2010 Ford Edge transmission bumps in high gear

[Joe R]

I have noticed on occasion that when I get over 50 mph it feels like the transmission is trying to jump in or out of overdrive.  This does not happen constantly but I noticed it happening more lately.  Yesterday I had it on the highway around 65 mph and it appeared to be bumping like it is trying to go into another gear.  I held it at 70mph later on cruise control and it did fine.  Once we hit a grade or a bridge it started again.  Any ideas?  I just had the transmission serviced about a month ago with a drain and fill.  The car has 156K on it and aside from that, it has been great.  I have had the transmission serviced around every 60K.  Thanks for your help.

[frankdodd]

Curious as to what you guys siggest as I am having a very similar problem with my 2009 MKX.

My mechanic doesn't know what it is and the transmission shop says it's the tranny (but I don't trust them).

In a sticky situation so I don't have a lot of money to throw at the car right now- I would appreciate any insight fellow members can offer!
Thanks!

[Joe R]

I never could get an answer to this problem.  On top of that, the engine mounts and transmission mounts needed replacement.  The air conditioning was still original and I was afraid that might be the next problem.  The car had way too many miles (160K) on it for me to dump money into a transmission rebuild so I felt compelled to trade it in.  I hope you have better luck than I had.

[frankdodd]

Sorry to hear that!  No- as of yet no luck.  I was reading that it could be a coil issue so I'm trying to find some to see if that works!

 

[Joe R]

Good luck.  Keep me posted, I'm interested to hear what you find.

[ben senise]

On 12/1/2021 at 2:18 PM, Joe R said:

I never could get an answer to this problem.  On top of that, the engine mounts and transmission mounts needed replacement.  The air conditioning was still original and I was afraid that might be the next problem.  The car had way too many miles (160K) on it for me to dump money into a transmission rebuild so I felt compelled to trade it in.  I hope you have better luck than I had.

 

my first thoughts when reading your OP was mounts, both engine and transmission. that's what happens when they go. feels like a bump. i've had it in many cars.

 

replacing them is the first thing i would do.

[enigma-2]

Kind of sounds like a tss/oss sensor failure. 

[Joe R]

When I took it in, the car did not throw any kind of codes.

[enigma-2]

I think its normal to drop out of overdrive when going uphill. Are you certain that its not the road grade causing the overdrive to turn off?

[Joe R]

It didn't  happen when going up hill so much, it was happening on level road at even speeds.  It was even happening on the highway while in cruise control.  (Only at speeds over 45 mph)

[enigma-2]

Well that doesn't sound normal. Codes may be erased when car shut off. Maybe a code reader you can plug in right after it occurs again? I have a Bluetooth reader plugged in that I can read while driving.

 

I sometimes get "oops" codes. You know, where it throws a code and you look it up and it reads "my bad, I thought I had an error but that was an error" code. ?

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

didn't see any mention of mileage or fluid maintenance history, so i will list the common problems for this gen:

1. torque mount - usually feel this in every gear.  save for the rust issue, they are not difficult to replace.  as with anything on this vehicle, patience, new fasteners, ford/motorcraft parts etc are good to have on hand.  plan in advance, as prices these days are ridiculous.
2. tss/oss failure - singlemost common electrical failure on this transmission. always replace in pairs, and use motorcraft, or if using aftermarket parts, use the gaskets from the old OEM parts on the new sensors. Ford/MC is best way to go tho.
3. solenoid body assembly - #2 in line with electrical failures.  you can use ford diagnostics from their shop manual to figure it out. replace solenoid filter at same time.
4. torque converter - see these from time to time.  can be replaced without removing the transmission, but it is a task.
5. valve body - very rarely see these go bad, sometimes a piston gets jammed. you can opt to replace the check balls if you open up the VB. that said, there was a problem acknowledged in a Ford TSB for mercon LV spec'd transmissions about needing modified valve body plates and removing a checkball to correct a "bump" condition.  but at low speeds, not in overdrive.
6. transmission range sensor - very rarely see these go bad either. ford has a TSB on how to confirm failure.

in descending order of likelihood.  since it ONLY happens when in overdrive, i would suspect torque converter involvement.  turn off the O/D and see if the problem goes away.  if so, try a tube or two of Lubegard Shudder Fixx (if fluid has been maintained).  if current fluid has not been maintained but is still free of debris and smells good and no worse than brown color (2010 uses Mercon LV which turns brown quickly/naturally), do a full  fluid exchange first.  there is no point adding the lubegard if the fluid is in poor condition.

 

videos that show you how to replace all but TC and TRS are available on the MACT FORD EDGE YT channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/MACTFordEdge/videos

Edited December 12, 2021 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W

[Joe R]

Thank you so much for your insight.  Great information.

[enigma-2]

Have you ever replaced your spark plugs?

[Joe R]

I did replace the plugs about 10K ago when I proactively had my water pump replaced.  Since I couldn't narrow down the problem, I traded the car in on a 2021 Ford Edge ST Line.  With the age of the vehicle and the 160K miles on the clock, I didn't want to take the chance of having a major repair bill pop up so I opted to get a newer vehicle.  Although I must say, that 2010 Edge SEL did our family well, hence the reason in purchasing a newer model.  Thank you for your reply.

[enigma-2]

Chuckle, novel way to fix the problem. ?

How liking the 2021? Big difference, eh?

[Joe R]

So far I like the 2021, although it has a bit less HP, I have not felt any difference in performance.  It may be because it has a 7 spd transmission instead of the 5 spd.  It rides a lot quieter and of course it has a lot more bells & Whistles than my 2010.  The big difference so far is the better fuel economy, but I guess that is to be expected going from a V6 to a 4 cyl Turbo.  The model I purchased is the ST Line which gives it a bit of a sporty look without the peppy 6 cyl.  I have two modified Mustangs for when I have the need for speed.  The downside is that it's a new vehicle and we tend to baby her a bit more than the 2010.  All in all, I am pleased.  I enjoyed the 2010 SEL so much, I didn't hesitate in buying the newer one.

[frankdodd]

As an update I changed the coils and plugs and it fixed the problem!
Hope that helps anyone having something similar!

[Joe R]

Thanks for the reply.  I already traded her in for a newer model Edge, but I had already changed the coils and plugs on her earlier.  The problem kept getting increasingly worse and neither my mechanic or transmission shop could pinpoint the problem.  She had 160k on the clock so I figured it was time. 

[MLTEdge]

My old 2015 did this, kind of. From time of ownership, at about 45-55mph, when it wasn't under steady speed or acceleration, it would kick or buck sometimes when let off accelerator or slightly added. Dealer kept telling me waiting on a software update. At about 45k found a new dealer, they couldn't believe a kept driving it, diagnosed bad torque converter and replaced it and had to rebuild tranny. Fixed the issue.

[Joe R]

Wow!  I'm glad I traded mine in.  The cost for a new torque converter and Transmission rebuild would have cost me half of what my 2010 was worth.  Good to know.