’s likely going to be a scenario of “can’t recreate”, I’m curious if anyone on here has had this experience and any guidance as to what it could be?

Thanks!

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[Mystic]

My truck did stuff like that too for the first few thousand miles, but it's smooth as butter now.

Maybe try a transmission re-learn?

 

[spazzyfry123]

My truck did stuff like that too for the first few thousand miles, but it's smooth as butter now.

Maybe try a transmission re-learn?

That’s reassuring, but you dealt with this for a few thousand miles?!

Do you have detail to share on this relearn?

 

[embedded rock]

My RR at 258 miles this morning when I left the house had some harsh upshifts leaving the subdivision. I decided it was due to cold trans fluid. Didn't drive yesterday.

 

[stuartmunto]

Give it few thousand miles to learn. The transmission self learns it's own tune as each transmission and engine will be slightly different. Just let it do it's thing and just drive it normally

 

[Texas Ranger]

My RR was farting through gears for the first 3 months of ownership, really rough 2nd to 3rd shifts but has become much smoother after a year.

 

[RaptorME]

The Ford performance tune helps the shifting a lot. It is a bit rough while it learnds but much smoother after a few hundred miles.

 

[Robert1661]

Hi all. I just brought home my ‘25 Ranger Raptor this past weekend. I’ve put probably 350 miles on it so far and have overly conscious of “taking it easy.” While the dealer told me no break in or anything needed, I’m going to wait for 1000 miles and look to change fluids and let it rip.

Disclaimer out of the way, does anyone have issues with rough shifting? I am experiencing this in just run-around-town driving with minimal throttle. Maybe 1/8th throttle just putting through traffic. Entirely “Normal” settings - no Sport or Baja or whatever. It is inconsistent in its frequency other than I’ve experienced it at least once on I’d say every drive. Same input from me may result in a totally smooth shift or it would just randomly feel like the transmission just fell out of the truck it is so hard. I’d equate it to being rear ended at low speed. It hits hard.

I see it I’m guessing (can’t see what gear it’s in, it just shows “D”) on the 3-4 or 4-5 upshift at somewhere between 30-40 mph. It feels like it’s going to make the upshift, slip a bit, revs go up a little and then it makes a last second decision to downshift and it SMASHES into gear.

Separately, but maybe not, I feel like it has a rough downshift as I am applying the brakes and coming to a stop probably around 20-25 mph. Again, totally normal driving in a standard drive mode. Just approaching a red light and applying brakes as normal and you can kind of feel the downshifts until what I think to be either the 4-3 or 3-2 downshift and it is just a good clunk. Nothing remotely close to what I’ve experienced on the upshift in terms of violence, but a clunk all the same and I believe every single time.

I’m hoping this may be a software thing. I had originally chalked it up to a brand new vehicle learning my habits, but it’s just too intense and can’t write it off. Before I go to the dealer and go through what’s likely going to be a scenario of “can’t recreate”, I’m curious if anyone on here has had this experience and any guidance as to what it could be?

Thanks!

I've watched several YT videos where guys claim they noticed improved shift points after they installed Ford's performance tune. They didn't install the tune to correct the problematic shift issues you are having. That being said you still might be on the right track thinking it could be a software issue.

 

[Jason B]

Several members on 5G, 6G, RR, and F-150 forums experience this.
Ford will just say 'it's normal'.

 

[stemplar]

I see it I’m guessing (can’t see what gear it’s in, it just shows “D”) on the 3-4 or 4-5 upshift at somewhere between 30-40 mph.

FWIW you can display the actual gear you're in by pressing the +/- button once on the side of the gear shifter when the vehicle is running.

 

[Tailwagger]

Separately, but maybe not, I feel like it has a rough downshift as I am applying the brakes and coming to a stop probably around 20-25 mph.

No issues on upshifts, but recently with mornings here in the NE US getting down to a few degrees above freezing, I have notice some abrupt downshifting approaching a stop when coming downhill on my street to the main road first thing in the morning. Once warm, no issue, but when cold there's a bit of a clunk, but again seems to be related to going down hill. Truck is approaching 4K miles.

 

[Wayfaring Ranger]

i'm at 12k miles and still get the rough downshifts before the fluid warms up. after a few minutes it shifts normally.

it's annoying but doesn't bother me that much. such is life with automatic transmissions and that's why i kept my manual car for all my normal daily driving.

 

[Boosted6G]

It smooths out, but Sport mode will never smooth out until you get the Ford Performance tune. It's almost worth it for that alone.

 

[spazzyfry123]

Wow! Thanks for all of the feedback. Very surprised to see so many others experiencing this, but feeling reassured that it will potentially smooth out.

The truck must have heard me talking smack to my Internet friends. I didn’t experience a single harsh upshift in my 100+ miles of driving today. That said, the clunk at about 25mph while coming to a stop remains the same.

A new one that I hadn’t experienced yet was a much more harsh downshift while braking going downhill at probably 45mph. Somewhere in between ultra harsh upshift and clunk on the severity scale. The truck intentionally downshifting to support braking efforts on a steep grade - I am guessing it skipped a gear or two.

All told, it seems to be adapting and not nearly as gnarly as it has been over the last week. Perhaps it’s learning…

 

[spazzyfry123]

Also, I feel pretty certain that I will be adding the tune at some point, but not for a few thousand miles of getting acclimated to the truck. I’d like to experiment with the Goose Tune, but that will have to wait for out-of-warranty

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