2008 Edge Transmission Jerky

[tloewenberg]

Jerky may not be a good descriptor but it's all that came to mind. Maybe hesitation is better. Regardless, my Edge is a 2008 AWD with about 5500 miles. When the engine is running about 1000-1400 RPM with speed of 40-43 MPH, with a steady throttle, and I come to a hill (however slight), the transmission will sometimes (more often lately) get jerky like it's gear hunting or can't make up it's mind what gear to be in. Usually, there's one jerky then it's okay but occasionally, it continues for 2-3 "jerkys". I can't tell if its lost between gears or trying to engage a gear too low or what. I'd be interested if others have seen this issue and if so, did it get resolved satisfactorily?

Thx.

Edited July 12, 2009 by tloewenberg

[wwest]

Jerky may not be a good descriptor but it's all that came to mind. Maybe hesitation is better. Regardless, my Edge is a 2008 AWD with about 5500 miles. When the engine is running about 1000-1400 RPM with speed of 40-43 MPH, with a steady throttle, and I come to a hill (however slight), the transmission will sometimes (more often lately) get jerky like it's gear hunting or can't make up it's mind what gear to be in. Usually, there's one jerky then it's okay but occasionally, it continues for 2-3 "jerkys". I can't tell if its lost between gears or trying to engage a gear too low or what. I'd be interested if others have seen this issue and if so, did it get resolved satisfactorily?

Thx.

 

Next time, use cruise control and see if only one "jerky" works.

 

You are describing what I would call nervious foot symptom.

 

The DBW gas pedal sensors are much more sensitive to the slightest movement of your foot, sometimes the downshift itself will result in enough movement of your foot to result in yet another upshift/downshift sequence.

[tloewenberg]

I tried your suggestion. Put the Edge in cruise control at 42 mph. I approached the first hill and before the car gave it gas, it appeared to attempt a down shift and I felt the hesitation/jerky motion. Happened a couple more times in the next 5 miles. This morning I took a stretch of interstate and felt the same thing a 55-60mph. Once again, in cruise control. I had rejected the nervous foot syndrome thought knowing my driving habits (steady foot) but gave it a shot any way. If I drive aggressively, I can power through where it might occur but quite honestly, I shouldn't have to. A six speed transmission set up properly ought to be able to know the optimum shift points. Anyway, I guess I"ll continue trying different scenarios so I can (hopefully) make it repeatable when I take on the Ford dealership.

Edited July 18, 2009 by tloewenberg

[CreamEDGE.]

Try getting it on video, or making sure it could be reproduced easily.

[LIVINGONTHEEDGE07]

I have a 2007 ford edge sel and have around 25k miles and have noticed lately that the transmission has been jerky and not shifting correctly. I had an appointment with my dealer for the keyless entry to be re programed and had explained my situation with the transmission, they told me there is a computer upgrade for the transmission that is free of charge takes about a half hour 45 min to do. since about noon today 7-17-09 i have driven approx 100 miles and have seen a HUGE improvement. better response, shifting smoothly, and when getting up on the gas to pass someone it is ALOT faster in speed. I highly recommend everyone with this problem to go to the dealer and have it done. Its like having a firmware upgrade for a cell phone or a windows upgrade for your computer. Pretty cool i thought. Hope this helps with thos jerky non responsive trannys.

[Rayt]

Jerky may not be a good descriptor but it's all that came to mind. Maybe hesitation is better. Regardless, my Edge is a 2008 AWD with about 5500 miles. When the engine is running about 1000-1400 RPM with speed of 40-43 MPH, with a steady throttle, and I come to a hill (however slight), the transmission will sometimes (more often lately) get jerky like it's gear hunting or can't make up it's mind what gear to be in. Usually, there's one jerky then it's okay but occasionally, it continues for 2-3 "jerkys". I can't tell if its lost between gears or trying to engage a gear too low or what. I'd be interested if others have seen this issue and if so, did it get resolved satisfactorily?

Thx.

 

My 2008 SEL is doing the exact same thing as described. Today is day 3 in the shop for servicing this problem. I determined in that speed range, when the vehicle needs to downshift, it cannot properly engage the lower gear, it "fumbles" around and then finally downshifts. The "fumbling" is a hard low frequency vibration until it kicks in. I hope they can find the cause. The two chips (engine and transmission)have already been reprogrammed with no success to report.

