How Can This Even Happen?

[nomad297]

This is not RV related.

First, a little history: in 2014 I bought a used 2013 Ford E-250 van with 8,000 miles on it for use with my business. It now has 27,000 miles on it and the transmission just died.

I had it towed to a transmission shop to get the transmission repaired or replaced and was very surprised when the shop called my wife and told her that it had the wrong transmission in it. They said the transmission installed by Ford at the factory is for a Ford F-150 and not an E-250. The shop called Ford and Ford admitted to the shop that they were aware of the problem and that several 2013 E-250 vans have this problem. They said they have a large stock of the correct transmission in anticipation of the problems coming their way. Ford said they would replace the transmission at no cost, so off to the Ford dealer my van went. It will be there for a couple of weeks waiting for delivery and installation of the correct transmission.

There are no recalls or service bulletins regarding this problem and if not for an honest transmission shop, I would be out some big bucks. I am already out several hundred dollars for towing, diagnostics and van rental, which Ford will not cover, but at least I don't have to pay for a new transmission and its installation.

How is this possible? Would an F-150 transmission really bolt right onto an E-250 engine (not sure which engine it is)? Why wouldn't there be a recall or service bulletin? Before it went to the transmission shop, my regular mechanic called Ford with the VIN and asked if there were any known problems and Ford said there weren't. Why would Ford not make their customers aware of this? Why did it take a savvy transmission tech to call out Ford on this?

Bruce

[lbrjet]

If you have the wrong tranny you probably have the wrong driveshaft and rear axle as well. Assuming everything you say is true, Ford is simply being dishonest with it's customers.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[alsdas88]

This is not to bash Ford in any way, but as we consumers generally trust our manufacturers to be honest and deliver us a good product, we have been cheated many times. The manufacturers "role the dice" and hope they will not have to pay the piper for a fault they create. It puts money in their pockets.
My brother had a Ford F-150 truck that was one of many that had the wrong AC system installed. Ford played dumb during many warranty issues for that system. My brother, being a stubborn person, filed a lemon law suit. It is only then that ford sent a factory engineer to his dealer to fix the problem. He got the correct AC system installed for free and had no further issues. When talking to the engineer (brother is a police officer), the engineer admitted Ford knew about the problem from the factory, and that his truck was supposed to be sent to a dealer in the northern states, not the Arizona market. He bought his truck brand new in Arizona, so Ford's initial "Fix" to hide the truck in a cooler northern state, backfired big time.
More than likely, you use your truck/van as it was intended with the heavier loads that a 3/4 ton unit experiences, Ford bet that van would be used in "lighter" roles and rolled the dice. They lost.
More than likely, they ran out of the correct transmission on assembly day and rather than shut down the line, they resorted to installing what parts they had available to keep the lines rolling.

[Tfort]

They may not have known about the problem at that time. As for recalling them, it is not a safety issue so they are not required to recall it. If the issue is not widespread enough for a full blown recall they may just be handling them on a case by case basis or have not put the recall or campaign together as of yet. The engine in the f150 is the same as the E250 if it is a 4.6 or 5.4. There is no difference. As far as the axle goes if it is an 8 lug it is the correct axle.


2000 F250 CC 4x4 7.3L diesel

15 Salem Hemisphere Lite356QB

[Hersbird]

Ford vans are completely different then the pickups. Meaning a 150 to 250 on the van is a minor changes compared to how different a f150 is to a F250. What motor do you have? There are 2 possible transmissions available on the 5.4 and I don't think 150 or 250 is the difference. I don't know about this particular van but in the past most makers would offer a "heavy duty" transmission as an option or include it with certain packages. Not always was it part of a payload package which is more what the E250 is compared to the E150.

Was your old transmission a 4 or a 5 speed? For comparison the F250 truck only had a 6 speed possible in 2013.

[modemem]

Originally Posted by nomad297

This is not RV related.

First, a little history: in 2014 I bought a used 2013 Ford E-250 van with 8,000 miles on it for use with my business. It now has 27,000 miles on it and the transmission just died.

I had it towed to a transmission shop to get the transmission repaired or replaced and was very surprised when the shop called my wife and told her that it had the wrong transmission in it. They said the transmission installed by Ford at the factory is for a Ford F-150 and not an E-250. The shop called Ford and Ford admitted to the shop that they were aware of the problem and that several 2013 E-250 vans have this problem. They said they have a large stock of the correct transmission in anticipation of the problems coming their way. Ford said they would replace the transmission at no cost, so off to the Ford dealer my van went. It will be there for a couple of weeks waiting for delivery and installation of the correct transmission.

There are no recalls or service bulletins regarding this problem and if not for an honest transmission shop, I would be out some big bucks. I am already out several hundred dollars for towing, diagnostics and van rental, which Ford will not cover, but at least I don't have to pay for a new transmission and its installation.

How is this possible? Would an F-150 transmission really bolt right onto an E-250 engine (not sure which engine it is)? Why wouldn't there be a recall or service bulletin? Before it went to the transmission shop, my regular mechanic called Ford with the VIN and asked if there were any known problems and Ford said there weren't. Why would Ford not make their customers aware of this? Why did it take a savvy transmission tech to call out Ford on this?

Bruce

Hello Bruce, I worked for General Motors 18 years on the assembly line and 21 years at Toyota as a maintenance repairman and supervisor. All I can say is stuff happens. Some times the stuff is accidental and sometimes it is fraud. Good Luck.

[tort1305]

Ford should be sued for this. They admit to knowing they have this problem, yet failed to issue a recall. Just another reason why I will NEVER purchase a Ford product.

