2003 Ford F-150 Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-150. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND THE ENGINE REVVED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MATHEWS FORD NEWARK (500 HEBRON RD, NEWARK, OH 43056, (740) 522-2181) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY UNIT FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED FIVE TIMES. AFTER EACH FAILURE, THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY UNIT WAS REPLACED BY THE SAME DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,950. *JS *JS

NHTSA ID

11089053

Incident

Apr 4, 2010

Mileage

31,950 mi

SIMILAR TO OTHER COMPLAINT, I DISCOVERED THAT MY 4 WHEEL DRIVE WAS NOT ENGAGING WHEN I TURN IT ON USING THE SWITCH ON THE DASH. MY INDEPENDENT EXCELLENT MECHANIC (I WOULD NEVER USE THE FORD DEALER HERE) FOUND THAT A WIRE ON THE TRANSMISSION CASE HAD BEEN SIMPLY DISCONNECTED. HE RECONNECTED IT - NO CHARGE. WORKS FINE. P.S. I TEST THE OPERATION EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS NOW TO MAKE SURE IT IS WORKING JUST IN CASE I NEED IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10258848

Incident

Jan 21, 2009

Mileage

659,344 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F150. IN AN ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE FAILED TO ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE SHIFT FORK FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,661 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,650.

NHTSA ID

10219183

Incident

Feb 25, 2008

Mileage

55,650 mi

WHILE DRIVING I BEGAN TO DOWNSHIFT BUT WAS UNABLE. THE STICK WAS REAL LOOSE AND I COULD NOT FIND THE GEARS. THE ANALOGY (IT WAS LIKE A BROKEN ARM IT JUST WOBBLED) THIS WAS SCARY NOT KNOWING HOW TO GET MY TRUCK (FORD EXPLORER,SPORT TRAC) IN GEAR. I MANIPULATED THE SHIFT AND FINALLY GOT IT TO FIRST AND PARKED IT. THE SHIFT HAD TO BE MOVED WAY RIGHT OR WAY LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS PROCESS OF GEAR CHANGING. GUESSING WHAT GEAR YOUR IN IS NOT WHAT I WANT WHILE DRIVING. TOOK IT TO THE PATTCHETTS FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENT. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE BOLTS THAT HELD THE SHIFT IN PLACE HAD WORKED THERE WAY LOOSE AND THAT ."IT WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE"RONNIE, SERVICE MANAGER STATED. RONNIE STATED THAT WAS ALSO COMMON FOR THE SHORT STICK MUSTANGS. THIS IS REAL UNSAFE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS THIS OCCURRENCE HAPPEN TO THEM. *NM

NHTSA ID

10175458

Incident

Dec 4, 2006

Mileage

60,804 mi

WITH ONLY 23000 MILES ON MY 2003 F150 SUPERCREW 4X4, MY TRANSMISSION HAD WHAT THEY CALLED AN "INTERNAL FAILURE"... TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT. *NM

NHTSA ID

10135030

Incident

Jul 21, 2005

Mileage

23,000 mi

ON AN AVERAGE OF ONCE A MONTH, THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT COME OUT OF PARK AND THE TRUCK HAS TO BE PUSHED FROM THE FRONT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE TO GET THE TRANSMISSION TO RELEASE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10130386

Incident

Jul 16, 2005

TRANSMISSION LINE CRACKED ON MY 2003 FORD 150 SUPER CREW. TRASMISSSION BEGAN TO SHIFT ERRATICALLY LEADING TO TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT AROUND 36,000 MILES.*AK

