After just returning from the power tour with the wife's 2011 GT, I can say for sure the trans is exactly what many owners say... flawed. I logged about 800mi with the car and can now say that I have a fairly good feel for any issues it may have. My issues are with 2nd gear. On several occasions the car felt like it would engage into 2nd gear just fine, then as soon as you let out the clutch pedal it would grind or kick out the shifter. This only happened a handful of times, but always with 2nd gear.
Stopped by the dealer with it yesterday, they're taking it in on Monday to have their "trans guy" take a look. My guess is that it'll come back with a clean bill of health... but I want to log the issue with them now, while its minor and the car is still under 12k miles.
In any case, its interesting that there are so many Mustang owners out there with trans issues, yet Ford continues to deny any kind of problem and blames everything on the owners. I really hope Ford doesn't make me regret our Mustang purchase.
Ford defends Mustang shifter from defect complaints - Yahoo! Autos
What a bunch of BS. I also felt the skip shift on a few occasions, but occasions where I'd dispute its necessity. My issue isn't with skip shift though, its with simple engagement of 2nd, even while at a complete stand still.
We'll see what the dealer says.
Stopped by the dealer with it yesterday, they're taking it in on Monday to have their "trans guy" take a look. My guess is that it'll come back with a clean bill of health... but I want to log the issue with them now, while its minor and the car is still under 12k miles.
In any case, its interesting that there are so many Mustang owners out there with trans issues, yet Ford continues to deny any kind of problem and blames everything on the owners. I really hope Ford doesn't make me regret our Mustang purchase.
Ford defends Mustang shifter from defect complaints - Yahoo! Autos
Earlier this year, federal auto safety regulators launched a defect probe into nearly 30,000 Ford Mustangs after dozens of complaints about their manual 6-speed transmissions. Now Fordās provided its official reply: Thereās no defect here, weāve fixed what was wrong, and many of the problems are the ownersā fault.
Fordās detailed response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filed last month doesn't disclose a specific number of complaints, but does suggest roughly 900 reports to the automaker from 29,807 2011 and 2012 model year Ford Mustangs sold with the MT82 manual transmission. While Ford does face two lemon-law suits to buy back defective āStangs, none of the reports blame the shifter for any crashes or injuries.
Ford and Getrag build the MT82 at a joint venture in China; the same design has been used by Getrag in other vehicles worldwide. Since it went into production in late 2010, Ford has made two mechanical changes, fixing a bolt that was prone to slipping out and recommending owners switch transmission fluids. But the complaints continued to grow after those fixes, with some owners flooding forums with reports that the repairs only halted their balky shifting temporarily. Several made videos showing the problems they had in gear-grinding detail, and concerns that a missed shift in traffic could lead to a wreck.
Fordās letter to the NHTSA says while it had a few reports of mechanical trouble, the problem was inflamed by blogs, specifically forums that urged visitors to report problems to NHTSA with the phrase āsafety concern.ā Thatās the bright line U.S. auto regulators must cross when deciding whether a vehicleās defect warrants a recall. A car may be riddled with balky parts, but as long as they donāt impede on safety, federal regulators canāt pressure automakers into a recall. (Automakers can issue their own recalls, often cloaked with the phrase "customer satisfaction campaign" or other such blather, that don't officially count as a safety recall.)
The automaker says the bulk of complaints come from an āincreased social media focus by a couple of dissatisfied customers,ā along with āimproper vehicle modificationsā and signs of vehicle abuse ā like rear tires worn more than front tires from burnouts. It also says "customer unfamiliarity" with the differences between the 6-speed and former 5-speed transmission, along with a skip-shift feature to boost fuel economy, added to the complaints.
With Ford's response, NHTSA now must decide whether to broaden its probe or close it, a call that could take months. Ford maintains the mechanical fixes have reduced complaints, and that for now it "has no plans for modifications."
What a bunch of BS. I also felt the skip shift on a few occasions, but occasions where I'd dispute its necessity. My issue isn't with skip shift though, its with simple engagement of 2nd, even while at a complete stand still.
We'll see what the dealer says.