[jpeckinp]

My 2008 SEL is doing the exact same thing as described. Today is day 3 in the shop for servicing this problem. I determined in that speed range, when the vehicle needs to downshift, it cannot properly engage the lower gear, it "fumbles" around and then finally downshifts. The "fumbling" is a hard low frequency vibration until it kicks in. I hope they can find the cause. The two chips (engine and transmission)have already been reprogrammed with no success to report.

 

 

Read all my post on this thread you might have the same thing I did.

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=3590

[tloewenberg]

My 2008 SEL is doing the exact same thing as described. Today is day 3 in the shop for servicing this problem. I determined in that speed range, when the vehicle needs to downshift, it cannot properly engage the lower gear, it "fumbles" around and then finally downshifts. The "fumbling" is a hard low frequency vibration until it kicks in. I hope they can find the cause. The two chips (engine and transmission)have already been reprogrammed with no success to report.

 

How did you make out? The dealer kept my Edge for 3 days with no success. They characterized the issue on the service order as "transmission shudder during OD disengagement." Unfortunately, they were unable to duplicate the symptoms. Strange, when I left the dealer, I drove directly to a street that starts out level that gradually inclines over about a mile. Halfway up the hill, the hesitation/jerky/shudder started and continued for about a 100 yards. The paper diagnosis part was accurate in that the car was indeed in OD as I watched the tach movement so I'm pretty sure I was in 6th gear even though I didn't think I was going fast enough. [i left another posting asking about shift speeds.] Anyway, this morning I drove about 12 miles mainly on Connecticut hilly backroads to have breakfast with some friends. Except for a portion that was highway speeds, I disengaged OD. No occurrences then or at all today. Oh, the only thing the dealer did do was reflash the PCM with a March 09 update. The service manager didn't divulge what the reflash difference is. I have a 1000 miles until the first service. Until then, I'm keeping a diary, hoping to capture road conditions, speed, rpm, etc if/when it occurs.

TL

[nisajoy]

I have a thread going in the 2008 Edge MKX forum on this issue. It has been in the shop twice and now they say it needs a speed sensor replaced. I will let you know how it goes.

[tloewenberg]

Fixed!!!! As suggested a few replies ago, it was not (emphasis on NOT) the transmission. It's been three weeks or so, but when I dropped my Edge off for its 7500 checkup, I asked that the dealer take another stab at my "transmission" problem. It started with a test drive with the diagnostic computer hooked up and saw nothing. Later in the day, they tried again and shazammmmm, caught it. Cyclinder #3 plug and coil were borderline gone. What I was feeling was engine hesitation not the transmission when downshifting from OD to 5th or lower gear. The repair was about 500 miles (6 weeks) ago and I haven't seen a reoccurence so I'm thinking, they got it. The service manager said when I picked it up that the vast majority of issues like mine were solved by reflashing the PCM, replacing the speed sensor (assume engine thing?), and/or a cyclinder plug/coil. Sounds like a known thing? Anyway, that distraction out of the way, I can concentrate on rear bumper protection. Thanks all for the help.

TL

Edited September 23, 2009 by tloewenberg

[hydro]

Good to hear! It gives us more ammo to tell dealers of possible problems, before they go around throwing parts at the wrong problem.

[bubbles]

I wish that I had read further on through this topic before I just posted the exact same issue with my 2007 Edge - rolls smoothly on flat terrain but starts "bucking" when I enter an incline ! I will suggest some of these ideas to my local dealer when I take it in. Thanks...

[sr5913]

I have a 2008 Ford Edge, I have the same problems with mine. I was told it is the Rear Speed Sensor that needed to be replaced, and of course it is inside the transmission, and of course, it is not under warranty!!

I tried to get Ford to recognize the issue, and help cover some of the cost under warranty, but they declined.

They just received the last dime I will ever spend on a Ford.

 

Lack of Committment to Quality and Customer Service.

[akirby]

I have a 2008 Ford Edge, I have the same problems with mine. I was told it is the Rear Speed Sensor that needed to be replaced, and of course it is inside the transmission, and of course, it is not under warranty!!

I tried to get Ford to recognize the issue, and help cover some of the cost under warranty, but they declined.

They just received the last dime I will ever spend on a Ford.

 

Lack of Committment to Quality and Customer Service.

 

Do you have the 5/60 powertrain warranty or just 3/36? Are you out of warranty completely or are they saying this isn't part of the transmission?

[akirby]

They just received the last dime I will ever spend on a Ford.

 

Lack of Committment to Quality and Customer Service.

