ServicePlus

I have a 2015 Transit Connect. I've been told and read several times that these models do not have the most reliable transmission. I currently have 197k miles on it and right now the transmission seems to be fine, but I'm curious if there is a specific common failure to these? And do you get much warning to the failure such as poor shifting or other odd behavior for a while? Or do they just work great then completely fail? One odd thing about mine, since I have owned it, when downshifting from 6th to 5th say when climbing a hill, that downshift is really hard sometimes, other times it will downshift as smooth as can be. I don't know if that is a warning sign, but again it has pretty much done that as long as I can remember. I have owned it since March of 2019, and it had 112,000 miles on it when I bought it, I have had the transmission fluid changed twice since then, the first time right after I bought it. The main reason I'm asking this question is I would like to move up to a full size transit at some point, it would be nice if I can get some more use out of the TC, but at the same time I don't want to not have a vehicle to work out of, it is my primary source of income. Should I start looking for a different van now or will I get some warning when things are about to go south? I know it is impossible to predict the future and say for sure, just curious what others might have experienced.

Do you have the full size Transit or a TC? I did post my question on the Ford Transit forum, what I was told over there is that the 3.7 V6 if mounted in a RWD configuration has an external water pump and doesn't cause coolant to contaminate the engine oil if it fails. It is when this engine is mounted in a FWD configuration that the water pump is internal and will contaminate the oil with coolant. Is that information not correct?

I bought my TC back in March of 2019, at the time it has 111,722 miles on it, I have no idea if it has had any engine or transmission work done prior to my purchase of it. My goal is to change the engine oil every 5-6k miles, but sometimes life gets in the way and the interval is longer, I do run full synthetic Mobil1, I do oil changes myself. I had the transmission fluid flushed shortly after I bought it in April at 112,178 miles, this was done at the local Ford dealer, then I had just a transmission fluid drain and refill done March of this year at 186,511, my local mechanic did this. I checked my mileage today, it is just over 196k. The engine uses no oil at all and runs great, I have had some repairs done but nothing major. I'm wishing now I hadn't gone quite so long on the second transmission fluid change, I will probably do it at a much shorter interval next time.

I realize that but I thought I would try. So are you saying 200k on a TC is unusual?

I do Appliance Repair for a living, I currently have a 2015 Transit Connect that is about to roll over 200k miles. It is still running great, have not had any major issues but I'm getting to the point I need something bigger, so I'm thinking about keeping my eye out for a full size Transit. It will be used as I try to avoid debt as much as possible, and I don't have the cash on hand for a brand new one. I want to try and keep the gas mileage as good as possible, I've been spoiled by the Transit Connect, but at the same time I don't want to sacrifice reliability or longevity to gain a little better gas mileage, often the more economical engine option for the same vehicle isn't the most reliable. I most likely want the shortest version, sometimes country roads and customer's drive ways can have low branches and other obstacles, and I would only assume the taller models get worse gas mileage. I don't carry a lot of weight, especially compared to someone who does plumbing or HVAC, most of my parts that I stock on my van don't weigh a lot, and I don't have a large amount of tools that I have to keep with me so I'm thinking the 150 will be plenty for me? Unless a 250 or 350 will have better reliability because they are built better? Is there much mileage difference between the 150/250/350? What engine/power train options were available say from 2015-2020 model years? Any particular ones to avoid or good ones to look for? Any idea how a RWD Transit with snow tires on the back would do on snow, ice, mud, loose gravel etc. compared to a FWD Transit Connect with snow tires on the front? The Transit Connect was awful in anything even remotely slippery until I put some aggressive snow/ice tires on the front, that made a huge improvement. I run them all year long, I only get about a year out of them but I have a lot of rural area that I service with not so great roads, I've gotten stuck in leaves and gravel several times with regular all season tires on the front, it was completely helpless in snow. Anything else I should know or watch out for? Any info you have would be very much appreciated!

Do you know a good site that I can look up part numbers?

Need to order a few items, namely a new sun visor and power port for the center console. I'm going to replace these myself, looking for suggestions for somewhere to order from with good service and prices. Thanks!

I thought about mounting it in on the overhead shelf, but I really want to be able to see the display. Thanks for the input.

Mine is the cargo version, sorry should have posted that. So just to clarify, it is not normal for the center console to get this hot?

Interesting as I don't have a navigation system.....

So what does it do?

I bought my 2015 TC used. What is this? It is attached to the inside of the windshield, top center. The vehicle was previously owned by Hobart, wondering if this is factory or aftermarket.

This is the first winter I've had with the 2015 TC I bought this spring. When I have the heat on the center console gets VERY hot, to the point it is uncomfortable to put my leg up against it. Is this normal? I did have a repair done a few months back, some kind of bushing had to be replaced, part of the gear shift linkage, it would not shift out of park. I don't know if they had to take the console apart or not to replace this, but I'm wondering if they did, possibly something didn't get put back together properly?

If so where did you mount it. I'd like to put a scanner in mine, not many options for a good location, just curious where you might have put yours!

Honestly I don't carry that much weight, I'm guessing right now I have 350 lbs. of extra cargo? At most I'll have 600 lbs.? Appliance parts don't weight that much, and I don't need a huge amount of tools. A full load of passengers is probably more weight than I'll ever haul in cargo.

Thanks everyone, I'm going to have the dealer do the fluid replacement in a few days. So far I'm really enjoying working out of the van!

Hello everyone, just joined today. I've been doing Appliance Repair for the last 21 years, previously working for 2 different Appliance stores I started my own business in May of 2018, Service Plus Appliance Repair. Over the years I've worked out of 3 different full size pickups and 2 E-150 vans, when I started my own business I didn't want to go in debt so I used an extra car we had, a 2000 Subaru Outback. While obviously not ideal it actually worked quite well and it was great for getting around in the snow this winter, especially in customer's driveways that are often steep and not cleared. Anyway I knew the Subaru was only a temporary vehicle for my business, and once I had saved up enough I started looking for a vehicle. I first started looking for a full size van as that is what I was used to working out of but I worry that gas prices are going to continue to rise and a rear wheel drive van is awful for getting around in snow, so that got me thinking about a Transit Connect. After about a month of looking I found a 2015 XLT with the longer wheelbase, it has 112,000 miles on it, and also has shelves in the back, driver side shelf is short enough to allow access from the side door, the passenger side is full length, and it also has a cargo wall. I have a few questions and if I should start individual threads I can do that as well. Don't have an owners manual, can I download one somewhere? I talked to my local Ford deal about how often the transmission should be serviced, he recommended every 60k miles. They also do a complete flush of the entire system, I plan on getting this done ASAP, but I have also read horror stories of a flush breaking loose items etc. and causing more problems than you started with. I asked about this, he said that used to be true but that isn't a worry any longer. Any thoughts? Should I look to get just a fluid change instead of a flush? Sadly I don't know any service history on the vehicle other than the oil was changed before I bought it, only know that it was owned by Hobart. Any items I should look to do right away besides the transmission fluid? After a few days of driving it I've noticed that the Cruise Control sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't. When it does work, it works perfectly, then at times you hit the on/off button and it won't respond at all. Any suggestions on that? I'd love to see pictures from other users on how they have their Transit Connect setup so I can get some ideas on how to make the best use of mine. I'd like to have a tablet mount in the cab, possibly make better use of the space in back with some more shelves or ways to best organize things. Any pictures for ideas to get the best use of the space and make it a nice environment to spend my days while working! Thanks!