Ford Mustang under gov’t investigation for transmission problems
By Patrick Rall G+ Mon, 08/08/2011 - 09:45
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The NHTSA opened their investigation after receiving 32 complaints about the 2011 and 2012 Ford Mustang having shifting issues in models equipped with the new 6-speed manual transmission. Depending on what the government’s safety regulator finds during their studies, Ford may be faced with a recall to address these issues should a defect be discovered. In total, roughly 26,000 Mustangs from the 2011 and 2012 model year are affected by this investigation.
Since the incredible new 2011 Ford Mustang GT stormed onto the scene with a new 412 horsepower 5.0L V8 and a 6-speed Getrag transmission the mighty Mustang has received rave reviews from owners and writers alike. However, there have been regular grumblings on various internet communities like MustangForums.com about how these 2011 Mustang’s with the 6-speed manual were experiencing a variety of problems with the new transmission. These issues included excessive noise from the transmission and, worst of all, the inability to shift from or to certain gears at high rpm. As more and more of these upset owners came forward, surprisingly little was done but relief may be in sight as the NHTSA has stepped in – opening a preliminary investigation to see if there is a defect in the 2011 and 2012 Ford Mustang.
I had a chance to speak with MustangForums.com member Shane McGlaun, who is the proud owner of a 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, #0333. Shane has owned several Mustangs (including 2012 Boss 302 #0001!) and has never experienced the problem before but during a recent track day session, he found that his high performance Mustang was having problems getting from 3rd to 4th gear at high rpm. He attributed the problem to the Texas heat combined with the added abuse of the track day (although the 2012 Boss 302 is built to race) and didn’t think much of it until he found that under normal driving circumstances on the open road, his Mustang was still having problems getting from 3rd to 4th gear. He has also run into instances where he will depress the clutch to shift and the pedal won’t return from the floor – both of which are regular issues in those Mustangs experiencing the problems that have spurred the NHTSA investigation. The only “fix” that Shane has found is to let the engine speed (rpm) drop until the clutch pedal kicks back out or in the case of the transmission not wanting to go into 4th gear, Shane has found that shifting into 6th and then going to another gear works. However, with a brand new sports car most people don’t want to have to figure out ways to get into gear…and they shouldn’t have to.
The video below is in-car footage taken by Shane McGlaun in his 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 #0333. It is great fun to watch and listen to the new Boss 302 in action but around the 7:30 mark, as Shane rockets down the straightaway and attempts to shift from 3rd to 4th gear, the transmission does not oblige and Shane is forced to shift into 6th gear. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sweet roar of the Boss 302 engine as the engine speed climbs and then radically drops as the inability to get into 4th gear sends Shane going for 6th.
While not everyone takes their Mustang to the track, think about merging into 70mph traffic on the highway and as you go to shift from 3rd gear to 4th gear easing into traffic…the car will not go into 4th gear. Now you have other traffic running up on you from behind and you’re in a car that won’t go into gear and because of that – it won’t pick up speed. That presents a very clear safety risk so the NHTSA is looking in to the problem to see if there is cause for a recall of manually shifted 2011 and 2012 Ford Mustangs. Luckily, there have been no reports of accidents or injuries stemming from this problem but reports indicate that several of the 32 complaints that caused the investigation alleged that it almost caused an accident.
TorqueNews.com will continue covering this – bringing you news as it becomes available!
Other Ford News:
Lincoln booms for Ford in July 2011
The Camaro outsells the Mustang, Challenger, 370Z in July 2011
Ford finishes 1 2 3 at X Games 17 RallyCross
Ford to stick with Fusion for 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Comments
Anybody had any problem
Submitted by J R Lew (not verified) on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 17:44.
Anybody had any problem shifting from 4 to 5 in their 2012 Mustang GT?
I've Had shift problems, but
Submitted by carl loren (not verified) on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 19:23.
I've Had shift problems, but was told it could be the stupid Ford 'Skip-Shift', & nothing could be done as it is programed into the computor--I have Boss 302 #439--Carl Loren
6-Speed Transmission issue
Submitted by RTC (not verified) on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 19:34.
6-Speed Transmission issue affects both the 3.7 V6 and 5.0 V8, may want to double-check your facts.
That is what you get when you
Submitted by TBONE (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 14:56.
That is what you get when you make your transmissions in China.
