I’ve been doing expediting in a small box truck for a while now. I actually started with a 2016 Transit 350 HD box truck but had to sell it after only 600 miles due to budget and insurance reasons. Since then, I’ve mostly been using Promasters – mainly because they’re cheaper and easier to find with the specs I need. I usually buy from salvage auctions, so the Promasters were more affordable when it came to parts.
But now I’m dealing with a ton of breakdowns, especially with the transmissions on these Promasters. I’ve had transmissions fail, get rebuilt, fail again within weeks, and it’s just not working out. The last straw was when my transmission guy had to put in a different transmission, and even that one gave out after just two weeks.
I’m seriously considering switching back to Transits, but I only had mine for a short while and never got to take it on long trips to get a real feel for its reliability. I remember some repairs were tough, like the rear brake caliper failing, but overall I liked the setup.
Anyone have experience with the Transit, especially the 3.7? Are the transmissions reliable? How easy are they to work on? I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether they’d hold up for a few thousand miles a week. Just trying to avoid another round of constant repairs.
FordFocusFever said:
In my experience, almost anything’s more reliable than a Promaster… not to mention, not all dealerships even work on them.
Yeah, my first Promaster had 407k miles, and it was fine for the first few months, but then it started breaking down constantly. Now I’m always on edge waiting for the next thing to go wrong.
@Anastasia
I’ve never owned one myself, but my wife is totally against anything Dodge, partly because of how hard it is to get parts sometimes, plus not every dealership can handle Promasters.
@Anastasia
That said, I recently got my first Transit, a 2021. Not overly impressed with it though. The engine’s good with the EcoBoost, but when I hear about software updates trying to fix actual mechanical issues, like bearings, that’s a dealbreaker for me.
From what I know, the 2015-2019 3.7L models with the 6-speed transmission are generally more reliable. I have a diesel, and while the mileage is great, it’s a bit more to keep up with, especially with emissions control issues.
Anastasia said: @Makayla
What’s the turbo servicing like? Is it something that can be rebuilt?
My mechanic calls it the $10k tuneup. New turbos, manifolds, full reseal on the engine. The F150 has videos about it, but on the Transit, you can’t take off the truck cab, so you have to drop the engine.
I used to manage a fleet with about 20 Promasters and 100 Transits. Overall, Transits were definitely more reliable. The 6-speed transmission on the older models seemed to hold up better than the newer 10-speed ones. A few things, though – you have to pull the axle to change rear rotors, and brakes can wear out fast in hilly areas.
Common issues included oil leaks and starter motor problems, but they didn’t happen too often. Also, the driver’s seat bottoms wore out fast. Ford wanted $2k for new ones, but I got them rebuilt for around $500 each.