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Shifting

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61K views 53 replies 27 participants last post by  Misssawyer123  
#1 ·
When shifting from 2nd to 3rd in the 25-35 MPH range there is a noticeable hiccup & sometimes accompanied by a hoot. Ford says under investigation. Have a 2.3 AWD with 7K miles. Not earth shattering but annoying.


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#2 ·
Have not experienced the "hoot" but have experienced the hiccup. Took my MKC to the dealer this week (first service appointment) and mentioned this issue. Left it for the day; after driving the vehicle, both the technician and the service manager confirmed what I had reported.

They informed me there is a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) out on this; it focuses, I believe, on replacing or modifying the torque converter in the transmission. They are ordering the applicable parts and will call me to bring the car back in to have this work done (they were hoping this would be next week).

Don't know the TSB number, but if/when I get it I'll post it back here on the forum.
 
#3 ·
RocMkc, any update on this TSB? My dealer says there is nothing available.

I often get this hiccup, and particularly it occurs when I press the S mode from D. It also often redlines when shifting to S from D, and I either need to take my foot off the gas or shift back to D in order to shift gears, or clear to "stuck" gear.

I complained about this to the dealer and their response was that "you're never supposed to switch from D to S when driving", Really? So I'm supposed to stop, switch to S, then continue driving? That is absurd. No way this is the case.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with this issue? Much appreciated.
 
#4 ·
This car is so capable, but the transmission programming is so disappointing. Like there is a serious disconnect between when the engine is doing and what the transmission is putting out. Shifting your self helps but I seriously forget I can at times. A 6 speed is not bad thing but gosh program it right.
 
#5 ·
Works fine, couldn't be any better. No reason not to shift from D to S at any speed or S to D. Nothing to the contrary in Manual either.

Transmission
Owners Manual page 173.
Sport (S)
Putting the vehicle in sport (S):
Provides additional engine braking and extends lower gear operation to enhance performance for uphill climbs, hilly terrain or mountainous areas. This will increase engine RPM during braking.
Provides additional lower gear operation through the automatic transmission shift strategy.
Provides gear selection more quickly and at higher engine speeds.
SelectShift Automatic Transmission:
Your SelectShift Automatic Transmission gives you the ability to change gears manually.
Paddle Shifters
With your vehicle in drive (D), the paddle shifters provide temporary manual control. They allow you the ability to shift gears quickly, without taking your hands off the steering wheel.
You can achieve extensive manual control by pressing the sport (S) button.
Page 175.
Automatic Transmission Adaptive Learning:
This feature increases durability and provides consistent shift feel over the life of your vehicle. A new vehicle or transmission may have firm or soft shifts. This operation will not affect function or durability of your transmission and is normal. Over time, the adaptive learning process will fully update transmission operation. Additionally, the strategy must be relearned whenever the battery is disconnected or a new battery is installed.
 
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#9 ·
I got mine back last thursday. It did take 3 days. They replaced the torque converter and reset the adaptive learning on the transmission. They told me to expect some delayed shifting as the transmission "learned" my driving habits.

The experience over the weekend was so bad I had wished they could put it back. It was like the car was possessed. It would shift in and out of gear and the rpm gauge was all over the place.

On Monday I took it back in and after 2 days the dealer told me they were going to be honest with me and admit the issue was caused by them. It was almost like they thought it was caused by me.

Apparently they did not warm the vehicle up completely therefore causing the transmission to be short 1/2 a litre of transmission fluid. They also did not take it out on the road to "re-teach" the transmission.

This time they put in the proper amount of transmission fluid, warmed the vehicle up, reset the adaptive learning on the transmission and took it out on the road.

When I picked it up they told me how I would be receiving 2 surveys from lincoln and if I could not answer them as 100% happy I should contact the dealer before finishing the survey. I said obviously I would not be answering the first survey (from the initial service) positively they told me that they would hope I would answer it positively as in the end they did fix the problem.

Sometimes I just don't get the way dealers think.

So far so good with the 2nd try at fixing the shifting. I guess time will tell.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for all the great info. My car was in for service 2 weeks ago, they did they TSB on the shifter, but did not address either TSB for the transmission/torque converter or the heated seats, both of which I complained about.
So, back it goes :(

Hoping this might also fix the horrible gas consumption I'm experiencing. They said they would do a system flush at the same time. I never get more than 220 miles to a full tank, usually less, with the 2,3L engine, driving without a load, at 60% highway, 40% city. They told me it was normal! NOT.

Odd for the heated seats, they said they need to see my car first to open my seats to see what kind of foam they need to order. That sounds so weird, they should know!

I'll let you know what happens when I finally get these TSB's performed on my vehicle. They should have addressed these after already having my car there for 2 days, wonder how I should complete the survey I get!
 
#11 ·
Dealer response, "you're never supposed to switch from D to S when driving"

Hilarious. I have heard that kind of excuse from every kind of repair person, regardless of product.... "As long as you don't actually use it, it will be fine." The best one was never to adjust the a/c thermostat.... full cool or off... otherwise the system would break.

Anyway, I go between D and S several times every time I drive. D on the straights, S on the turns or when I want more passing response. I often use the slush box like a slow shift manual, just like I did with my Ford Edge... no problems.
 
#12 ·
So car went back to the dealer this week, originally they told me they would need it for 2 or 3 days, and arranged a loaner.

When I got there, they said they need to test and evaluate everything again first to see if I'm eligible to receive these TSB's, only once this is determined, if required, they will order the parts, and I will have to come back yet again, for the third time to perform the work.