There have been over 100
Submitted by Drew (not verified) on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 14:37.
There have been over 100 NHTSA complaints filed as of today. The dealerships are now filing complaints on behalf of frustrated customers.
Ford has known about this for over a year now (at least people have been reporting this as a significant problem on the forums for over a year now) and Ford kicked them to the curb.
Also, a correction to your article, one forum member has in fact reported being rear ended due to the car not going into gear.
:(
my mustang smoked a camaro
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 18:11.
my mustang smoked a camaro threw all 6 gears
There is no problem with the
Submitted by Blueknight (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 05:54.
There is no problem with the transmission, it is the skip shift,to over ride it, just keep the rpm's over 2000
Blueknight, the V6 mustangs
Submitted by Drew (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 08:07.
Blueknight, the V6 mustangs are having the same problems and they don't have skip shift. It's been well documented at this point that disabling skip shift does not fix the problem.
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.
sounds like some people don't
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 20:52.
sounds like some people don't know how to shift. i make glass plates that everyone uses. you and 90.000 walk your plates to the sink the other 32 guys throw theirs and i make junk plates. PLEASE. ive been to nmra events and watched guys take brand new mustangs put superchargers on them and run 10 sec passes time after time and have no problems 90.000 plus sold and 32 complain not bad. i read post when the camaros trannies where breaking in half and they weren't crying as bad as these people .i say these 32 people need to go to chevy and buy a camaro and cry when the side air bags deploy when they try to cut a doughnut LOL.
ive broke synchros ,gears
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 21:01.
ive broke synchros ,gears ,shafts and melted clutches when i was learning how to drive but i didnt blame it on the manufacturer
LOL that was so funny when
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 21:42.
LOL that was so funny when that guys airbags deployed in his camaro while trying to drift . mustangs can drift camaros push like dump trucks. go ford
go to youtube type in fastest
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 22:15.
go to youtube type in fastest mt82 mustang and hang on baby
wow thats one fast stock
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 22:46.
wow thats one fast stock engine and tranny mustang and to think people are having shift problems just driving their cars on the street and to see how this guy is speed shifting his and running that car that hard with no problems
i have roush 2011 and i have
Submitted by BOB FROM QUEBEC (not verified) on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 10:49.
i have roush 2011 and i have the problem transmission
Met a Cobra owner here in W
Submitted by Sgm (not verified) on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 22:01.
Met a Cobra owner here in W TX and he (an engineer) explained it to me as the mass of the 43lb two piece drive shaft taking the sync's out of alignment when the clutch is engaged due to the stored energy of the mass of the shaft going one way and the engine taking the input shaft the other. Makes sense to me, also an engineer. Additionally the oil issue addressed in the TSB and finally the inadiquate shifter mechanisim of both the Cobras and the GTs (see what MGW has for us to fix that) add up to a problem that gets worse with miles - my experience in my GT. He cured his problem with a one piece Al shaft from DynoTech, MGW shifter and Royal Purple product for his Tremac. GTs have an MT86 that it would appear, can be made correct with the same upgrades, at a cost of $1k - a cost Ford should be picking up? Too bad they didn't get it right the first time, for this otherwise outstanding Mustang.
I have experienced the shift
Submitted by mgm (not verified) on Sun, 10/16/2011 - 00:00.
I have experienced the shift issue in my 2011GT, always when the car is on 20 degree or higher incline and always shifting from 2nd gear to any other gear the tranny will not let you go into any other gear even if you manage to place the shifter into neutral until the engine RPM drops. If you are aware of this issue its okay to drive, but first time this happened to me from a red light when I had to merge from 2 lanes to one lane it was very scary. I do love the car when it works, but it would be great if Ford found permanent fix/solution to the issue.
The shifting problem with the
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/06/2011 - 00:04.
The shifting problem with the 2011 Mustang manual transmission is very real, and seems not to have been corrected on the 2012 models as well. Complaints continue to be posted at the NHTSA site, and Ford continues to be mum on the subject. Affected owners are rightfully put off by this, and are hoping for some sort of resolution after the NHTSA investigation. Many have not waited, and have either sold or lemon-lawed their cars. Ford has lost many formerly loyal customers over this.
I have a 2011 gt500 with 96
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/25/2011 - 22:17.
