Transmission Replacement at 77k Miles

[gatornek]

So my Bronco is, well was awesome. We've put 93k on it in the short time we've had it. I just replaced the shocked about two months ago, had a full service a month ago "with and transmition flush" and last week it was starting to jerk and wouldn't go into reveres so it went in.

I just had a dealer tell me "there's a bunch of internal damage in the transmission. Particularly in the CDF drum there's a bunch of clutches that are pretty messed." So now they want me to pay 7500.

Has anyone heard of a transmission flush causing more issues? Because the car was working fine for several weeks before this happend.

How many miles were you at when you did the "flush"? Sometimes, if a transmission is 'used' enough (usually at least 100K miles) without any maintenance, the gears almost become dependent on the grit that has formed over time, to properly engage. If you flush out the grit, the transmission can't work they way its used to anymore. I'm not saying thats what happend here. But you wouldn't be the first person that got a late mileage transmission flush only to find out it screwed your transmission.

Sponsored

 

[RushMan]

So my Bronco is, well was awesome. We've put 93k on it in the short time we've had it. I just replaced the shocked about two months ago, had a full service a month ago "with and transmition flush" and last week it was starting to jerk and wouldn't go into reveres so it went in.

I just had a dealer tell me "there's a bunch of internal damage in the transmission. Particularly in the CDF drum there's a bunch of clutches that are pretty messed." So now they want me to pay 7500.

Has anyone heard of a transmission flush causing more issues? Because the car was working fine for several weeks before this happend.

I've seen several YouTube videos claiming that changing trans fluid can cause problems on a well worn trans, and that the suspended wear particles in the tranny oil help the clutches continue to work.

Starts at 5:05

For fans of Scotty Kilmer, he also has a similar discussion.

 

[sajohnson]

So my Bronco is, well was awesome. We've put 93k on it in the short time we've had it. I just replaced the shocks and struts about two months ago, had a full service a month ago "with and transmission flush" and last week it was starting to jerk and wouldn't go into reverse so it went in.

I just had a dealer tell me "there's a bunch of internal damage in the transmission. Particularly in the CDF drum there's a bunch of clutches that are pretty messed." So now they want me to pay 7500.

Has anyone heard of a transmission flush causing more issues? Because the car was working fine for several weeks before this happend.

Needless to say, any answers you get here (including mine) are just guesses.

Right off the bat, one theory that has been around since before the internet is that if the ATF has not been replaced for an extended period, flushing the trans may do more harm than good. More recently I've read that in many cases, what happens is that the transmission is beginning to slip/act up so the owner has it flushed. Shortly afterward, the trans fails -- but that's because it was on the way out. IOW, 'correlation does not = causation.'

That said, in your case, you wrote,"...the car was working fine for several weeks before this happened." To be clear, you're saying the trans was working fine before the flush, right?

Just curious -- you said "for several weeks", I'm assuming you meant that you have never had transmission problems -- from Day 1 until ~3 weeks after the flush, correct?

IDK what to tell you. It seems logical to think that if the dealer did something wrong, you would have had problems immediately (or very soon). The greater the amount of use between the flush and the failure, the less likely that the flush is the culprit.

That does not mean the flush is not the cause, just that it's less likely to be. Even if it had failed 2 days later, I'm not sure how one could prove it was the shop's fault -- with the exception of something obvious, like the wrong ATF and/or wrong amount.

Finally, you wrote: "I just had a dealer tell me "there's a bunch of internal damage in the transmission. Particularly in the CDF drum there's a bunch of clutches that are pretty messed." So now they want me to pay 7500."

How did they determine the extent of the damage and which specific components were involved? Did they remove the trans and tear it apart?

Have you considered a used or rebuilt transmission?

 

[Bucko]

If you haven't already, you should definitely try and get them to honor the warranty even though you're 2k over. If you talk to the right person, or maybe if you're persistent enough, it's possible they could still help you out.

I actually had the transmission on my work vehicle (2015 Ford Transit) go out at around 85k miles, but it was too-far past warranty and it cost around $7K, just like yours. It's public sector, so... thanks taxpayers!

This is usually referred to as a "good faith warranty".

I too would be asking for this. If the local dealership cannot/will not help, as to talk to the regional service manager. The local dealership will provide you with that phone number.

 

[Bucko]

So my Bronco is, well was awesome. We've put 93k on it in the short time we've had it. I just replaced the shocks and struts about two months ago, had a full service a month ago "with and transmission flush" and last week it was starting to jerk and wouldn't go into reverse so it went in.

I just had a dealer tell me "there's a bunch of internal damage in the transmission. Particularly in the CDF drum there's a bunch of clutches that are pretty messed." So now they want me to pay 7500.

Has anyone heard of a transmission flush causing more issues? Because the car was working fine for several weeks before this happend.

Who did this transmission flush?

 

[Glass]

Who did this transmission flush?

The dealership did the flush. They were busy so I had to take it to there sister location a couple miles away.

 

[Bucko]

The dealership did the flush. They were busy so I had to take it to there sister location a couple miles away.