So sure enough, after the car was in for the day, they did confirm both the Torque Converter and Heated seats had issues, parts were ordered and they would call me when they receive them to schedule a 2-3 day service. Ugh. Never ending!
 
#15 ·
Similar experience here. Got my MKC back last week after they applied the transmission TSB fix --- it's shifting much better now and I seem to be getting a little better gas mileage, too.

Just wish they had agreed to implement the TSB for the heated seats, too :crying. (See my other post)
 
#16 ·
Kevin, shirt or Roc:

Could one of you tell the TSB number for the torque converter clutch issue? I don't use sport mode that often, but when I do, I can red line in either 1 or 2nd gear! I then can use the paddle shifters to change gears, but it should be automatic. You 3 seem to have had a positive outcome.
 
#18 ·
My car has been at the dealer for 3 days, finally picking it up tomorrow morning, I will see if the number is on the work order. The torque converter was replaced, and heated seats addressed. Will report back.

Fyi, the loaner MKC they gave me drives worse in S mode than mine did! Lol. Torque Converters for everyone!
 
#17 ·
I took mine in for the tsb and was told that all they see in the system is a software update. I was late for work and not in the mood to argue. I left my car and withing 4 hrs they called me saying the car was ready. When I finally got it. They claimed they updated the transmission software and the ecu. Sadly they lied and I have the feeling they only unplugged the battery and to do like a restart. All the shifting problems is still there
 
#19 ·
I have created a .pdf of the work orders done to my vehicle for the transmission/torque converter and the heated seats. It is too big to post here as the forum has a 20kb limit.

If you want to private message me your email address I can email you the .pdf so you can show it to your dealers so they will know what was done to my MKC for both issues.
 
#21 ·
Questions for all overall on shifting. First my vehicle has/had the push button gear change roughness since I had it. Much worse first weeks now just shudders like it's going to stall briefly before it finally "catches" the gear. It also comes and goes where I thought it went away completely a few times. Also notice a "different" shift in slow gear (around 25-30mph range) and this also comes and goes with the gear problem it seems.

I am coming off Cadillac SRX which I was driving again this weekend(we still have it) and I have to say overall the srx shifts much smoother than my MKC. I don't know that this is actually a problem or just a different type of engine and shift but something I noticed
Does anyone feel like their MKC shifts differently? It's not necessarily a harsh shift but a more noticeable shift whereas my Cadillac shifts were not noticeable unless I punched it hard.
 
#24 ·
I brought my MKC in to my dealer for the shifting concern. Lazy shift from 2nd-3rd, 3rd-4th. The performed the TSB to replace the torque convertor. Issue remains, in fact seems to have gotten worse. Went in again today to have the satellite radio antenna replaced and mentioned the shifting concern again. Well my dealer contacted Lincoln technical assistance center and was told to replace the transmission valve body for this concern. Parts now on order. I asked how long to get the parts, I was advised they should be in early next week. So back to the dealer we go again. This time to have the transmission worked on, again.
 
#26 ·
I wasn't referring to turbo lag. My transmission started shifting very harshly. 2nd to 3rd, and 3rd to 4th were the worst. If I accelerated for a short time and let off the gas, there was a very hard
bang coming from the vehicle. Almost like I was hit from behind. If I accelerated hard and kept going thru the gears by the time it shifted into 5th the bang noise got worse. First the dealer thought it was the TSB for the torque convertor, so it was replaced. Well that made it worse. The dealer contacted technical assistance and with half an hour they were told to replace the transmission valve body and one would be at the dealer within 2 working days.

This alone told be this is a common problem otherwise wouldn't I have to wait 2 weeks for the part?
I had the part replaced and now it's back to what it was when new. But for how long.
This issue started 3 months after delivery. Now going on 8 months old.
 
#27 ·
The "bang". That's how I would describe my push button shift problem. However, that went away. The "bang only happeneded a handful of times in the first few weeks I had the car then it morphed into just a small shudder/stall when switching back and forth from D to R and R to D mostly. Sometimes a slight shudder when I hit P after driving into garage. This seems to get worse and then almost go away sometimes.

My low speed shifting problem might be a turbo lag. It's a very harsh shift and will literally sling shot me forward in my seat. I had a 5 speed turbo eagle talon tsi ( loved that car most fun to drive rocket!) and it does seem a little like that. But then again not really... This problem also seems to be worse at times and sometimes the shift is not so harsh.

Lately the low speed shifting has been pretty prevalent so I mentioned to my dealer again. They said there was a software update they would apply. My car is going in soon so I'll let everyone know what happens.
 
#28 ·
I'm having this issue now as well. Downshifting sometime results in a bang and a jolt. Sometimes shifting into park, drive or reverse doesn't "catch" and I have to shift in and out again.

Add it up to the multitude of problems I've had with this car and I'm ready to dump it. Still have 1.5 years on the lease though.

Been in contact with FoMoCo and opened a case file.
 
#30 ·
Bang and jolt

I purchased my 2016 MKC new this past June. Seems my expectations for my first luxury vehicle were a little too high. Sometimes I think it's me. Maybe I just don't know how to handle the turbo.

I also experience this unsettling bang and jolt issue at low speeds with light pressure on the gas, like when I am crawling along in rush hour traffic, or slowly accelerating from a stop. The bang and jolt sensation is not unlike being bumped from behind. Dealer could not duplicate the problem. I also get the shifting hiccups between 1st and 2nd and/or 2nd and 3rd. Yesterday, in slow traffic, the tach needle was fluttering between 1st and 2nd.

If I learn anything more about these issues I will share. Good luck everyone! If your dealer is anything like mine, you will need it.