[glfillion]

These issues are across the board, not just Ford. A year and half ago, on the way home from a ski trip in Vermont, my Chevy 1500 ZR1 died on the highway 14 times! It would go into engine default, run but no acceleration. Had to shut it off, pull key out, open door and then re-start truck. sometimes in ran for a few miles while other times it would run for just a few blocks. Barely made it home. When it was towed to the dealership and in the shop. I found out that there was a silent recall on an accelerator control valve that they would replace no charge but only if you had a problem with it, no blanket recall! I asked them how they were going to compensate me for the anxiety and frustration I experienced on the highway in the middle of winter and the service writer just smiled! So now, whenever I experience a problem with my vehicles, I push to find out if there is any kind of recall.

Backpacker

[Paulie1138]

Tort, I have to chime in. I have worked in the automotive industry for many years before moving away from Michigan. Ford is not the only auto manufacturer that has done that sort of thing, EVERY ONE OF THEM HAS. GM was probably the worst offender of the batch. Nissan and Toyota has had their share as well. While we are at it, let's include every Camper manufacturer.

So, based upon your statement about suing Ford, or never driving one because of the poster's problem, What will you do for transportation?

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by tort1305

Ford should be sued for this. They admit to knowing they have this problem, yet failed to issue a recall. Just another reason why I will NEVER purchase a Ford product.

Sued ah the american way. Maybe not everyone associated with Ford knew about this. How many vans are still running just fine with this transmission? I googled this issue and found no articles.

[SailorSam20500]

Recognize that the assembly line putting the vehicles together are computer driven - and computers NEVER make a mistake - .

A possible cause of the problem is that the tranny got swapped at some point in the supply chain during shipment. The tranny's are NOT manufactured on-site where final assembly occurs.

Sorry to hear that the OP is out $ for towing and other expenses. It is possible that being persistent while remaining civil while contacting Ford Customer Service might get some level of compensation. Keep pushing, the area managers DO want to maintain good relations with customers. Spreading sugar is more likely to get desired results than spaying acid.

Not buying products from a manufacturer who makes mistakes during manufacturing would mean NONE of us would buy RV's. I mean the number of posts on this forum about problems is what - 50%???

[Dodge Guy]

The difference between a 150 and 250 trans are internal, physically/dimensionally they are the same. some differences would be less friction clutches and smaller bearings in the 150 version.

It happens and Ford is taking care of it. so that is good.

[tort1305]

Seriously? Based on the original comment, Ford DID know about this issue and did NOT notify the customers who purchased this faulty product. THAT should be criminal. Any and EVERY manufacturer should issue a notification to those who purchased the product about a common issue (like the WRONG transmission installed BY THE MANUFACTURER!!!

[wmtire]

Please read this following thread post, and keep this FORD thread out of the waters outlined in it.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post665355

[Hersbird]

I still don't see any such thing as a e150 vs e250 transmission in 2013. They are the same, there used to be internal differences in transmissionsome but now those will give it a different number. Technically the E150 has a higher tow rating that year then the same motored E250, the engines and transmissions are the same. I wonder if the service manager just misspoke or was saying something different then what you heard. Something like "Ford should have never used that transmission in the 250, it is a 150 transmission." That is his opinion not some major conspiracy. Like I said the F250 truck gets a completely different truely heavy duty 6 speed transmission.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I still don't see any such thing as a e150 vs e250 transmission in 2013. They are the same, there used to be internal differences in transmissionsome but now those will give it a different number. Technically the E150 has a higher tow rating that year then the same motored E250, the engines and transmissions are the same. I wonder if the service manager just misspoke or was saying something different then what you heard. Something like "Ford should have never used that transmission in the 250, it is a 150 transmission." That is his opinion not some major conspiracy. Like I said the F250 truck gets a completely different truely heavy duty 6 speed transmission.

It was Ford who stated this E-250 VAN has the wrong transmission in it. It was Ford who stated the installed transmission was designed for an F-150 PICKUP, not an E-250 VAN. Now, I'm a plumber, not an auto mechanic, and I don't know what the difference between an E-250 VAN and F-150 PICKUP transmission is, but it sure sounds to me like Ford admitted that they did something wrong and that there must be a difference between the two transmissions. Why else would they be changing it out for me at no cost? Why would Ford tell the transmission shop they are aware of this problem and have available stock of replacement transmissions just for this issue?

Bruce

[mike.t]

Thanks Hersbird. I can not (again) find anything on the internet that tells of the OPs alledged issue.

[KyDan]

I could have been honest mistake or it could have been "hey we're out of the
250 tranny's so it's either $hut down the A$$embly line or sub in a few 150s
while we wait for the next load of 250s to arrive".

I also worked nearly 40 years in an appliance factory and I'll tell you if
they ran out of something and something else would work they used it.
Shutting down an assembly line is always very close to the bottom of
the list.
Sometimes the substitution was actually a better part! Maybe there's F150 vans
out there with 250 trannys!

As others have said- they're replacing the tranny. How many others will
drive their van's with no problem? Others still will have trouble and pay
the man for an overhaul....
All we can do is try to make the best choice for ourselves. Follow consumer reports and others who track customer satisfaction and reliability and try to make informed purchases.

Good Luck!

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by mike.t

Thanks Hersbird. I can not (again) find anything on the internet that tells of the OPs alledged issue.

This is not an "alledged" (sic) issue. This is an issue confirmed by Ford. Just because you can't find information about it on the internet doesn't mean that it isn't fact.

Bruce

[rockfordroo]

It may also be possible that, if the tranny's got mixed up somehow (right part number, but wrong tranny), they don't know WHICH vans the bad trannys got put into, and hence, can NOT notifiy owners; they can only wait until a failure shows up.