The Ford C3 transmission and its descendants are a family of light-duty longitudinal

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

s built by the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

. The Bordeaux Automatic Transmission Plant, in Blanquefort, France (in the

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

metropolitan area) produces automatic transmissions for a variety of rear-wheel drive vehicles. The facility opened in 1973 and was shortly followed by an expansion, the Bordeaux Transaxle Plant, in 1976 to focus on automatic transmissions for front-wheel drive Fords. Bordeaux Automatic Transmission's first product was the C3 3-speed automatic transmission for the

Ford Pinto The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company in North America from 1970 until 1980. The Pinto was the first subcompact vehicle produced by Ford in North America. The Pinto was marketed in three bo ...

. The C3 design was succeeded by the A4LD 4-speed automatic during the mid-1980s and was in turn succeeded by the 4R44 and 4R55 4-speed automatics during the mid-1990s. The Bordeaux Automatic Transmission Plant's current products are the 5R44 and 5R55 5-speed automatic transmissions. In February 2009, Ford confirmed its intent to sell the Bordeaux Automatic Transmission Plant for an undisclosed sum to a French company, HZ Holding France SAS, which owns a steel forging operation near

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

. Though the sale will be completed as early as April 2009, the plant will continue to provide transmissions for Ford until 2011 and employment levels at the plant are expected to remain unchanged. Up to and after the production of automatic transmissions for Ford at the Bordeaux plant, HZ Holding expects to invest as much as 200 million Euros in the plant for new industrial projects, including producing components for wind turbines.

C3

The C3 was introduced as a lightweight 3-speed automatic for compact cars like the Ford Pinto. It was used with

four cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categoriz ...

and small V6 engines. The final appearance of this transmission was in the 1989

Merkur XR4Ti The Merkur XR4Ti is a performance-oriented 3-door hatchback sold in North America from 1985 to 1989. A product of the Ford Motor Company, the car was a version of the European Ford Sierra adapted to U.S. regulations. The XR4Ti project was champion ...

Applications (US)

* 1974–1980

* 1974–1977

Mercury Capri Capri (later Mercury Capri) is a Nameplate (automotive), nameplate marketed by the Mercury (automobile), Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company over three generations between 1970 and 1994. From 1970 to 1978, the Capri was a sport compact ...

* 1978–1983

Ford Fairmont The Ford Fairmont is a model line of compact cars that was manufactured by Ford from the 1978 to 1983 model years. The successor of the Ford Maverick, the Fairmont marked the third generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America. Ini ...

* 1970–1986

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...

* 1981–1982

Ford Granada Ford Granada was a name used by the Ford Motor Company for two unrelated vehicles sold in different markets: * Ford Granada (Europe), built and marketed in Europe from 1972 to 1994 * Ford Granada (North America) The North American version of the ...

* 1974–1980

Mercury Bobcat Mercury most commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the closest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a chemical element * Mercury (mythology), a Roman deity Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Mercury (toy manufacturer), ...

* 1978–1983

Mercury Zephyr The Ford Fairmont is a model line of compact cars that was manufactured by Ford from the 1978 to 1983 model years. The successor of the Ford Maverick, the Fairmont marked the third generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America. Ini ...

* 1979–1986

* 1983–1986

Mercury Marquis The Mercury Marquis is a model line of automobiles marketed by Mercury from 1967 to 1986. Deriving its name from a title of French nobility, the Marquis was introduced as the divisional counterpart of the Ford LTD; four generations of the two m ...

/ Ford LTD (when equipped with the 2.3 I4) * 1985–1989

* 1983-1989

Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001. Ultimately gaining a broadly used colloquial nickname, the ''T-Bird'', Ford Introduce ...

* 1979-1982

Ford Durango The Ford Durango is a two-passenger coupe utility sold in limited production by Ford Motor Company between the 1979 and 1982 model years. The vehicle was the result of a joint venture between Ford and National Coach Works, located in Los Angeles, ...

