Ford 8F35

Ford's transverse eight-speed — in the Focus Mk4, the Maverick, the Transit Connect and the Lincoln Nautilus.

It is not the Aisin AWF8F35, and the two names are three letters apart. Aisin's unit is in the BMWs, MINIs and Peugeots on this site; this one is Ford's own, developed alongside General Motors' 9T50 family, and they share no parts. A search for "8F35" that lands on the Aisin gearbox has landed on the wrong transmission, which is a genuinely easy mistake to make and one nothing on either car corrects.

Its recurring complaint is a shudder or a hesitation at low speed, particularly on the change into second and when rolling back onto the throttle. Ford has issued transmission control software for it, so a check for an update and a relearn come before any part is considered.

The torque converter and its lock-up clutch are where the genuine faults sit, presenting as a fine vibration at light throttle around 50–80 km/h — the same symptom, and the same first remedy, as every lock-up automatic in this catalogue: establish the fluid's condition before anything else.

It replaced the 6F35 in the same cars. The tell is the ratio count on the display rather than anything visible underneath.