Ford How-To: SelectShift® Automatic Transmission

Why do I see my gears sometimes but not others? Did you know that your automatic transmission may let you manually switch gears, too? In fact, with SelectShift, not only can you easily shift gears, you don't have to worry about using a clutch either. Here's how it works. In addition to the traditional gear selections, your transmission has two additional modes, progressive range selection that lets you lock out upper gears when the truck is heavily loaded or when towing on grades, and manual that lets you manually select gears.

With your gear shift lever in D, press the minus button to activate progressive range selection. When you do, you'll see the available gears, as well as the current gear, indicated on the instrument cluster. So if you press the minus button once, it will lock out sixth gear, and press it again to lock out fifth and so on. Once you lock out gears, only the available gears will be shown, and your transmission will automatically shift between them. The unlocked gears will automatically reappear in the display when you restart your vehicle.

To unlock a gear, just press the plus button. To manually shift gears, move your gear shift from D to M. Now only your current gear will appear. And you can use the plus button to upshift and the minus to downshift. Keep in mind, even though you're manually changing gears, SelectShift will prevent some shifts if your engine speed is too high or if your RPMs are too low. And if you come to a stop while in manual mode, the transmission will automatically downshift to a lower gear for easier acceleration when you drive away. Any questions? Go to fordowner.com.