Automatic Transmission Performance Unacceptable!!

I’m having similar issues. It’s not normal. Going to be putting it in the shop next week.

JH24Bronco

Automatic Transmission Performance Unacceptable!!
I first want to say, I am very pleased with all else other than Automatic Transmission Performance.
Skipping Gears.. Not Downshifting to Suitable Gear during turns and especialy when driving up incline.. At times hard downshift 3 2 1.. At times Slow Downshifting.. Torque Converter Not Releasing seems to negatively affect breaking.
JH

Hi there. I’d like to assist with your concern. Could you please send us a DM with your VIN and mileage so I can look into this further?

Polaris425

I’m having similar issues. It’s not normal. Going to be putting it in the shop next week.

Since you have 37” tires, I fully expect the dealer to play games and try to void the tranny warranty..

I hope not so good luck!

raqball

Since you have 37” tires, I fully expect the dealer to play games and try to void the tranny warranty..

I hope not so good luck!

Hopefully not. This dealer commonly builds and sells broncos with 37” tires so hopefully they’ll be understanding. If not I’ll swap w/ someone before taking it in. Lol

Polaris425

Hopefully not. This dealer commonly builds and sells broncos with 37” tires so hopefully they’ll be understanding. If not I’ll swap w/ someone before taking it in. Lol

Sorry for being a negative Nancy, I just don’t have a very high opinion of dealerships ..

raqball

Sorry for being a negative Nancy, I just don’t have a very high opinion of dealerships ..

They work hard for their bad reputation.I told the owner of the local Toyota dealer that the Ford dealer down the street was his best advertising.

Ford Motor Company

Hi there. I’d like to assist with your concern. Could you please send us a DM with your VIN and mileage so I can look into this further?

Hello! Please Help!
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JH

JH24Bronco

Hello! Please Help!
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JH

Hi there! We do recommend deleting any private information shared publicly. Just shoot us a PM with your VIN and mileage and I will assist you from there. To send a private message, just click/hover on our username and select "Message". Thank you!

I'm curious, which engine do you have in your Bronco? Also, how's it geared? Was it a Sasquatch before you added the 37" tires? The reason I ask is that some of that can be explained by a mismatch between tire size and gearing and engine. So, unless you have the 4.70 gears your Bronco with 37's it's probably going to hunt more, downshift more often, and you’ll be in 9th or 8th at 70 mph. Here's the formula for calculating gearing based on old and new tire size:

New ratio = (New Tire Diameter x Old Ratio) / Old Tire Diameter

Realistically speaking if you don't have 4.70 gears already, you will probably want to re-gear something like this:

4.88 → Slightly taller than stock feel on 37s (OK for light build, mostly highway use)
5.13 → Slightly shorter than stock feel (better for heavier rigs, towing, or steep trail work)
5.29 → Great for heavy overland builds and rock crawling, but revvier on the highway


If, on the other hand, you do have the 4.70 gears currently, it will drive, but it’ll feel taller and downshift more often. Having that 2.7, especially with a performance tune will help. If you want SAS-like drivability back (and to reduce gear hunting), yes—re-gear to 4.88 or 5.13 based on your weight/use.

V6 and Badlands Sasquatch.

Polaris425

V6 and Badlands Sasquatch.

In that case, if she's a pavement princess, you don't have to re-gear, but expect a little hunting on the part of the transmission. If you want to get back to "normal" SAS drivability, then I would look at my options below:





Powerband fit: The 2.7L’s low‑rpm torque pairs well with 5.13s on 37s, keeping you in the sweet spot without constant kickdowns.
Net effect: smoother cruising and stronger tip‑in with bigger tires.

Shift logic: The 10‑speed has plenty of ratios; deeper axles let it use 9th/10th more often and lock the converter earlier.
Net effect: less gear hunting on long grades and with headwinds.

Crawl and control: Every step deeper multiplies first‑gear torque at the tire.
Net effect: 5.13 gives you ~5% more wheel torque than 4.88 and ~9% over 4.70 in the same transmission gear.

Which should you choose?

Daily highway, light build (no bumper/winch, no roof rack, no armor):
4.88 — balanced, quiet cruising, enough grunt to make 37s feel right.