If the flush caused the transmission failure, then you might have a case. However, it may be a tough sell to prove the failure was due to a flush/fluid change. According to a thread on transmission fluid changes on a BS transmission, its not a flush per say, but rather a fluid change. Search this forum for threads on this topic; it was heavily discussed last week. Ford has a specific procedure and recommendation for transmission fluid changes, so I'm assuming the dealership you took it to followed it (sister dealership a Ford dealership?).

In many cases (not saying yours), folks will experience transmission issues, and take it in for a fluid replacement. Sometimes the fluid change works, and sometimes it does not. Transmission fluid contains additives to preserve clutch disc life, and with any fluid, these additives wear out, then the clutch discs wear as well leaving material to float around perhaps.

No telling how long clutch packs last in a BS, and according to that thread last week, Ford specifically states when a fluid change is done by their recommendations.

Mark is our resident research expert on this site; he seems to have lots of idle time to do so when he's not flying around the U.S.A. in his plane. .

However, I think this will be a tough sell on your part to say the fluid changed caused the transmission to fail. I'd plead for a case of "good faith warranty" since it was 2K past its warranty, and that perhaps you were not told that a fluid change would help or hinder any failures with your transmission.

 

[Duminic]

I just had the same thing happen to my 2021 Bronco sport Badlands. I’m at an intersection step on the gas and all of a sudden the car stops moving. Turned it off and back on. Drive and reverse did not work. In Neutral it went forward and that’s how I got it to the side of the road. My mechanic couldn’t work on it. Took it to the dealer and they tell me I need a new transmission for $9,800. The car has 129,00 miles on it. Ford dealer did not help at all. Neither did Ford USA.

 

[sajohnson]

I just had the same thing happen to my 2021 Bronco sport Badlands. I’m at an intersection step on the gas and all of a sudden the car stops moving. Turned it off and back on. Drive and reverse did not work. In Neutral it went forward and that’s how I got it to the side of the road. My mechanic couldn’t work on it. Took it to the dealer and they tell me I need a new transmission for $9,800. The car has 129,00 miles on it. Ford dealer did not help at all. Neither did Ford USA.

I just did a quick search and it looks like used transmissions are going for $1,500 to $2,500+.

Of course a used trans will likely be no better than the OE unit, so that may be false economy.

I didn't see any rebuilt ones, but I didn't do a deep dive. Rebuilt from a company with a good rep may be your best bet.

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

I just had the same thing happen to my 2021 Bronco sport Badlands. I’m at an intersection step on the gas and all of a sudden the car stops moving. Turned it off and back on. Drive and reverse did not work. In Neutral it went forward and that’s how I got it to the side of the road. My mechanic couldn’t work on it. Took it to the dealer and they tell me I need a new transmission for $9,800. The car has 129,00 miles on it. Ford dealer did not help at all. Neither did Ford USA.

That sucks but if You have no Warranty left and You have 129,000 miles on it what do expect the Dealership or Ford USA to do?

 

[Duminic]

It’s obvious that there is a faulty part in the transmissions of the 21 Bronco Sport and that is just being ignored. They offered me no assistance in what to do with an inoperable car except to tell me I may need new breaks as well. Never attempted to engage in a conversation about purchasing a new car. The customer service is horrible and the transmission should last longer then 129000 miles.

 

[Frenchy906]

It’s obvious that there is a faulty part in the transmissions of the 21 Bronco Sport and that is just being ignored. They offered me no assistance in what to do with an inoperable car except to tell me I may need new breaks as well. Never attempted to engage in a conversation about purchasing a new car. The customer service is horrible and the transmission should last longer then 129000 miles.

Well… let’s look at this…

The 8F35 is an eight speed transmission that is rated to handle 260 lb-ft of torque.

Ford uses the same transmission in both the 1.5L and the 2.0L.

The 2.0L in the Badlands puts out ~280lb-ft of torque at 3,000 RPM.

Ford uses a transmission that’s not strong enough for the 2.0L.

What they should have done for the Badlands is use the 8F57 that is used in the Edge ST, which is capable of handling 424lb-ft of torque.

They’re both designed for transverse mounted engines designed to fit front wheel or all wheel drivetrains.

But ford cheaped out on this one, and it’s biting customers in the ass that don’t do proper fluid changes… a lot of people are “flushing” them at 15,000-20,000 mile intervals.

 

[Frenchy906]

Looking more into it, it appears the 8F57 is sizably larger. However, Ford has an 8F40 that handles 300lb-ft… which, is a 15% increase in torque handling.

From everything I’ve read, it’s essentially a more robust version of the 8F35… which makes me wonder what is different between the two, and if the 8F35 can be “built” into the 8F40…

“The 8F40 is a slightly heavier-duty variant used with higher-output engines (like the 2.3L EcoBoost), featuring stronger internals, such as a larger chain in the power transfer unit (PTU) and slightly different planetary gear housing, compared to the 8F35.”

I’m sure the programming would be a nightmare though, to get it all to mesh together… but, a 15% increase would be exceptional for longevity…

 

[Duminic]

I had an opportunity to replace the transmissions for a used one for 4500. I also was offered 4500 for the truck as is. I chose to move on and sell the truck.

 

[Quashish]

It's sad how badass these little cars are but also kind of a throwaway vehicle.

Sponsored