 

Because they won't cover a part out of warranty? It was your choice when you bought the car to keep the factory warranty or buy an extended warranty.

 

If you chose not to buy the extended warranty then you have nobody to blame but yourself. It's like choosing not to buy a moonroof and then complaining that Ford didn't give you a moonroof.

[techspy]

I know this is an old thread but figured would add my experience.

 

08 Edge SEL AWD 87k miles. Purchased used with 48k miles, still have 30k miles and 2 years left on Ford extended warranty that I paid approx $2300 for.

 

I had an Audi A6 that had the same issue, slight load or incline in OD and it would stumble. Felt like a trans issue but was a coil pack.

 

I am having the same issue with my Edge. Reproduces reliably at highway speeds on inclines, cruise on or not. (It is not hunting for gears, it is staying in OD the whole time) Took it to dealership and they could not reproduce it and there was no info captured or found in the ECU pointing to a problem. Said I will have to wait until it gets worse for them to be able to do anything. Then I asked to make sure it is a warranty covered part. Nope, it isn't even though he said the warranty I purchased is right under the best, top tier warranty you can have. When I purchased the warranty I asked for and was told that this IS the best one available. I guess because it was used I couldn't get the top one?

 

Anyway, I guess I will buy a coil pack (around $55 correct?) and a set of plugs and just swap a coil pack and plug in each cylinder until I fix it. Hopefully it is not one of the back 2 cylinders.

 

So, anyone have any additional advice? Best place to buy the coil pack? Most likely cylinder to fail?

 

And I know it has been said by many and I will now say it.... This is my last Ford product. This is my approx 24th vehicle owned (from mundane to exotic, not counting company vehicles) and my 2nd Ford product. I mean if you say "I want the best warranty available regardless of cost" and the one you get was almost 20% of the vehicle cost and it doesn't cover something like this... Just seems like they exclude common failure components.

 

Thanks for any advice you may have on troubleshooting this myself.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Could certainly be one of the coils, there's no "preferred" coil when it comes to which one might fail, BUT bank 1 (coils 1-3) are more subject to heat, so that's what I'd go with. To see if the PCM agrees, pull codes, see if anything's been set. Any recent servicing?

 

Depending on how those 87K miles were achieved, it may very well be time for some routine maintenance: spark plugs, PCV valve, intake manifold gaskets, transmission flush, PTU/RDU fluid change/flush, throttle body cleaning, MAF sensor cleaning, etc. In addition, you might want to run some fuel injector cleaner through the tank. Two of the top brands are Techron and BG 44K. Winter fuel will make existing issues worse. A bottle of HEET or two might be required if there's water in the fuel tank.

 

The best coils to buy are Motorcraft or Denso brands. But I will admit to cheaping out and replacing the ones on mine a few months ago with Airtex (on sale at the time, & cheap). So far so good.

[evh]

I am keeping my eye on this thread. I have a 2009 AWD with 176,000 miles. When I go up an incline around 50ish, is when it does it. Only does it a few times a month (not a huge deal to m). I had an old Taurus with the 3.0 24V that did the same thing that I would have sworn had a transmission issue. The tranny shop said nope, check plugs, etc. Yep, it was a coil/plug/wire issue.

 

My edge sure feels like a transmission issue, but I watch the tach and it doesn't change. Feels like the Taurus did. My guess is I have a coil issue. Looking for any further info from the rest of you as you work on this. Note, my plugs were changed at 115K with factory original Motorcraft plugs.

[techspy]

Because they won't cover a part out of warranty? It was your choice when you bought the car to keep the factory warranty or buy an extended warranty.

 

If you chose not to buy the extended warranty then you have nobody to blame but yourself. It's like choosing not to buy a moonroof and then complaining that Ford didn't give you a moonroof.

Thanks for the info.

[dbhard]

Just replaced the spark plugs in my 2007 FWD EDGE w 70K miles.. The constant jerks and hiccups that used to happen under a low rpm pull has completely went away. My mechanic told me that worn plugs can destroy your coil pacs which will cost more to replace. He recommends the plugs be replaced every 60K miles to be on the safe side. He recommended the same interval for changing tranny fluid and filter.

[doji_nj]

Same symptom and solution here. Jerk at low highway speeds and a symptom of a miss as we hit a slight incline. Changed the spark plugs at 85k miles on an 08 and issue solved. The mechanic confirmed the coil packs were good. Next up is a drain and fill of transmision fluid at home when the weather warms up.