Applications (EU)

* 1972–1985

* 1972–1975

Ford Consul The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975. Between 1951 and 1962, the Consul was the four-c ...

* 1982–1987

Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...

* 1979–1987

Ford Capri The Ford Capri is a fastback coupé built by Ford of Europe and designed by Philip T. Clark, who had been involved in the design of the Ford Mustang. It used the mechanical components from the Mk2 Ford Cortina and was intended as the European ...

* 1974–1982

Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car manufactured in various body styles from 1962 to 1982. It was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s. The Cortina was produced in five generations (Mark I through to Mark V, although of ...

* 1976–1982

Ford Taunus The Ford Taunus is a family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Germany throughout Europe. Models from 1970 on were manufactured using the same basic construction as the Ford Cortina MkIII in the United Kingdom, and later on, the two car mode ...

* 1970–1980 Ford Escort Mk1 and Mk2

A4LD

The C3 was modified into the A4LD four-speed by adding an overdrive gear, which the C3 lacked. This transmission was introduced in Europe on the 1985

Ford Scorpio The Ford Scorpio is an executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (a ...

and in North America with the 1985 Bronco II and Ranger, again with four- and six-cylinder engines only. It was replaced by the 4R44E and 4R55E in 1995. This was the first Ford automatic to use an EEC-controlled torque converter lock-up clutch. Electronic shift control for the 3–4 shift was later added, another first, though other gears remained hydraulic. Applications:

North America

* 1985–1990

Ford Bronco II The Ford Bronco II is a compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was manufactured by the American manufacturer Ford Motor Company, Ford. Closely matching the Ford Bronco#First generation (1966), first-generation Ford Bronco in size, the Bronco&n ...

* 1987–1993

(when equipped with the 2.3 I4) * 1987–1988

(when equipped with the 2.3 I4) * 1985–1994

Ford Ranger The Ford Ranger is a compact or mid-size pickup marketed globally by Ford over a series of generations, varying between both in-house or outside development and manufacturing — and with a hiatus in North America from 2011–2018. Debutin ...

* 1986–1994

Ford Aerostar The Ford Aerostar is a range of vans that was manufactured by Ford from the 1986 to the 1997 model years. The first minivan produced by Ford, the model line was marketed against the Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari and the first two generations of the ...

* 1991–1994

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of Sport utility vehicle, SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first five-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer, was introduced as a replacement for the three-door Ford Bronco II ...

* 1994–2002 North American Mazda B-Series * 1991–1994

Mazda Navajo :''Sections of this article are translated from the Scottish page Mazda Navajo.'' The Mazda Navajo is a mid-size SUV manufactured by Ford Motor Company for the Japanese automaker Mazda, and is a rebadged version of the first generation Ford Expl ...

Europe

* 1985–1994 Ford Scorpio/Granada III (incl.

Merkur Scorpio The Merkur Scorpio is a Executive car, mid-size luxury car that was marketed by the Lincoln Mercury, Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company, Ford for the 1988 and 1989 model years through its Merkur sub-brand. Marketed above the Merkur X ...

) * 1987–1992

II * 1986–2003

Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a panel van, cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford ...

4R44E and 4R55E

The name 4R44E means 4 forward gears, rear-drive platform (or 4WD, with a different tailshaft housing), rated for 440 ft-lb torque (after torque converter multiplication) and electronic shifting. 4R55E is the same but heavier duty and rated for 550 ft·lbs. For the 1995 model year, the A4LD was upgraded to feature full electronic controls, resulting in a new transmission family. The two major versions of this new transmission were the 4R44E and 4R55E. In Europe, the 4R44E was known simply as the A4LDE (with the ''E'' referring to the electronic enhancements to the basic A4LD design) and was briefly used in the

