So what are those people doing or not doing to that given transmision.
If you don't change the oil, or worse, over heat it, then then yes, it will fail before it hits the 200k mark.
All things being equal, the transmision doesn't change, people habits do, good and bad.

A transmision can be good due to a proven design, or bad because they try to cut corners _ by using plastic in places where it gets too hot, by trying to make it lite and cutting back on metal in crucial areas.

 

Parts have tolerances, mechanical things have failure rates.

That's not under discussion.

"All automatic transmissions have problems" indicates that there are performance issues that are undesirable and noticeable to drivers/occupants, or that the transmission stops operating correctly IN AN AMOUNT OF TIME/MILES THAT IS UNUSUAL OR AT A RATE PER THOUSAND VEHICLES THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE USERS, when properly maintained.

If you insist on driving the vehicle without maintenance until it has attained 250,000 miles, well, you will have "problems", but they will not be design issues. ANY mechanical device has maintenance due. Timing belts are used because they are cheaper than gears or chains, but they wear out quickly, and they do need replacement before they wear out and fail. Does THAT equal a "PROBLEM"? The answer may depend on your attitude about timing belts. I hate them, so I'd be more likely to say yes it is a problem, but I recognize that they do work OK.

Just about any car is going to be "generally worn to the point of major issues" within a time period of between 5,000 and 8,000 hours of use. If the parts all last that sort of time, given maintenance and replacements as per factory, then you can't complain. (Except for American cars, where they HIDE the maintenance requirements, and try to sell you "maintenance packages" with all sorts of fluff , padding, and "filler cap lubrication" included.

There will be "driving quality" issues perhaps, but the more you pay, generally the less there are, simply because those who pay more are generally not accustomed to "tolerating annoyances", and they won't tolerate car problems for long. Manufacturers see to it that issues are at a minimum for such vehicles. And those vehicles include automatic transmissions that do not jump, jerk, and otherwise cause trouble. When they do, there is a demand to "fix it and fix it NOW".

 

i had the 10 speed in my 2018 F150 and now in my 2019 ranger

it is by far smoother in my ranger. but the 10 speed will have the occasional clunky shift.

these are adaptive transmissions, they learn your driving style

 

I'm at 10,700 miles and the clunkiness has gotten better

 

I’m actually looking into starting a class action lawsuit against Ford in regards to the Ranger. I have a 2020 2.0l bi-turbo with transmission, front suspension and braking problems to just name a couple. My main complaint is that they are not fix for purpose and pose a safety issue to myself and other road users. My white Ranger is 2 shades of white. Off white cabin to white doors and this is also on others Rangers I have seen from about 2018-2021 models. In the meantime I have to drive a possible death trap until my dealer can supply me with a loan Ute with a shutter. This has been going on for approximately 2 months with no date set as yet.

 

I am at 27,000 miles, and the clunkiness has gotten WORSE.

Never noticed it before, other than when first driving it (a mile, maybe) when it was near zero F. Now it will do the clunk shifting up or down, randomly, at 80F.

 

I, too, am having the jerking issue with the transmission. I first noticed it while still under warranty, took it to the dealer and, (as usual) the issue wouldn't replicate. I now have 72,000 + and the issue is getting worse and worse. I did take it back to the dealer and had it diagnosed as a torque converter issue. After much pain and grinding of teeth with them on how long it took to get the truck back (3 day job turned into almost 15 working days in the shop), I finally get it back, am told that in addition to the converter, all fluid was changed and programing updated. I am now 2 weeks after getting the truck back and the problem still persists.

 

My 2019 4x4 has almost 50K on it. The shifts are not always smooth. It hasn't gotten better/it hasn't gotten worse. Most of the time I don't notice the shifts, but sometimes I do. No big clunk like the transmission is about to fall out, just a harder shift than normal. Also, sometimes when I first drive off the first time for the day, the transmission will take a little longer to shift 1st to 2d. I can't explain it, but it's almost like an air tower automatic shift on an old Army M916 Oshkosh. When it warms up, it never happens. The ten speed auto is just not the smoothest transmission made. I think it's the way they are made; stuffing ten speeds in an automatic is pretty complicated, probably overly so.

I usually keep my trucks for 175k to 225k miles. I don't know if this one will go that long, but when it does go, my guess is it will be the transmission.

 

Thanks for the reply, Gary.

the story on my Ranger got better.

One dealership diagnosed the issue as a torque converter going bad. Removed & replaced. Did not fix the issue. Tried contacting the Service Mgr. No reply. Went to another dealership. They diagnosed problem as a faulty sensor in the fuel delivery system. Removed & replaced the sensor & had the truck back within the day! Problem fixed! Filed a dispute w/ credit card company to get my money back from the first dealership. Stay tuned.

 

I have a 2019 with about 26K miles, I've had it in to the shop numerous times as starting off in S mode it'd hesitate and damn near bounce your nose off of the steering wheel, as well as chug, finally the chugging aspect got taken care of trip #7 or #8 to dealer, However the hesitation which is minimal as of now but still there. The transmission feels like it hesitates before shifting. I'm just on here to see if others are having problems, as the Ford dealerships act as if someone's trying to re-invent the wheel

 

I have a 2019 with about 26K miles, I've had it in to the shop numerous times as starting off in S mode it'd hesitate and damn near bounce your nose off of the steering wheel, as well as chug, finally the chugging aspect got taken care of trip #7 or #8 to dealer, However the hesitation which is minimal as of now but still there. The transmission feels like it hesitates before shifting. I'm just on here to see if others are having problems, as the Ford dealerships act as if someone's trying to re-invent the wheel

 

I must have gotten really lucky! My previous 2019 Ranger transmission was pretty good. The chunkiness was only noticeable in reverse.

 

over 50k miles, and it is slowly getting worse. By 100k it may be junk at this rate. It's a very good truck in general, the only real issue so far is the tranny (and also the heater box which was putting out 115F air when the dealer finally had to admit it had a problem just within warranty). It's worked well, and gets very good highway mileage. But that tranny is really rough.

On the other hand, I have a 2009 Mercedes ML350, which I actually bought used. Only the most minor of issues with that car. The tranny is essentially un-noticeable, it just works. In the Ranger the tranny is very obvious when it shifts, in the ML350, you'd have to look at the tach. The ML is 4WD / AWD, by the way. 70k on it.

So saying "all automatic transmissions have problems" is not really speaking truly... All mechanical things of any sort can have issues, of course. Some, however, have a lot fewer than others.

 

There is a black plug on the negative side of the battery that will kill the start/stop feature when disconnected. I purchased a 4-D Tech gadget that shut off the annoying double honk when you get out and shut the door with the engine running.