TRANSMISSION TOW HAUL FEATURE ON 2016 F53 CHASSIS DEFECTIVE

[hfbundy]

This defect which appears to be inherent to all 2016 Ford F53 chassis with 16,000# and 18,000# ratings and is discussed extensively under several threads on the irv2.com forum. Specifically page 33 of the owner's manual states in part: The tow haul feature Provides engine braking in all forward gears, which will slow your vehicle and assist you in controlling your vehicle when descending a grade. Depending on driving conditions and load conditions, may downshift the transmission, slow your vehicle and control your vehicle speed when descending a hill, without pressing the accelerator pedal.....

It should be noted that adequate manual downshift engine braking is not possible because gears 5 and 3 cannot be manually selected.

My experience and that of many other owners of smaller motorhomes having the 2016 Ford F53 chassis with the 6 speed transmission is that they perform none of these functions. The tow haul feature in the heavier chassis appears to be working as described. We have filed numerous complaints with the Ford Customer Relationship Center without obtaining any positive responses.

[denk]

As someone once said in a movie-:"what we have here is a failure to communicate" Let's all take a breath ......

[Effy]

As an observer I see the issue here is delivery and purpose of your message. It starts out with a full on rant from a brand new member about an issue that no one on this forum is familiar with and then further engage in arguments with what I can gather are the same folks you expect to pick up the charge with you. Perhaps if you broached the subject more subtly and with more supporting details you may get more interest. Something like: " Here is my issue and does anyone have the same problem ? I've brought up the subject on another forum, etc etc....". Instead it's a full on rant against Ford with a lot of lacking details about an issue no one is familiar with and no one is exactly sure what your expectations are. Are we to pick up the torches and storm the gates of Ford on an issue we have no vested interest in? While I empathize with your situation, the delivery is very "troll-ish".

Oh and welcome to the forum 🙂

[hfbundy]

Bruce Brown wrote:
Actually Don he did say he hit the tow haul button and it didn't read his mind. :B Not once did he say he tapped the brakes to engage it, as suggested.

But wait, his F150 worked well, but the suggestion based on how my Super Duty works got slapped down. I'm sure his F150 transmission is a lot closers than my Super Duty transmission...yeah right.

Some people just like to complain and be trolls. Is that the case here? Maybe, maybe not. I will say if the attitude around the campfire is the same as we're seeing here...well, let's just say he probably wouldn't fit in around our campfire.

You guys seem to have some trouble with the English language. Here is what I actually said about the brakes: I obviously braked when the downhill speed became excessive and all I saw on the tachometer was a gradual drop in rpm. If your only objective is to shoot me down, get off my case.

[Bruce_Brown]

Actually Don he did say he hit the tow haul button and it didn't read his mind. :B Not once did he say he tapped the brakes to engage it, as suggested.

But wait, his F150 worked well, but the suggestion based on how my Super Duty works got slapped down. I'm sure his F150 transmission is a lot closers than my Super Duty transmission...yeah right.

Some people just like to complain and be trolls. Is that the case here? Maybe, maybe not. I will say if the attitude around the campfire is the same as we're seeing here...well, let's just say he probably wouldn't fit in around our campfire.

[DSDP_Don]

Here's an idea....why don't you reread what you've written above. Not ONE word describes what issue you're having. You quote sections out of the Ford manual, yet you don't say what the issue is. The only inkling you give is that it can't be downshifted manually in 5th and 3rd, something it's not designed to do.

Now if you were to say....While descending a grade with the cruise control on in tow/haul mode, my speed picks up and the engine braking is non existent, or I apply the brakes while in tow/haul mode and the engine assist does nothing. No where do you state any of this.

Again, slow your role and reread what you posted. You just keep telling us you're not going to repeat yourself, but you would have to say something to repeat yourself.

Apparently, you think the tow/haul mode is psychic and as you go down hill it should slow you down.....it has to be told to do so, either by the cruise control or applying brakes.

If you didn't have such an attitude you would probably get more help, but it's easy to see when your complaint is going nowhere.

[hfbundy]

Bruce Brown wrote:

DSDP Don wrote:
"hfbundy"......First off, this is quite a post for your first one on this forum, along with the fact you told others not to address your complaint because you know what you're doing!

Exactly. I happen to be good friends with my Ford dealership owner, who happens to also own an RV dealership.

I was just trying to get a handle of where he was at and where to go next, but, apparently he's looking to complain rather than to get to the bottom of what's going on.

I wish him luck, I'm done offering to help.

I did not ask anyone to not address my complaint. All I was saying is that I and many other owners already know that the tow haul feature on the 2016 F53 16,000# and 18,000# chassis does not work. I do not need any instructions on how to activate this feature when it is operable. All I am asking for is any assistance anyone can give in getting Ford to address the complaint. I have been trying to get this resolved since October 2015. The problem has already been confirmed by my Ford dealership at that time, but they were told on the hotline - no code, no problem.

[hfbundy]

luvlabs wrote:
First off, you should file with NHTSA to record the defect.

Given that many motorhome owners have never driven vehicles with tow/haul mode capabilities and unfamiliar how it operates, why don't you post what you are doing to when you descend a hill in your 2016 Ford chassis motorhome? In my mind, operator unfamiliarity with operations are a big source of problems.

And before you ask, I've driven multiple vehicles made by GM, Ford, and Freightliner that all have Tow/Haul capabilities. I also read the posts by LVRVLURV on iRV2 and have to say that he has really no concept of troubleshooting a problem. Just hurling blame every time something doesn't work they way he expects it to.

So please tell us what you have done to test this alleged problem
with your motorhome.