NHTSA ID

10114434

Incident

Nov 29, 2004

Mileage

36,000 mi

I HAVE A 2003 FORD F150 PICKUP, V6, 5-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. MY WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 36,000 MILES AND MY CLUTCH SLAVE CYLINDER FAILED AT 37,000 MILES. AFTER CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP AND TELLING THEM ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND ASKING THEM IF THEY WOULD COVER THE PART SINCE IT HAD FAILED PREMATURELY, AND THEY ANSWERED "NO". I TOOK IT TO A PRIVATE SHOP AND HAD THE SLAVE CYLINDER REPLACED. THE DAY AFTER I GOT IT BACK I PERIODICALLY HEARD STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. I TOOK IT BACK INTO THE SHOP THAT REPLACED MY SLAVE CYLINDER. UPON OBSERVATION THEY FOUND NOTHING. AFTER DRIVING IT FOR TWO MORE DAYS THE PROBLEM WAS EXTREMELY EVIDENT BY THE NOISES THAT WERE CONSTANT WHENEVER I SHIFTED AS WELL AS IN NEUTRAL. I TOOK IT TO A REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION SHOP AND TOLD THE SHOP THAT I WANTED TO BE THERE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WAS OPENED UP. I WAS PRESENT WHEN THEY OPENED UP THE TRANSMISSION. AS THEY PULLED THE TRANSMISSION APART, THEY FOUND MANGLED THIN METAL DEBRIS, SOME PIECES AS LARGE AS MY THUMBNAIL. AFTER TAKING THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION APART AND INSPECTING ALL BEARINGS AND ALL OTHER PARTS, THEY FOUND THAT THE PIECES WERE A FOREIGN MATERIAL TO THE TRANSMISSION. THEY DID NOT COME FROM ANY PART OF THE TRANSMISSION. ONE OF THESE PIECES FOUND ITS WAY BETWEEN THE GEARS ON THE COUNTER SHAFT AND BROKE ONE OF THE TEETH, EXPLAINING THE NOISE. SO, IN SHORT, WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVING THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT AT A COST OF $1800.00 ON A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 37,000 MILES ON IT. *NM

NHTSA ID

10112167

Incident

Feb 21, 2005

Mileage

37,700 mi

PURCHASED THE 2003 F-150USED FROM HERTZ RENTAL AT 22,00O MILES. WITHIN 2000 MILES, A GRATING SOUND BEGAN TO OCCUR PERIODICALLY. BASICALLY, AFTER YOU ARE AT A STOP OR COMPLETE A TURN, THE TRUCK WILL MAKE THIS GRINDING SOUND AS YOU ACCELERATE. IT LASTS FOR A SECOND OR SO AND SOUNDS AND FEELS LIKE YOU RAN OVER A CATTLE GUARD. IT DOES IT SOMETIMES AND NOT OTHERS. ALSO, THE TRUCK WILL SOMETIMES DROP ITS IDLE TO 100 WHILE STOPPED AND ALMOST DIE. ALSO THE AIR CONDITIONING MAKES A LOUD GROANING TYPE WHILE WHEN YOU FIRST TURN IT ON. YOU HAVE TO TURN THE TRUCK OFF AND BACK ON TO MAKE IT STOP. IVE HAD THE VEHICLE 3 MONTHS AND ITS BEEN IN THE SHOP 8 TIMES. EACH TIME THEY TELL ME THEY CANT FIND A PROBLEM. I DONT BELEIVE THIS CONSIDERING THERES MANY OTHERS ON HERE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. IVE CALLED CUSTOMER ASSITANCE AND THEY JUST SAY GO TO THE DEALER. ITS GOT 30,000 MILES ON IT. MY WARRANTY TIME IS RUNNING OUT. I CANT SELL IT BECAUSE ID HAVE TO TAKE A LOSS ON IT. FORD HAS HUNG ME OUT TO DRY. PLEASE PLEASE HELP. MY WIFE AND I CANNOT AFFORD THIS KIND OF FINANCIAL HIT. I DONT EXPECT A NEW TRUCK, I JUST WANT MY TRUCK FIXED SO I CAN TRUST IT.*AK

