Transmission down shifting.....

Chris K said:

Well, we're going back for the third time for the transmission problem - it downshifted on ice last week and scared the poop out of my wife - I think we're dealing with as much a safety issue as we are a acceptable drivability issue.

I have composed my thoughts in the form of a letter which I will deliver to the Service Manager of the dealership - summarizing our experiences to date and reqeusting prompt and thorough repair. AND, I have listed the fixes noted on this forum simply because I can't see anywhere on the Service Invoices where these fixes are listed by job number.....

So, my guess is that it's going to be an interesting week!

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Chris K said:

All righty then; possibly I should have explained myself a BIT better - I left out a couple of details! AND, I too am NOT being argumentative BUT I've got 30K invested in a vehicle that we can drive sometimes...... I didn't see that clause in the purchase agreement!

The vehicle has a 6 speed tranny in it. That is not very common in the industry. It is to try and improve fuel mileage in a larger vehicle. It is something that my wife and I are just starting to adjust too after a few months of ownership ourselves. I was a little disappointed at first but it does help on long trips in the MPG department, so all is good now. My wife had the cruise on the other day and it slipped for a minute too but kicked the cruise off right away which I thought was a GREAT safety item. Also she was well aware of the slippery conditions so it was no big deal.

Not trying to be a bad guy here but if your wife is driving and there is a possibility of ice, I don't see how your so upset when it slipped. Thats what happen when theres ice on the ground. ???If the cruise was on when it happened then its not the Outlooks fault either. Sorry to pee on your wheaties but thats the truth.[/color]

Actually, 6 speed trannys are becoming MUCH more common - our Outlook is the 2nd six speed in our family - my 2008 Taurus has one too! AND, it doesn't act ANYTHING like the mistake which is in my Outlook - even with 5 people on board! So, (and it's really kinda' hard for me to admit!) it would appear that Ford has done it right and GM (at least with the Outlook) has a bit of work to do (in my opinion!)! I have yet to be able to discern any real highway fuel mileage improvement - on our latest road trip it got 17 mpg - the same mileage my '02 Tahoe used to get on the highway (AND coincidently the same mileage my 85 Buick LeSabre gets WITHOUT cruise control!). That also is the same that we got on our last road trip in the Outlook....

AND, I wasn't clear about the circumstances that my Wife experienced last week; she was NOT on cruise, she was going up an incline (and YES, it was icy) and the car did the 'ole double downshift (from 6th to 4th) and she was thrown sideways before she could get her foot off of the accellerator.

I might add that we drove an '09 Outlook as a loaner and it didn't exhibit the excessive downshifing games that our car has; evidently a solution was 'quietly' found and integrated into the '09 version of the car.

I *WANT* to like this car - it's perfect for us - size is great and comfort is good. Not particularly concerned about fuel mileage at this point because since the transmission has never shifted properly, I can't honestly evaluate HOW it does!

The service manager at the dealership and I went for a 20 mile 'drive' the other day; he said he sees and feels what I am talking about but doesn't know what it is..... At this stage of the game, I'm a bit concerned that unless it tosses a code of some type, NO ONE is going to be able to figure this out!

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