I am not going to repeat what I said above for everyone that asks the same question. Therefore, I am copying it: I traded a 2011 F53 in on this unit and the tow haul feature worked as described in the owner's manual. I currently own a 2013 F150 and the tow haul feature functions identically to the 2011 F53. I have been down 6-8 percent grades in the 2016 F53 with tow haul engaged at least 50 times usually various braking techniques and the transmission never downshifted once. Other owners have had similar experience with these units

This is the 3rd Ford I have owned with the tow haul function. The first two functioned exactly as stated in the owner's manual. I did some extensive testing with my F150 recently to confirm my recollection and documented the results on the irv2 Ford forum. I have driven the 2016 Winnebago 30T 7,000 thousand miles, which included mountain driving in Oregon, California, Arizona, Idaho, and Nevada. I punched the tow haul button on almost every significant downgrade and watched the tachometer intently. The rpm increase was gradual and proportional to my speed increase as the coach free wheeled. I obviously braked when the downhill speed became excessive and all I saw on the tachometer was a gradual drop in rpm.

I filed a NHTSA complaint as did several other owners of these coaches. Incidentally, none of those testifying on the irv2 forum that there tow haul function was working owned a 2016 F53 with a gvwr of 16,000# or 18,000# with one exception. One of the newer units had a functional tow haul whether the switch was on or off. It was in tow haul all the time. I would not agree to this fix because it would adversely affect my fuel economy.

If this information does not convince any of you "experts" that I know what I am talking about, I give up.

[luvlabs]

First off, you should file with NHTSA to record the defect.

Given that many motorhome owners have never driven vehicles with tow/haul mode capabilities and unfamiliar how it operates, why don't you post what you are doing to when you descend a hill in your 2016 Ford chassis motorhome? In my mind, operator unfamiliarity with operations are a big source of problems.

And before you ask, I've driven multiple vehicles made by GM, Ford, and Freightliner that all have Tow/Haul capabilities. I also read the posts by LVRVLURV on iRV2 and have to say that he has really no concept of troubleshooting a problem. Just hurling blame every time something doesn't work they way he expects it to.

So please tell us what you have done to test this alleged problem with your motorhome.

[Dale_Traveling]

hfbundy wrote:
The purpose of this post is not to diagnose the problem, but to try to persuade Ford to acknowledge and fix it.

Wow, you are expecting a lot. The forum is sponsored by Camping World and with all the complaints has there been any changes?

I agree with DSDP Don, LVRVLURV is a knuckle head and a danger to everyone on the roads. Anyone driving an Class A, at speed, holding a camera, maintaining the dash in frame, changing lanes, exiting a freeway and such all while narrating is a knuckle head. What's he going to tape next? Recording a driver change out while going down the road and then complain about the coach won't hold a lane?

[Bruce_Brown]

DSDP Don wrote:
"hfbundy"......First off, this is quite a post for your first one on this forum, along with the fact you told others not to address your complaint because you know what you're doing!

Exactly. I happen to be good friends with my Ford dealership owner, who happens to also own an RV dealership.

I was just trying to get a handle of where he was at and where to go next, but, apparently he's looking to complain rather than to get to the bottom of what's going on.

I wish him luck, I'm done offering to help.

[Effy]

hfbundy wrote:
DSDP Don, you seem terribly smart for not even owning one of the motorhomes in question. If you have time to read LVRVLUVR's posts on irv2 Ford forum, go back and read my posts. Most threads include the word "downshifting" in the title. You will find that I was the first owner to definitively diagnose the tow haul feature on the 2016 F53 6 speed as nonfunctional. jharrell and several other owners confirmed my diagnosis. The purpose of this post is not to diagnose the problem, but to try to persuade Ford to acknowledge and fix it.

I doubt Ford reads this forum.

[DSDP_Don]

Don't have to own one to know how they work!!!!!

[hfbundy]

DSDP Don, you seem terribly smart for not even owning one of the motorhomes in question. If you have time to read LVRVLUVR's posts on irv2 Ford forum, go back and read my posts. Most threads include the word "downshifting" in the title. You will find that I was the first owner to definitively diagnose the tow haul feature on the 2016 F53 6 speed as nonfunctional. jharrell and several other owners confirmed my diagnosis. The purpose of this post is not to diagnose the problem, but to try to persuade Ford to acknowledge and fix it.

[DSDP_Don]

"hfbundy"......First off, this is quite a post for your first one on this forum, along with the fact you told others not to address your complaint because you know what you're doing!

I looked at the other posts on IRV2 and I hope you're not listening to anything "LVRVLUVR" is saying or discussing. I would have to say he's the biggest knucklehead I've ever seen on any forum. Go back and read his posts. He's had at least 6-7 RV's in the last two years and EVERYONE of them has had some major issue that he has complained about. My favorite was his previous Ford chassis that kept eating wheel bearings. He shows up on the forum every few months and starts some outrageous post. I'm guessing this happens when he sobers up for a few weeks.

I've driven coaches/trucks with a tow haul feaure and usually one of two things need to occur to cause a downshift, either the cruise needs to be on and the coach tries to maintain the speed or you apply the brakes. It doesn't know you're going down a hill otherwise. In your description, you state you can't MANUALLY downshift, they weren't designed to do that. In the new multi speed transmissions they don't necessarily let you have access to all the gears for various reasons.

Reading the other posts about the issue, it seems that most are working properly and only a few have issues, but aren't sure how its suppose to work. So other than "LVRVLUVR" who is an idiot, there is really no big story here that I can see, other than a brake light issue some are having.