. The transmissions are fundamentally similar in design, varying only in the durability of key components based on the type of duty they were to be used for. The 4R44E was used in lighter-duty applications, namely with 4-cylinder or 3.0 L V6 models of the Ford Ranger pickup, while the 4R55E was used in heavier-duty applications, specifically with the 4.0 L Cologne V6 used in vehicles like the said Ford Ranger or Ford Explorer. The 4R55E was short-lived however as it was replaced in all instances where it was used with the newer 5R55E during the 1997 model year. The 4R44E continued on through the end of the 1990s before being replaced by the 5R55E's relative, the 5R44E. Applications: * 1995–2001

* 1995–1997

* 1995–1998

* 1995–1996

* 1995–2001 North American Mazda B-Series

5R44E/5R55E/N/S/W

The 5R55E, though mechanically similar to the 4-speed 4R55E, was a new breed of electronically controlled automatic transmission with an additional forward gear. It was the first 5-speed automatic transmission to be employed by an American automaker. The 5R55E featured more precise computer controls (necessary to accommodate the additional forward gear) and introduced with a sophisticated friction-to-friction shift ability. Like the 4R44E relative to the 4R55E, a version of the 5R55E was made for lighter duty applications: the 5R44E. An example of these transmissions used in a single vehicle line would be in versions of the Ford Ranger pickup where the lighter-duty 5R44E is mated to a 3.0L Vulcan OHV V6 while the heavier duty 5R55E is mated to the more powerful 4.0 L Cologne SOHC V6. Following the original "E" series of the transmission introduced in the 1998 model year, other variants of the 5R55 transmission appeared. All variants are fundamentally similar to each other in design but differ in things such as specialized controls, gear ratios, or other elements based on the needs of the specific application the transmission is intended for. The first of these variants, the 5R55N, appeared in the

Jaguar S-Type Jaguar S-Type is the name of two vehicles: * Jaguar S-Type (1963) (1963–1968) * Jaguar S-Type (1999) (1999–2008) File:1966-Jaguar-S-type.jpg, 1963–1968 Jaguar S-Type File:2001 Jaguar S-Type V6 SE Automatic 3.0 Front.jpg, 1999–2007 Ja ...

and

Lincoln LS The Lincoln LS is a four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company, Ford's Lincoln Motor Company, Lincoln division over a single generation from 1999 until 2006. Introduced in June 1999 for the 2000 model ye ...

luxury sedans, and later in the 2002

. The 2003 Thunderbird switched to the 5R55S and featured the option of Ford's SelectShift, which allowed drivers to mimic shifting like a manual transmission without a clutch. The 5R55S, minus the SelectShift feature, was used in models of the

from 2005 until 2010. The 5R55W began use in November 2000 for the 3rd generation

and 2001

. Mostly specific difference between 5R55W (wide shift) and 5R55S (synchronic shift) is a different overdrive planet gear ratio. Entry-level models of the 2008

Ford FG Falcon The Ford Falcon (FG) is a full-sized car that was produced by Ford Australia from 2008 to 2014. It was the first iteration of the seventh and last generation of the Falcon. Its range no longer featured the Fairmont luxury badge, replaced inste ...

were the newest recipients of the 5R55 transmission. Applications: * 1997

(with 4.0 V6 engine) * 1997-2011

* 1997–2010 North American Mazda B-Series * 1997–2010

{{cite web , url=http://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring-services/reviews/car-reviews/ford/explorer.htm , title = Ford {{! Car reviews {{! Buying a car {{! The NRMA * 1998–2010

Mercury Mountaineer The Mercury Mountaineer is a mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was sold by Mercury from 1996 until 2010. The first Mercury SUV, the Mountaineer was a divisional counterpart of the Ford Explorer, marketed above it and between the ...

* 2000–2003

* 2000–2006

* 2002–2005

* 2005–2010

* 2008-2010

Ford Falcon The Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate by Ford Motor Company, Ford that applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford ...

* 2003–2005

Lincoln Aviator The Lincoln Aviator is a mid-size, three-row luxury SUV manufactured and marketed under the Lincoln brand of Ford Motor Company — and now in its second generation, with a hiatus from 2006 to 2020. The first generation Aviator was manufa ...

References

Bordeaux Transmissions

C3