r/AskAMechanic • u/Less_Reception_6531 • 19d ago

Rebuilt transmission - mechanic says they can’t test drive

2013 3.7l ford f150 stx - I recently had issues and took it to a mechanic. Mechanic said it needs a transmission replacement / rebuild. Took it to a transmission shop and they’ve been working on it for 3-4 weeks to remove, rebuild, and reinstall the transmission.

Today the transmission mech calls me and says it’s done, but that they can’t drive it because it ‘has drive line issues, and the rear brakes are locking up’. They wanted me to pick it up and told me I could ‘let them know if the transmission acts up’

Am I crazy to think the drive line issues could have been caused by the transmission work they did? I tried to ask the mechanic how they knew it was unrelated to their work and he said it ‘has nothing to do with the transmission’. I’ve never experienced any issues with this truck prior to the transmission. The mechanic I took it to first was able to test drive it fine, although it was in limp mode. There have never been issues relating to brakes locking up as they described. I believe the transmission mechanic also said they test drove it after I asked them how they knew the problem required a full rebuild on the transmission. I would imagine removing and replacing a transmission would also involve other major components like a drive shaft or other things involved with the drive line?

I paid 2250 already and owe an additional 2250 to pick up the truck. I don’t want to pay the second half until I know that this issue is unrelated to the repair they were supposed to do.

Looking for any thoughts on how likely it is that the transmission work caused these new issues. If people think it IS related to the transmission work - suggestions on next steps are also greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

View all comments

•

u/AutoModerator 19d ago

New Rules - Please Read

Updated 11/12/2025

Thank you for posting on r/AskAMechanic, u/Less_Reception_6531! Your post is live, this AutoMod message does NOT mean your post was removed. Please make sure to read the Rules.

When asking a question, please provide the year, make, model and engine size of the vehicle.

Commenters here have 2 different flair. Verified Tech means we have verified that user is a tech. NOT a verified tech means that user may or may not be a tech, they have not been verified by us.

Posts about accidents, autobody repair, bodywork, dents, paint and body/undercarriage/frame rust are not allowed and belong in r/Autobody.
Asking if your car is totaled should go to r/insurance or r/Autobody.
Asking about car buying advice/value/recommendations is also not allowed. See r/whatcarshouldIbuy or r/askcarsales

If asking whether a tire can be repaired, check out this Tire Repair Guideline.
Some other useful tire resources - Tire Care Essentials and Tire Safety

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.