Transmission Louder Than Engine

[motorydr]

I bought a 2023 with a plethora of issues within the last year. For the last several months, I’ve noticed the transmission has a very distinct whine and is louder than the engine. Dealer says it is normal but loaner F150s I’ve had don’t even come close to the noise. Has anyone had the same issue and has Ford resolved it? It’s pretty embarrassing and honestly thinking about trading it in for a different brand truck.

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[Texas2022XLT]

I hear the whine too on mine and have seen others mention it. Seems some do it more than others but I‘ve never seen a reason why.

 

[XLT22]

Straight cut pump gears are what cause the whine. The GM version has helical cut gears that don't make noise but present a thrust issue on the idler bearing.

 

[motorydr]

Having your transmission louder than your engine is wild to me. Why don’t other F150s same year or other generations (with the 10-speed) have the same noise?

 

[mxwrk]

I’ve never heard a peep from my transmission.

 

[Texas2022XLT]

Having your transmission louder than your engine is wild to me. Why don’t other F150s same year or other generations (with the 10-speed) have the same noise?

That’s what I don’t understand some say theirs doesn’t others do….you would think they would all be the same.

 

[{tpc}]

My 2024 squeals at a higher pitch than that. I ignore it as I don't hear it when I am inside the truck. Does sound crappy though.

 

[Flatus]

I don't know for sure if my whines or not. I do drive through a parking garage at work though, and damn!!, the transmission is loud when shifting gears. My 2018 made the same noises though.

 

[jakearb]

I drove a 2023 2.7 EB for nearly 90K trouble free miles and my transmission always sounded kinda of whiny like that. Especially idling at a drive thru I noticed, lol. I think it's just how they sound. All of the rentals I've had sound the same too. I don't think it's an issue.

 

[Texas2022XLT]

Taking mine in Monday…got a little shudder that’s seems to be getting worse. Not sure if it’s the transmission or something else.

 

[JCsTruck]

What @jakearb said. I’ve noticed in the warmer months the transmission whine (normal) is almost nonexistent but in the colder months it gets louder and you can especially hear it if your next to a reflective surface like a wall.

These engines are also noisy due to Ford using chains (lots of them) instead of belts for the OHC camshafts with lots of tensioners and cam phasers in the mix. My 2001 Toyota Tundra for example used belts for the OHC camshafts and it was a very quiet V8 engine by comparison. Chains last much longer and are strong but they are noisy.

 

[franksfords]

I notice a slight whine when driving my 23 with 2.7 but my 2004 has always had a similar whine as does the 20 model XLT I drive at work.

 

[24’ F-150]

Having your transmission louder than your engine is wild to me. Why don’t other F150s same year or other generations (with the 10-speed) have the same noise?

This is a great question. My 24 XLT 3.5 EB makes the same noise; I have taken it to three different dealerships and they all referenced the bulletin told me it was a common characteristic for the 10R80 transmissions. Despite the bulletin saying a mild whine is characteristic; mild is not when I can hear it in the cabin with the windows closed and radio on.

I then asked them to pick a random truck in the parking lot for us to go start; they were all quiet. I occasionally hear trucks with a mild whine, but at the embarrassing level my truck makes, not to mentioned the poor representation of the brand.

I also got Ford corporate involved, waist of time. They said they had to support the dealerships. Ford acknowledges some transmissions make the noise and it has been the case for some time, yet they have made no effort to resolve it through a component redesign. They are ok with buyers paying $50K+ and having to tolerate the whine, especially when not all transmissions have it. Gone are the days of Alan Mullaly’s focus on quality and customer satisfaction.

 

[motorydr]

This is a great question. My 24 XLT 3.5 EB makes the same noise; I have taken it to three different dealerships and they all referenced the bulletin told me it was a common characteristic for the 10R80 transmissions. Despite the bulletin saying a mild whine is characteristic; mild is not when I can hear it in the cabin with the windows closed and radio on.

I then asked them to pick a random truck in the parking lot for us to go start; they were all quiet. I occasionally hear trucks with a mild whine, but at the embarrassing level my truck makes, not to mentioned the poor representation of the brand.

I also got Ford corporate involved, waist of time. They said they had to support the dealerships. Ford acknowledges some transmissions make the noise and it has been the case for some time, yet they have made no effort to resolve it through a component redesign. They are ok with buyers paying $50K+ and having to tolerate the whine, especially when not all transmissions have it. Gone are the days of Alan Mullaly’s focus on quality and customer satisfaction.

Agreed, the whine is extremely embarrassing. Gone are the days of Ford's quality and consistency. I had a 2018 F150 previously and that transmission was whisper quiet, but the engine had terrible piston slap so I dumped that for the Ram that I had before this. Now I have a $50k truck that sounds like a RC car going down the road and electrical issues with the GSM that the shop has not been able to fix yet...

 

[motorydr]

Here is a better video with what dealers are considering normal…

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