My roommate has a 2001 Ford Ranger with an AT. I dropped the gear selector one positions too many into 2nd versus D. The truck felt gutless until I put the selector back into D.

This isn't a specific truck problem, I am pretty sure every Ford I have driven is like this. Why is that? What is happening?

ummmmmm...... you were starting from 0 in second gear.... that adds up to gutless

It's an auto, shouldn't it select first regardless of where the gear stalk is?

It's an auto, shouldn't it select first regardless of where the gear stalk is?


NO...... if you select second it will start in second..

Te transgo kit makes it stay in 2nd. At least it did for me.

Why would Ford design it like that? To start in second from a stop.

because the first gear is so short

mine start in second if its slected and i dont have a shift kit

I beleive they are designed like that with slippery roads in mine....so it wont break the tires loose from a standstill. Most every truck is like that i believe.

mine start in second if its slected and i dont have a shift kit

me too but if you stomp it when 2nd is selected it will roll then gear down to first. also when first is selected sometimes it will shift by itself then other times it will just hit the rev limiter until i shift.

After driving some post 95 models, including a 97 Grand Marquis and a few pickups, I concluded not all are created equally, but most will be in second gear if that is the selection chosen, even if at a total stop. In the Grand Marquis, it will not shift into another gear, and in the '04 Ranger I recently drove, the same thing happened. I tested it purposely because of the Grand Marquis and it was the same. My mother has a 2004 Grand Marquis and it too, does the same thing.

It may be for traction, but I don't think so really. I believe it's just programmed that way to maintain a gear selection like an older car would. I expect to test a 2004 AWD Explorer and another Ranger FX4 tomorrow. I will test them as well. If they're different, I'll report it here.