Mixed use with added weight or frequent grades (e.g., mountain passes like the Grapevine), mild towing, sand/rock trails:
5.13 — keeps the 2.7L in boost with fewer downshifts; best low‑speed control.

Heavily built overland rigs (armor, tent, drawers, 500+ lb added):
5.13 — you’ll appreciate the reserve torque everywhere.

Direct answer: with the 2.7L/10‑speed on 37s, 5.13 is the “feels factory” choice if you’ve added weight or see hills; 4.88 if you prioritize the lowest possible highway rpm on a lighter truck.

I don’t feel that there’s a need to regear. It handles fine even with the 37’s

I agree gearing and tire size a must to be considered if optimal performance is desired. For me, 4.46 Gearing and 33 Inch Tires and a great set up for many reasons.

Regardless of gear and tire size, Ford 10 Speed Transmissions are root of negatively affecting optimal performace considering my original noted...

Skipping Gears.. Not Downshifting to Suitable Gear during turns and especialy when driving up incline.. At times hard downshift 3 2 1.. At times Slow Downshifting.. Torque Converter Not Releasing seems to negatively affect breaking.
JH

The root.. only reason I sold my 2023 F150 was due to related transmission issues where Ford dealer.. Hub City Ford and I parted ways after General Manager final email to me noted below part of a lengthy email chain...

Per Hub City Ford General Manager TC...
This is issue is between Ford Motor Company and you at this point. We have done all we can do to fix the problem. We will continue to fix anything that we can fix but I don’t think Hub City Ford can resolve this problem.

Your next step is to file suit against Ford for product liability. They can send an engineer but I can’t see them giving you any different answer than we have.

The only thing left for me is to trade you into something else but I don’t think you are happy with our numbers. In the end, I know you had great success with Toyota. Unfortunately, you may need to trade this truck in on one of their products.

Specific to my Bronco, there is no reason for a vehicle designed and intended for off road use should skip gears and not downshift to suable gear.

I will say again, Bronco is a great vehicle other than not so good performance do to a widespread 10 Speed Transmission problem.

At this point, I keep hoping like many others, Ford will make a fix for the 10 Speed Tranmission as I would surely by another F150 or F250 and eventually another Bronco rather than go back to my roots and love of Toyota Products.

JH

JH24Bronco

I agree gearing and tire size a must to be considered if optimal performance is desired. For me, 4.46 Gearing and 33 Inch Tires and a great set up for many reasons.

Regardless of gear and tire size, Ford 10 Speed Transmissions are root of negatively affecting optimal performace considering my original noted...

Skipping Gears.. Not Downshifting to Suitable Gear during turns and especialy when driving up incline.. At times hard downshift 3 2 1.. At times Slow Downshifting.. Torque Converter Not Releasing seems to negatively affect breaking.
JH

The root.. only reason I sold my 2023 F150 was due to related transmission issues where Ford dealer.. Hub City Ford and I parted ways after General Manager final email to me noted below part of a lengthy email chain...

Per Hub City Ford General Manager TC...
This is issue is between Ford Motor Company and you at this point. We have done all we can do to fix the problem. We will continue to fix anything that we can fix but I don’t think Hub City Ford can resolve this problem.

Your next step is to file suit against Ford for product liability. They can send an engineer but I can’t see them giving you any different answer than we have.

The only thing left for me is to trade you into something else but I don’t think you are happy with our numbers. In the end, I know you had great success with Toyota. Unfortunately, you may need to trade this truck in on one of their products.

Specific to my Bronco, there is no reason for a vehicle designed and intended for off road use should skip gears and not downshift to suable gear.

I will say again, Bronco is a great vehicle other than not so good performance do to a widespread 10 Speed Transmission problem.

At this point, I keep hoping like many others, Ford will make a fix for the 10 Speed Tranmission as I would surely by another F150 or F250 and eventually another Bronco rather than go back to my roots and love of Toyota Products.

JH

I have the 10 speed automatic, and know a lot of people who do as well. None of us have experienced the issues your reporting. But that’s all just word of mouth. You might legitimately have an issue with your transmission. I’m wondering if Ford has any TSBs on the transmission? The only way to know for sure is put the stock SAS 35s back on and see if/how it changes. If it doesn’t, it’s a problem with the transmission. If it does…