NHTSA ID

10074842

Incident

Feb 24, 2003

Mileage

24,000 mi

WHILE PARKED VEHICLE CAME OUT OF GEAR AND ROLLED DOWN THE HILL INTO A DITCH. *AK

NHTSA ID

10071845

Incident

Apr 28, 2004

Mileage

40,000 mi

WHEN MAKING SLOW TURNS IN MY 2003 FORD F-150 SUPERCREW (ONLY 42,000 MILES ON THE TRUCK), THE TRUCK HAS A VIBRATION. WENT TO A FORD SERVICE TECHNICIAN, AND THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, THEY SUGGESTED TO RE-PACK THE CLUTCH PACKS, WHICH WAS DONE. VIBRATION STILL OCCURING 1 WEEK LATER. ACCORDING TO OTHER'S WHO ALSO OWN FORD VEHICLES, THIS SEEMS TO BE A HUGE PROBLEM THAT FORD STATES IS NORMAL WEAR AND STATING ITS A PROBLEM WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH. *AK

NHTSA ID

10062543

Incident

Feb 21, 2004

Mileage

40,000 mi

1 BOUGHT A 2003 F150 EXTENDED CAB. THE TRANSMISSION IS ALWAYS LOUD, SLUGGISH WHEN IT DOES SHIFT AND SLIPS ALL TOGETHER. *LA

NHTSA ID

10051104

Incident

Dec 25, 2003

WITHIN A FEW THOUSAND MILES OF PURCHASE, WE BEGAN NOTICING A SPORADIC GRATING NOISE FROM THE REAR END. MORE DISTUBING IS THE HARD SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS THAT IS ALSO SPORADIC. THE SHIFTING PROBLEM HAPPENS ON LONG TRIPS OF 150 MILES OR MORE. IT WILL USUALLY HAPPEN ABOUT ONCE A DAY BUT OF COURSE WE NEVER KNOW WHEN. THE GRATING NOISE IS LESS FREQUENT AND CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME. OUR VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR A FOURTH VISIT FOR THESE PROBLEMS. FORD HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPLICATE THE GRATING AND HARD SHIFTING WHICH MAKES SENSE BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE ARE STUCK WITH A VEHICLE THAT HAS NOT PROVIDED NEW TRUCK PERFORMANCE. SINCE THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME MORE FREQUENT, IT WILL PROBABLY LEAD TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE ONCE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE CONSIDERED SELLING IT BUT THAT WOULD BE UNETHICAL SINCE THE NEXT PERSON WOULD EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEMS. FORD NEEDS TO STEP UP AND REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THERE IS ONE OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINT IN THE DATA BASE. *LA

NHTSA ID

10050849

Incident

Jun 5, 2003

Mileage

2,000 mi

HAVING A PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION SLIPPING OR NOT CHANGING GEAR CORRECTLY. PLUS A NOISE OR VIBRATION GRINDING. DURING THIS TIME AS WELL. VERY UPSET. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP BUT THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WHILE THERE. FORD SAID THEY WILL NOT FIX UNTIL DUPLICATED. I AM VERY UPSET HAVE TAKEN TO DEALER FOUR TIMES. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10049114

Incident

Oct 1, 2003

Mileage

9,000 mi

INTERMITTENTLY THE SHIFT INDICATOR WON'T ENGAGE FROM PARK TO DRIVE. DEALER INSPECTED SEVERAL TIMES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10041886

Incident

Sep 29, 2003

I HAVE MANY PROBLEMS WITH MY 2003 FORD F150 FROM ENGINE NOISES TO TRANSMISSION LEAKING AND SLIPPING. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN TWICE NOW AND NOBODY AT FORDS OR THEIR ENGINEERS SEEM TO KNOW WHAT IS WRONG. FORDS DOES NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IF SOMEONE COULD LOOK INTO THIS MATTER BECAUSE NO ONE SHOULD HAVE THIS MANY PROBLEMS WITH A BRAND NEW $30,000 VEHICLE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10037154

Incident

Sep 2, 2003

Mileage

3,000 mi