2024 Ford F-250 Powerstroke HO Tremor Owner Faces Severe Transmission Issues While Towing, After a Ford Tech Confirmed the Problem, the Dealer Claims ‘Could Not Duplicate’

The modern Super Duty is as much at home pulling 20,000 pounds of steel as it is parked outside a Whole Foods. It’s the Swiss Army knife of American muscle, a workhorse cloaked in leather, chrome, and code. But what happens when that mountain-moving torque meets hesitation, confusion, and erratic shifting? When the machine built to handle it all suddenly can’t seem to handle itself? 

That’s the question facing Shawn Schoonover, an F-250 owner whose recent story, posted in the 2020+ 6.7 Powerstroke Facebook group, has tapped a well of concern among fellow heavy-duty truck owners.

“Good morning. I’m looking for some advice. I bought a 2024 F-250 HO Tremor with 23k on it in June. Transmission is smooth as butter when not towing, but once we hook up our 5th wheel, the transmission shifts erratically and hard when taking off from a stop in gears 2-5 as if someone rear-ended you in each gear, then after the 5th gear, it’s smooth as butter again. 

Multiple trips to the dealership, the dealership just says on the paperwork, “could not duplicate, no codes stored”, etc., and sends us on our way. 

We took it back to the dealership almost 2 months ago and spoke to the service manager, who then scheduled a time for their transmission tech to ride with us with the rig in tow so he could see exactly what was going on. Before taking off with us, the tech and the tech trainee looked over the camper said the camper is well under weight and also verified the tanks were empty and the rig was unloaded with nothing in the compartments that could weigh it down past the limit. 

During the ride along the tech said this is not normal whatsoever, and states this transmission isn’t going to last with it acting like this. 

A few days later, they text and say the truck is ready to be picked up. They locked the keys in it, and I picked it up after hours, and on the RO, it says “could not duplicate transmission problem,” nothing about the tech ride-along, nothing. We called again and made another appointment, and this time they reprogrammed the TCM. We drove it over 1,000 miles with no rig, so it can relearn our driving habits, and then tried again with the rig in tow, and no change at all. 

I’ve had a case open since June and they are 0 help from ford, my rep calls about every 2 weeks with an “update” and it’s just her reading the RO to us, she refuses to get anyone higher up to assist us on the call and when we email her so it’s in writing wanting a supervisor to call us, it’s crickets.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.”

This is not a rage-fueled screed, nor the whining of someone unwilling to read their owner’s manual. This is a calculated, detailed, and patient account, from a man who’s played by every rule in Ford’s book and found himself stuck in neutral. In the past, a ride-along with a technician confirming the issue would mean something. But in Shawn’s case, the tech’s firsthand acknowledgment that the transmission "isn’t going to last" evaporated into the ether the moment the truck was picked up. The service order simply said: “Could not duplicate.”

Shawn’s story is not unique, and that’s the most concerning part. Comments poured in. “We had the same thing with our 24 F-250,” said Jeffrey Harrell. Like Shawn, his issue only appeared when towing. After two failed service visits, a third, with the fifth-wheel in tow, prompted the same response from a tech: “Not normal.” Data was logged, promises were made, and then... nothing. “Just decided to drive it to failure,” Harrell concluded. It’s not apathy, it’s resignation. A quiet, rational acceptance that the cavalry may not be coming.

Ford F-250: Who Is It Meant For? 

• The F-250 is built for heavy hauling and towing, offering exceptional muscle for contractors, ranchers, and off-road enthusiasts alike.
• Buyers can choose from strong gas and diesel engines, allowing a balance between raw strength and everyday drivability.
• Modern driver aids like trailer backup assist, adaptive cruise control, and an intuitive SYNC 4 system bring convenience to rugged performance.
• The truck’s high-strength steel frame and customizable cab and bed options make it adaptable for both demanding work and long-distance travel.

And yet, there are always two sides to the torque converter. Ryan Brightman chimed in with a contrarian perspective: “Shifting hard technically isn’t bad... shifting smooth under a heavy load would wear your clutches out faster and create heat.” Mechanically speaking, he's not wrong. But that assumes hard shifts are intentional and controlled, not random, unpredictable jolts that mimic being rear-ended in gears two through five. This isn’t spirited performance shifting; it’s inconsistency. And inconsistency is what destroys transmissions and trust.

Another commenter, CJ Buck, added nuance with a theory involving dirty fluid and solenoid pressure control. He mentioned resolving a similar issue on his truck with a drain-and-fill service, then noted that increased line pressure, or even tuning, could provide relief. He also pointed to the solenoid SSC as a potential culprit, one that applies during the 1-2 shift and releases again after fifth gear. That aligns eerily well with Shawn’s description, harsh shifts until the fifth, then smooth sailing. Could it be valve body pressure loss? A failing solenoid? It’s the kind of problem you don’t solve with a clipboard and a five-minute scan.

For Daniel Colantuono’s brother, a 2020 F-350 with a similar problem was brought back to life after a valve body replacement. Not a reflash, not a TCM reset, real hardware. And it worked. Daniel’s account, along with technical service bulletins Ford has issued on other 10-speed models, suggests this isn’t isolated. The mechanical bits are fine-tuned to a degree where any drop in solenoid pressure, even a marginal one, can throw the whole system off. But when the fix is hardware and the diagnosis lives in software, something gets lost in translation.

Shawn’s tone is exhausted, not enraged. He’s invested in this truck, financially and emotionally. He bought a machine that should have handled anything he threw at it, and in every other way, it does. The 6.7L HO Power Stroke delivers freight-train torque and returns decent mileage for its size. But a transmission that fumbles under load, the very task the truck is engineered for, turns every trip into a gamble. And the longer the issue remains unresolved, the more it undermines faith not just in the product, but in the support behind it.

So here we are: one owner, a fifth wheel, and a transmission that feels more like a roulette wheel. The dealership has played its hand, scans, ride-alongs, and reprogramming. Ford’s customer service case remains open but inert. The community, meanwhile, rallies with anecdotes, data, and diagnoses. Welcome to the 21st century of truck ownership: where a Facebook group offers more actionable support than a factory-backed service center, and the path to resolution is paved with forums, persistence, and maybe a transmission tune.

Image Sources: Ford Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.