Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the transmission (4 reports) and the clutch (4 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2021 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the transmission and drivetrain on the Ranger

None of these investigations covers the 2021 model year.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 44,000 and 90,000 miles, from the 15 reports that gave a mileage.

What owners wrote

“Transmission hard shifts in low gear and sometimes slips gears or revs up engine without accelerating then slams into gear lurching forward. Had transmission oil checked by dealer and they said it looked great. Happened 29 July several times and again 5 Aug all throughout the day.”

Filed Aug 5, 2026

“truck hesitates to go into gear then slams into reverse unexpectedly with a lot of force backing up - almost ran over a family member. Same thing when cold and going from park to drive, almost drove off my driveway down a steep mountain. I believe it is related to TSB 24-2046 No warning lights or anything, dealer has not been able so far to reproduce because the weather warmed up”

Filed May 28, 2026

“While accelerating from a stop the truck went from 1st gear and then would not go into 2nd gear for a 5 seconds and then it engaged into 2nd with a harsh gear change. This happened several more times to various degrees of time out of gear and not engaging into gear.”

Filed Apr 6, 2026

“My truck loses power at a stop, starting to accelerate is stalls in the middle of the road. It seems to be stuck in gear or not going in gear. It will finally start going and the hesitation starts a the rpm gage goes up to about 3000 rpm’s and then goes back down to 1500. This is extremely dangerous to lose power in the middle of the road. This needs to be addressed.”

Filed Feb 21, 2026