I have a 2011 gt500 with 96 miles on it and it grinds from 1st to second and the tech has ordered parts but also says that he has redone 3 with only one resolved. Pretty high dollar car to require a double clutch when shifting?
Anytime I'm getting on the
Submitted by Randy (not verified) on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 06:51.
Anytime I'm getting on the throttle when I'm emerging on the hwy it's hard to shift into 4 gear .
Yes I bought a 2011 Mustang
Submitted by Get your Mustang fixed!!!!! (not verified) on Fri, 02/17/2012 - 12:39.
Yes I bought a 2011 Mustang in July of 2011 to find There was a problem with it shifting. After taking my car to the dealer that I bought it from twice and being told there was nothing wrong, I decided to contact a Ford transmission specialist. I made a appointment to take my car in. I am not a mechanic myself but I have been driving now for 24 years and know when the car is not shifting. I suggest that Hines Park Ford in Kensington needs a new mechanic, I was told twice there was nothing wrong.Going on my gut feeling there was still something wrong I kept my appointment with the specialist at the Varsity dealer in Ann Arbor brought it in and they took one look at my car and said it needed (THREE) new solinoids in the transmission, there was not a recall but a BULLATIN on the defective parts. They took my car and gave me a Expedition for the week and ordered three solinoids from different dealers across the country and fixed it. MUCH BETTER NOW
l
I have a 2012 mustang 5.0
Submitted by Stephen Hollier (not verified) on Tue, 03/13/2012 - 17:52.
I have a 2012 mustang 5.0 manual transmission and while driving in traffic the transmission heats up and I have difficulty shifting in to high gears. The same thing happens when down shifting. I brought the car to the ford dealer and their answer to the problem was keep driving until a recall comes out. WRONG answer !!!! I have owned many fords and this has never been their answer. The dealer didn't even look into the transmission.
i have a 2012 5.0 when speed
Submitted by kenny (not verified) on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 19:22.
i have a 2012 5.0 when speed shifting from 2nd to 3rd it goes into 1st or 5th
i have a 2012 5.0 when speed
Submitted by kenny (not verified) on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 19:23.
i have a 2012 5.0 when speed shifting from 2nd to 3rd it goes into 1st or 5th
I have a 2013 mustang gt
Submitted by John (not verified) on Wed, 07/11/2012 - 01:14.
I have a 2013 mustang gt premium manual transmission with 1500 miles, and I can not shift from 3rd to 4th gear also at high rpm .... So FORD has not FIXED the problem for 2013 ....
I have a 2012 Boss 302 ( #
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/04/2012 - 17:17.
I have a 2012 Boss 302 ( # 1825 , race red ) . My shifting problem is when I shift from 1st to 2nd is often missed and goes into 4th . Why ? All other gears are fine a blast to drive .
My 2012 Mustang GT has
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 09/06/2012 - 11:29.
My 2012 Mustang GT has simuliar problems shifting between gears at mid range rpm. It takes a couple of trys to get it into a gear. Feels like the linkage binds up. I noticed after haveing the car for a few days that the shift pattern is not a straight up and down as most manual shifts. You need to pull slightly to the left for first and second and push away slightly for fifth and sixth. Also have experienced when shifting into first gear I have accidently put it in reverse. The detent for going into reverse doesn't work all the time to keep someone from shifting into reverse when trying to just to into first. I am sure the person in the vehicle behind me must think I am crazy when my reverse lights come on at a stop light or stop sign. Most serious problems are the binding between gears when in the mid ranage RPMs and putting the car in reverse when trying to shift into first.
This is a Real concern &
Submitted by gheri munster (not verified) on Thu, 09/13/2012 - 08:35.
This is a Real concern & problem - I have a 2011 5.0 GT and the clutch & trans blew..NOT from my driving either. Ford recongnized the problem & installed a brand new clutch/trans. Now less than 3 wks later...SAME problem. Now, i'll have to lay my new car up AGAIN for them to re repair. It is Not acceptable to spend $30,000.00 on a brand new Mustang that is a LEMON ! ...FORD...FIX THIS PROBLEM ASAP !!!!
I commented before about this
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/16/2012 - 21:56.
I commented before about this . So what is Ford going to do about this Tranny ?
Ok, this all starts on
Submitted by mark (not verified) on Sat, 09/22/2012 - 02:04.
