2018 Freightliner getting new transmission

[steverkemp]

After 10K miles my transmission finally died. It has become progressively worse over time. Two weekends ago I broke down in LA on my way to Salt Lake. I was able to nurse it home by resetting the transmission and shifting manually. Dealer says that the transmission cooler that Freightliner uses failed and as a result coolant started leaking into my transmission fluid. Thus the reason for all the slippage.

I think the trans could be rebuilt but the shop wants to replace it because it’s practically new. All of it will be covered under warranty.

Anyone had a transmission replaced in an M2? Anything to watch out for?

[DR Quest]

You would get a better warranty on a rebuild rather then rebuilding yours, and the price would be about the same.

[The Renegade]

Tough luck Steve. Good time of year to have it go out though so they can get you fixed up for the spring.

[bclemens]

Well, in 3 years of being here I have not heard of a single one. Now 2 in one month.

Same exact issue, his didn't even make 2,000 miles. He was 700 miles into his first trip (1800 to the dealer). So very rare, but like anything, they probably had a guy that was new or something.

[FOURWHL]

Wow tough luck indeed. Glad they’re takin care of ya and yeah it’s not the worst time of year at least

[joet19711]

Hope all goes well Steve, lets us know after new is installed

[Wolverine 1945]

10K miles,,, and you need a new trans !!!
That sucks !!! But it should be replace !!!
I would think the trans in that unit should be good for several 100K miles !!!

[madsledet]

Met some people in Alaska a couple years ago with a Sprinter 2500. Bad tran. Had to ship new one from Germany. Installed and discovered wiring to tran was ruined. Shipped new wiring from Germany. Needed some reprogramming. Had to tow it 200 miles to Anchorage to be reprogrammed. Vehicle was in Soldatna over a year. But at least they got to fish!!. They were from Newport, Oregon.

[Randy-2198]

Nissan had a similar issue in the Frontier pickup truck. For 2-3 years they used an inferior connection where the trans fluid was being cooled in the radiator. Tranny fluid and coolant got intermixed. They extended the 36k mile warranty to something like 75-85k, but after that you were on your own.

While not the best solution for cold climates, the dealer installed a separate transmission cooler and totally bypassed the coolant radiator. No chance of mixing fluids. The BB's were full of horror stories. I sold my Nissan and bought a GMC a year later so I cannot say if anything further happened.

[bclemens]

I remember the Ford having an issue a while back. They changed over to the Torqshift transmission that was on the diesel, to the gas E450, or some version of it at least. One single part was not getting machine right and the industry got a HUGE batch. At least then, the transmission blew before it ever even got to the dealer. Driving to the west coast, you would see 10-20 motorhomes parked at Ford dealers everywhere.

[steverkemp]

Originally Posted by bclemens

Well, in 3 years of being here I have not heard of a single one. Now 2 in one month.

Same exact issue, his didn't even make 2,000 miles. He was 700 miles into his first trip (1800 to the dealer). So very rare, but like anything, they probably had a guy that was new or something.

Thanks for the added perspective Brian. Happy thanksgiving. [emoji884][emoji260][emoji899]

[steverkemp]

I have been meaning to follow up on this to let everyone know how my transmission replacement went. Since my Allison shop is different than my Freightliner and Cummins shop it took a little back and forth between the two on warranty. The transmission cooler is apparently a Freightliner product and since it was the reason the transmission itself failed it took a bit to sort out the paperwork. Overall, everything went great. The new transmission was a very easy install. There was no out of pocket expense so I am one happy camper.

When I picked up the coach I noticed it was surrounded by class A’s and bus conversions. The tech commented on how happy he was that mine was an M2 because of how easy it is to work on. He then congratulated me on my decision to buy a truck rather than a bus. He went on for 15 minutes about how hard they are to work on and especially hard to find parts on, that’s why so many are sitting there waiting to be serviced.

[joet19711]

Glad that your service went well. My Freightliner service center tells me the same thing about how easy it is to service the M2

[mookieblaylock]

I know you’re relieved to have that behind you...happy it all worked out well!