Ford Explorer Quiz
Infection Transmission

SelectShift™ Automatic Transmission

In this manual: Infection Transmission
Introduction — 10At a Glance — 3Child Safety — 11Seat Belts — 10Personal Safety System™ — 1Supplemental Restraint System — 10Pedestrian Protection — 1911 Assist — 3Keys and Remote Controls — 10MyKey™ — 8Doors & Locks — 9Liftgate — 7Safety — 3Steering Wheel — 11Wipers and Washers — 5Lighting — 13Automatic High Beam Control — 3Windows and Mirrors — 6Instrument Cluster — 4Information Displays — 4Climate Control — 6Cabin Air Quality — 2Seats — 9Garage Door Opener — 2Auxiliary Power Points — 3Storage Compartments — 2Starting and Stopping the Engine — 5Unique Driving Characteristics — 4Fuel and Refueling — 8Engine Emission Control — 3High-Voltage Battery — 1Infection Transmission — 8All-Wheel Drive Vehicle — 1Brakes — 5Reverse Brake Assist — 4Traction Control — 1Stability Control — 3Hill Descent Control — 3Park Aid — 8Cruise Control — 4Adaptive Cruise Control — 19Driver Assistance — 12Drive Mode Control — 4Loading — 6Tow/Haul — 6Driving Tips — 5Roadside Emergencies — 8Customer Assistance — 9Fuses — 3Maintenance — 21Vehicle Care — 12Wheels and Tires — 8Capacities and Specifications — 16Connectivity — 3Wi-Fi Hotspot — 3Audio System — 6SYNC™ 3 — 14Accessories — 1Ford Protect — 1Scheduled Maintenance — 5Appendices — 4
~2min read

Your vehicle is equipped with the SelectShift automatic transmission, which allows you to upshift or downshift (without a clutch) as desired.

To prevent the engine from operating at too low an engine speed, which may cause it to stall, SelectShift still automatically downshifts if it determines that you have not downshifted in time. Although SelectShift performs some downshifts for you, it still allows you to downshift at any time, as long as SelectShift determines that engine damage from over-revving will not occur.

Pull the "+" paddle on the steering wheel or press the "+" button on the gear selector lever to activate SelectShift.

  • Pull the right paddle shifter (+) to upshift.
  • Pull the left paddle shifter (–) to downshift.

Select Shift on Drive (D):

  • Provides temporary manual mode for more demanding maneuvers where additional control of gear selection is required (for example, when towing or passing). This mode temporarily holds the selected gear depending on driver actions (for example, steering or pressing the accelerator pedal).
  • You can exit SelectShift mode by holding (+) for 2 seconds or by driving normally.

SelectShift in Manual Mode (M):

  • Provides permanent manual gear selection with full control of gear selection when required.
  • You can exit SelectShift mode by pressing the manual mode button (M) and holding (+). This will shift you into the correct gear.

The instrument cluster displays the currently selected gear. If a requested gear is not available due to vehicle conditions (low speed, engine speed too high for the requested gear selection), the current gear flashes three times.

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A quick Ford Explorer quiz: every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the manual page.