Ok, this all starts on 09-21-11, the day I bought my 2011 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT 6-speed from Mac Haik's Southway Ford, in San Antonio, TX. I am 32 years old and have been an auto technician (mechanic) for 14 years. I know I over paid for the car, after everything the total cost was $42,590.72 with 12892 miles, but it is the car I had always wanted. On 10-05-11 my clutch pedal stayed on to the floor, leaving me without a clutch. This was not a big problem for me, because I can drive the car with or without a clutch. It just gets really complicated when you have to come to a complete stop. When I got home, I jacked the car up to see what happened. I pulled the dust cover plate off to check if I had blown the hydraulic hose or the slave cylinder. What I found, was that my clutch had exploded. So, I then had the car towed to the dealership. I figured this would not be a problem; one, I have a warranty, and two, I had just bought the car. After a day or two, the dealer tells me, that they had pulled my transmission and found the clutch had normal wear and tear, and that the clutch was not covered under the warranty. I replied with, “I just bought the car”. The dealership and I talked back and forth, getting nowhere. So then, I went up to the dealership, and asked if my car was put back together, and they said yes. I then asked, “You put my car back together with a bad clutch?” The service manager said, “No, we removed the dust cover and inspected it.” I just smiled. First they had told me they pulled the transmission, but they did not; and second, I had removed the dust cover and put it in the trunk, so I knew they did not remove it or inspect the car. I took the car and drove it home. At the house, I pulled the transmission and found that the clutch pressure plate dial pins had broken off and the pressure plate was loose. I took pictures and went back to the dealership, where we then worked out a deal; they would pay for half of any clutch I wanted. I was worried about my transmission was hurt, since I had to drive it twice without a clutch, and how bad the pressure plate and clutch looked, so I wanted to buy a good clutch, to prevent this from happening again. I found and bought a DFX Centerforce clutch, put my car back together and picked up my check from the dealership. I made a copy of the check and the check stub, before cashing it. After my car was running great, I wanted nothing else to do with Southway Ford. As time went by, my transmission got harder and harder to shift; but, there was no way, I was going to go back to the dealership where I had gotten lied to and ripped off the first time. On 04-13-12, my little brother bought the same car, but a 2012, he got his at Bluebonnet Ford, in New Braunfels, TX. He tells them my story and they told him, I should take my car to them. Three days later, his transmission looses 5th gear, so we both took Bluebonnet Ford our cars. They were fantastic; they rebuilt my transmission for free under warranty. The car felt great, but as time went by 4th gear started to get hard and when the car would go over 4,200 RPM’s the check engine light would flash with random multiple miss fire codes. This was frustrating, the clutch was finally broken in and I couldn’t play with my car with the check engine light on. I did some research, and found out that my crank sensor needs a relearn procedure every time the clutch is changed. I called the Bluebonnet Ford, and told them what I had found out, the service rider told me to take my car in along with $20 and that he would get one of the techs to do it. While on my way there, my 4th gear blew and the transmission started to make all kinds of noises. The car still has and shifts well in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th gear. I dropped the car off at the dealership, and was told it would take about three days for them to get to my car. Today, 09-21-12, the service rider calls me and says, they can’t warranty the transmission. I asked why they had warranted it out the first time, but could not this time. His response to me was, “The transmission is a total loss but if you were to buy one, it will have a new warranty.” I said, “Let me talk to a service manager”. The service rider responded, “The manager has all ready left for the day and went on vacation for a week, he will be back the following week.” I replied, “So you want me to buy a “new” transmission, so I can have a warranty… because it is going to break… when I already have a warranty on this transmission?” He replied, “I can try a few more things, and I will let you know on Monday what I can do.” The stress that this whole situation has caused me is not worth the car. I don’t know what to do. I can just move on and buy a Tremec T-56 Magnum, or I can continue to fight with Ford to do the right thing. This is just not right! Am I wrong for wanting to get my car fixed under warranty?
had this happen to me today
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/18/2013 - 23:35.
had this happen to me today with my 2013. just had it supercharged and was going from 3rd to 4th and its almost like it was going into 2nd. I put it in 4th the first time and RPMS went crazy so i went back to N, then back to 4th and it did it again so i had to coast in neutral for a bit then hit 5th..scared the crap out of me and now im paranoid since the supercharger barely has 200 miles on it.